How to Process Multiple Smart Object Layers in Bulk Mockup

This tutorial shows you how to batch-process Photoshop mockup templates that contain multiple smart object layers using the Bulk Mockup plugin. You'll learn how to handle two different scenarios: applying the same design across multiple smart objects, and applying different designs to each smart object.

Step 1: Check If Your Smart Objects Are Linked (📺 Watch at 1:00)

Before setting up your batch process, you need to determine if your smart object layers are linked together.

How to check:

1. Double-click on one of the smart object layers in your PSD template (or right click on the smart object layer and select edit content option)

2. Make a visible change (like adding a shape or text)

3. Save and close the smart object layer

4. Look if the visible change you made reflected on all smart object layers in your main document

What this means:

• If all smart objects updated automatically: They are linked. You don't need multiple smart object processing—Bulk Mockup will treat them as a single smart object and update all instances automatically.

• If the other smart objects didn't change: They are unlinked/independent. Continue to the next step to set up multiple smart object processing.

→ See results in the video (2:00)

Step 2: Recreate Linked Smart Objects (If Needed) (📺 Watch at 2:20)

If your smart objects are linked but you want them to be independent, you'll need to recreate them using the correct method.

How to recreate independent smart objects:

1. Select the smart object layer you want to duplicate

2. Press Ctrl + J (Windows) or Cmd + J (Mac) to create a true duplicate

3. Move the duplicated layer to the desired position using the Move tool

4. Repeat for each additional smart object you need

5. Delete the old linked layers once you've recreated them all

→ See results in the video (3:20)

Step 3: Decide Your Use Case (📺 Watch at 3:40)

Bulk Mockup supports two different workflows for multiple smart objects:

Use Case 1: Same Design Across All Smart Objects

Choose this when you want to apply the same design to multiple smart objects in your template. For example, showing the same logo on multiple product angles or the same design worn by different models.

Setup: No special folder structure needed. Simply ensure all your smart objects are linked, and Bulk Mockup will apply your designs to all of them automatically.

Use Case 2: Different Designs for Each Smart Object

Choose this when each smart object should receive a different design. For example, creating a t-shirt mockup with different graphics on the front and back.

Setup: You'll need to create a specific folder structure with subfolders (covered in the next step).

→ See results in the video (4:40)

Step 4: Rename Your Main Smart Object Layer (📺 Watch at 5:40)

Bulk Mockup looks for a smart object layer named exactly "@design" to know where to insert your graphics.

How to rename:

1. In your Photoshop Layers panel, locate the smart object layer you want to designate as the main one

2. Double-click on the layer name (or right click and choose rename)

3. Type exactly: @design

4. Press Enter to confirm

→ See results in the video (6:00)

Step 5: Set Up Your Folder Structure (For Different Designs) (📺 Watch at 6:30)

If you're using Use Case 2 (different designs per smart object), you need to create a specific folder structure on your computer.

How to organise your folders:

1. Create a main folder for your project (e.g., "T-Shirt Mockups")

2. Inside the main folder, place your design files for the "@design" layer

3. For each additional smart object layer, create a subfolder with the exact name of that layer

4. Place the corresponding designs inside each subfolder

Example folder structure:

T-Shirt Mockups/
├── design1.png (goes into "@design" layer)
├── design2.png (goes into "@design" layer)
├── R2/
│   ├── back-graphic1.png (goes into "R2" layer)
│   ├── back-graphic2.png (goes into "R2" layer)
└── R3/
    ├── sleeve-design1.png (goes into "R3" layer)
    ├── sleeve-design2.png (goes into "R3" layer)

→ See results in the video (7:30)

Step 6: Configure Bulk Mockup Settings (📺 Watch at 8:00)

Now you're ready to set up the batch process in the Bulk Mockup plugin.

How to configure:

1. Open Photoshop and launch the Bulk Mockup plugin (Plugins > Bulk Mockup)

2. Select your PSD template folder location : Click "Browse" and choose your mockup file with the smart object layers

3. Select your design file folder location: Click "Browse" and choose the main folder containing your designs and subfolders.

4. Enable "Multiple Smart Objects": Check this option to activate multiple smart object layer processing

5. Choose your export path: Select where you want the finished mockups to be saved

6. Select your output format: Choose PNG, JPG, MP4, or your preferred format

→ See results in the video (9:00)

Step 7: Run the Batch Process (📺 Watch at 9:45)

Once your settings are configured, you're ready to generate your mockups.

How to run:

1. Double-check all your settings in the Bulk Mockup panel

2. Click the "Start Generating" button

3. Wait for Bulk Mockup to process all your designs (processing time depends on file count and complexity)

4. Check your export folder for the finished mockups

How the processing works:

• Bulk Mockup processes files in ascending alphabetical order (001.png before 002.png)

• For each mockup, it takes the corresponding file from the root folder and each subfolder

• If a subfolder has fewer files than the root folder, Bulk Mockup will repeat the last file in that subfolder

• If a subfolder is empty, that smart object layer will be skipped

→ See results in the video (12:00)

Understanding File Repetition and Order (📺 Watch at 11:00)

To get predictable results, it's important to understand how Bulk Mockup handles file matching across folders.

Example scenario:

• Root folder: 5 designs (design1.png through design5.png)

• Subfolder "R2": 3 designs (back1.png through back3.png)

What happens:

• Mockup 1: design1.png + back1.png

• Mockup 2: design2.png + back2.png

• Mockup 3: design3.png + back3.png

• Mockup 4: design4.png + back3.png (repeats last file)

• Mockup 5: design5.png + back3.png (repeats last file)

→ See results in the video (13:15)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: All my smart objects are updating together

Solution: Your smart objects are linked. Go back to Step 2 and recreate them using Ctrl/Cmd + J.

Issue: Bulk Mockup isn't finding my designs

Solution: Check that your main smart object layer is named exactly "@design" and that your folder structure matches your layer names precisely.

Issue: Some layers aren't getting updated

Solution: Verify that you have subfolders named exactly after those layer names, and that the subfolders contain design files.

Issue: Processing fails with an error

Solution: Remove special characters from your file and folder names. Use only letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Issue: Wrong designs are appearing in my mockups

Solution: Bulk Mockup processes files alphabetically. Rename your files with numbers (001, 002, 003) to control the order.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to process multiple smart object layers, you can create complex batch mockups efficiently. Consider exploring these related features:

• Batch processing video mockups with multiple scenes

• Exporting in different file formats (PNG, JPG, MP4, GIF)

• Using advanced smart object naming conventions for complex templates

Need More Help?

If you have questions about export folder settings or encounter any issues, contact the Bulk Mockup support team at [email protected].

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