OK, be aware that Bridge does NOT play well with Cloud files (including DropBox). If you've had success in the past, that was luck and nothing intended by Adobe. Are you using DropBox to share files? That's OK if you only wish to transfer them to others on a permanent basis. But if you're using DropBox as a server, there will be issues, and that is NOT reliable. Please do not tell me that it's been working fine because Bridge was never intended to be used on servers, either. It was designed and made as a single-user, direct connection with hard drives — period. If your company needs a company DAM, they need to find a professional company DAM. DropBox and Bridge will not cut it.   If your Folders lost their color labels, my guess is that you gave them custom names in the Preferences? Custom names are not transferable across a Cloud service.   Sorry for the extra bad news. ... View more

Hi, @Regina 7, again, all of the Labels and Ratings are in the Files: Bridge stores nothing for those files. Sneakernet the files to the new computer, and all Labels and Ratings will be there waiting for you. ... View more

Ah, that can be an issue (user conflict), and I do not have any experience with trying to get past that. If you company has an IT person, you can see if they know.   If you've been organized and all of your files are in organized folders, transferring them to the new computer is straightforward.    The one thing that will be a bit of a challenge is transferring custom Workspaces and application preferences (now settings). The Migration Assistant made that easy; now, not so much.   For Adobe Illustrator, it should be: locate the preference file in your user library folder on your old computer, then copy it to the corresponding location on your new computer; the file is typically found at: "~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator [version number]/Adobe Illustrator Prefs."   Your Illustrator Workspaces can be found here: Workspaces are located within your user library, specifically in the "Preferences" folder, under the "Adobe Illustrator [version number] Settings" directory; you can access them by going to "Finder" > "Go" > "Go to Folder" and entering " ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator [version number] Settings/Workspaces".   Moving Photoshop is a bit easier: To move your Adobe Photoshop preferences to a new computer, you can export your preferences and then import them on the new computer: Go to File > Export > Export Preferences Set your preferences for format, quality, and destination Go to File > Export and select Export As On the new computer, import the preferences To move your PS Workspaces: Find the workspace files: Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows). Navigate to your user directory: "Users/[username]". Go to the "Library" folder (Mac). Open "Preferences" > "Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings" > "Workspaces". You will see files with the extension ".psw" which represent your saved workspaces. Copy the workspace files: Select all the ".psw" files you want to transfer. Copy them to a USB drive or cloud storage for easy transfer. Paste on new computer: On your new computer, navigate to the same location: "Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings/Workspaces". Paste the copied workspace files. Important points: Version compatibility: While most workspaces should transfer between Photoshop versions, significant version changes might cause some compatibility issues.     Hope this all helps ... View more

By far, the easiest way to do this is to use Apple's Migration Assistant Tool. I've been using that since it first appeared, and it does a pretty good job and is far easier and more reliable than trying to remember what to move and where to put it yourself.   As far as Labels and Ratings, those are stored in each file's metadata. So, if you move the file, you'll move the respective labels and ratings with them.   One item of note: IF you shoot raw images and IF you leave them in the native raw format (e.g., CR2 or CR3 for Cannon), the metadata is stored in the .xmp files found in the same folders as the file. So, moving the whole folder around is very important, not just the image file itself. Remember, the metadata not only stores the labels and ratings, but any adjustments you've made in Adobe Camera Raw.   IF you convert your raw images to the DNG format, these, like JPG and TIF files, are container files, and all metadata is stored inside the file.   I hope that helps ... View more

I'd love to take credit for this approach, but it came from working with Macs back in the '80s.   Back then, all "sub-applications" that are now full applications that work within the Finder (DropBox, ACC, Default Folder, etc.) used to be under the category "Desk Accessories." They didn't always play together that well. To find out which one was the cause of crashing or other destructive events, you had to manually pull out half of them, restart, test for the problem, and, well, pretty much the same process I put you through. One company made an application that organized this so that you didn't have to remember which ones you pulled and which you didn't. (Sometimes, you could fix the problem by reordering which DAs loaded in what order.)   Anyhow, if you could be so kind as to click my answer above as "Correct Answer," that might help someone else with the same issue and is looking for help.   Thanks! ... View more

