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View and manage files in Adobe Bridge

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  1. Bridge User Guide
  2. Introduction
    1. What's new in Bridge
    2. Bridge system requirements
    3. Adobe Bridge workspace
    4. Import photos using Photo Downloader
    5. Organize content and assets using Adobe Bridge
  3. Work with assets
    1. Creative Cloud Libraries in Bridge
    2. Create PDF contact sheet in the Output workspace
    3. View and manage files in Adobe Bridge
    4. Work with metadata in Adobe Bridge
    5. Work with the Adobe Bridge cache
    6. Use keywords in Adobe Bridge
    7. Start Adobe Bridge
    8. Adjust Adobe Bridge Content panel display
    9. Preview images and edit capture time
    10. Use collections in Adobe Bridge
    11. Stack files in Adobe Bridge
    12. Automate tasks in Adobe Bridge
    13. Workflow Builder
    14. Preview dynamic media files in Adobe Bridge
    15. Create web galleries and PDFs
    16. Work with Bridge shared cache
    17. Manage media cache
  4. Bridge and other Adobe apps
    1. Work with Adobe Media Encoder
    2. Work with Adobe Premiere Pro
  5. Export and publish
    1. Asset conversion using the Export panel
    2. Publish images to Adobe Stock
    3. Publish assets to Adobe Portfolio
  6. Keyboard shortcuts
    1. Adobe Bridge keyboard shortcuts
    2. Keyboard Shortcuts panel in Adobe Bridge
  7. Adobe Camera Raw
    1. Manage Camera Raw settings
    2. Rotate, crop, and adjust images
    3. Repair images with the Enhanced Spot Removal tool in Camera Raw
    4. Radial Filter in Camera Raw
    5. Automatic perspective correction in Camera Raw
    6. Create panoramas
    7. Process versions in Camera Raw
    8. Make local adjustments in Camera Raw
  8. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed Issues
    2. Known Issues

To navigate between files and folders, you can do one of the following:

  • Select a folder in the Folders panel. Press the Down arrow and Up arrow keys in the Folders panel to navigate the directory. Press the Right arrow key to expand a folder. Press the Left arrow key to collapse a folder.

  • Select an item in the Favorites panel.

  • Select the Go To Parent Or Favorites button  or Reveal Recent button  in the application bar and choose an item.

    Tip: To reveal a file in the operating system, select it and choose File > Reveal In Explorer (Windows) or File > Reveal In Finder (Mac OS).

  • Select the Go Back button  or Go Forward button  in the application bar to navigate between recently visited folders.

  • Double-click a folder in the Content panel to open it.

    Tip: Ctrl-double click (Windows) or Command-double click (Mac OS) a folder in the Content panel to open that folder in a new window.

  • Drag a folder from Windows Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS) to the path bar to go to that location in Adobe Bridge.

  • Drag a folder from Windows Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS) to the Preview panel to open it. In Mac OS, you can also drag a folder from the Finder to the Adobe Bridge icon to open it.

  • Use the path bar to navigate:

    • Select an item in the path bar to access it.

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an item in the path bar to turn on the folder “cruising.” Folder cruising allows you to view and go to the subfolders of the selected item. You can also select a right-pointing arrow  in the path bar to cruise the subfolders of the preceding item.

    • Drag an item from the Content panel to the path bar to go to that location.

    • Select the last item in the path bar to edit the path. To return to the icon mode, press Esc.

Note:

(Mac) When trying to navigate to the drive location of services, such as Dropbox and iCloud, in Bridge — make sure that the user library folder is accessible. The user Library folder is hidden by default in Mac OS X 10.7 and later releases. To access content in the Library folder, see Can't see user library files in Mac OS X 10.7 and later.

Note:

Show or hide the path bar by choosing Window > Path Bar.

Show subfolder contents

You can specify that Adobe Bridge display folders and subfolders in one continuous, “flat” view. Flat view displays the entire contents of a folder, including its subfolders, so you don’t have to navigate the subfolders.

  1. To display the contents of folders in flat view, choose View > Show Items From Subfolders.

    Select Show Items from Subfolders to display the contents of folders.
    Select Show Items from Subfolders to display the contents of folders.

  2. Select Always Show Items from Subfolders, if you want to view all the items from the subfolder whenever you select a folder in the Folders panel, Favorite panel, or Path bar.

    Select Always Show Items from Subfolders to view all the items from the subfolder.
    Select Always Show Items from Subfolders to view all the items from the subfolder.

If you don't want to view the contents of the subfolders anymore, do the following:

  1. Deselect Show Items from Subfolders from the View menu.

  2. Select X on the top bar of the Content panel.

Note:
  • If you enable this option for folders with many assets, you may receive a message stating that enabling this option may impact the performance of Bridge. This is because once you select this option Bridge generates thumbnail previews to list and show all the items.
  • This option is specific to a content panel. If you open a new content panel, you must enable this option again.
  • If you navigate using the backward and forward arrows from the top bar, the Show Items from Subfolder option will be disabled.

