•• Gain•a•working•knowledge•of•Bridge.•• Understand•how•to•change•the•contents•and•appearance•or•the•workspace.•• Learn•how•to•use•Mini•Bridge•to•access•assets•inside•Photoshop•• Download,•sort,•add•keywords•and•process•files•from•Bridge.

bridge

essential skills

24

Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills

IntroductionFor most photographers the world of digital has heralded a new era in picture taking. The apparent lack of cost (no film or processing charges) involved in the recording of each frame means that most of us are shooting more freely and more often than ever before. More pictures not only means more time processing, enhancing and printing them but also more time sorting, searching, naming, tagging and storing. In fact, recent studies of how photographers spend their time have shown that many spend 10–15% of their working day involved in just these types of management activities. For this reason many use specialized Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems or software to aid with this work. Though, for many image workers, asset management is the least stimulating part of their job, it is a key area where building skills will free up more time for those parts of the process that you enjoy the most – taking and processing pictures.

Bridge•–•the•center•for•asset•managementOver the last few revisions of Photoshop, Adobe has become increasingly more involved with including image management tools for the working photographer as part of the editing program. Initially this meant the inclusion of a File Browser which could be opened from inside Photoshop but more recently a totally separate program called Bridge has replaced the standard file browser option. The application can be opened by itself via the program menu, or from within Photoshop with the File > Browse command or button on the Applications bar. In CS5 yet another option has become available with the release of Mini Bridge, a panelized version of Bridge that sits inside Photoshop.

The fastest way to open a file from your picture library is to search for, and select, the file from within Bridge and then press Ctrl/Cmd + O or, if Photoshop is not the default program used for opening the file, select File > Open With > Photoshop. If you are opening a photo captured in a Raw file format, then the file will be displayed in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) first and then transferred into Photoshop. If you select the File > Open With Camera Raw option then the picture will be displayed in the ACR workspace only and will be transferred to Photoshop only if you decide that this is the next step in your processing. Multi-selected files in the browser can also be opened in this way.

Keep in mind that Bridge is a separate stand-alone application from Photoshop, has its own memory management system and can be opened and used to organize and manage your photo files without needing to have Photoshop running at the same time.

Bridge can be opened in a variety of different ways: individually via the Start menu (1), from inside Photoshop using the dedicated button on the Application bar (2) or the File > Browse command (3). Mini Bridge Can also be opened with the dedicated button on the Application Bar (4) or with the Browse In Bridge entry (5) in the File menu.

Bridge is a ‘super browser’ tool that can be used for managing your image assets

25

Bridge

The•CS5•version•of•BridgeBridge was first introduced a couple of versions ago; it has quickly become an important part of most photographers’ daily workflow. Rather than just being a file browser, Bridge also enables photographers to organize, navigate image assets, add metadata and labels, process Raw files and, in the version that ships with CS5, output your photos directly to web galleries and PDF-based presentations with saved user-templates, quickly change the name of multiple files with batch renaming and access your photos inside Photoshop with Mini Bridge, a panelized version of Bridge. The interface has remained relatively the same as the previous release the program. Bridge CS5 still retains the customizable layout options, most of which revolve around a three-panel setup (see above). The interface design, and its many variants, make the most of the wide-screen displays that many image makers are now using. A variety of panels can be displayed in any of the areas and the new Live Workspaces feature auto-save any changes you make to a task-specific workspace, so that if you switch to a different workspace and then back again during an editing session, your panels remain exactly where you left them.

Preview panel

Thumbnail size slider Mini Bridge

Content panel

Selected image

Paneltabs

Bridge retains the interface introduced in CS4, three panel areas, side-by-side preview options, but introduces a new Output panel and a version of the program that sits inside Photoshop – Mini Bridge (right). The view shown above is a customized version of the 'Essentials' workspace options. Many different variations are possible, and can be saved, and selected from the Workspace Switcher in the options bar.

Collectionspanel

Capture details (‘metadata panel’)

26

Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills

Displayable panels in Bridge include:

• Folderspanel – displays a folder-based view of your computer.

• Favoritespanel – provides quick access to regularly used folders you select.

• Metadatapanel – shows metadata information for the selected file.

• Keywordspanel – use for adding new or existing keywords to single or multiple photos.

• Filterpanel – provides sorting options for the files displayed in the Content panel.