Hi, @don_mayer; adding to what @JohanElzenga, said, I have to ask: is every image on your catalog essential for all the time, every time viewing?    One professional photographer I know backs his images and LRC catalog for every year. At the beginning of each year, he starts a new catalog. To me, that is extreme, but the idea does have one valuable lesson: not every image is needed all the time. While I know that my needs are different than yours, you might want to mull over one dynamic that I do use when I travel.    First off, I do not own a laptop, but my wife does, and when we travel, I commandeer her laptop. I start a whole new catalog and as we travel and as I take photos, those are all placed on her computer. Every night, as I end whatever adjustments I've made for that period, I quit LRC, back up the catalog, and then I back up everything onto an external drive. At that point, I can reformat my camera card with two copies of the images and catalog. When I get back to my computer, I then add that "traveling" catalog and images to my permanent catalog and stored images.   Now, again, I know your situation is different — everyone who picks up a camera has a different situation. But again, not everyone needs access to all of their images all the time. So, what I'm suggesting is that you parse through your images and locate the ones you really do not need to access all the time, export them in a new catalog, and store them at home. Over time, as new images come in and others fall into the "not really needed" category, create a new catalog of them and import them into the previous catalog of "not really needed" images.    It's either all that or get a larger hard drive for your laptop.    BTW, are you backing up your laptop? Remember the old saying: "There are two kinds of hard drive users: those who've had a hard drive crash and those who've not had a hard drive crash YET." I have both physical hard drive backup and cloud service. I soundly sleep at night. ... View more

To answer your 2nd question, Split is for taking a 200-page PDF and converting it into two 100-PDFs   To answer your question is probably a tad more complicated than you'd like, but here it is:   To split a document, click on the Edit option. Under Modify Page, you'll see the Crop Page option.   With your document open, click on Crop Page and then Marquee one half of the page. I'll let you be carefull and determine how wide you need to be (I wasn't careful). When you're happy, click "Done."   After you've done the first page, you can see below that that is now a self-standing page. Note the right half is now gone. So, basically, you'll crop out the left half of the double pages, then take the original document and crop out the right half.   Then, merge the left half and right half together. Then, in Organize pages, you can reorder them in the correct order. You can then edit the text and renumber them as needed. You are lucky that this is a short document.    Good luck!   ... View more

Hi Linda, IF you had just done the update, I'm not surprised that it continued acting wrong on the first action. However, once set (after setting the prefs), I'm hoping that the fix sticks.    I've been working with Bridge since it first appeared, and I've been on these boards for a number of years. This is the first time I've heard of this as bad as you describe. I'm sure that's a record you'd rather not have, but …   At this point, I've got nothing. If I learn something, I'll let you know. ... View more

Hi, @Linda Pradetto, my first guess is that there's something wrong with your preferences. Please try this:   Quit Bridge (if running). Just before clicking on Bridge in the Dock or double-clicking the application for the Mac, press Command-Option-Shift. For PCs, press Control-Alt-Shift. Then open Bridge, BUT KEEP your fingers on those keys until you see a window pop up. From the window, choose “Reset Preferences," "Entire Thumbnail Cache,” and/or "Reset Standard Workspaces.” In your case, choose "Reset Preferences."   Please let us know if that solves the problem. ... View more

Hi, @KazuTa, I suspect you have Adobe Camera Raw set to open from Bridge instead of Photoshop. Go into your Bridge's Settings/Preferences and uncheck this box in the General tab. That will cause your raw images to open in ACR through PS, not Bridge.    Let us know if this is the answer   ... View more

Hi, @larsonm4531, I just did a test and, wow, I just learned something about Bridge that concerns me.    As I stated, NORMALLY, when you move a file from one drive to another, it makes a copy and leaves the original where it was. When you move a file from one folder to another folder on the same drive, it moves the entire file over from one place to the other, and that file is no longer in the original location.    Because I essentially never use the "Move to" feature myself, I never thought about this that much. I just did an experiment and took a file on a camera card, and "Moved it to my Desktop." That file is no longer on the card and was on my Desktop.   What I'm saying is that when you "Move to" with Bridge, it will move it to where you want the file to go and REMOVE it from where it was — a different or the same drive.   I have no clue as to what happened to that file or how to regain access to it again. I will see if I can flag an Adobe person to look at this thread and see if they can help.    But, most importantly, in the future, if you're not using Photo Downloader, use the Finder. At a minimum, it will function as I originally described.   I'm really sorry about this. ... View more

Hi, @larsonm4531, It shouldn't make a difference if you were moving a file via Bridge or the Finder, but when you move a file from one drive to another, the original file remains on the original device, and a copy of that file is then seen at the new location.    I'm going to guess that all you need to do is to Eject the SD card and then reinsert it. I think you'll see your MP4 file on the card.    Please let me know how it goes ... View more

Hi, @Donald5E70, the quick answer is "not with Bridge."   Bridge was designed as a single-user application with files directly connected to the primary computer. Bridge is very "iffy" with servers in the first place. Sometimes, they have limited success but invariably are not sufficiently compatible to make it worthwhile.    I wish I could recommend a product to you, but Adobe does not make such a product, and I've never worked in a firm that utilizes such software. Hopefully, someone with more experience in these issues will be able to help. But the primary answer to your question is "no."   Very sorry ... View more

