Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) is such a great place to start when you’re working on images in Photoshop. Camera Raw is ideal for basic color and tonal corrections. When you’re done, it’s common to open the image into Photoshop to continue retouching and layered work. If you want to be able to change your Camera Raw settings later, or maintain the highest quality, you need to open the image as a smart object. Here’s how: Hold down the Shift key and the Open button changes to Open Object. Click it, and your image opens as a smart object in Photoshop. Double-click the smart object in the Layers panel to go back to ACR.
This tip previously appeared in Colin Smith’s Photoshop Tips column, in the June/July, 2019 issue of Photoshop User magazine.