Smart Photo Selection guide
How to Upload and Use Your Own PSD Album Template
Upload a PSD album design to Smart Photo Selection, verify the detected photo slots, set the fill order and reuse the template for every wedding, with automatic photo mapping.
By Smart Photo Selection TeamUpdated 5 min read
Short answer
Open Templates and click + Upload Custom Template. Enter a Template Name and Category, click Choose PSD and Upload Template. When analysis finishes, check the slots on the Verify photo slots page, add any missing ones with Add slot, and click Confirm & save template. The template is then ready for automatic and AI albums.
What You Need
- A PSD (not PSB) in RGB or Grayscale, 8 bits per channel.
- At most 1.5 GB, 30,000 px per side, 250 megapixels and 1,500 layers.
- One placeholder per photo: a shape with a clipping mask, a smart object or a flat placeholder shape.
- A resolution set in the PSD (for example 300 ppi), so the album size can be shown in inches.
- A licence that allows you to use the template for client albums, if you bought it elsewhere.
Prepare the PSD
No particular layer names are required, but a clean file makes detection more reliable. Convert CMYK, Lab, Indexed, Duotone and 16- or 32-bit files to RGB 8-bit in your desktop editor before uploading; such files are rejected with a message explaining how to convert them. If you name the photo layers Photo 01, Photo 02 and so on with unique numbers, that numbering becomes the fill order. Otherwise slots are ordered page by page, left page first, top to bottom. Full requirements are on the wedding album PSD templates page.
Step by step: upload and verify
- 1
Open the template library
In Album Studio, click
Templates (N)or theTemplatestab, then+ Upload Custom Template. - 2
Fill in the details
In
Upload Custom Template, enter aTemplate Name(for example Wedding Gold 01), pick aCategorysuch as Wedding or Pre Wedding, and optionally aDescription (optional). - 3
Choose the PSD
Under
Upload PSD, clickChoose PSD. Optionally add your own preview image underTemplate Preview (optional); otherwise the preview is rendered from the PSD. - 4
Upload and wait for analysis
Click
Upload Template. Progress goes throughReading PSD,Checking PSD (format, size, colour mode),Analysing layers,Detecting photo slots,Preparing slot masksandSaving template, ending withTemplate ready. Analysis runs in a background worker in your browser. - 5
Check the detected slots
The
Verify photo slotspage shows each slot with its type (Clipping mask,Smart object,Placeholder shape,Image layer) and confidence:High confidence / confirmed,Medium — please check,Low — likely not a slot. High and medium slots start enabled; low ones start off. - 6
Correct anything wrong
Toggle a slot between
Photo slotandNot a slot, renumber it or move it up or down. If a slot was missed, clickAdd slotand drag on the design to draw it (Drawn manually). - 7
Decide on repeating
Turn on
Repeat for more sheetsif one design should continue across as many sheets as the wedding needs. - 8
Save
Click
Confirm & save template. The card now showsVerifiedand can be used withOpen with AIorOpen in Editor, or chosen in the automatic flow's template step.
Use the template for an album
Create an album with Create album and the Automatic album card, choose the booking's photos, and pick your template in the 2. Album template step. Choose Fill slot (crop) or Whole photo (no crop) under Photo fit. Photos are then mapped in shooting sequence (read from file names like DSC_5401.jpg): slot 01, 02 and so on on sheet 1, then the next sheet. In 3. Photo → slot mapping, drag a photo onto another slot to swap them, use Re-map in order to start again, and preview before you generate. How the mapping works is explained on PSD album automation.
What the exported PSD keeps
When you export a sheet made from your template as a layered PSD, your layer tree is kept: groups, masks, text, smart objects, effects and adjustment layers. Each photo is placed as a raster layer above its slot, clipped to it, and the placeholder is hidden. Frames and textures above a slot stay on top of the photo, and the template's colour profile is embedded again. See how to export.
Tips
- Use clipping masks for every photo position; they are the strongest signal for slot detection.
- Number the photo layers
Photo 01,Photo 02… to control the fill order without reordering later. - Keep decorative layers (frames, logos, textures) named clearly, such as frame or logo; such names lower their slot score.
- Verify a new template with one test album before using it for a client.
Common Mistakes
Uploading a CMYK or 16-bit PSD
Convert to RGB, 8 bits per channel in your desktop editor and upload again.
Saving as PSB
PSB (Large Document Format) is not supported. Reduce the document below 30,000 px per side and save as PSD.
Leaving decorative shapes enabled as slots
On the verification page, set them to
Not a slot; otherwise photos will be placed into them.Opening the template before verifying
Templates must be verified first; Smart Photo Selection shows
Verify the template’s photo slots first.until you confirm them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was my PSD rejected?
The error names the reason (such as CMYK, 16-bit or PSB) and how to fix it. Convert the file and click Try Another PSD.
Do I have to verify the template every time?
No. A verified template is saved and reused without being analysed again.
Is my PSD uploaded to a server?
Analysis runs in a background worker in your browser and the template is stored in the browser on your device.
Can I use a template on several sheets?
Yes. Turn on Repeat for more sheets and the design continues across as many sheets as your photos need.
Related Guides
- How to Export a Wedding Album as JPG, PNG or Layered PSDExport one album sheet or the whole album from Smart Photo Selection as full-resolution JPG, PNG or a verified layered PSD, and download everything as a ZIP for your lab.
- How to Create a Wedding Album With AIStep-by-step: pick a booking, run the AI photo selection, choose a size and design style, generate the spreads, then review and export your wedding album.
- How to Use Layers, Layer Masks and Clipping Masks in Smart Photo SelectionLearn how layers, layer masks, clipping masks and adjustment layers work in the Smart Photo Selection editor, with the exact menu names and shortcuts.
- Troubleshooting Album Photos: Loading, Replacing and Export QualityFix common Smart Photo Selection problems: photos not loading, storage errors, replacing or rearranging photos, soft preview versus sharp export, and low-ppi warnings.
Related Features
Further Reading
- JPG vs PNG vs TIFF vs PSD: Which File Format for Wedding Albums?Which file format to send your album lab: JPG, PNG, TIFF or PSD compared on quality, size, layers and colour profiles, and what Smart Photo Selection exports today.
- A Wedding Album Delivery Workflow for PhotographersA practical album workflow for wedding photographers: client photo selection, design, review rounds, revisions, lab checks, printing and final delivery.
- AI Wedding Album Design: The Complete GuideHow AI wedding album design works, what it does well, where you still decide, and a practical workflow from photo selection to print-ready export.
Try It in Smart Photo Selection
Open Album Studio with a photographer account, pick a booking and follow the steps above on your own photos.