Lightroom 3, Bridge, Catalogues & Collections

I recently bought Lightroom 3. I had not used Lightroom before. After reading various publications and the help manual, I am still fuzzy about catalogs vs. collections. If I want to organize my photos thematically (e.g., flowers, lighthouses, rocks, water, pets, oceans, rural, city, etc.), would it be better to have a catalog for each or have a collection for each? What are the advantages and disadvantages for each? Using Bridge before, my photos are organized by location and, within that, by date (e.g., province, garden, country, etc.). With Bridge I only made collections of my best shots.
Before I really dive into Lightroom, I would like to set it up properly. So all constructive help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
JB Dayle

Important rule: you only want one catalog. A catalog is not an organizing tool. There are no Lightroom functions that work across multiple catalogs, so if you want to find some pictures which are split between to catalogs, you cannot do so.
You probably want to start with keywords instead of collections. Keywords allow you to assign as many descriptors as you would like to each photo, but a photo can be in only a single folder. Once you have assigned the keyword descriptors to photos, finding those photos quick and easy.
Keywords can be shared with other applications, collections cannot. You can search for photos with two or more keywords in the filter bar or in a smart collecion; you can search for photos in two or more collections only in a smart collection.

Similar Messages

Lightroom and Bridge

Ok, we all know there is great integration between Lightroom and Photoshop, as there should be. What about Bridge?
Or is Bridge being phased out even though it of course is integrated with almost all Adobe products?

Remember that Bridge is for folder browsing, like a glorified Finder or Explorer, and not for cataloguing. Lightroom is a catalogue and can record the location of pictures whether or not they are on drives connected to the computer. Bridge searches go through the file system, so chugging through all attached drives to find pictures, while LR searches its database. Those are big differences.
"Lightroom is better for images without a doubt. So in the eyes of someone who does graphic work, will Lightroom replace Bridge?"
No for graphic work, and that's Ian's point about the limited range of file types that LR handles. But in the eyes of someone who only does photographic work, Lightroom is likely to substantially replace Bridge, and in many cases totally. Quite often, continuing to use Bridge is because some people don't/can't get their head around working with a catalogue-based workflow, and/or they have a preference for working with folders. I might use Bridge to dig into metadata, but not for much else (I use iView/ExMedia catalogues for managing other file types).
John

Lightroom 4.3 catalogue

Can lightroom 4.3 catalogue image be used with Photoshop CS5 camera RAW and be used non-destructively after editing in CS5? If Bridge is needed, how can Bridge access the catalogue without altering the catalogue and confusing LR? I use LR of my file orginization, not Bridge. Also, each time I go to edit in CS5 from LR4.3, a dialogue appears warning about the need for Camera Raw 7.3. Why? And how do I correct this? My LR is up to date as is my CS5.

General concensus is not to batch convert. Conversion to PV2012 usually makes little or not visual difference to the image. You need to tweak the image after conversion to get benefit from PV2012. However, sometimes conversion can have an adverse affect - the conversion gets it wrong.
If you expect to work further on an image, then convert to PV2012 when you need to. If you've edited in PV2010 and you're done editing (the image doesn't need more work), leave it in PV2010.

Why Does the Photograph's Preview Change in Lightroom and Bridge? | The Complete Picture with Julieanne Kost | Adobe TV

In this video tutorial Julieanne explains one of the great mysteries of Lightroom and Bridge – why Lightroom (or Bridge) displays a photograph one way and then changes the way it looks a moment later. It will all become clear with just a little information about how digital camera files are captured and displayed by different applications.
http://adobe.ly/LiGnOc

This tutorial was outstanding in explaining why Bridge and LR may have different renditions of the same photograph as well as why it changes after a few seconds. This camera calibration video is one of the best that I have seen.

Bridge CC collection files

Does anyone know where to find the system-files relative to Bridge Collections in Bridge CC?
In Bridge CS6 the files were located at:
/User/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Bridge CS6/Collections/

I understand that I'm unfortunate enough to be the one and only to suffer this single-click plague ?
Don't know if you are the only one but at the most one of very few I'm afraid…
Do a check and repair permissions with Apple Disk Utility and double check your mouse and track path settings in the system preferences (there is a setting that lets you double click with one single finger tick).
And you can always combine the reset of prefs with the delete of plist file for Bridge in User library preferences (by default hidden, use menu go with option to reveal this library). Maybe you have to try a bit more often with reset prefs, sometimes 3 or 4 go's can do a miracle.

Does Lightroom make Bridge obsolete?

