How can I keep a sharp / non-blurred edge on Smart Objects with a blur-filter applied?

[Brett_Beko]

How can I keep a sharp / non-blurred edge on Smart Objects with a blur-filter applied?

I made a screen-recording of what I perceive to be a bug in Photoshop – check it out here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qv1em4ut8maopn8/photoshop-blur.mov?dl=0

1: Turn flattened image into Smart Object.

2: Apply Gaussian Blur filter – layer has sharp edges.

3: Move layer away from the canvas edges – layer still has sharp edges.

4: Temporarily turn off ALL Smart Filters – blur effect disappears.

5: Turn back on all Smart Filters – layer still has sharp edges.

6: Temporarily turn off SINGLE Gaussian Blur – blur effect disappears.

7: Turn back on single Gaussian Blur – layer now has BLURRY edges!

I don't see how sometimes we get a sharp-edge and other times we get a blurred-edge?!

The bug of being able to get a sharp-edge only occurs when working with a layer that reaches all edges of the canvas. If I apply a blur to a Smart Object that is "floating" in the middle of the canvas, then I immediately get blurry edges.

But I don't want blurry edges. I want straight edges. How can I keep a sharp-edge?

What I effectively want is to lock the transparency of the Smart Object, but I can't.

[JJMack]

I think it would be quite simple to add a smart filter mask that would prevent smart filters adjusting the smart objects edges. Before you add the first smart filter.  Select the smart Object layers Pixels then contract the selection a pixels or two.  With that  selection active add the first smart filter.  The selection should be added as a smart filter mask that will mask all smart filters applied the the smart object layer.  If you apply filters to the document composite the sharp edges will be blurred. Take control blur only what you want blurred.  It you add adjustment layer above smart object layers and do not clip them to layers above the smart object layers the document's composite will be blurred including your sharp smart image layer sharp edges the are in the document composite. You need to control where filters are applied.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

The bug of being able to get a sharp-edge only occurs when working with a layer that reaches all edges of the canvas.

Hardly a bug but probably an economical decision (likely owed to »old« code from the time when the common PC processing power was smaller) that apparently applies to regular pixel Layers just the same. Similarly if one paints across the Canvas border on a pixel Layer. 

1: Turn flattened image into Smart Object.

2: Apply Gaussian Blur filter – layer has sharp edges.

3: Move layer away from the canvas edges – layer still has sharp edges.

4: Temporarily turn off ALL Smart Filters – blur effect disappears.

5: Turn back on all Smart Filters – layer still has sharp edges.

6: Temporarily turn off SINGLE Gaussian Blur – blur effect disappears.

7: Turn back on single Gaussian Blur – layer now has BLURRY edges!

That seems to be as expected as turning off the visibility off/on all Smart Filters does not necessitate a re-application of the Filters whereas turning off/on one single Filter causes a new calculation.

A work-around could be Clipping Masking to an unfiltered instance of the SO set to 0% Fill and with »Blend Clipped Layers as Group« unchecked.

[Brett_Beko]

Thank you both JJJMack and c.pfaffenbichler for replying, but unfortunately both your suggestions do not achieve the desired / shown result.

In both examples you mention, all I am doing is masking or clipping the blurred edge within the confines of the original shape. But crucially, because the edge of a blurred object gets blurred both inwards AND outwards, all I am doing is hiding the OUTER blurred edges but I am still keeping the unwanted blurred INNER portion.

Look at the screenshot you posted above c.pfaffenbichler and see how you can still see the checkerboard underneath the edges of the blurred layer, particularly under the black areas where it is really obvious. This is because the edge is still being blurred, but I am just hiding the outer part of it.

And now look at the screen-recording video I posted in the first link, around the 20-second mark. At this point, the whole Smart Object / layer has been blurred with no masking or clipping or blurry edges. That's the effect I want to achieve and clearly Photoshop *CAN* do this, as evidenced by the recording, but I want it to also do this on other smaller layers.

Clearly I can't do it just by following my original steps outlined above – unless Adobe adds a "Preserve Layer Transparency" checkbox in a future update. But until that happens, what I am after is to learn some kind of hack or trick to get my desired effect of *completely* sharp edges, no inner OR outer blurring.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I suspect you might be able to achieve that with a Smart Object in Smart Object approach where you filter the SO and then convert it to a SO.

Naturally to edit the Filters you’d have to do so inside the SO, though …

[Brett_Beko]

Aah, I like that idea! I often have Smart Objects within Smart Objects within Smart Objects for other things, but annoyingly I hadn't thought of applying that idea here.

A quick test with a very simple dummy file I just mocked up seems to indicate that this DOES work, now I just have to hope that this continues to work with my more complex real-world files.

Thanks for the tip!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

[Peter Varadi]

1: Copy the layer to a new file (with same dimensions)

2: Flatten image

3: Apply Gaussian Blur filter

4: Convert layer to Smart Object (or rasterize the filer)

Note: If you don't convert the layer to Smart Object (or rasterize the blur filter), edges will have feather when copied to another file.

[Brett_Beko]

Is there a way to mark answers as the complete opposite of helpful?

Your suggestion says to flatten the object.

So then it's no longer a Smart Object, so not at all helpful or relevant to the original query.

Also, what if the original Smart Object was a circle? Your suggestion would then flatten the circle in a straight-edged square / rectangle.

Again, not helpful.

[Peter Varadi]

This is currently the only way to achieve non-blurred edge in full art scale—smart object or not. But since you use PS mostly for raster images, opening one in full scale, then applying the effect and converting it to smart object actually won't decrease the quality really. This is the only way it works, and it works only with rectangle shaped images.

Also, no need to go rude when people try to help you.

[Brett_Beko]

This is currently the only way to achieve non-blurred edge in full art scale—smart object or not

No it is not. "c.pfaffenbichler" above already posted a workaround solution.

But since you use PS mostly for raster images

No I do not.

converting it to smart object actually won't decrease the quality

Who's talking about quality? I'm talking about Smart Objects. The whole point of a Smart Object is that it remains editable. Flattening it means it is not editable.

This is the only way it works, and it works only with rectangle shaped images.

Again, no, it is not the only way it works. Read above.

no need to go rude when people try to help you.

But you are NOT helping. You are just adding pointless unnecessary noise to the conversation.

I am not being rude. I am being direct and matter-of-fact.

Before you reply to a post, do two things:

1. Read the original post's question. Make sure you understand it. Then think, is your answer actually helping? Does it actually contribute to solving the problem that is outlined in the original post? If not, then don't answer. No answer is better than a wrong answer.
2. Read the posts that come AFTER the original post. See if any of THOSE subsequent posts answer the original query. If they do, and if those answers are better than what you have to say, then again, just say nothing.