Moving photos from iPhoto to Bridge

Is there a good way to change from using iPhoto to Bridge on a mac? I tried creating a folder for Bridge and copying all the existing photos over, but it's a big mess. Each photo from 2013 went into it's own folder with labels that mean nothing. Help!

Is there a good way to change from using iPhoto to Bridge on a mac?
That depends on what you would define as good.
In basic the difference between iPhoto and Bridge is that iPhoto is a library based application storing different data and versions in a package file that by default show no subfolders, only a file (size depending on amount of photo's containing) called 'iPhoto Library' by default stored in your pictures folder.
Bridge is a browser that shows you the content of your disk, it can add metadata (file info, labels, rating etc) as well as rename the files. It enables you to move or copy them to other folders or locations. But for editing it needs other application which you can reach (primarily Photoshop) using the menu tools and choose PS / function you want or just open in ACR or PS.
The two are acting totally different but have the same goal, sorting and keeping overview of your images (or in case of Bridge also other files and folders).
If you are happy with the limited options iPhoto has for editing stay with it, it has also a pretty good function for faces and places, both are not able in Bridge.
But if you need more editing and sorting options switch to Bridge and PS.
The quickest way in my opinion is to go to Finder and open two windows. In one create a main folder where you can point Bridge to (using the folder panel) and in the other select the folder  Pictures/iPhoto-library.
With your right mouse button click on this file you get a menu with the option to show the package content. click on that and a new window opens with the content of the iPhoto library in folders.
In latest versions there is a folder called 'masters' If I remember it also used to be called originals in previous versions. In this folder are your original files stored in folders per year you have shot them in. (these folders have a lot of subfolders but for now forget about this).
Copy those year folders (copy, don't move because then you loose them from iPhoto which you should only do when all is save and you are only working in Bridge so keep them as back up in iPhoto for now)
Then point Bridge to a year folder in your new created folder as per above. You will get a bunch of folders so now use menu view / show items from subfolders to open all the subfolders with their images and let Bridge build its cache first.
You can use the sort option as you like and if you wish you can also batch rename the images with the shot date in front (yyyymmdd) and a sequence number (menu tools / batch rename, explore the many options first).
You can choose to move all the images of 2013 to the main 2013 folder to bypass the subfolder tree, etc etc, many options.
Be sure to have a proper back up of your files before starting to experiment.
Sadly enough labels are always application specific and seldom interchangeable and iPhoto uses a separate database to store the ratings in so they are not written to the file itself and you loose also ratings.
The other option is to sort all labels / ratings in iPhoto, then select the photos per rating and use the export option (choose original for export option) to predestinated folders (per rating) and then apply those ratings again in Bridge.

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