Section 12. Browsing Files in Bridge

#12. Browsing Files in Bridge

Bridge includes several different views in which to browse your files. You can choose between these views by selecting them from the application's View menu or by clicking their button in the lower-right corner of a Bridge window. Next to the set of View buttons is a thumbnail slider to adjust the size of the thumbnails displayed (Figure 12a).

Figure 12a. The Bridge window contains several buttons and panels for switching view modes, getting at favorite folders, and editing file details.

Using Compact Modes

You can switch Bridge to Compact window mode by choosing View > Compact Mode or by clicking the Switch to Compact Mode button in the upper-left corner of the Bridge window. Bridge shrinks down to just the content window in Thumbnails view and floats above all applications. This mode is ideal for dragging files directly into Illustrator or InDesign for placement. While in Compact mode, an Ultra Compact Mode button is available next to the Switch to Full Mode button. Ultra Compact mode still floats the window but hides the content area entirely. To toggle between Compact modes and Full mode using your keyboard, press Command+Return (Mac) or Control+Enter (Windows).

Let's take a look at the various ways you can browse files in Bridge.

• Thumbnails: View files in a thumbnail grid.

• Filmstrip: View an extra-large thumbnail of the selected file while the other files display as a scrollable list. Click the Switch Filmstrip Orientation button to toggle between a horizontal or vertical thumbnail list. An added benefit is that you're able to flip through the pages of a PDF using this view (Figure 12b).

  Figure 12b. You can page through Acrobat while in Filmstrip view.

  

  Note

  You can hide the filename and other details displayed below the thumbnails in Thumbnails and Filmstrip views by choosing View > Show Thumbnail Only.

  
  

• Details: View a scrollable list of thumbnails with useful information, such as color mode, file format, and size displayed beside them.

• Versions and Alternates: Similar to the Details view, this view also includes a column displaying any Version Cue versions or alternates of the file if any exist.

• Slide Show: Available only from the View menu, Slide Show lets you view extra-large thumbnails using the full screen. Onscreen help appears when you enter this view. You can also switch to Slide Show view by pressing Command+L (Mac) or Control+L (Windows).

Create Multiple Windows

Keep in mind that you're not limited to working with just one window in Bridge. Create multiple windows by choosing File > New Window. Then have each window target a different location on your hard drive. You can then drag files between windows to move or copy them to another folder location.