Bridge/ACR tips and secrets - post yours here!

I use Bridge as the main application in my workflow, I process 20-30 weddings a year using it, with 900-1800 photos per wedding. I like it a lot, and I prefer it to Lightroom - but please keep this thread on topic rather than debate Bridge vs Lightroom.

I've learned a few things about Bridge that I find handy, that other people might like to know. I'm learning new tips every day, and i'm sure people can share tips that will help me and others, so post away!

Here's the tips that come to mind - I my edit the post later if I think of more:
- CS3 bridge bites, upgrade to CS4 bridge. It's faster, more stable, and far more enjoyable to use.
- The CS4 image downloader seems to be faulty - it only downloads some of the images. Don't use it.
- Learn the shortcut keys in ACR (eg A = level, B = spot tool, c = crop, i = white balance). They make things a BUNCH faster.
- Work in batches, selecting images that need similar processing. Select them in bridge, right click, choose open in ACR. Hit select all and do global changes, then do any individual changes that need to be done. I read a post the other day that someone didn't realise you could do this - this is perhaps the best feature about bridge/ACR!
- To review images select them and hit control-B (new in CS4). You can review images REALLY fast, and use 1-5 to rate and 6-9 to label. You can also right click and open in ACR, and there may be other tricks within there.
- The white balance tool often makes things too cool for my taste. The presets work better, though I always take away the +10 from cloudy/shade as I don't like them.
- Always adjust the exposure slider first, then blacks and midtones, and only then try to color correct. You can't color correct images that aren't correctly exposed.
- You can make a sepia preset using split tones. Just choose orange/brown at 10-15% saturation for both highlights and shadows, save it as a preset, and you have a single click sepia. I add a little extra contrast and a mild vignette to the preset, because I like it that way. I also have a "sepia undo" preset, that removes all these things, which is handy.

That's all that come to mind for now. Share your best tips!

Great, thanks

you mean the 'get photos from camera' dropdown option? i like to use that since you can apply a metadata template directly to the imported images. i've not ever seen it skip random images upon importing.

narlus wrote in post #8682713
you mean the 'get photos from camera' dropdown option? i like to use that since you can apply a metadata template directly to the imported images. i've not ever seen it skip random images upon importing.

I have it get images from a card reader, not a camera, but yeah it missed images a few times.

I don't profess to be an expert, but I have observed that many new-to-ACR folk don't pay much attention to the Noise Reduction sliders in the Detail tab. They are reasonably good, and can often negate the need for subsequent third-party noise reduction (if such need exists).

Oh, and I find that the default Color Noise value of 25 is usually miles too high; and as such, kills subtle colour in a way that I don't like. Anyway, try it and make your own judgement.

I never sharpen in ACR, only preview with light sharpening. All sharpening is done in Photoshop.

I don't convert from ACR with no good reason. If I've done all that I need to do to the Raw image within ACR, I simply close the file. If it requires more work in Photoshop, I'll save the image as a TIF from Photoshop.