Answers to common Bridge problems.

[PECourtejoie]

Here are user-submitted answers to common Bridge problems.

I invite all suggestions to addition/corrections/improvements.

[Guest]

Bridge does not remember my settings

You have Start Bridge at Login enabled ( preferences/advanced).  Either disable this option or close Bridge with File/Exit rather than closing window the red X.

Not sure if same on Mac for closing.

[Guest]

Pierre, since Bridge is a 32 bit program guess we should specify the location of ACR is C:\Program files (x86)\COMMON files\Adobe\Plug-ins\CS5 rather than Program files/common files

[PECourtejoie]

Thanks! glad to see most of the usual suspects show up.... I'll update later. See you tomorrow!

What you say, I keep this one as the WIP, and compile in another sticky thread? (everyone would be credited, of course!)

[Guest]

Permisson Problems with External Drive

In post #12 of this post the OP provides a step by step proceedure on how to solve the problem.  Don't know whether to include link http://forums.adobe.com/thread/957401?tstart=0, or have OP rewrite a condensed post to serve as "how to". 

Also, don't know how this relates to the Mac.  I know they have permission problems but probably not these steps.

[PECourtejoie]

Relevant KB documents:

Errors using scripts:

Make sure that no hard drive (even networked ones) bears the same name as an OS folder (Users, Applications...)

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/852/cpsid_85275.html

Error: Suite Color Management is not enabled | Bridge CS3, CS4, CS5:

1. Ensure that Bridge is part of a Creative Suite install

2. Launch a qualifying product.

3. Fix permissions on the Adobe color cache folder.

4. Clear the Adobe color cache folder.

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/861/cpsid_86171.html

Error "Not enough storage" | Bridge CS5:

Update to the latest version, as 4.01 and .02 had a conflict with Norton's virtual disks

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/864/cpsid_86416.html

[PECourtejoie]

This Bridge Cache Knowledgebase document explains what are:

Keep 100% Previews In Cache

Automatically Export Cache To Folders When Possible

Location

Cache Size

Compact Cache

Purge Cache

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/405/kb405357.html

[PECourtejoie]

Bumped. I'll convert to document once it will be possible to do so. I have great addendum by CurtY:

Windows and Mac FAQ and Translation Key

Keystrokes

ALT on a Pc = Option on a Mac (On some keyboards (UK), the Option key is labeled with Alt. )

CTRL (Control) on Pc = Cmd (Command) on a Mac, the key has the following symbol: ⌘

Right-click on a Pc = Right-click on a Mac, or Control+Click on machines without a mouse.

Menu differences

Preferences (CMD+K) are found on the Photoshop menu on a Mac, at the bottom of the Edit menu on a PC, and the shortcut is (CTRL+K).

On the same Photoshop menu on a Mac, one can find About Plug-ins... and About Photoshop, while they are located on the Help menu on a PC.

Quit Photoshop (CMD+Q) is also on that Photoshop menu on a Mac, while Exit (CTRL+Q) can be found at the end of the File menu on a PC.

Preferences location on the hard drive. There is a full document on that topic: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/828/cpsid_82893.html

but basically: The main preference file, is on both plaform  Adobe Photoshop CSx Prefs.psp it is located, alongside most other preferences on:

Mac location: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CSx Settings

Windows XP: Documents and Settings/[user name]/Application Data/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CSx/Adobe Photoshop CSx Settings

Windows 7 and Vista: Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5/Adobe Photoshop CSx

Settings Keywords

pc = C:/Users/user name/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/BridgeCSx/  (note: to view AppData  turn on hidden file option)

Mac = (your computer name)/ Library / App Support / Adobe / Bridge CSx / Adobe

Camera Raw location  NOTE:  Should be only one file here.

