Bridge 8.1/2018 – What Would Be the Drawbacks of a Rollback to Bridge 8.1/2018 ?

[Henrik2000]

Hello, it seems that Bridge 9/Bridge 2019 is a disappointment to me and i wonder if I should go back to Bridge 2018? Now I would like to go back to the olden Bridge, but I wonder about the drawbacks – in Bridge 8.1, will I get the submenu "Tools > Photoshop"? Will Bridge 8.1 run at all (on Win 10)?

What I don't like is that Bridge 9/Bridge 2019 wastes a lot of screenspace around thumbnails – just like Lightroom, which I dislike for that reason. Bridge 9/Bridge 2019 leaves empty space free for lines like "File Size" or "Date Taken", even if you don't display those properties. If you didn't display those properties in the olden Bridge, the freed space was used by thumbnails very economically – whereas Bridge 9/Bridge 2019 remains static, showing off blank dark gray matter. (Only with Ctrl+T you save space, removing all lines including file name.)

According to official Adobe, these are the enhancements of Bridge 9/Bridge 2019:

- Consistent user interface, similar to Photoshop
- Centralized Cache management
- Enhanced CC Libraries feature
- Edit Capture Time
- Support for Adobe XD files
- Media Cache preferences

None of this interests me in the least. I quite liked the old Bridge (and I work on still photos only, usually in numbers below 10k, no video, no audio, no Adobe Stock, no CC libraries).

Bridge 8.1 in its last days had these problems though for me (Win 10):

- The sub-menu "Tools > Photoshop" for image processor etc. wasn't there in Bridge 8.1, to my dismay (and other users seemed to miss it too)

- On the last day, Bridge 8.1 didn't even start fully, it always crashed after a moment (that's why I went to Bridge 9). (Other users reported the same problem here.)

So, if I go back to Bridge 8.1, will I get the "Tools > Photoshop" menu or is that not available in 8.1? Will Bridge work at all?

Thanks!

[gener7 · Accepted solution]

I never removed Bridge 8. I just Installed Bridge 9. Both have the Tools > Photoshop menu (I'm using a Mac).

So I can't say what will happen in your case, but you can reinstall Bridge 8 and see how it goes before removing Bridge 9.

[simondo9]

I have just done this and none as far as I can tell. I reinstalled Bridge on a Mac Pro running Mojave Version 8.1.0.383 as I was finding the latest version of Bridge very slow, clunky and unusable. I've now uninstalled 9 and with 8 back work flow is now back to normal

[gener7]

Ok, mark my answer as correct since it did answer your question and may help others.

[Lumigraphics]

Bridge and Photoshop versions should match for them to work together.

You lose the enhancements and bug fixes in 2019. If those don't matter than use whichever version is better. Make sure you keep letting Adobe know that the new UI doesn't work for you.

[~ Gil]

I just did a Rollback to Bridge 2018.

Frankly, the consequences of a rollback can't be any worse than using Bridge 2019. I have experienced constant delays starting the application on my current (competent) Windows 10 machine, "ET Phone Home" or (something else), is going on. I have no cloud files, no network shared folders, & have cleared nearly all options that can be disabled. And the crashes, I crash at least once per session though admittedly in some cases if you wait out the (Not Responding) notice in the title bar it, more than not, eventually recover.

Left to guess I would say the newer options to interface more deeply with Windows File Explorer may be one of the culprits. 

This keeps happening Adobe. While pushing the envelopes to be the first to send your applications to the moon or do full blown publishing on a smartphone, you're making it more and more difficult for those of us on desktops who have been using and supporting you for decades.

What's my question? Why does this, (reset our work environment every time you do a major update) phenomena, have to keep happening? I spent half a day recently reviewing QuarkXPress as an option to InDesign. I'll go back to Windows File Explorer as a main file interface if needed and, Photoshop is not the only game in town, notably the overall, best but not the only one. This is where we're at folks! Now is the point where less complaints without solid resolutions may be an indication that your clients are moving on. 

Once again,

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[Henrik2000]

Gil, thanks for feedback. While i do dislike the newest Bridge, i don't have performance problems compared to older versions such as you report. But i fully agree that a well established interface should not be altered for novelty's sake - but this will keep happening anyway, and the developers won't even shrug at our woes.

The newest Bridge's interface is clearly less practical than the long-running UI that we have got used to, and the Preferences don't allow us to change the problematic new characteristics. As you say,

Once again,

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

It's come that far that whenever a new version of something is announced, i get very wary - usually the interface is changed, often for the worse, and one suspects ever more online espionage and more obtrusive integration of other unwanted services (eg. sale of stock photos). At least kudos to Adobe: Going back to an older version of any CC program is really easy.

[Abhishek.Seth]

Dear Users,

Request you to share the details of the issues you are facing while using Bridge CC 9.0 with abseth@adobe.com

This will help us review and improve Bridge in subsequent versions of Bridge.

Regards,

Abhishek Seth.

[Henrik2000]

Abhishek, here are 3 complaints about Bridge 9 from the top of my head:

1. Bridge 9 waists too much screen space with empty black area. The thumbnails should sit closer to each other, so that you see more at the same time – Bridge 8 and older displayed thumbnails much more economical (this is my most serious complaint).
2. Bridge 9 sometimes shows reddish semi-transparent colour-blocks that aren't in the image files. The colour blocks do not appear in static 100% fullscreen display. But they *do* appear in thumbnails, non-100% fullscreen and 100% fullscreen when dragged (see examples). This error does NOT occur in ANY other program, such as Photoshop, Explorer etc. etc. Only in Bridge. (My example pic shows a reddish colour block on a reddish background. IIRC, the colour block is reddish also on a blue or white background. Right now I can't find other photos revealing the problem.)
3. Bridge fails to show fullscreen of some PNGs (see example). PNGs created with iPad Air 2 screenshot function, transferred with Dropbox, can't attach full file due to copyright. This problem only occurs in Bridge fullscreen. Bridge thumbnails and any other program correctly show the large PNG.
4. Dragging the thumbnail size slider now isn't stepless. I preferred stepless. Very small complaint though.

I try to attach to this post these images:

- screenshot of Bridge thumbnail with bad reddish colour-block

- screenshot of Bridge fullscreen non-100% with bad reddish colour-block

- original file that was displayed in bridge without reddish colour-block

- screenshot of failed PNG fullscreen display

FWIW, my system: Win 10 64, current CC, graphics card Nvidia K2200.

Would like to hear your thoughts, thanks.

[Abhishek.Seth]

Hi Henrik2000,

Thank you for sharing the details.

1)We are evaluating the UI feedback and are working to fix the issue reported.

2) Request you to share the problematic images with abseth@adobe.com This will help us investigate the issue.

Also please confirm if you are using the latest version of Bridge CC (9.0.2.219)

3) Request you to share some sample png files causing this problem

Regards,

Abhishek Seth

[OzPhotoMan]

Hi,

I too do not like the wasted space or the reduced capacity to size thumbnails.  Should be an easy fix.

Interfacing with File Explorer or Finder should have been a standard feature long ago.  Programming 101.

Update, my workaround for the thumbnail space is to set the thumbnail panel on the left side with folders and other panels on the right.  This way you can have large thumbnails and a large preview.

Regards,

Steve

[~ Gil]

I can't speak to Mac's "Finder" but I can offer & confirm that Windows "File Explorer" has a known (difficult and possibly not always repairable) issue with "auto refresh". The idea of getting "cozy" with it, (in my lowly opinion) is a really bad idea.

Prior to Bridge 2019, it was "Awesome". After having spent too much time trying to get it to get it to run smooth again, I am considering other options.