How to automatically update Smart LINKED Object

Elia

Hi.

This is my first post here, I'm French, so excuse any English mistake i may do.

I'm not an artist / designer / ..., still new about using image software editing like photoshop.

So i downloaded Photoshop CC to try it because i wanted to do something on my spare time.

I want to render digitaly a card collection based on a online Collectible Card Game (Duel of champions if you wanna know).

For this I downloaded their card art from their site.

Then i want to add several effect / filter to render them nicely.

So i read and watch many tutorial in this purpose.

I ended with a good result for 1 card.

Here is an example :

So what i did :
I get a source card art image, adding its red border, embossed it to get relief, adding a gloss effect in 3 different layers (the card art, the border and the gloss effect). Than i duplicate all this layers, swap them vertically and moved down to get a reflection.
I added a gradient to this new group of layers to have a nice fading effect to the reflection.

As I do not want to redo all the process again and again if I change main the source card Art, I want the reflexion to automatically update.

This was done using Smart object, both main source card Art and the (vertically swapped) reflexion card art using the same object storing my different main source card art.
So when i change in this object the main source card art used, it automatically change both the rendered card and its corresponding reflexion.

And then i Added a displacement filter to simulate a water reflection.

And the first problem (solved by now) occurred :

If i want to apply a filter to the group of layers corresponding to the rendered reflexion card, Photoshop have to convert and merged the whole group of layers into another new smart object and then apply a smart filter onto it. That worked but i lost the auto updating of the reflexion as the previous conversion have made Photoshop create in fact a whole new duplicated object storing a my different main source art.

So i partially resolved This by using Smart LINKED object instead of Smart object. I say partially because it is not really fully automated anymore.
Now if I change the main Source card Art to render a new one, I have to "manually" save file / update smart object to get the reflection updated.

I kinda accelerate this using a action performing a batch of saves to get a "save all" options (that clearly miss in photoshop). But for this i still have to open all my smarted linked object in order to apply the "Save All" batch.

But know I want to generalize the process to cards left, and render my whole card collection.

So i created a template based on what i've done so far using in this template Smart LINKED Object for the Main source card art and the reflected one. By the Way I exported the Reflection group in a PSD file, and refered to it as another Smart LINKED Object in my template. Doing so i'm sure Photoshop no more use a temporary PSB object correspond to the converted / merged reflexion Smart Object (remember : created in order to apply a smart Filter on it).

So what Happen now ?

I create a new testing psd file in witch i embed several new smart objects each one is an occurence to my template. Here i have to used smart Object and NOT smart LINKED Object because if so i'll always end up with the same rendered card several times. I have to get Phososhop create it own temporary duplicated object so a modification to one don't affect all the others after "Save All" batch on the corresponding working card.

So with what I have now, if I want to change 1 of the rendered card, i go its corresponding (duplicated) template object and from there i access again my LINKED object storing all my main source card Art.
I change to what source card art I want, and I have to open the reflection smart LINKED Object too in order to apply the "SAve All" batch.
Here is the "fun" (issue) thing : I have to apply the batch 3 time in a row to have the rendered card changed in my main testing psd file. I suppose saving 3 time time propagated the change along the Smart LINKED Object chain.
AND I have to make sure ONLY the corresponding smart (LINKED) Object file are opened before. If another file from a different rendered card is opened too the change will also be propagated to it and so having a duplicated rendered card. (I only want each card rendered once, but using the same template to avoid repetitive work).

So I explained in detail, but maybe not clearly, my situation and the step i went through.

TLDR
To summarize : I have a collections of Card art (jpeg).
I created a Template applying effect to render 1 card.
I created another template appliying same effect to render 1 REFLECTED card.
In both i use the same Smart LINKED Object that Store my collection on Card Art.
I make another Smart LINKED Object in the first template that reference the second one.
So with my first template I can update the rendered card and its rendered reflexion after changing the main source card art in the subsequent smart LINKED Object that store my whole cards art. I have to had all corresponding Smart LINKED Object file OPENED and save them all to have th updated result.

So not really automatic.

Then I want to render my whole card collection with effect and reflexion.
I create in my project a duplicate of my first template for each card to be rendered.
Then I have to open ONLY all subsequent corresponding Smart LINKED(or not) Object file of current working rendered card and change the main source card art, save all the file (several time to propagate change) to properlly update the current rendered card.
I have to do this for EACH of my duplicated template in order to render EACH of my cards.

Definitively not automatic process, and prone to errors.

Do you know a way to fully automatically render my card collection ? The only thing I want to do is chose one time the main source card art for each rendered card.

Finally another way to explain this issue and maybe get an answer is to instead explain simply what I want to do :

I have a collection of (jpeg) card art from an online card game.

I want to render them all with effect (gloss, emboss border, faded and water filtered reflection).
I want to do this automatically.
The only thing i manually want to do is chose the card art to be rendered for each of the card i want to render in my collection.

Here is an image of what i want based on what i've, not automatic, done so far :

.

Thanks for any help from photophop professional here.

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