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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Adobe Bridge

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Rachel Foster

New member
I've (reluctantly) had to go to Adobe for almost all image review since other programs don't support the 5dII RAW files well as yet. I've discovered something dreadful: images that look great in other programs look horrid in Bridge. My question is this: Do the prints reflect this difference in quality? In other words, does Bridge give an accurate rendering of the quality? (If so, well...I've got a lot of lousy images!)
 
J

John Angulat

pro member
Hi Rachel,
I would imagine this is very frustrating indeed. What exactly do the images look like? You said "horrid", but that could mean a million things. Are they unsharp, grainy, contrasty, off-color...?
Every little bit-o-information helps!
 
C

Clayton Lofgren

New member
I have had problems when it seems that Bridge opens the thumbnail instead of the full image. I don´t know how I fixed it, but haven´t seen it for some time now.
 
K

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Hello Rachel,
Adobe Lightroom is my primary image management platform. But I first use Bridge to preview images and to separate wheat from chaff. I've not noticed 5DII images looking "horrid" in Bridge (or in Lightroom).

Remember, however, that with the latest versions of this stuff you now can apply various canned profiles to your images. Adobe Labs has pre-built profiles for various cameras (although I don't think that the 5DII is yet among them). You can also build your own profiles with Adobe's new (beta?) utility.

"My question is this: Do the prints reflect this difference in quality? In other words, does Bridge give an accurate rendering of the quality?"
There is no rendition of a RAW image file that can solely claim the title of "accurate". The only rendering that approaches such status would be a strictly linear rendering in which the tonality curve resembles a 45 degree slope. Such a rendering is generally the starting point for un-profiled camera image files and, indeed, does look "horrid", rather like the complexion of a Midwestern kid living on fast food and cola. Perhaps this is what Bridge is doing. It's easy enough to verify.

So I suggest that, if you've not already done so, you take some hours to explore Adobe's new(ish) camera profiling facilities. I think you'll find it a very beneficial investment of time.
 
R

Rachel Foster

New member
Thanks for the input and the suggestions.


The images I'm appalled by are mostly with the Rebel XTi. The focus seems softer and the image grainier on Bridge than with Picasa. Microsoft Photo Gallery is so bad that I never use it at all. What I've done in the past is review images in Picasa and then do easy edits in Microsoft Digital Imaging Suite and tougher jobs I've gone to Photoshop.

Images that look grainy and soft in Bridge look fine in Picasa. Prints or the same images sometimes look fine and sometimes not.

Ken, I think I'll do exactly what you suggest.
 
Andrew Rodney

Andrew Rodney

New member
Rachel Foster said:
Images that look grainy and soft in Bridge look fine in Picasa. Prints or the same images sometimes look fine and sometimes not.

Ken, I think I'll do exactly what you suggest.
Click to expand...

It sounds like Picasa isn't color managed, the Adobe products are. So the horrid look is probably correct but undesirable. Picasa, which I know nothing about appears to work like a dumb web browser and just send the RGB numbers to the display. It might look good, but its wrong.
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
I think you're right. Picasa is a free program from Google. It's extremely easy to use but I suspect should be limited to snapshots.
 
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Jeremy Lawrence

New member
In Bridge [CS4], there are two ways to display images - quick previews and rendered previews. Quick previews does what many other programmes do and simply uses the embeded [+camera rendered] JPEG in the RAW file to show images quickly. The more accurate [+default] way to view files is to let ACR render the images, but if ACR is set to auto correct [AutoTone] images, they can indeed look awful. If Autotone is not enabled, the RAW images out of camera without developing will still look flat and lifeless, as they will be lacking in colour and sharpening/noise reduction compared to the rendered JPEGs. But once you develop the RAW images, the previously better looking JPEGs will then in their turn look a little flat.

The quick [embedded] preview and rendered preview buttons are just to the left of the 'star' icon on top right of workspace.
The Autotone adjustment for ACR is accessed via preferences [Cntl/Cmd+ K] whilst in ACR dialogue. To get to ACR to develop your images use Cntl/Cmd+R in Bridge or just R if previewing using the space bar.

Bridge is a very powerful and useful programme, well worth learning. Most people seem think it's like Finder/Explorer - it's not and not look any further. I use Bridge in preference to LR most of the time as it's faster, plus it integrates properly with Photoshop unlike LR. In Bridge go to menu - Tools/Photoshop and you have some very useful tools there such as being able to batch Action images chosen in Bridge - very, very useful.
Bridge does smart collections too as well as 'dumb' collections.
 
Doug Kerr

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ken,

Ken Tanaka said:
Hello Rachel,
Adobe Lightroom is my primary image management platform. But I first use Bridge to preview images and to separate wheat from chaff. I've not noticed 5DII images looking "horrid" in Bridge (or in Lightroom). . . .
Click to expand...