I'm new to Lightroom, and really like the simplicity of Bridge. I find Lightroom very confusing and with duplicate features of Photoshop. I particularly find the "catalog" feature very confusing. Bridge is very intuitive and the Explorer metaphor works like one would expect. I can manage my images perfectly, with no confusion. I like the combination of Bridge, ACR, and Photoshop CS5. Why would I need Lightroom? PS: I don't need "tethering" feature of LR. One more question: I wonder if in the future Adobe will get rid of Bridge (because it's free) and make people buy LR. ???

I like the simplicity of Bridge, and how everything I do with files (managing folders, deleting/moving files, etc) works exactly like in Windows Explorer. However, once I understand LR, and the way I can catalog images and search images, I may find that I use both--Bridge for truly managing the images and folders, and LR for cataloging images for rapid search. I plan on giving LR the benefit of the doubt and working with it before categorically rejecting it.
T.N. Turner, www.TheArtfulToad.com
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:19:10 -0700
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Does Lightroom make Bridge obsolete?
    Re: Does Lightroom make Bridge obsolete?
    created by web-weaver in Photoshop Lightroom - View the full discussion
LR might be confusing at first, particularly if one doesn't that LR is not a browser-type program but a data base program. It's data base being the catalog.LR is far superior than Bridge for image management. You willbe able to apreciate this only after you have dived deep into LR. But, Bridge still remains useful just because it's a browser based program. It will display everything that is on the hard drive - as far as image files are concerned, whereas LR displays only what has been imported. Also, Bridge displays image files that are not supported in LR. But after 5 years of working with LR I have to say, it's a fantastic program (despite some flaws) and I could not do the work I'm doing without LR. WW
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Should I use Lightroom or Bridge? | The Complete Picture with Julieanne Kost | Adobe TV

In this episode of the Complete Picture, Julieanne Kost helps you decide which application is right for your workflow by explaining the differences between Lightroom and Bridge for managing images and assets.
http://adobe.ly/zi93Ct

Lightroom 4 supports Soft Proof capability that also lets you see an accurate histogram for different output RGB spaces. Lightroom 5 now also supports under 'Edit In' > 'Open As Smart Object in Photoshop.'
I agree the tutorial was excellent, thank you very much. I would just like to add that there is no reason why you can't use both Lightroom and Adobe Bridge for"digtal asset management." Keyword metadata added in LR can be written to the file or XMP sidecar using CTRL+S keys that will appear in Adobe Bridge and vice-versa. I do most of my InDesign layout image processing using LR, but keep track of ALL my project assests using Bridge. Keywords are added using BOTH applications with no issues to date.

When I open Bridge Master Collection CS6, I get the message: There was a mistake in Bridge, therefor the cache cannot be read. Try to erase the central cache to solve the problem.

When I open Bridge Master Collection CS6, I get the message: There was a mistake in Bridge, therefor the cache cannot be read. Try to erase the central cache to solve the problem. The solutions given by Adobe don't help me. Does anyone have another solution....????
Als ik Bridge open krijg ik een venster te zien met de boodschap: Er is een fout opgetreden in Bridge waardoor de cache niet kan worden gelezen. Probeer de centrale cache te wissen in de cachevoorkeuren om de situatie op te lossen. De oplossingen van Adobe verhelpen het probleem niet, heeft iemand anders een oplossing .....????
Alvast bedankt. Jaap Wals.

When launching Bridge, press and hold down Command-Option (Mac) or Control-Alt (Win) + Shift to choose “Reset Preferences”, Purge Entire Thumbnail Cache”, and/or Reset Standard Workspaces”.

Sync Bridge photo collections to iPod?

I have hunted across the web and haven't even found a page that discusses the question, let alone answers it:
Is it possible to sync Adobe Bridge photo collections to an iPod?
I suspect the answer is no (or at least, not directly).
Ideally, what I would like to do is "sync selected collections" to my iPod, including both ordinary collections and smart collections.
Since I suspect there is no way set up within iTunes or iOS to sync from Bridge's collections, I am looking for workarounds that will allow me to do this.
I've poked around and found that the collections are really just XML documents containing a list of file names (including the full path for each file), and the smart collections are XML lists of criteria.
I have monkeyed around with aliases and symbolic links coupled with iTunes' "sync photos from folder..." dialogue, and it appears that aliases (aka shortcuts) will not work, and neither will symbolic links, but hard links will.
What's needed, then (and I believe this is the only way to accomplish my objective without doubling the hard disk space taken up) is a script/droplet/workflow/whatever that will take the collections from Bridge and create hardlinks for all photos from all collections, in a new directory (with the descriptive title "iPod syncing photos folder with hardlinks of collections' photos"—or maybe something shorter, heh heh.)
I would then have one main directory ("iPod photos") containing subdirectories with names corresponding to my Bridge collections, each subdirectory containing hard links to every photo in its namesake Bridge collection. Of course the script would have to be rerun before any iPod sync, since any changes to the contents of the collections (or the smart collections) would otherwise not be reflected in the iPod Photos directory. But it could conceivably work very nicely.
Can anyone scripting savvy point me in the direction of how I might accomplish this?

