Auto Created photo collage - identify photos

[badwolf]

I've asked Adobe support this but they just refer me to the docs about how to create a photo collage.

So PSE 2020, auto-creations will make photo collages.  I open one up in PSE and I see everything. I can replace photos. However, I have no way of telling WHAT photos it added. Nowhere can I identify the actual filenames it used.  It seems it just does its magic and doesn't allow me to actually identify each photo.  When I look at the layers, each photo simply has a generic name.

Anyone run across this?  I'd like to replace some of the images, for example, but with over 100K images, it is difficult for me to locate similar images.  If I could see what images PSE actually used, then I could simply goto that folder, add, etc etc.

Thanks!

[pontiac1940]

Hi badwolf,
I don't use that feature, but have a question. The photos being used...are they your photos in your files or are they ones from an Adobe image base?
Sorry I can't help, but someone here might know.
Clive

[Sepiana]

badwolf , welcome to PSE&M! Glad to have you here.

I also have PSE 2020 but I don't use Auto Creations. So, this is a shot in the dark . . .

Have you looked in File>File Information? It is my understanding that Elements uses your imported photos to generate these Auto Creations based on your tags, keywords, album names, events, places, people, location, etc. If you have added file information such as title, keyword tags, descriptions, you should be able to identify the photos Elements used to make those photo collages.

[pontiac1940]

badwolf
I opened 8 photos in PSE 2018 and created a collage using Create >> Photo collage. I had to drag and drop the photos into the pre-made photo windows so it seems 2018 does not do auto collage. Once the collage was made, there seems to be no way to ID each individual photo as you have noted. But I have one basic question: why would you not select the photos you want in a collage? Perhaps create a temp image folder in File Explorer (if PC) and put the images you want to use in there and use those you selected to create the collage. Then you know exactly what images are used and their file names etc.

I played with collage for a few minutes and found it cumbersome. One option to make a collage would be to do it manually so you have complete control over each image used. It seems (and I only spent a few minutes in collage..that can be dangerous) that once the images are in the collage master file that individual images can't be edited. They can be resized and moved, but light levels (for example) of individual photos can't be edited. I could find no way to get back into "expert" mode so each photo would be in a layer and therefore editable.

Anyone?  

Clive  

[badwolf]

Yeah it's strange.  Info doesn't show anything. Attaching a screenshot where you can see the layers with each individual picture with a generic name.  Looked all over but can't find  the actual filenames. It's as if the auto creation program creates this .psd file and then ignores the original files. It may just be the way it's programmed. Just curious to see if anyone else has run across it. From what I've observed a lot of folks don't use the auto creations.

[Sepiana]

Jan 9, 2020 15:45:27 GMT pontiac1940 said:

I opened 8 photos in PSE 2018 and created a collage using Create >> Photo collage. I had to drag and drop the photos into the pre-made photo windows so it seems 2018 does not do auto collage.

badwolf is talking about Auto Creations. This feature is not available in PSE 2018 and earlier versions; Adobe introduced it in PSE 2019. 

View and share auto-created collages, slideshows, and more

[Sepiana]

Jan 9, 2020 16:40:40 GMT badwolf said:

Yeah it's strange.  Info doesn't show anything.
. . .  Looked all over but can't find  the actual filenames.  

badwolf, I was talking about File Information in the File menu. Select the photo layer you want to identify and, then, go to File>File Information.

Unfortunately, I can't verify my "shot in the dark" because I don't have any Auto Creations available as of this writing. It looks like Auto Creations are automatically deleted if we don't use or edit them. I am waiting to see if PSE 2020 will generate some soon.

[michelb]

Auto creations are at the same time a demonstration of what can be done with the 'Sensei' artificial intelligence incorporated in Elements and a way to motivate users to create and share more than their usual jobs.

I don't use them even if they can produce interesting results because that requires a lot of hardware power and background task. I have read recently that those creations are only temporary and automatically deleted after some time.

I don't know any way to answer the question about how to identify the photos used in a creation (collage, slideshow...). You have auto creations, guided or manual creations which are saved in projects (.pse extensions) saved in the catalog. With manual creations, from templates or from scratch, collages are created in psd or tiff format with either layers or 'smart layers'. In Elements, smart layers are saved by embedding the imported images, not by reference to links to a given file in the library. So, as shown in screenshots in the previous posts, there is no way to identify the imported media.