I don't have a direct interest in this particular issue, but I just thought this would be a good time to express my appreciation for your regular thoughtful contributions here. It is this kind of concise but sophisticated commentary, from so many of the participants (we see it also in this thread in the response from Jeremy and several others), that helps to make OPF the superb resource it is.
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
Thank you for all the help, everyone. Jeremy, I'm I'm going to reprint this thread so that I have your comment in my OPF printout file, as well.

The 5d has forced me to "grow up" with my software. I'm now addicted to Bridge and CS4. It seems the University has some workshops available on Photoshop in March and I'll be there.

And I concur with Doug completely! (It's kind of scary when we agree, isn't it, Doug? Just kidding!) When I think about how far I've come in just the past 15 or 16 months (and OPF has been invaluable in that journey) my head swims. Asher, it was not that long ago you posted an explanation for me of how aperture, ISO, and shutter speed interact and what they are. Now, I can rattle off some of those technical details and *almost* sound like I know what I'm talking about.

Doug's comment is dead on!
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Doug_Kerr said:
Hi, Ken,

Ken Tanaka said:
Hello Rachel,
Adobe Lightroom is my primary image management platform. But I first use Bridge to preview images and to separate wheat from chaff. I've not noticed 5DII images looking "horrid" in Bridge (or in Lightroom)..
Click to expand...

I don't have a direct interest in this particular issue, but I just thought this would be a good time to express my appreciation for your regular thoughtful contributions here. It is this kind of concise but sophisticated commentary, from so many of the participants (we see it also in this thread in the response from Jeremy and several others), that helps to make OPF the superb resource it is.
Click to expand...

Hear, hear!

Cheers,
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Jeremy Lawrence said:
In Bridge [CS4], there are two ways to display images - quick previews and rendered previews. Quick previews does what many other programmes do and simply uses the embeded [+camera rendered] JPEG in the RAW file to show images quickly. The more accurate [+default] way to view files is to let ACR render the images, but if ACR is set to auto correct [AutoTone] images, they can indeed look awful. If Autotone is not enabled, the RAW images out of camera without developing will still look flat and lifeless, as they will be lacking in colour and sharpening/noise reduction compared to the rendered JPEGs. But once you develop the RAW images, the previously better looking JPEGs will then in their turn look a little flat.

The quick [embedded] preview and rendered preview buttons are just to the left of the 'star' icon on top right of workspace.
The Autotone adjustment for ACR is accessed via preferences [Cntl/Cmd+ K] whilst in ACR dialogue. To get to ACR to develop your images use Cntl/Cmd+R in Bridge or just R if previewing using the space bar.

Bridge is a very powerful and useful programme, well worth learning. Most people seem think it's like Finder/Explorer - it's not and not look any further. I use Bridge in preference to LR most of the time as it's faster, plus it integrates properly with Photoshop unlike LR. In Bridge go to menu - Tools/Photoshop and you have some very useful tools there such as being able to batch Action images chosen in Bridge - very, very useful.
Bridge does smart collections too as well as 'dumb' collections.
Click to expand...
Excellent post Jeremy, thanks.

Cheers,
 
B

Bart_van_der_Wolf

pro member
Asher Kelman said:
Anyone know if one can update ACR 3 to use 5DII or G10 files?
Click to expand...

Hi Asher,

I'm afraid it requiires upgrading to an updated version of ACR (and thus Photoshop, or Lightroom).
However, one can always use the (latest) DNG converter to gain access to new formats with a lower version platform.

Bart
 
J

Jeremy Lawrence

New member
Bart_van_der_Wolf said:
Asher Kelman said:
Anyone know if one can update ACR 3 to use 5DII or G10 files?
Click to expand...
Hi Asher,

I'm afraid it requiires upgrading to an updated version of ACR (and thus Photoshop, or Lightroom).
However, one can always use the (latest) DNG converter to gain access to new formats with a lower version platform.

Bart
Click to expand...
As Bart says.
However - ACR5 is well worth upgrading to. It's very, very good and will save you a lot of PS time, it has a lot more functionality and better quality than ACR3 - it's not just about adding new camera models to later versions. Though it's cheaper to buy LR than PS CS4. But if you have CS1 you can still upgrade to CS4, so price may be similar.
LR's develop module is simply ACR in a different wrapper.

Glad to be of help with my previous post.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks Bart, Rachel and Jeremy,

I own Lightroom 1, PS 3,4,5,7,CS1, CS2 CS3 design for Web which unfortunately didn't have PS CS3. The packages for upgrades are really conditional on so many rules. It's easier, frankly to get a 1 Billion dollar bailout from the US Government.

So it means I'll have to pay my 2009 taxes to Adobe, 'cause that's what it really is! I guess we have to pay for all the millions of pirated copies that Adobe gets no profit on! Still, the upgrades are too expensive! I just wish I had invested the time and effort to work in GIMP, but I'm not sure how capable it is.

Well that's my complaint aired! I guess I'll get the upgrades and just enjoy them like everyone else!

Asher
 
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