My friend Will wrote to ask me why the word “reject” was showing under his photo in Bridge.
Will wrote that he was using Adobe Bridge to edit photos from a recent shoot. The red “reject” was under some photos for an unknown reason.
Solution
I’ve used Bridge since it came out in 2005 and I’ve never seen the “reject.” I remember, though, hearing Lightroom users talk about rejecting photos versus just deleting them.
I checked the Settings in Bridge and found there was an option to “reject” when labeling images. See the screen capture below. Option + Delete key gives “reject.”
My Method
I don’t use the reject option when editing images. While editing a batch of images in Adobe Camera Raw, I enlarge each image to 100% and give it a rating. 5 stars is an amazing, great image; 4 stars is a really strong image; 3 stars is average and what’s expected; 2 stars is slightly blurred but maybe worth keeping; 1 star is not worth keeping; no stars is a delete.
Below is a screen capture of Bridge after I’ve edited all of the images as a batch in Adobe Camera Raw and rated them.
I’ll keep the images with 5, 4, or 3 stars. The images with less than three stars will be deleted. There’s no need to keep lesser quality images in the catalogue.
The star system also helps me select the best image later when I’m searching images in the Lightroom catalogue or Library. I can immediately go to the 5 or 4 star images versus looking at each image in a series again.
Great question from Will. It was fun finding the answer to his problem. I hope the answer and other information might help others.
My question relates to the fact that each folder of pictures has a different set of keywords that shows up in the keywords list. So I have to re-enter keywords. How can I make a list universally available? And how can I make it the only list of keywords? I use Bridge.
Will
Quick answer: Once you’ve entered a word on a keyword list, you shouldn’t have to re-enter that word when you’re working in a different folder of photos.
Long answer:
The Keyword list in Bridge can be exported/saved as a .txt document. You can import keyword lists as well. Then you can “Clear and Import” keyword lists. That brings a new list in and replaces the old list.
Most people, I suspect, have one list. That’s what happens in Lightroom. It’s just one big list. So that place you visited in Scotland stays on the list even though you’ll never use that keyword again.
I have Keyword lists. One for Costa Rican birds, for example. I have another for North American birds. I have a list for Italy. I have a list for Iceland, another for Norway, and another for Thailand. I import these when needed.
My “everyday” Keyword list is the North American birds. It has all my North American birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, and plants. It has the seasons, bahaviors, and other things I might need for everyday processing. That list has locations I’ve birded and visited in the US since I seem to always photograph birds in addition to other things. I just went to Santa Fe so that’s now on my North American birds list.
I’ll go to Ireland in September. Before I leave, I’ll export my North American birds list to a folder on my computer where I keep all my keyword lists. That North American birds list will replace the one in the file, by the way. I’ve added things to it over the months so I want to keep the latest version.
Then I’ll “Clear and Import” with my Ireland keyword list. While working on photos in Ireland, I’ll add new locations. Beforehand, you can add new locations and things to an existing list since it’s just a .txt document. I could take the itinerary for my Ireland trip and add locations to it while it’s still a .txt document on my computer. (formatting is important by the way. See below.)
While in Ireland and until I finish processing those photos, the Ireland keyword list will be on my computer. This can be a pain if I wanted to switch between processing backyard birds and going back to the Ireland photos. That’s why some people like one big list.
A screen capture of the Keyword list for Costa Rican birds.
October 2022 gave us the annual grande-sized upgrade to our Adobe products. When I logged on to my Adobe Cloud and clicked the Update tab on the left, I saw that my Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw, Bridge, and Lightroom all had updates.
The annual updates are historically big. Adobe sends the little stuff throughout the year and then WHAM! we get hit with the big stuff in October.
Warning! Update when you have time to review the changes. I wouldn’t suggest you push the Update tab when you have a big photo deadline looming. Things you use everyday might get moved, renamed, or combined. Yet, we also get some great new tools.
Here are the big things I really like in the 2022 Update
Bridge has a Workflow tab at the top. You can save workflows that you do on a regular basis. For example, your camera club wants monthly submissions at a specific ppi and size on the longest side of the photo. You can now do that workflow once and save it as a preset. Learn how to build a workflow by clicking the Learn More tab at the bottom of the Workflow screen. Or click this Workflow Builder tutorial from Adobe.
Bridge users who’ve attended my classes might notice that Bridge looks a bit different the first time you open it. Don’t freak out! Click the “Workspace 1” tab at the top. That’s the workspace I helped you build and it’s still there.
Adobe Camera Raw has changes too! Double-click a RAW file in Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw opens automatically. (Readers learned how to do this in my classes and via my YouTube videos.)
Lightroom’s Develop Module and Adobe Camera Raw do the same things so I’ll introduce all the new features together.
Masking has combined the old adjustment brush, radial filter, and graduated filter.
