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I have a shape in Photoshop with some layer effects. When I go to convert that shape to a smart object, the drop shadow darkens. Prior to converting, the shape has a normal blend mode with opacity and fill set to 100%. Is there some way to convert the shape and keep the same drop shadow?
Here is an image of what is happening. This also happens when I save the image as a png.
Smart objects are self-contained. They are treated as a single layer within the parent Photoshop file. Internal blend modes over transparency will have no effect on other non-smart object layers.
To solve this issue, remove the 'overlay' drop shadow from the internal smart object layer (just turn off the visibility) and apply the 'overlay' mode drop shadow to the smart object itself.
This may alter how you think about construction and what you place into a smart object.
Simply put, some blend modes won't work unless they have additional layers to interact with. Because smart objects are containers, internal blend options only interact with items within their own internal container.
