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I am not trying to merge every layer and flatten the image. Instead I'm looking for a faster alternative to right-clicking every layer and converting to smart object, then rasterizing the layer. Or an alternative to the About.com suggestion, but applied to every later.
Turns out using the menu option Layer > Rasterize > All layers does not flatten layer effects, and that's exactly what I'm looking for.
The only thing I can think of to save a little time would be to create a simple Action that does the Convert to Smart Object and then Rasterizes it in one press but you'd still have to go through each layer individually hitting this button.
Of course I'm not exactly sure off the top of my head what the practical use for doing this even is. What About.com says I don't think is accurate if I have let's say a Vector with an outerglow on it and then rasterize the layer so that I may apply a filter even thought the layer effect is still editable it absolutely is affected by the filter.
select forward layer step which would move to the next layer. Then you could duplicate all the steps couple times so that it flattens more than one layer per click and then you can just click play icon in the action window like crazy until it loops through all the layers. ( It doesn't matter if you repeat the action twice in some layers by accident.. ) ..and you might want to ungroup all the groups prior to using that action..
– Joonas
Mar 16 '12 at 17:30
I know this is an old question, but for people just finding this question, you can automate this without saving separate files for each layer.
This rasterizes layer styles, vector layers, smart objects, etc. It works for CC and at least as far back as CS6. I haven't tried it on any older copies.
If you record a macro with those two steps, you can use the Image Processor or other batch scripts to apply it to a whole folder of images.
It is possible to do such things (such as iterating through all layers and do arbitrary things to each) using apple actionscript, javascript, or vbscript. I have only dabbled in this so I can't really go much further than saying that it is possible to do this. Search the adobe site for information about scripting. There is way too much information than is possible to delve into here.
Of course, if it is recordable, and you don't mind interacting with the process, you can just select a layer and click an action.
This script is something I came up with in response to a sprite sheet question. It does not have anything to do with the question, except to illustrate creating and manipulating layers in Photoshop using scripts.
Given your real intention is to export all layers, I think there is other, better options.
All I need is a software that runs on my OS and lets me crop and cut the layers for Web usage.
Photoshop’s Export Layers to Files script is a great way to do this.
Choosing File → Scripts → Export Layers to Files, each layer of your document will be saved as a separate file with a filename that matches the layer name. You don't have to prepare your document by creating Smart Objects or rasterizing layers.
Specify a folder to save all the output files.
Choose an export format that supports transparency (e.g., PNG 24) and be sure to check "Transparency" in the dialog.
Optionally select "Trim Layers" in the script dialog, to remove excess transparent image area.
By using Export Layers to Files, you can leave your Smart Objects and other layers intact.
Much quicker and easier.
In the new version of Photoshop CC, There's an option to filter layer by "Kind" "Name" "Smart Objects" etc.
Choose "Smart Objects" and Select all layers and then Rasterize it.
PS: I know this is an old post, but its one of the top listing on google search, so hope it helps somebody else.