The tools behind this tab are HUGE! You can now click Select Subject and the software creates a mask around the subject. It does a pretty good job, too. Hover your cursor over the subject and you’ll see sliders on the right. Now you can process just for the subject.
Click Select Sky and the sky is selected. Hover your cursor over the sky and sliders appear. Now you can process just the sky.
Play around and you’ll see that you can enlarge, shrink, or fine-tune the mask.
Luminance Range allows you to only select a luminance range. Color Range allows you to select just certain colors. Then you can adjust that color only. Anyone for a bit more yellow in autumn leaves? A bit more turquoise in a cormorant’s eye?
Want to only adjust the shadows to change their tone? Here’s your way to do it.
Lightroom Users! This is a game changer for you. You now have layers.
Layers Resisters! This is a way for you to start using layers without having to really know all the technicals of Photoshop layers.
Adobe offers a great tutorial when you click on the Masking icon the first time. Read the instructions — they are super simple — and learn how to use this great new too.
Photoshop has some great new tools, too.
The toolbar now has Object Selection Tool. Click the icon and then watch the little circular arrows at the top. When the arrows stop turning, you know the software has selected an object. Nudge the software along if nothing happens by clicking on one of the subjects in the photo.
Once an object is selected, click the Adjustments palette on the right. Choose one type of Adjustment and a layer mask appears. (If you don’t see either of these, click Windows and be sure Layer is checked.) Those of you who know layers will find yourself right at home at this stage.
Another new thing is called Harmonization. Sometimes when we work with different photos in layers, we get colors that don’t really go together. This is especially true when we’re working with Textures.
This is a good example of two photos stacked into a layer that aren’t exactly in color harmony.
Harmonization to the Rescue!
Click Filters>Neural Filters>Harmonization. A new pop-out panel will appear. (Click the download button to download the filter the first time.)
Wait, wait, wait!!! The process bar at the bottom of the photo shows you the software is working.
Notice the tiny blue bar under the big photo. The software is still working so be patient.
Once Harmonization is finished working, you can use the sliders to fine tune the color harmony. Click OK and a new layer is created in your layer stack. Now you can go in the layer masks, use black or white brushes, and clean-up the image.
Landscape Mixer is another interesting Neural Filter. Open a landscape photo in Photoshop. Click Filter>Neural Filters>Landscape Mixer. The Landscape Mixer shows up. (Click the Download button to get the filter the first time.)
Open an image in Photoshop, click Filter>Neural Filters>Landscape Mixer to get this screen.
Notice you have sliders for Sunset, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. I’ll move the Winter slider almost all the way to the right. Wait, wait, wait and watch the blue bar move slowly along its path.
The end product is Casa Grande in Big Bend National Park in the snow at twilight! The trees are green but that’s a minor problem. Notice that there are other option to choose from. I’ve given an extreme example but I can see how this tool might be useful to some photographers.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief overview. Adobe has given us some nice new tools. The tutorials provided by Adobe are simple and easy to understand. Update your software when you have some time to play. We’ve got a lot of new toys tools.
Comments? Did I miss any new features that you like? Post below.
My photography students and photo friends frequently ask me how to resize a photograph. It’s super easy in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw.
Why would you need to resize a photograph?
A teacher like me asks that you submit homework at a particular size and ppi. (PPI is pixels per inch).
A photo contest needs the images to be a particular size.
Your camera clubs asks that photo be submitted a certain size.
You want to email a photo to someone but the photo out of the camera is too big.
You’re building a Powerpoint or Keynote program and a lot of images to be resized so they project well.
Photos on your website need to be a particular size.
From Lightroom Library, right click on the image or images, and select Export.
Step #1 select the destination folder, Step #2 select jpeg or tiff, Step #3 select Image Sizing, Step #4 select Export. (Continue reading for tips on Image Sizing.)
In Bridge, select the photo or photos to export (or save), right-click to open in Adobe Camera Raw. Once in Adobe Camera Raw, select the image(s) and select the tiny “save” icon. You’ll see that when you hover your mouse over one photo.
Photoshop came first from Adobe. Everything that any creative person needed in one place.
The Photoshop program is becoming less and less needed. At one time, all the tools were in Photoshop.
Then Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw came along. Organization and sliders in Adobe Camera Raw to process our photos.
Then Adobe made Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and moved Photoshop’s photography tools into sliders. We had everything we needed to process our photos in one place. Adobe gave us Bridge as a “light table” where we could layout all our photos and work with them.
Then Adobe made Elements and put photography tools into sliders.
Then Lightroom came along from Adobe
Then Adobe made Lightroom and put those same photography tools into sliders. Lightroom took the Bridge concept to a new level. Lightroom’s Library is a database so you can layout lots of photos from different folders onto a “light table” and work with them.
Lightroom’s Library is super-powerful and super-complicated. I recommend the Scott Kelby book to learn and understand Library. Life gets complicated when you update computers, work on two external hard drives, merge or split catalogues, etc. Sometimes you have to call in an expert because the Library is a mess.