Open files in Adobe Bridge

You can open files from Adobe Bridge, even files that were not made with Adobe software. When you use Adobe Bridge to open a file, the file opens in its native application or the application you specify. You can also use Adobe Bridge to place files in an open document in an Adobe application.

Select a file and perform any of the following actions:

  • Select File > Open.

  • Select Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

  • Press the Ctrl+Down arrow key (Windows) or the Command+Down arrow key (Mac OS).

  • Double-click the file in the Content panel.

  • Select File > Open With, followed by the name of the application with which to open the file.

  • Drag the file onto an application icon.

  • Select File > Open In Camera Raw to edit the camera raw settings for the file.

  • To open photos from a digital camera into Adobe Bridge, use the Adobe Photo Downloader. Learn more on how to Get photos from a digital camera or card reader into Adobe.
  • Select File > Import From Devices to get media from into Adobe Bridge on Mac OS 10.11.x from the following devices:
    • Android mobile devices and digital cameras connected in PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) or MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) mode
    • iOS mobile devices

Learn more about how to Import from device on Mac OS 10.11.x.

Change File Type Associations

Selecting the application to open a specific file type affects only those files that you open using Adobe Bridge and overrides operating system settings.

  1. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Bridge > Preferences (macOS), and select File Type Associations.

  2. Select the name of the application (or None) and select Browse to locate the application to use. You can also use the Search option to jump to the extension or application that you're looking for.

  3. To reset the file type associations to their default settings, select Reset To Default Associations.

  4. To hide any file types that don’t have associated applications, select Hide Undefined File Associations.

When you browse and select an app to open the file, Bridge allows you to select whether you want to open the file with this app only once or always. Selecting Always sets the association for that file type.

Place files into another application

  • Select the file in Adobe Bridge > File > Place, followed by the name of the application. For example, you can use this command to place a JPEG image into Adobe Illustrator.
  • Drag a file from Adobe Bridge into the desired application. Depending on the file, the document into which you want to place the file needs to be opened first.

Search for files and folders with Adobe Bridge

You can search for files and folders with Adobe Bridge by using multiple combinations of search criteria. You can save search criteria as a smart collection, which is a collection that stays up to date with files that meet your criteria.

Note:

(Mac) When trying to navigate to the drive location of services, such as Dropbox and iCloud, in Bridge — make sure that the user Library folder is accessible. The user Library folder is hidden by default in Mac OS X 10.7 and later releases. To access content in the Library folder, see Can't see user library files in Mac OS X 10.7 and later.

  1. Select Edit > Find

  2. Select the folder where you're willing to search.

  3. Choose search criteria by selecting options and limiters from the Criteria menus. Enter search text in the box on the right.

  4. To add search criteria, select the plus sign (+). To remove search criteria, select the minus sign (-).

  5. Choose an option from the Match menu to specify whether any or all criteria must be met.

  6. Select Include All Subfolders to expand the search to any subfolders in the source folder. (Optional) 

  7. Select Include Non-Indexed Files (may be slow) to specify that Adobe Bridge searches uncached and cached files. Searching uncached files (in folders that you have not previously browsed in Adobe Bridge) is slower than searching cached files. (Optional) 

  8. Select Find

  9. To save the search criteria, select the new Smart Collection button  in the Collections panel when Adobe Bridge displays your search results. The Smart Collection dialog box automatically includes the criteria of your search. Refine the criteria if desired, and then select Save.
    Enter a name for the smart collection in the Collections panel, and then select Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). (Optional) 

    Learn more on how to Create a smart collection.

Use the Quick Search field in the application bar to find files and folders in Adobe Bridge. Quick Search lets you search using either the Adobe Bridge search engine or Windows Desktop Search (Windows) or Spotlight (Mac OS). The Adobe Bridge engine searches filenames and keywords. Operating system engines look for filenames, folder names, and image keywords. Adobe Bridge search looks within the currently selected folder and all subfolders, including My Computer (Windows) and Computer (Mac OS). Operating system search engines look in the currently selected folder or in My Computer (Windows) and Computer (Mac OS).

  1. Select the magnifying glass icon  in the Quick Search field > Select Adobe Bridge, Windows Desktop Search (Windows), or Spotlight (Mac OS) as your search engine.

  2. Enter the search criteria.

  3. Select Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

Label and rate files

Labeling files with a certain color or assigning ratings of zero (0) to five stars lets you mark many files quickly. You can then sort files according to their color label or rating.