PC = Program Files/COMMON Files/Adobe/Plug-ins/CSx/File Formats which gives you Camera Raw.8bi

Mac = /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-ins/CSx/File Formats/

Photoshop Actions

Mac -  Actions (not saved) Actions panel.psp  Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CSx Settings

Mac -  Actions (saved) Actions panel.atn   Program Files/Adobe Photoshop CSx(64bit)/presets/actions

PC -  Actions (not saved) Actions panel.psp  Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5/Adobe Photoshop CS5 Settings

PC -   Actions (saved) Actions panel.atn   Program Files/Adobe Photoshop CSx(64bit)/presets/actions

[PECourtejoie]

From C.Pfaffenbichler & Golivefan:

Location of the custom document output settings:

Mac: user/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Bridge CS5/Adobe Output Module/UserTemplate

PC: C:\Users\(myname)\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Bridge CS5\Adobe Output Module\UserTemplate\ContactSheet

[Pedro Cortez Marques]

In this weeks, I am structuring important data collecting to XMP and I am creating some Bridge scripts and panels.

I have also some UI windows that have to bee much more restrictive using code because there are several bugs that started on CS6, remain on CC.

Is there some hope that this UI bugs on Bridge will start working again (at least like it was working on CS5)?

For exemple, I can't use images on UI windows, or fonts with color, or ... there are many.

[Guest]

Many users claim "bugs" becasue program does not respond as they expect.  In many cases these expectations prove to be wrong because of faulty workflow.  Can not say in your case as there are no details.

You need to start your own discussion thread and outline your problems specifically.  This thread is for common problems and differences between Window and Mac OS.

[Pedro Cortez Marques]

Regarding Bridge UI bugs they really exist and PECourtejoie did not gave me any anwser besides reporting it.

I have also several times report this specifically on singular questions and also many other people like me had the same bugs.

UI code on bridge does not work as it should work. It just doesn't work like on photoshop.

But some of it works. I'm using only that one that works and from my last question on August until now I have discovered also some others workarround techniques that are still resulting well.

Just 1 example, I can´t use images on iconbuttons on UI bridge. Only on Photoshop.

[holtusmaximus]

So, is Bridge being phased out? Unless I'm misreading these posts, it appears Adobe isn't interested in fixing these problems -- and hasn't bothered with them for years. I have CC (which is supposed to provide regular support and updates). Today Bridge just started freezing up when choosing a destination folder. It worked fine last night and this morning it won't work at all. I did some research and this problem was occurring back in 2011, too. The only solution was some kind of detailed workaround involving moving files and changing system files.

[station_two]

Maybe not necessarily being "phased out", but Bridge represents really a very, very low priority within the Adobe internal universe.

Remember that Bridge is nothing but the old Photoshop File Browser, jerry-rigged to accommodate other applications to some degree.  This dooms it.

Inconsistency between or among applications in the artificial "suites" should come as no surprise.

The "suite" concept is a fabrication of Adobe marketing and bean-counting types.  The engineering teams are totally independent of each other, they are not only in different buildings but in different cities and states of the American Union, even in different countries.

The fact that they have little if any communication among them is highlighted by requests occasionally made in these forums by top Adobe engineers to let the other teams know when there are problems in one application that impact our workflow in another one.

Imagine the pathetically understaffed Bridge team having to work under those conditions.

[Hudechrome]

I personally have few problems with Bridge. Once I got the Cache files moved off C drive, I see no gradual buildup as I once did.

I did purchase an SSD and, concerned about this problem, chose the 256G model. I needed have spent the extra cash.

The real problem comes due to the long use of Bridge and the consequent difficulties in mapping everything to Lightroom. They don't talk well to each other and when you add the differences between running  ACR and LR RAW, well, you get the picture! (And sometimes I don't get the picture! It's in limbo somewhere!)

So I stay with obsolescence.

[Hudechrome]

Well, I see I am now back to my name and not Hudechrome.

I also lost all my points which also happened when the first switch, from LH to Hudechrome was done.

To the hosts:

Good move folks. Now, can I have all my points back, going all the way to when I first started, Photoshop 5.5? 135 points is rather niggardly!

[station_two]

Larry,

You appear as "Hudechrome" to everyone else but yourself.  Log out and check any of your posts to check it out:

[Hudechrome]

Well, then why did my "points" go away? That's what happened when Adobe changed to Jive and I went from Lawrence to Hudechrome on this site. Now it happened again.

[station_two]

I don't know why this time, but it doesn't surprise me.