Thanks to Adobe we have three programs to process our photos.
· Bridge/Adobe Camera Raw,
· Elements, or
· Lightroom.
The one you choose is up to you. Bridge/Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom do exactly the same thing when it comes to processing. The difference is interface.
Bridge/Adobe Camera Raw lets you file your photos the way you want.
Lightroom files your photos for you and you need to understand what it’s doing. Hence the need for Scott Kelby’s book, lots of online videos, The Lightroom Queen, etc. I tell people on my workshops “I will not help you find your lost photos in Lightroom. I will help you process your photos in Lightroom.” If you use Lightroom, take time to understand the Library feature. In my experience, this happens in only 25% of Lightroom users.
Personally, I find the Bridge/Adobe Camera Raw combination easier to use. I copy my pictures from my card to a folder under My Pictures, open Bridge, go to that folder, start processing. Simple and easy. The 25% who understand Lightroom’s Library say the same thing about Lightroom. (The Lightroom versus Adobe Camera Raw argument is amazing among photographers. More powerful than Mac vs. PC or Canon vs. Nikon.)
But what about Photoshop? Photoshop has Layers and we still occasionally need layers. There are still photographers who use layers to make vignettes even though we have a slider for vignette in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. There are still photographers who use Layers to open shadows despite the great shadow slider in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom.
Layers in Photoshop are needed for a lot of advanced processing. Merging star trails, for example. Merging lightning strikes for a more dramatic photo, for example. Photos with light painting need layers. We can make a mat for our photos in Layers. Good stuff happens in Layers and we can only get that in Photoshop.
We need Photoshop Layers to blend multiple photos like this lightning storm or star trails.
At one time, we could only get panoramas with Layers. Now we have a feature in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw for that.
I’ll offer a Photoshop Layers class in the coming weeks. Layers is a powerful tool but has a steep learning curve. I’m not a master but know how to get what I need – most of the time.
I’m working through the thousands of photos I took in Spain during my recent photo tour to Andalusia and Barcelona.
Buildings were our most common subject. Often it was hard to get right in front of the building. Many times we were shooting straight up when we really needed to be higher like on the second floor of the building across the street.
The Transform tool in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom is really coming in handy.
Take a look at this before and after:
Here’s the original photo Iglesia del Salvador. It’s a lovely church in the Seville’s Santa Cruz neighborhood near the hotel where we stayed. I included a lot of sky and a lot the building because I knew I’d use the Transform tool in processing.
The Transform tool is activated in the photo above and ready to go.
Here’s the finished photo. I put a vertical Transform guide on the left and right white column. Then I put a horizontal Transform guide on the two main horizontal lines. I finished with a bit of vertical tweaking with the slider to bring the building a bit more upright.
Transform tool to the rescue.
Have you used the Transform tool? Does it work well for you?
When traveling, we don’t always get to choose when we can be at a location. Harsh light can get in the way of a good photo. That’s why I suggest you make friends with the Shadow slider in Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom, or Elements.
Well exposed image with no highlights blown out. The area on the right is in deep shadows, though.
Same image with basic processing in Adobe Camera Raw. The shadows on the right have been opened thanks to the Shadow slider in Adobe Camera Raw. Same slider is in Lightroom and Elements.
Some say that HDR, or high-dynamic range, is a great way to remove tourists from our photos taken in busy vacation locations. Well, maybe sometimes.
First some explanations. HDR is high-dynamic range photography. Our eye sees 22-stops of light but the camera can capture about 5-stops. HDR images allow us to photograph details in the shadows while still maintaining details in the highlights.
To create a HDR photo, we take 2 or more photos from the same location and vary the exposure. The examples below have been created from seven photos. The exposures range from balanced light meter to -3-stops all the way to +3-stops.
HDR software has an option to deghost or remove people. Deghosting removes people from the final photo if those people didn’t appear in the same spot in all the photos. There’s usually a scale so we can vary the intensity of deghosting. I’ve set the deghosting to maximum on each image.
You see that people are still in my photo of the busy street in San Gimignano, Italy. The only person who stood still through all seven photos was the man in the gray windbreaker on the left. Everyone else moved. The lady in the orange coat walked straight at the camera through all seven photos. The man with the umbrella walked across the scene from right to left.
In conclusion, the crowded street is still crowded with people. The different software, though, handled processing in a variety of ways.
This is an HDR image created with Macphun’s Aurora HDR software.
This is an HDR image created from the same files but processed with Nik’s HDR Efex software. Notice that there’s a half person on the left and two half people on the right. We call these “ghosts.” All of the HDR software offer a deghosting option.
Same files processed in Photoshop’s Adobe Camera Raw HDR feature. Notice there is no ghosting. The man with the umbrella in the center of the photo doesn’t appear in that location in any of the other examples.
Here are the seven photos used to build these HDR photos.
Kathy Adams Clark 