This sounds like you've not given Bridge permission for Apple's protection. Simply, this is an Apple protection issue, not Adobe's issue.    Go into the System Preferences and select the Privacy & Security tab on the left. Note that there are two options on the right you'll need to deal with: "Files and Folders," and "Full Disk Access."   First, going into Files and Folders, note that in various years of different releases of Adobe Bridge, different needs are needed. I do not know why this is, but it's always better to check and make sure that just because you did it for one release, you may or may not need it for a subsequent release.     Lastly, go into the Full Disk Access option. If you do not see your application in the list, click on the "+" symbol at the very bottom of the window. This will bring up a standard Finder window. Navigate to your Applications Folder, find Adobe Bridge, and add it to the list (You will need to add your Administrator's password to do this.). Then you can "switch" it to the "ON" position.    This should solve your problem. Please let us know if that works or not. ... View more

OK, bunch of questions for you:   1) How are you downloading the images (any special gear being used, what software is being used for downloading)? 2) Where are you downloading the images to (are you creating a new folder for each download, if so where. Or are you downloading them to a default location and if so, where is that)?    What is your OS (and what release)? What version of Bridge are you using (and what release)?   And lastly, can you please define what you mean by a secondary window? Can you provide a screenshot? ... View more

Hi, @tedotoole, can you please verify the resolution of the image?   The "full size" display will only show UP TO the full size. What this means is that if your monitor is 1000 pixels wide, any image that is 1000 pixels wide and larger will fill the screen. But if you have an image that is 100 pixels wide, that's a big as it will show. ... View more

(Hmm, being on the West Coast, I only come in late on these threads. :D)   Fortunately, both @try67 and @JR Boulay have provided an excellent amount of information on the PDF/PDFA dynamics and how to maintain an image. If you are scanning, the biggest issue people have is assuming that all one does is start the scanner, push the scan button, and enjoy the results.    Unfortunately, IF you want the best capture of an image, you may sacrifice the quality of the text and vice versa. Below I'll post a link to an article I wrote a number of years ago talking about how to get the best quality scan of text. Images are a whole different subject, but the general dynamics are similar. The more time you spend on the original setup on the scanner for each image BEFORE you press the start button, the better the image quality will be.   Think of it this way. If you take a camera and do not face a scene with your back to the sun, do not adjust for the kind of light you are encountering, don't set the aperture, etc., you cannot expect to fix it in Photoshop. When you just press the start button on your scanner, it's not all that different.    Many people do not care about the end quality of a scan; it sounds like you do.   https://community.adobe.com/t5/adobe-community-professionals/scanning-clean-searchable-pdfs/m-p/4785435?page=1#M89   Let me know if you have any questions on the scanning part of this. ... View more

I was about to say that the "Best I can guess is that sometimes Adobe's marketing is a bit ahead of the engineers." but I looked it up (thanks google) and found this:   Tips for scanning handwriting to text smoothly. You can easily convert handwriting to text via OCR technology. By using a free scanner app like Adobe Scan, a smartphone, or an online OCR option, you can scan the handwriting with your smartphone. From there, the technology will recognize the text and translate it into text on a document. Although OCR can recognize handwriting, the writing has to be reasonably neat in the first place. OCR relies on uniformity to recognize text, and — like people — it can have trouble reading messy handwriting. Here are some tips to make OCR scans more successful: Use lined paper to keep your handwritten lines straight. Write in capital letters to help OCR recognize different symbols. Write slowly to keep your handwriting as uniform as possible. Try not to smudge or crumble the paper as you write. In a nutshell, the closer your handwriting is to a digital font, the better OCR can recognize it. But you may be able to convert even smudged or messy writing, so it’s always worth a try.   So, while they are talking about "handwriting," they sidestep into "make your text look like a digital font."   So, I think it's safe to say that your best bet is to get your printing to look like Helvetica or Times New Roman.   Meanwhile, I'd go with the Speech to Text approach,   Good luck! ... View more

To be honest, I do not know of any commercial OCR that can handle script. Some software can translate hand-printed text into text, but not script. I've seen ads for these that accompany large whiteboards for company meetings so that everything that is written on the boards is captured for future reference. But that's not what you're looking for.   If you have a long document you wish to extract the text from, one approach is using speech-to-text software. This might work if you read the text, the software translates your speech into written text, and then you'd follow up by setting the preferred paragraph structure, fixing the homonyms, etc.    Unless you already own one, I suggest you Google " speech-to-text software" and look for programs compatible with your OS, hardware, etc.   Good luck.  ... View more