WE all know how utterly incompetent Adobe has been and still is regarding anything to do with the Internet or their web servers.

[Hudechrome]

Good morning.

I've been looking at the Cache files on my "N" Drive where I keep the Cache files. Some strange things happening, ie, there are two locations, one simply lists the 1024, 256, Data and Full in the root directory. The sizes are:

1024-32G

256-1G

Data-320M

Full-4+G

Total is about 38G.

Date Modified: 05-27-2014

The files inside run mostly 2014 and some 2013.

Now, down the line in "N" Drive there is a folder called Bridge Cache, date Modified is 4-3-2013. It's overall size is 24.6G. In the full folder, only one subfolder 04-03, in the 1024 dates from late 2012 to 2013.

There is no 256 folder at all.

I'm trying to reduce the excesses on this drive "N", it's a 2T drive with 390G free.

From what I have read here, I can delete the Bridge Cache folder, or at least, empty it's contents. I am curious why it's existence with only one date for the Full folder and yet it's almost as big as the set in the drive root.

Thanks!

[Yammer]

There should only be one active cache. You can find out which one is the live cache by checking the location in Bridge Preferences > Cache. My guess is it's the one you highlighted with the recent date.

Why you have another one is anyone's guess. My guess is that you had an alternative location set at some stage, maybe after an upgrade, or maybe you forgot about it.

256 and 1024 should always have similar lists of filenames and folders, as one is for content panel thumbnails, and one is for preview panel, which work together. 'Full' only contains 100% previews generated on the fly (loupe, full screen zoom, etc). Compacting the cache SHOULD remove any unnecessary files, but doesn't always (in my experience). If you're not preserving 100% previews then you can safely wipe anything in the 'full' subdirectory.

[Hudechrome]

Cache is only on "N" drive, but in two locations: root and Bridge Cache folder. I agree the most recent date is the most active, but unless the folder labelled "Bridge Cache" is unavailable to Bridge, I assume both locations valid.

I could go to one of the images in the Bridge Cache folder and open it from Bridge to see if it generates in the root position. So far as I can see, there is no duplication of files that is files of a certain date are either in the root position or the Bridge Cache folder. I would assume opening a file from a date in the Bridge Cache folder would generate a 256 file, as none exist in the Bridge Cache folder.

I'll go look.

[Omke_Oudeman]

but unless the folder labelled "Bridge Cache" is unavailable to Bridge, I assume both locations valid.

I agree with Yammer, you should manual dump the oldest folder. The fact it has no 256 folder (which it always should, in fact every cache folder should have the four mentioned folders wether they have content or not) and you should (or better can) only use one central Cache folder, the one that shows your path in the Bridge preferences.

As Yammer also pointed out, using compact cache has different results. If you have no long time usage for Cache then it is best to every now and then delete the whole content of the Bridge Cache folder manually and after restarting Bridge it will create a new, fresh and empty (but with the 4 mentioned folders) central cache file. You need to recache again but you can do pointing Bridge to the upper parent folder in the folder panel, in menu view choose show items from subfolders and let it run overnight to finish the job properly.

I did so only 2 months ago due to a cache size of about 70 GB, now it already has grown again to 25 GB

[Hudechrome]

I agree. After checking out N Drive, I did find duplicate files in both Bridge Cache and in the 1024 folder in the root position. Curious why both exist, unless for some reason, Bridge cannot read Bridge Cache and proceeded to dump the essential files in the root directory (Computer>New Volume N>.....)

[albertk1292946]

bridge is too large for the screen ... how do I make it smaller ... the rest of the programs seem to be ok ... thanks

[benjamin5DAD]

PE, I'm writing to you to see if you can give me a hand. I'm working in adobe bridge 2020 off an iMac, but after selecting the preview image and opening into Bridge's "open camera raw" right click menu option, I can't get this camer raw screen to "open copy" into photoshop as I've traditionally done. I get a reading that says "disc error," where it's unable to open a jpeg or RAW file as a copy from Bridge to Photoshop. There must be some prerernce setting somewhere, but not sure what or where this "fix" may be located. Thanks!!

best,

ben