Author: James Qu

James is a seasoned Photoshop expert with over 25 years of experience based in Australia. As the driving force behind PSD Vault, he authors the majority of its in-depth tutorials and insightful articles.

Photoshop’s Neural Filters are AI wizards that automate complex edits, but pairing them with Smart Objects takes it further- enabling non-destructive tweaks, layer masking, and batch automation for pro workflows. In this tutorial, we’ll convert portrait layers to Smart Objects, apply neural filters like Skin Smoothing, and automate across multiple images. What You’ll Need Step 1: Open Your Images and Prepare Layers Launch Photoshop and open your portrait images via File > Open. For each, duplicate the Background layer (Ctrl+J / Cmd+J) to work non-destructively. Name it “Portrait Edit” in the Layers panel. Step 2: Convert to Smart Object Select…

Read More

In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through creating a dynamic, surreal motorbike racing scene with vertical composition in Adobe Photoshop. This photo manipulation combines elements of speed, motion, and abstraction to produce an eye-catching digital artwork. This tutorial assumes you have basic familiarity with Photoshop layers, masks, and adjustment tools. The process should take 1-2 hours, depending on your experience. The PSD file of this tutorial is available via the PSD Vault VIP members area. Final Image Preview What you’ll be creating Let’s start creating this picture with the construction of the base composition. The next step will be to…

Read More

Staying ahead with Photoshop updates is crucial for designers, whether you’re practicing tutorials or delivering client projects. Adobe rolls out updates roughly monthly—think September 2025’s v26.11, with Adobe Express templates and Firefly refinements. Missing these means skipping powerful AI tools and creative shortcuts. This guide shows you how to track every Photoshop update, install them safely, and maximise their features like a pro. Let’s dive in! What You’ll Need Why Track Photoshop Updates? Regular Photoshop updates bring AI-driven tools, performance boosts, and collaboration features. For example, v26.11 added editable Firefly PSDs and sharper CJK text rendering, while January 2025’s v26.3…

Read More

Having trouble with Photoshop’s “Export As” feature not working? This common issue in Photoshop 2025 can stop you from saving files as PNG, JPG, or other formats, often due to software bugs, misconfigured settings, or system limitations. Whether “Export As” is greyed out, crashes Photoshop, or fails to save, this step-by-step guide will help you fix it fast. Follow these solutions to get back to exporting your designs seamlessly. Why Does the “Export As” Feature Fail in Photoshop? The “Export As” feature may fail due to: Let’s explore the fixes to restore the “Export As” feature in Photoshop 2025. Solutions…

Read More