For example, suppose you’re viewing many imported images in Adobe Bridge. As you review each new image, you can label the images you want to keep. After this initial pass, you can use the Sort command to display and work on files that you’ve labeled with a particular color.

You can label and rate folders and files.

You can assign names to labels in Labels preferences. The name is then added to the file’s metadata when you apply the label. When you change the names of labels in preferences, any files with the older label appear with white labels in the Content panel.

Note:

When you view folders, Adobe Bridge shows both labeled and unlabeled files until you choose another option.

  1. To label files, do any of the following:

    • Select one or more files and right-click (win)/ ctrl-click (mac). Select Label from the context menu and choose any of the label options. To remove labels from files, select No Label.
    • Select one or more files > Select Label from the menu bar. Choose any of the label options in the context menu that opens. To remove labels from files,  select No Label.
    Explore various label options in Adobe Bridge.
    Explore various label options in Adobe Bridge.

  2. To rate files, select one or more files and do any of the following:

    • In the Content panel, select a thumbnail to view the rating icons. If necessary, scale the thumbnails until the icons appear. Select the star icon on the basis of number of stars you want to assign to a file. Select the unrate icon () to remove the rating of any file. For a selected thumbnail, you can also select a filled star to remove its rating. (In the List view, make sure that the Ratings column is visible.)

    • Select Label from the menu bar. To add or remove one star, select Label >Increase Rating or Label > Decrease Rating. To remove all stars, select Label >No Rating. To add a Reject rating, choose Label > Reject or press Alt+Delete (win) or Option+Delete (Mac). To hide rejected files in Adobe Bridge, select View > Show Reject Files.

    Rate files using the Label option in the menu bar in Bridge.
    Rate files using the Label option in the menu bar in Bridge.

    Rate files using the rating icons below thumbnails in the Content panel.
    Rate files using the rating icons below thumbnails in the Content panel.

Sort files

By default, Adobe Bridge sorts files that appear in the Content panel by filename. You can sort files differently by using the Sort command or Sort By application bar button.

  • Choose an option from the View > Sort menu or select the Sort button in the application bar to sort files by listed criteria. Choose Manually to sort by the last order in which you dragged the files. If the Content panel displays search results, a collection, or a flat view, the Sort button contains a By Folder option that lets you sort files by the folder where they’re located.
  • In List view, select any column header to sort by that criteria.

Filter files

Control which files appear in the Content panel by selecting criteria in the Filter panel. The Filter panel displays the number of items in the current set that have a specific value, regardless of whether they are visible. For example, by glancing at the Filter panel, you can quickly see how many files have a specific rating or keyword.

Criteria that appear in the Filter panel are dynamically generated depending on the files that appear in the Content panel and their associated metadata or location. For example, if the Content panel contains audio files, the Filter panel contains artist, album, genre, key, tempo, and loop criteria. If the Content panel contains images, the Filter panel contains such criteria as dimensions, orientation, and camera data such as exposure time and aperture value. If the Content panel displays search results or a collection with files from multiple folders, or if the Content panel displays flat view, the Filter panel contains a Parent Folder that lets you filter the files by the folder where they’re located.

Explore Filter panel in Adobe Bridge.
Explore Filter panel in Adobe Bridge.

Note:

Specify that Adobe Bridge shows or hides folders, rejected files, and hidden files (such as cache files) in the Content panel by choosing options from the View menu.

  • To filter files, select one or more criteria in the Filter panel:

    • Select criteria in the same category (for example, file types) to display files that meet any of the criteria. For example, to display both GIF and JPEG files, select GIF Image and JPEG File beneath File Type.

    • Select criteria across categories (for example, file types and ratings) to display files that meet all the criteria. For example, to display GIF and JPEG files that have two stars, select GIF Image and JPEG File beneath File Type and two stars beneath Ratings.

      Tip: Shift-click rating criteria to select that rating or higher. For example, Shift-click two stars to display all files that have two or more stars.

    • Select categories from the Filter panel menu.

      Tip: Select Expand All or Collapse All from the Filter panel menu to open or close all filter categories.

    • Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to inverse selected criteria. For example, if you’ve selected GIF Image beneath File Type, Alt-click GIF Image to deselect it and select all the other file types listed.

      Note: If you filter a closed stack, Adobe Bridge displays the stack only if the top (thumbnail) item meets the filter criteria. If you filter an expanded stack, Adobe Bridge displays all files in the stack that meet the filter criteria of the top file.

  • To clear filters, select the Clear Filter button  at the bottom of the Filter panel. Alternatively, select the quick access menu and then select Clear All.
  • To prevent filter criteria from clearing when you navigate to another location in Adobe Bridge, select the Keep Filter When Browsing button  at the bottom of the Filter panel.

Copy, move, and delete files and folders

  • To copy files or folders, do any of the following:

    • Select the files or folders and choose Edit > Copy.