• Previewpanel – shows a preview of selected files or file. Includes the loupe option.

• Inspectorpanel – displays a variety of custom details controlled by options in the preferences.

• Collectionspanel – this panel is new for CS4 and displays all available saved and Smart collections.

• Exportpanel – houses different export modules that provide a fast track method of either saving your photos to another format or transferring them to a social networking or gallery website.

Setting•up•BridgeViewing•options•As you can see, one of the real bonuses of Bridge is the multitude of ways that the interface can be displayed. So let’s look a little closer at the two different controls that alter the way that Bridge appears – Workspace and View.

Workspace controls the overall look of the Bridge window and is centered around the Window > Workspace menu. Panels can be opened, resized, swap positions, be grouped together and pushed and pulled around so that you create a work environment that really suits your needs and specific screen arrangements. It is even possible to stretch Bridge over two screens so that you can use one screen for previewing and the other for displaying metadata, favorites or content. You also have the option to run a synchronized second version of Bridge that displays an alternate view of the photos currently selected. This means that you can display thumbnails and metadata on one screen and a larger preview on another. To activate a second Bridge view go to Window > New Synchronized Window.

Once you are happy with the layout of the workspace use the Window > Workspace > New Workspace option to store your design. Alternatively you can select from a number of preset workspace designs located in the Window > Workspace menu.

The layout and design of the Bridge interface is customizable by the user. You get to decide what

information panels (1) are displayed and where they are placed. The final layout design can be saved and

reused and is called a workspace. Several presaved workspaces (2) are supplied with Bridge so that you

can quickly flick between screen layouts that suit different image management and editing tasks

27

Bridge

Bridge contains a range of preset workspace options:1.Essentials – displays all panels.2.Filmstrip – Folders, Favorites, Filters, Preview and

Collections panels.3.Metadata– Favorites, Metadata and Filters panels.4.Output – Folders, Favorites and Preview panels.

5.Keywords – Favorites, Keywords and Filters panels.

6.Preview – Folders, Favorites, Filter, Keywords and Collections panels.

7.LightTable – Just the content area is displayed.8.Folders – Folders and Favorites panels.

Bridge•V

iew•O

ptions:

28

Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills

Bridge CS5 introduces the concept of LiveWorkspaces which auto-save any changes you make to the workspace layout as you make them. This allows switching between workspaces and having them appear just as you left them. You can return a workspace to its original layout by selecting the Rest option from the Window > Workspace menu. Also for CS5 the number of entries displayed in the collapsible WorkspaceSwitcher (located in the Options Bar) can be altered, and the position of each workspace can be rearranged. Just click-drag the entry to a new position.

MostView options are grouped under the View menu and essentially alter the way that Content area data or thumbnails are presented. Here you can choose to show the thumbnails by themselves with no other data (View > Show Thumbnail only) or with metadata details included (View > As Details).

Other•ways•to•display•your•photos•in•Bridge

Slideshow – There is also an option to display the content thumbnails as an impromptu slideshow. With no images selected choose View > Slideshow to include all pictures in the content panel in the show. To display a few photos, multi-select the pictures first (hold down the Cmd/Ctrl key as you click on thumbnails), and then pick the Slideshow command. The overall slideshow options such as duration, transitions and caption content can be altered via the option settings (View > Slideshow Options).

In a variation of this type of slideshow display, CS5 also contains the ability to switch to a full screen view of the current selected image. By selecting View > Full Screen Preview or hitting the Spacebar, the Bridge workspace is replaced with a large preview of the selected image. While in the Full Screen Preview mode, a single click of the mouse will display a 100% view of the file. Click-dragging will move the magnified view around the picture. Pressing the Spacebar a second time reverts the display back to the Bridge workspace.

The Slideshow feature provides the option for users to display their images in an automated presentation. After selecting the photos to include it is a simple matter of choosing View > Slideshow to start the presentation. Options for customizing the style of presentation can be found in the Slideshow Options dialog displayed by selecting the entry in the View menu (1)

The Workspace Switcher located on the options bar, stores the preset workspaces and any custom entries you have saved. You can change the position of any entry by dragging it to a new location on the bar.