Thanks for the suggestion. I gave it a try and there are some major problems with it for my intended workflow: (listed in order of severity)
So many users so many workflows, I was just thinking out loud
1. It opens each photo individually in Photoshop. Yes, it only opens them for a second—but try running this on 4000 photos. (I don't have 4000; I have about 12000. I want roughly a third of them on my iPod.)
Actions are very useful but sometimes take its time. Personally I always use custom created actions in PS instead of the image processor or if you still have Bridge CS6 the Export panel (which does not start PS but let Bridge handle this job). However 10 or 1000 or even 12 K of images, let it run once overnight and you will be done without needing to look at it
2. This would have to be run manually, individually for each Bridge collection.
There you have a point I have no solution for. In a normal folder structure with the originals you could select the main folder, use menu view and select view items from subfolders and you could use one action to run on the whole content. But collections don't work that way and need to be selected one by one.
3. This would have to be run manually by collection each time I want to sync my iPod, in order to include any newly tagged or collected photos.
Yes, but that would be a minor effort because when adding new files to a collection you have those files already selected and can run any action on them.
4. When emailing or sharing photos from the iPod, full resolution images would no longer be available.
I'm not sure I follow this but I don't know what a full resolution file on your system would mean. I have used a lot of different dSLR since 2001 and currently use an 18 MP dSLR and there is no way I can email those HR files. For me the usual limit per email attachment is 10 MB and my HR files saved in Jpeg Max are around 15 to 20 MB each. My HR archive form the past 10 years contains 65 K of images and needs 500 GB of storage…
5. I have over 17 GB of photos. With the large number that are in collections, even medium res copies will take up a large amount of space. (Hard links will take almost none.)
First of all, using an action in PS you can also create Safe for Web files that with some study can create fabulous quality just for screen while taking less then 80 KB of file size. Also other options like resizing to 10 x 15 cm 300 ppi jpeg 8 creates relatively small files that depending on content rarely will be above 1 MB each.
Also I don't rely on collections for archiving purposes because over the years they have proofed to be very unreliable. A collection has its use for me but only on the short term usage and as feed for Mini Bridge in PS.
I use a real Digital Asset Management application for my archive (in my case Canto Cumulus single user, not very cheap but very good).
And I'm not sure how a hard link on your iPod would manage you to distribute HR files using your iPod while the files are on your computer but I also have to admit that I still have a lot to learn in the digital world
I think the key lies in Bridge scripting, at least for the "get collections items" part. If I can pipe that into a standard AppleScript, Automator Workflow, bash script or whatever, I believe I can manage the rest (creating links, etc. Any tips on Bridge scripting usage for exporting collection items?
There is a dedicated bridge Scripting Forum with very knowledgable and helpful people, try this:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/bridge/bridge_scripting

Back-ups Bridge CS6 - Collections, keywords etc.

Hi guys
In order to completely backup the Bridge database with the entire structure and the keywords linked to each picture (so that Picture XYZ has all of the same settings/keywords/metadata) after for instance completely reinstalling the MacBook (clean install), is it sufficient to just drag and drop the /library/Application_Support/Adobe/Bridge CS6/Collections and Adobe Bridge Keywords.xml?
What are the best ways to safely take care of all of the information in Bridge to avoid wasting time reinstalling things after buying a new mac or clean installing it, having had a crash or... ?
Thanks!
Bob

