What is the advantage of using a Smart Object when applying filters?

• A. It converts the layer to a separate file on disk.
• B. It preserves the original data and allows non-destructive Smart Filters.
• C. It reduces color depth to 8-bit only.
• D. It merges all visible layers into one background.

Answer: (B)

Non-destructive editing is the key idea. When you use a Smart Object, the pixel data stays intact and any filters you apply become Smart Filters. This means you can adjust, reorder, or remove those filters later without permanently changing the original image, and you can resize the Smart Object without losing quality because the data isn’t rewritten. You can also tweak filter settings by double-clicking the Smart Filter in the Layers panel, keeping the editing flexible. The other statements don’t describe this workflow: they imply saving to a separate disk file, forcing 8-bit color depth, or merging layers, none of which capture the main advantage of Smart Objects with non-destructive filters.