Do you open photos direct into Photoshop or do you use Adobe Bridge? If you don’t use Bridge, there are some good reasons for changing your habits.

You may not realize it but some of how Camera Raw behaves depends on whether you open an image from Bridge or from Photoshop. Here’s how:

Freeze Photoshop or not?

Open a Raw image in Photoshop and it opens, of course, in Camera Raw. But look at the screen – Photoshop is open but the window is frozen. You can’t minimize it and you can’t work in Photoshop at the same time as work in ACR.

Close the image and now do the same thing from Bridge – right click a Raw file and choose Open in Camera Raw. See the difference? When you open a Raw file from Bridge it opens in Camera Raw but without seizing the Photoshop window as well. You can still work in Photoshop at the same time as you work in Bridge.

In short, if you want the best of both worlds – Photoshop and Camera Raw then head to Bridge to open your images from there.

Bypass Camera Raw

If you’re in Bridge, you can bypass Camera Raw entirely and open a Raw file direct in Photoshop by holding the Shift key as you double click the image in Adobe Bridge. The image opens automatically in Photoshop. This is handy, for example, if you’ve already processed an image in Camera Raw in the past and if you now want to work on it in Photoshop.

JPGs to Camera Raw

In Camera Raw you can make adjustments and craft images often much more quickly and easily than you can in Photoshop. This being the case, you may want to use Camera Raw for your JPG files as well as your Raw files. In Photoshop CS3 and later versions, you can open any JPG in Camera Raw by right clicking the JPG in Bridge and select Open in Camera Raw. You can’t do the same thing from inside Photoshop.

As a bonus the changes you make to JPG images in Camera Raw are undoable. So, for example, if you convert a JPG to greyscale in Camera Raw and click Done, the photo will show as greyscale in your Bridge thumbnails. However, open the JPG in Camera Raw again and you’ll see the changes aren’t permanent – you can undo them and return the image to full color – don’t try that in Photoshop!

So, if you’re not using Bridge – there are three good reasons for considering changing your workflow habits.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

3 Things to Know about Working in Adobe Bridge

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Weekly Assignment

This week, we had another kitchen assignment and we wanted to know What’s in your Refrigerator? Sometimes it was scary, sometimes it was funny, but there were a lot of good shots this week. And if there’s one thing that always has the ability to make me smile when tallying up the assignments, it’s that we often get at least one new forum member in the top 3. But this week, all 3 of our winners had less than 30 posts! There are some very talented new forum members out there. So, without further delay, our winner this week was katot9’s “The Thing in the Refrigerator”. This shot really took some planning and effort. Not only was everything in the refrigerator well lit, but so was the person looking in. And to top it all off, the composition and details were excellent. This was a clear winner this week. Our first runner up was violett213’s “In the Fridge.” The composition of this shot was really nice, and the black and white suited it well. And you can’t help but think of midnight snacks when you see a shot like this. And last, but not least, was
JaiCatalano’s “Touch the Ice Cream and Die”. Oh, the humor of this one was great, as was the motion blur that was captured. It was definitely well done.

Whether it’s summer or winter, that shouldn’t stop you from participating in our latest assignment, Water in Motion. When water is moving, you have a few options for how to capture it. You might stop the motion and essentially freeze it, or you might show the motion through those soft silky streams of water that happen when you use a longer exposure. We want you to show us water in motion. Show us how it moves and how you capture that movement. But, before you post, just have a quick read of the rules. First, your photo must have been taken between 21 July – 4 August 2010. Second, your post must include the words “Assignment: Water in Motion” and the date that the photo was taken. Finally, your EXIF should be intact, and it’s useful if you can include some of the main information like camera, lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc. Next week’s assignment will be Motion Blur: People or Animals. So you’ll have to show either people or animals in motion, not the backgrounds. Good luck!

Hot Threads

• Photography Inside Flight: So, if you’ve been on a plane (especially around sunrise or sunset), you might have looked out the window and thought “gee, I wish I could capture that gorgeous view.” Well, how do you capture the view out the window? Come add your thoughts, suggestions, tips, and even share a photo or two and tell us how you took it, over in the forums.
• What Happens When / If I Die?: It might not be something you really want to think about, but consider how many photos you’re probably taking, and consider what would happen if you were to die? What happens to the copyright? Who is allowed to have access to them? Do you have a plan for your digital photos? How will people know where they’re stored even? It might not be happy, but it’s definitely something to consider, so come share your thoughts over in the forums.
• What to Look for in a PC: Ok, let’s cheer things up a bit, and think instead about how to make sure your computer can deal with all your photo editing needs. How do you decide how much RAM you need, what kind of processor to get, and what you need in a video card? Come share your suggestions for what’s needed in a photo editing machine over in the forums.
• What if I Fried my Memory Card?: One of the dangers of underwater cameras is the potential for water to leak into the memory card slot. But what happens if you experience that? Well, one forum member has. There are some great suggestions for what to do if you think your memory card has gotten wet and some suggestions for if you still need help. If you have any help or suggestions to add, why not chime in over in the forums as well.
• Powerful Portraits: One forum member is looking for help with determining how to shoot a powerful portrait? Just what is it that makes a powerful portrait? Is it the pose, the lighting, the angle? Come share your thoughts and suggestions and help out another forum member.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (25-31 Jul ‘10)