What are the best ways to safely take care of all of the information in Bridge to avoid wasting time reinstalling things after buying a new mac or clean installing it, having had a crash or... ?
Like Curt already stated, exporting the existing keyword list and import again in new set up is the safest way to go and you also have a back up of your existing keyword list.
Keywords and IPTC / XMP data are usually written to the file itself, Raw files use a separate XMP file with the info. I don't use the original raw files anymore but convert them to DNG. This has the great advantage to have written both settings and xmp data like IPTC to the file itself. Otherwise a separate xmp side car file with the same name as the original will be saved in the folder where the originals are stored.
For the rest it is depending on what you are planning. If it is a new Mac with same CS version you can safely copy collections but personally I prefer to have a clean start after upgrading to new Mac or new system version. It seems a bit more work in the first run (and in fact it is a bit more work) but this means everything fresh and not with a lot of older and hidden preferences and settings files that can clutter your new workflow with old flaws and faults, meaning it is a little time investment to have a lot of pleasure in the future :-0
If you want to save your collections try thinking about keywords for them but to be honest, collections have proofed in the past to being not always very stable so if you depend on this for archive purposes you better start thinking about a good key wording and folder structure for this in combination with a proper naming convention (like yyyymmdd-etc. ) so you have multiple options to restore a collection if things go wrong.
Especially upgrading to new CS needs to recache the files again because the cache format has changed every time with a new version. This sounds terrible but in fact it is not all that much work to recache the lot when you use the main folder and the option to show items from subfolders and let it run overnight.
But in all cases it is very wise to have a back up of all pref and other settings from your old system. Personally I always do make a copy of the old user library and store it away in case I have forgotten something. But the Adobe folder in the user library / application support indeed has the most of the settings in it.

How Do I upload from Lightroom and Bridge to the Creative Cloud

How Do I upload from Lightroom and Bridge to the Creative Cloud?

Adobe is still failing on this very important issue!
They said that their Creative Cloud Connection app would be ready in May/June, and here we are in October!
I wish Adobe would learn to not release products that are not ready to be used, my 20GB are useless to me unbtil they do something that integrates Br, Lr, Id & Ps specifically with the cloud. I really think that we should start charging interest for the money that we have been loaning Adobe for their developement process.

JPG's from Lightroom vs Bridge... file size difference.

I'm a Photographer. I only shoot in RAW. I use CS2 and Bridge to process my RAW files and then export the finals to JPG.
I heard the buzz about Lightroom and downloaded the trial to give it a whirl. I have since upgraded my trial version to full version (via serial number) and then took a set of RAW files that were already tweaked (via Bridge/ACR), copied them to another folder (with the xmp side car files), brought them into Lightroom and exported them to JPG. The JPG's created by Lightroom were MUCH smaller. I was very surpised by this.
I shoot with a Canon 20D and the JPGs generated from Bridge ending up being between 4 to 6mg per image. For the same set of RAW images, the JPGs generated from Lightromm avereaged between 1.5 and 3.5 mg. Both Lightroom and Bridge were set to export the JPGs at the highest quality.
Can anyone tell me why this would be? Has anybody else found this to be the case? I can't help but think that some data is being discarded from Lightroom.
Lou
http://www.steadfastdesigns.com
Rochester, NY Wedding Photographer

Did you choose export metadata to file first? The edits made to RAW images are contained within the database as well as xmp files if you choose this option. The edits for all other formats are embedded within the file (as well as the database) but of course you have to choose the export metadata option first. Your files may be smaller because they don't contain this data.
The image quality settings are not like for like across the Adobe range so cannot be compared.

Basic: Does or can Lightroom replace Bridge

I have been using Lightroom and am switching from Elements 5 to CS2. Can Lightroom replace Bridge?
Thanks in advance

if you're a photographer, LR basically is the new Bridge. Bridge and the associated work flow sucked, so they gave us a new application that just cuts out one of the steps. That's about it...

Basic: Does Lightroom replace Bridge?

I am giving up my training wheels and moving from Elements to CS2. I have tried Lightroom and find it impressive. Does or can Lightroom replace Bridge, or do I have to learn Bridge also when learning CS2? Thanks,

Bridge is really designed for people who use much more of the Creative Suite than just PhotoShop. And CS is designed (IMHO) for graphics designers and such, not for photographers.
LR is designed for photographers. Adobe doesn't make a pixel-editor that's designed for photographers. Elements 3 is what I use because it's the closest. But I'd love to eventually see a dedicated pixel editor, with all non-destructive commands, eventually integrated into LR as a module. This would include the fundamentals of image editing post RAW conversion (layers, masks, selection tools, brushes, etc.).
No I don't expect this to be in version 1.x of LR. ;-)

Ipad and Lightroom or Bridge

Dear fellows,
I did a decent search but I can not find an answer for my problem.
Can anyone tell me if it is possible to install or Lightroom or Bridge on an iPad I bought Yesterday?
I'm a photographer doing concertphotography and I want to judge the first pictures I take at the beginning of the repetition.
Kind regards for your help,
L.

For the iPad you can only install programs (called app) that are obtained from Apple's App Store. If there is not an Aperture or Bridge app in the store you are out of luck

Lightroom 3, Bridge, Catalogues & Collections

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