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the files or folders, select Copy To, and select a location from the list (to specify a different location, select Choose Folder).

    • Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the files or folders to a different folder.

  • To move files to another folder, do one of the following:

    • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the files, choose Move To, and select a location from the list (to specify a different location, select Choose Folder).

    • Drag the files to a different folder in the Adobe Bridge window or in Windows Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS).

      Note: If the file you’re dragging is in a different mounted volume than Adobe Bridge, the file is copied, not moved. To move a file to a different mounted volume, Shift-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) the file.

  • To delete files or folders, do any of the following:

    • Select the files or folders and select the Delete Item button .

    • Select the files or folders and press Ctrl+Delete (Windows) or Command+Delete (Mac OS).

    • Select the files or folders and press Delete, and then select Delete in the dialog box.

Cut, copy, and move files across Bridge and Finder or Explorer

Bridge lets you perform the following operations:

  • Copy files and folders from File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) and paste them in Bridge
  • Cut or move files and folders from File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) and paste them in Bridge
  • Copy files and folders from Bridge and paste them in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS)
  • Cut or move files and folders from Bridge and paste them in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS)

The table below explains how you can cut, copy, or move files across Bridge and File Explorer or Finder.

Functionality

Windows

Mac OS

Copy from File Explorer or Finder to Bridge

In File Explorer, right-click the files or folders you want to copy to Bridge and choose Copy. Alternatively, press Ctrl + C.

In Bridge, choose Edit > Paste or press Ctrl + V.

In Finder, right-click the files or folders you want to copy to Bridge and choose Copy or press Command + C.

In Bridge, choose Edit > Paste or press Command + V.

Copy from Bridge to File Explorer or Finder

In Bridge, select the files or folders you want to copy and choose Edit > Copy or press Ctrl + C. 

In File Explorer, right-click anywhere and choose Paste or press Ctrl + V.

In Bridge, select the files or folders you want to copy and choose Edit > Copy or press Command + C.
In Finder, right-click and choose Paste or press Command + V.

Cut or move from File Explorer or Finder to Bridge

In File Explorer, right-click the files or folders you want to move to Bridge and choose Cut or press Ctrl + X.

In Bridge, choose Edit > Paste or press Ctrl + V.

In Finder, right-click the files or folders you want to move to Bridge and choose Copy.

In Bridge, right-click in the Content panel while holding down the Option key to enable the Move option. Click Move. Alternatively, press Option + Command +V.

Cut or move from Bridge to File Explorer/Finder

In Bridge, select the files or folders you want to move and choose Edit > Cut or press Ctrl + X.

In File Explorer, right-click anywhere and choose Paste or press Ctrl + V.

In Bridge, right-click the folders you want to move, choose Move To, and choose the desired folder. 

Alternatively, you can first copy your files. Then, in Finder, hold down Option and choose Move from the context menu or press Option + Command +V.

Rotate images

You can rotate the view of JPEG, PSD, TIFF, and camera raw images in Adobe Bridge. Rotating does not affect the image data; however, rotating an image in Adobe Bridge may rotate the image view in the native application as well.

  1. Select one or more images in the content area.
  2. Do one of the following:

    • Select Edit > Rotate 90° Clockwise, Rotate 90° Counterclockwise, or Rotate 180°.

    • Select Rotate 90° Clockwise or Rotate 90° Counterclockwise button in the application bar.

Work with Camera Raw

Camera raw files contain unprocessed picture data from a camera’s image sensor. Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw software, available in Adobe Bridge if you have Adobe Photoshop or Adobe AfterEffects installed, processes camera raw files. You can also process JPEG (.JPG) or TIFF files by opening them in Camera Raw from Adobe Bridge.

Use Adobe Bridge to copy and paste settings from one file to another, to batch process files, or to apply settings to files without opening the Camera Raw dialog box.

  • To open JPEG or TIFF files in Camera Raw from Adobe Bridge, specify those options in Camera Raw preferences. Choose Edit > Camera Raw Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Bridge > Camera Raw Preferences (Mac OS). Under JPEG And TIFF Handling, choose JPEG > Automatically Open All Supported JPEGs and/or choose TIFF > Automatically Open All Supported TIFFs. Then, double-click a JPEG or TIFF file to open it in Camera Raw. To open JPEG and TIFF files in Photoshop, choose Automatically Open [JPEGs or TIFFs] With Settings.
  • To open raw files in Camera Raw from Adobe Bridge, specify that option in Adobe Bridge preferences. Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Bridge > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Behavior area of the General tab, select Double-Click Edits Camera Raw Settings In Bridge. If this preference is not selected, double-clicking raw files opens them in Photoshop.
  • See also Get photos from a digital camera or card reader.

 Adobe

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