Can you select the text in Adobe Scan?   Not seeing the script, I have to say that any expectations that it would be viable are small. Very small. OCR, in general, has many mistakes and failures, and that's with actual text, not script. I have enough problems understanding my handwriting, so to think that any OCR would get it any better is hopeless! :>)   I've been using OCR for about 25 years, and every once in a while, the original content is so poor that rewriting is the best course of action. Even if the OCRing of script was 50% accurate, it would take you significantly more time to fix it than to retype it.    I am not trying to dampen your enthusiasm; I am just shining a bit of light on what to expect if you can get anything to help. ... View more

Let me slip in here for Eric. One thing I think you need to check is what keyboard your Mac is sensing.    If you go back to the Function key screen I showed you how to get to before, click on the item below Function keys, called Modifier Keys.    On the upper right of that you'll see Select Keyboard. Please see if that is in fact the keyboard you are using. If you're using a Mac keyboard, let us know. If you're using a 3rd party keyboard, see if you have an app that you downloaded to customize the keyboard. If you can't find it, go to the manufacturer of your keyboard and download the app (they WILL have one)   If you are on a Mac and wish to customize the keys, there are a number of URLs showing you how to do it. With a brief skim, I did find this; I hope it works for you: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/remap-macs-function-keys-anything-want/   ... View more

Oh my, you have a whole extra EXTRA set of potential keys (to remember what in the heck they do!).    Thanks for the keyboard course,   Gary ... View more

Hi Eric, Mostly.    My curiosity was focused on the actual function keys. On the Mac, they have always been custom-assigned to various tasks, as I mentioned before. They are also function (Fn) keys that can be accessed by either pressing the Fn key or setting their function key dynamics as primary.    You mentioned programmable keys; where are these located around the numeric keypad region, or can you customize the function keys? If you customize a function key, do you have to press a special key to let them do their function thing?   For the record, I have both a Logitech keyboard and mouse. I've always hated Mac mice and disliked keyboards. Both are customizable. The function keys above the regular numbers retain their Mac focus, as I described above. In other words, they require a separate key to get the function activity or change the setting in the Settings. ... View more

Ah, good question. Take advantage of that search field on the top of the Settings window. By the time I type "func," it has been found and brought the result up to click on.        ... View more

Hey, they won the two-button (plus) mouse war, so it's not as if they have nothing to provide. :>)   Serious question, though: Can you adjust computer-level activities directly from the keyboard with single-button control, or do you have to use multiple keys and/or have to go to the application to adjust? For example, can you raise or lower the computer's volume by tapping a single key regardless of which application is making the noise? ... View more

Eric, Thank you for that.   This also works on the Mac, but Mac users have to jump a few more hurdles to get there. (I just tested this.)    A bit of history: When the Mac first started adding the function keys to the keyboard, they doubled up on their function (no pun intended). For example, F1 will dim your screen, while F2 will brighten it. F10 will mute your computer, while F11 and F12 will decrease and increase the volume respectively. To use these keys as Function keys, the user must co-press the "fn" and Function keys.   Since this is a two-handed operation for functions on the keyboard's left side, I seldom use them. And since I seldom use them for left-side (of the keyboard) functions, I forget that I could use them for right-side (of the keyboard) functions. As I stated above, one first has to select the image to rename, then press the "fn" key AND F2 to start the renaming process. I click once, pause, and click again to reach the same point. As such, I didn't bother to learn about this.    But I did check, and it works.   Now, before someone pipes up and says, "Hey, don't you know how to turn the function keys on??"   Yes, I do. If you go into Settings, the user can select the Function Keys and turn the slider "On" so that pressing the "fn" key is unnecessary; one only needs to press the Function key itself. However, I'm pressing the volume or video/sound control keys far more than the function keys, so I always have this turned off.       ... View more

There are several things that may cause this; you'll have to try them all until you find the one that works. The good news is that these general maintenance processes will help prevent these from occurring in the future. That said, you may have to do them again over time. Just because you take your car in for an oil change does not mean you do not have to do it ever again.   #1) Perge the cache: Go to Tools (menu) --> Cache --> Purge cache for "x" folder. ("X" is the current folder you are in.)   #) Rebuild the Preferences: Quit Bridge (if running). Just before clicking on Bridge in the Dock or double-clicking the application for the Mac, press Command-Option-Shift. For PCs, press Control-Alt-Shift. Then open Bridge, BUT KEEP your fingers on those keys until you see a window pop up. From the window, choose “Reset Preferences," "Entire Thumbnail Cache,” and/or "Reset Standard Workspaces.” In your case, select "Reset Preferences."   Please let us know if either of these solves your issue. There are other steps that can be provided if necessary. ... View more