Organizing photos in CS3 Bridge

[alanrusso]

Hello!

<p>I currently use Photoshop Elements 6.0, and am looking to upgrade to CS3. I

just downloaded the 30 day trial of CS3, and while impressed with the power of

CS3 vs Elements, I'm struggling with Bridge.</p>

<p> Question 1: In Elements, it was super easy to view a selected photo full

screen (F11), and 2 photos side by side (F12). I couldn't find any equivalent

hot keys in Bridge. It seems like you have to navigate the menus to view a

slide show. It's a nit - but a hassle. The help file didn't suggest any hot

keys. Is there one?</p>

<p>Question 2: Over the years of having used various versions of Elements, I

have a robust organization of pictures. ie: Japan->2003->Tokyo->Mom & Dad

visit, etc. Because it was so easy to organize my photos in Elements, I never

did anything more than put my raw files in a folder with the upload date. ie

5_10_2003. While I'm hoping I'm wrong - there doesn't seem to be a way to

import this organization into Bridge, no even create one. The organization

mechanism seems to rely on what you name your file folders.</p>

<p>Does anyone have experience moving from Elements to CS3?</p>

<p>What are the best practices in doing so?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Alan</p>

[dougityb]

Alan, look at the bottom of the Bridge screen, lower right. It should have icons similar to these that I copied from CS2. The red arrows point to ways to change the way the thumbnails are presented, and the blue ones indicate the thumbnail size slider, which is off crop. Adjusting the slider will change the size of the thumbnails.<div></div>

[dougityb]

I'm not sure how to answer your second question. It might be a matter of entering metadata, but someone else will have to chime in.

[alanrusso]

<p>Doug,</p>

<p>Thanks - I figured out a way around my organizational dilemma with further tinkering. Bridge has the ability to create, and associate a number of keywords with each photo. There is a filter dialogs then which lets you then hone in on only the combinations of key words you want to view. It's nice - but moving my pictures over is going to take time! There does not seem to be a way to convert Element "Albums" that I can see. I'd have hoped Adobe would have made the upgrade more seemless with a "convert albums" function, similar to how the installer works from one version of Elements to the other.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Alan</p><div></div>

[dougityb]

Keywords, right. that's what I meant by metadata. great. I'm glad it works.

 

Doug

[johncrosley]

I have CS3 but continue to download using and naming my files with Photoshop Elements, which for my money (and it is my money) has the best downloader available and not available in CS3 at any price.

 

Try expending the Elements choice to see the vast array of choices you have for naming and even setting the copyright data with your photos that you download not just the small version of downloader, but the expanded version) and you'll see what I mean.

 

Then, with your files named and downloaded in Elements and opened in Bridge, any metadata you want to add can be done.

 

By the way, Elements has limits on how big an 'album' of photos it will show before it refuses to show any thumbnails at all -- I have huge library of photos that I had elements run through and toward end it would not display the last several thousand photos or tens of thousands of photos or any new downloads. this happened several times and on new installs.

 

so, if your library gets big, it may be necessary to create several libraries or search for another downloader.

 

I'm still using Elements to name my downloads (it has wonderful choices) I use 'custom' naming and attach places, dates, type of camera, etc. and other useful stuff so I can spot the download and also put the file number in each photo's number and the same relevant info so I can quickly locate the folder if I see a photo name.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Such photos display both in Elements and Browser in different ways, with Browser being the best way to view an entirely fresh collection of photos and having the most control.

 

John (Crosley)

[ronald_moravec1]

CS 3 Bridge

 

File -get photos from camera or card reader

 

Select destination folder- select names or remame. Convert to DNG if you want. Lots of options.

 

For now, go back and date the albums with one general date so they stay in order, Break down later as time permits.

 

Starting now, make new folders by date- event. Use a uniform dating system so things in order.

 

For what it is worth, I will repost my system.

 

I make a folder for each event, in it are sub folders for original files, photoshop edited files, and final size JPEGS. The photoshop ones are .psd, the final JPEGS are titled img-1234 300 8x10 meaning image 1234 300 ppi 8x10 size.

 

The photoshop file is the master uncompressed file and I always return to it to make each size JPEG. A JPEG should never be reopened altered and saved again as you risk artifacts.

 

The main folder is titled with the date first and then description with the same exact format each time so they stay in order, 2008-06-15 Florida vacation. I have a "sticky" folder section first numbered 01 files, 02 items to print or email. The 01 also has the sub folders premade but empty and I copy it into the other event folders so I need not manually generate the sub folders each time. I set this up first before downloading from the camera and put the pics where they belong.

 

My JPEG folders are actually set up one for each size, 100 4x6 for Flickr, 300 4x6 for small prints, 100 8x10 for iPhoto display, 300 8x10 for large prints. I wrote a photoshop action to generate all these sizes and place them into the proper folders. It takes 2 sec per pic to make the JPEGS, generic sharpen at final size, and place it into the proper folder from the .psd folder.

 

 

I took me about a year to develope this system, but it works for me and is automated, fast, and easy. It does take some displine to follow, but the sticky folders for tests, portrait backgrounds, sky and cloud replacement files, allow me to find these easily and they are always in place where I can find them at the top of pictures.