Bridge workflow

Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw Workflow

Importing:
1. Hook camera or card reader up to computer with USB cable

2. Open Adobe Bridge (in your Applications -> Adobe Bridge CS3 folder)

3. Under the file menu, click "Get Photos From Camera"
(It will ask if you want to automatically get photos when you plug in a camera -- click Yes or No)

4. Under import settings change Create Subfolder to "Custom Name"

5. Type in a custom name, such as "Photo Assignment 1"

6. If you shot in "RAW" mode (if you don't know what that means, you probably didn't) click "Convert to DNG"

7. Click "Get Photos" when you are ready.
When it is done it should take you to your photos.
If you can't find them, try clicking on the "Pictures" folder and find the folder you named in step 4.

Before moving on I would suggest sorting your photos by rating them: click on a photo and then press ⌘1 for one star, ⌘2 for two, etc. You can also click on the "Label" menu at the top.

8. To open photo in Camera Raw, right click (or hold down control and click) on the photo. Select Open in Camera Raw.

(Turn page over for Editing)


Editing:
1. Adjust your white balance. If you shot JPG files, your options will be Auto, As Shot or Custom. Try auto and see how it looks.
Try adjusting "Temperature" and/or "Tint." You can also use the eyedropper at the top (click on something white with it). Get your whites as pure as you can.

2. Adjust your contrast. Move the slider to the right (or type in a value): usually between 10 and 50. (You can lose detail if you increase contrast too much)

3. Adjust your Saturation and Vibrance to bring out the colors. Try not to overdo the saturation. If you want a black and white image, click the "Convert to Grayscale" button.

4. Adjust the Clarity slider to the right to make your photo sharper, to the left to make it softer. Try a value between -12 and 12.

5. Adjust your exposure slider if needed. Make sure your whites are nice and bright but not overexposed.

6. Crop image if needed. Click on the crop tool. Hold the mouse button down on the button to switch ratios (2x3, 4x5, etc). Simply click and drag to crop your photo.

All done?
Three options: Click "Done" to go back to Bridge, "Save" (lower left) to save it as a new file (so will still have your original) or "Open Image" to open your creation in regular Photoshop, where you can do more editing or save it.