29

Bridge

Multi-selecting images in the content space displays the photos in the Preview pane. Clicking onto the preview image displays a loupe designed to magnify a portion of the photo. Holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key allows the user to synchronize the loupe views of multiple photos as the device is dragged around the images

Multi-imagepreview – In addition, Bridge also contains a couple of other view options. The first is the ability to display multiple pictures in the preview panel in a side-by-side manner. Simply multi-select several items in the content area to display them in the preview panel in this compare mode.

LoupeTool – The second feature is the Loupe Tool, which acts like an interactive magnifier. The loupe size changes with the size of the displayed preview image and works best with a large preview image. To use, click the cursor on an area in the preview picture. By default a 100% preview of this picture part is then displayed, but you can change the degree of magnification of the loupe by clicking the + and – keys. Click and drag the cursor to move the loupe around the photo. When multiple photos are displayed in the Preview pane you can display extra loupe views by clicking onto each photo in turn. The loupes can then be dragged around each photo to check sharpness and subject details like ‘someone blinking’ in portrait images. Holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key while dragging a loupe will synchronize its movement with other display loupes. This technique is great for checking the same area of similar photos when trying to choose which images to keep and which to discard.

Bridge also contains a Review mode that displays images selected in the content panel in a 3D circle. Left and right arrow keys are used for navigating through the group

Forward and back buttons

File name and current rating

Loupe

Close and revert to Bridge

Create new Collection from images

Drop image from review group button

30

Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills

ReviewMode – The Review Mode (View > Review Mode) displays a set of images in a rotating web gallery-like display. The user can move from one image to another by clicking sideways arrow keys or by clicking the mouse on the forward and back arrows; unwanted pictures can be dropped from the display set using the down arrow key and the photos left after reviewing are automatically added to a new collection when returning to Bridge. Dropping images does not delete the photo, it does not remove it from content view; it does remove it from the multi-photo view that shows up in preview after you ‘Esc’ out of the review mode While in Review Mode you can add or change photo Labels and/or Ratings, and examine pictures closer using the Loupe Tool. This option was added to Bridge to help photographers quickly review their images, make choices about suitable photos that deserve more attention and then save these candidate images in the easily retrievable form of a Collection. When used in combination with the Collections pane, this workflow should make accessing key photos quicker than in previous version of Bridge.

Custom•panel•displaySome panels also contain custom options that govern the type of information displayed and the way that it is presented in the panel. For both the Keyword and Metadata panels, these options are located in the fly-out menu accessed at the top right of the panel. You can add folders to the Favorites panel by right-clicking on them in the Folder panel and then choosing the Add

to Favorites entry from the menu that appears. To remove listed folders right-click the entry and choose the Remove from Favorites option. The Inspector panel display and the types of data shown with thumbnails in the Content panel are controlled by settings in Preferences (Edit > Preferences).

Images with low quality, but fast to display, thumbnails are displayed with a black border (1). Create a higher quality thumbnail by selecting the option from the right-click menu.

The content of some panels and the way that this information is displayed can be adjusted using either the fly-out menus at the top right of the panels, right-click menu options for panel items or Bridge preference settings. Fly-out menu for the Metadata panel (left) and right-click menu for Favorite panel entries (right) are shown

31

Bridge

Speedy•thumbnail•and•preview•generationThe images that you see in the Content and Preview panels are both based on thumbnails generated by Bridge. By default Bridge initially uses the thumbnails generated by your camera at the time of capture and then creates higher resolution images that will be used in the preview pane. Via the settings in Preferences the user has control over whether the thumbnails are built to a standard size or optimized specifically for your screen or monitor. Choose the Generate Monitor-Size previews option in the Advanced section of Bridge’s Preferences (Edit > Preferences). You can force the generation of high quality thumbnails manually for an individual image or groups of multi-selected photos by selecting the pictures in the Content pane and then choosing the Generate High Quality Thumbnail entry from the right-click menu. Images with low quality thumbnails are displayed in the content area with a black line border.

Caching•decisionsThe cache is an allocated space on your hard drive that is used to store thumbnail and metadata information (Labels and Ratings) for the images displayed in the Content panel. Bridge uses this cache to speed up the display of thumbnails. The information in the cache is generally built the first time the contents of a specific folder are displayed. This process can take some time, especially if the folder contains many pictures. For this reason, there is also an option to build the cache of a selected folder in the background while you continue other work. Select the directory to be cached in the Folder panel and then choose Tools > Cache > Build and Export Cache. If for any reason you want to remove a previously created cache from a specific directory, then select the folder and choose the Tools > Cache > Purge Cache for Folder option.The location of the cache impacts indirectly on performance for two reasons:

1. Cache files can become quite large and it is important to ensure that the drive selected to house the cache has enough space to be able to adequately store the file.