Even when you have saved a .pse project in .psd format, you don't recover the tags or captions in the metadata.

The only possible way would be to isolate the imported image from the collage and do a 'visual search'... not very realistic in my (limited) experience of the feature.

So, for automatic creations, you only know that they are created from recent files, especially recent events. If the imported file suggests possible keywords or tags that may have been added in the catalog (persons, locations, objects, events...) you are left with the usual search tools.

Since 'project' files are saved in the catalog and contain the lists of assets and the workflow (for a slideshow for instance), it's important to save the project itself as .pse and not only as a .psd/.tiff or video format. If you only have a .psd with 'smart layers' like in the screenshots, at least you can recover each smart layer as it has been embedded, that is in good resolution (I'll have to test the process). I have just received my photo book for the year 2019. Each one of the 80 pages with more than 200 images is saved as a .psd. My problem is that I have 'simplified' all smart layers to save space...

If you are doing your own manual projects, I would recommend including all your image components in an album before working on the project. That's what I did for my 2019 book, so I still can easily find any source file.

[pontiac1940]

Jan 9, 2020 18:49:13 GMT Sepiana said:

badwolf is talking about Auto Creations. This feature is not available in PSE 2018

Thanks Sepiana. I see what you mean. 

badwolf's basic problem does apply in PSE 2018 pse collages as well, i.e. " ...  no way of telling WHAT photos it added. Nowhere can I identify the actual filenames it used. "

When a collage is made in 2018, the resulting seemingly, multilayered produce is as badwolf said and there is  no way to ID the input images. 

Good learning experience for me. I rarely makes collages, but when I do again it will be from scratch (as always) using a blank image to start and adding my own images manually giving me full control over how they are managed. Can switch images, edit, change sizes, position, edit layer style, etc. Perhaps there is a way to do that in the collage process...no matter it's not something I'll use. 

Thanks for the discussion. 

Clive

[Sepiana]

Jan 9, 2020 21:53:09 GMT michelb said:

So, for automatic creations, you only know that they are created from recent files, especially recent events. If the imported file suggests possible keywords or tags that may have been added in the catalog (persons, locations, objects, events...) you are left with the usual search tools.

Michel, thanks for joining this thread! Your expertise to the rescue!

I am coming to the same conclusion. 

[badwolf]

Thanks michelb. Excellent information and I appreciate your response. Smart layers makes sense now

[michelb]

Jan 10, 2020 13:00:17 GMT badwolf said:

Thanks michelb. Excellent information and I appreciate your response. Smart layers makes sense now

I am now busy trying to confirm that you can logically extract the original picture from a smart layer in a layered psd or tiff file. That works as expected in my tests.

The mysterious question I have now is that I have generally bigger file sizes imported than my canvas size, for instance 4000 x3000 pixels on an A4 at 300 ppi (3508 x 2480). I have no issues enlarging the preview to roughly the estimated pixel size of the source file, even to enlarge severely. I always get a slightly downsized or upsized result, which is very good anyway for ulterior use. Any smart layer can be recovered even if 'cropped' by a clipping mask.

I'll take some time to illustrate the workflow later.

[Sepiana]

Jan 9, 2020 15:45:27 GMT pontiac1940 said:

I opened 8 photos in PSE 2018 and created a collage using Create >> Photo collage. 

I played with collage for a few minutes and found it cumbersome . . . They can be resized and moved, but light levels (for example) of individual photos can't be edited. I could find no way to get back into "expert" mode so each photo would be in a layer and therefore editable. 

Clive, 

To get your collage into the Expert mode, you click on the "Advanced Mode" button (left top corner). Then, you will have access to the complete Tools panel and the Layer stack. Now you will be able to edit or retouch the individual photos.

You can apply Adjustment layers such as Levels, Hue/Saturation, Photo Filters, etc. to individual photos in the collage. You need to clip the Adjustment layer to the photo so that the effect will be applied to only that photo.

Create photo collages  (scroll down to Create photo collages in PSE 2018 and earlier releases.)