Adobe Bridge - Adobe Camera RAW Videos

[rpcrowe]

There are many ways to work with images using Photoshop, throwing Adobe Bridge and Lightroom into the equation simply multiplies the number of ways that things can be done...

I am sure that other folks do things differently - but I work with Bridge and Camera RAW rather than Lightroom...

I do like working with Adobe Bridge and Camera RAW... Since I have become somewhat proficient using those programs and since I didn't like Adobe Lightroom when I tried it, I am quite happy using Bridge and ACR to handle and keep track of my images.

I get the image from the camera using a card reader and then I open Adobe Bridge, then use the Get Photos from Camera command, name these images and have a standardized filing and backup system straight from Bridge.

I did want to change the interface on Adobe Bridge a bit, so I went to my favorite site, YouTube for some suggestions. As with all YouTube video subjects, the quality of the information ranges from excellent to downright incorrect.

Here is the format which I have ended up with and with which I am quite comfortable. Note: I now shoot my dog portraits using a custom white balance set in the camera. I used to set the white balance in Camera RAW using the WB target and the WB eyedropper but, I find that this is easier. FOR ME AT LEAST!



I wanted the file shown rather than the favorites (image left). I do not necessarily work with filters or collections all the time so I double clicked on these to stack them. That allowed me to arrange the file area in a more narrow box giving more room for thumbnails and preview...

I don't need the metadata and keywords all the time so I double clicked on these to stack them also.

I can always reopen filters, collections, metadata and keywords if I need them.

I enlarged the width of the space for the thumbnails and the preview by clicking on the vertical line between these panels and dragging.

Nine thumbnails are comfortable for me to work with (this can be a factor of my vision and the number of images with which I am working). The number of images shown can always be adjusted with the slider at bottom screen right.

Opening a thumbnail image into Camera RAW can be done in several ways. Double click on the image, select the image/images and click on the icon at top right of screen, use File> open. Or use keyboard commands...

I can rate the images using the five star system...

Once in Camera RAW, the actual processing of the RAW image is done with the same math as in Lightroom. The interface may be a bit different.

I do some processing in camera RAW (either batch processing or individual) and then open the image(s) into Photoshop to continue processing (also using the NIK Plug-ins).

I will save an edited (but uncropped and un-sized and without final sharpening) image as a master PSD file and from there work with the master file to produce the images in the crop and size I need. I will then save the images in JPEG, TIFF or what ever format I need.

I end up with the CR2 file, the PSD image and whatever format(s) I have saved my output images in...

[Shadowman]

I've used Bridge a few times, the first I was offset because I allowed it to search my computer for images and it took forever. If I'm not mistaken Adobe Organizer works similar to Bridge, again I rarely use it as it seemed to have the same search function, found out later that it can be set to search individual folders only, I'm sure Bridge can be set to do the same. You just have to take the time to research a particular program to understand its usefulness, I'm sure I can find some quick tips on Bridge/Organizer and I have found some through a Kelby text. Thing is when you read certain texts and view certain tutorials you find that you are adopting another's style and it might not always work for you.

[Manfred M]

Richard - who is to argue; whatever works for you is fine.

I used Lightroom pretty well exclusively while I was traveling and posting from Europe in September. At home I do work with other parts of Adobe Creative Cloud (Premiere Pro, Illustrator, etc.) so Bridge is really the best tool when working the way I do. I thought a solid month of using Lightroom exclusively would finally get me over my lack of enthusiasm for the software.

I was wrong. The workflow of Bridge / ACR suits my personal needs a lot better than LR. I still prefer the Bridge / ACR user interfaces to the LR one. If all one uses is the Develop Module, the overhead associated with the Library module just slows things down. The other modules in LR (other than map) have better equivalents in other components in CC; for instance why would I use the Book module when InDesign is so much more powerful.

[DanK]

Manfred,

I agree: people should use whatever works for them, and I am very much accustomed to LR, so I have no inclination to switch to Bridge/ACR. However, I am just curious how much of the incidental functionality of LR the combination of Bridge and ACR offers. For example, can you make virtual copies, stack or unstack them, edit them separately in the raw editor, and send them separately to external editors? Can you create "snapshots" to bookmark steps in the editing sequence? Can ACR show you a history of all of your editing steps and let you cut back to earlier steps and restart from there? These are all things I do often in LR, and I am just accustomed to them. There may be a way to do them in Bridge/ACR also.

You may look askance at this, but I also use LR because I find its print module very easy to use. I know it entails shortcuts--e.g., selecting one of three levels of output sharpening rather than resizing the image and re-sharpening oneself--but I have found that it works very well. Again, I'm not urging anyone to choose one over the other, just pointing out that they aren't entirely the same (at least as far as I know).

[Manfred M]

Dan - the Bridge / ACR / Photoshop link is not 100% identical to the workflow and processes available through Lightroom because of differences in how the data is stored and processed. There is no direct output from either Bridge or ACR, as both ultimately target Photoshop as the final destination. As I always used Photoshop in finishing my images, that is no issue.

Bridge links to Adobe software only. If I want to use a third party raw convertor, for instance Capture One or Optics Pro, I would use these in place of Bridge to do my selections and raw conversions / parametric edits. Both of these packages allow me to open output directly to Photoshop or another software of my choice, including Photoshop. Optics Pro's behaviour is more like Bridge / ACR while Capture One is a bit more like LR in that one can use it as a DAM tool.

Bridge allows me to stack / unstack, duplicate (which is effectively what virtual copies are; raw data that allow one to apply different parametric edits to the file). ACR has the same functionality as the LR Develop Module, so all of the undo / redo functionality is there as well. With Bridge I can open up a number of raw files at once and either do parametric edits singly of copy and synchronize any parameter

The other chief advantage of Bridge is that I can open and manipulate these images in other software; Illustrator, Acrobat, Premiere Pro, InDesign, etc. If I am working on a photo book, I can do layouts in InDesign and directly edit a file in Photoshop and have the changes appear in the final product (i.e. the image in the book). I can import a still image into a video I am editing, again through Bridge I can import a Photoshop file directly into the Premiere Pro timeline.

[rpcrowe]

For my needs, Bridge + ACR + Photoshop do quite well without my having to learn (get familiar with) any other software. Again, my philosophy is "Don't fix it if it ain't broke!

I tried Lightroom and also tried PSE a few years ago when I lost my copy of Photoshop 7. I was not in a position at that time to purchase Photoshop. However, right about the time Photoshop CC was introduced, Adobe had a sale on CS6 which was probably the last Photoshop issue available for purchase. which I purchased (and still own). However, I have subscribed to Adobe's CC for Photographers which includes: Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom. Of course, ACR is included in the package.

I really like ACR and often use it as a filter when processing JPEG's submitted to me by out foster volunteers...