2. When image files are copied to another drive or location, a new cache has to be constructed when the folder is first viewed unless the cache is copied along with the picture files.

The settings contained in the Cache section of the Preferences dialog provide the option to select the place where the central cache is stored. Use this setting to ensure that the cache file is located

You can speed up the display of images by pre-caching the folders they are saved in using the Build and Export Cache option in the Edit > Preference >Cache menu. After selecting the entry you can then choose to build 100% previews for faster display and to export the cache, which helps with display on other machines

The location of centralized cache files as well as the ability to store the cache in the same folder as the images is controlled by settings in the Cache section of the Preferences dialog

32

Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills

on a drive with sufficient space. Also included here is an option for exporting cache files to folders whenever possible. Use this setting to employ a distributed cache system (rather than a centralized one), which enables image and cache files to be stored together in the same folder. If this folder is then moved, copied or written to a new location the cache will not have to be rebuilt for the photos to be displayed in Bridge. The cache should also be copied to CD, DVD or other locations that are locked. New changes will be written to the central location but, overall, browsing will be speeded up by the cache.

The preferences also contain additional controls for the number of items stored in the cache. More items means faster display but more disk space is required for cache storage. The dialog also includes a button for compacting the cache, which helps improve performance, and another for purging or deleting all cached thumbnails and previews. This option is useful if you are having problems with the consistency of quality of thumbnail and preview images.

Using•BridgeIt is important to view Bridge as a key component in the photographer’s workflow. From the time that the photos are downloaded from the camera, through the selection, editing and processing stages and then onto archiving and, later, locating specific pictures, the application plays a pivotal role in all image management activities. Let’s look a little closer at each of these areas.

Step1: Select the Get Photos from Camera option from the File menu inside Bridge or click the new Get Photos button in the Applications bar. Next you will see the new Adobe Photo Downloader dialog. The utility contains the option of either Standard or Advanced modes. The Advanced option not only provides thumbnail previews of the images stored on the camera or card, but the dialog also contains several features for sorting and managing files as they are downloaded. But let’s start simply, with the options in the Standard dialog.

Bridge ships with the Adobe Photo Downloader utility designed to simplify the transfer of image files from camera or card reader to computer. When working with the Downloader you have a choice of two modes – Standard (1) and Advanced (2)

Transferring•with•the•Adobe•Photo•Downloader

33

Bridge

Step2Standardmode: To start you need to select the source of the pictures (the location of the card reader or camera). In the Standard mode all pictures on the card will be selected ready for downloading. Next set the Import Settings. Browse for the folder where you want the photographs to be stored and if you want to use a subfolder select the way that this folder will be named from the Create Subfolder drop-down menu. To help with finding your pictures later it may be helpful to add a meaningful name, not the labels that are attached by the camera, to the beginning of each of the images. You can do this by selecting an option from the Rename File drop-down menu and adding any custom text needed. At the same time selecting the Preserve Current Filename in XMP option will ensure the image can be found at a later date using the original file name. There are also options to open Bridge

after the transfer is complete and convert to DNG or save copies of the photos on the fly (great for backing up images). Clicking the Get Photos button will transfer your pictures to your hard drive – you can then organize the pictures in the Bridge workspace. For more choices during the download process you will need to switch to the Advanced mode.

Step3Advancedmode: Selecting the Advanced Dialog button at the bottom left of the Standard mode window will display a larger Photo Downloader dialog with more options and a preview area showing a complete set of thumbnails of the photos stored on the camera or memory card. If for some reason you do not want to download all the images,

then you will need to deselect the files to remain, by unchecking the tick box at the bottom right-hand corner of the thumbnail. This version of the Photo Downloader has the same location for saving transferred files, rename, convert to DNG and copy files options that are in the Standard dialog. In addition, this mode also contains the ability to add metadata to the photos during the downloading process. You can also select a predefined metadata template (created with the File Info dialog in Bridge or Photoshop) from the drop-down menu or manually add in author and copyright details. Pressing the Get Photos button will start the download process.