Bridge is indispensable for graphic production.

Bridge is digital asset management software—put simply, software for managing files.

Many people probably think, "You don't need special software just to manage files!" But for me, it's an essential part of my work.

So today I'd like to introduce my personal favorite features of Bridge!

My Recommended Feature #1 "You can preview Illustrator and Photoshop files too!"

If you browse files without using Bridge, Illustrator and Photoshop files are shown as their respective icons, making it hard to tell at a glance what's inside. With Bridge, however, you can view non-JPEG files in a list, as shown in the image. Also, double-clicking an image such as a JPEG automatically opens it in Photoshop.

My Recommended Feature #2 "Full-screen view"

Select a file and press the space bar to preview it in full screen. Even without full-screen view, you can select an area of a photo with your mouse in the Preview panel to zoom in on part of it. Of course, Illustrator and Photoshop file formats can be displayed full screen too. It's a very handy feature that lets you check the details without opening the file.

My Recommended Feature #3"Viewing metadata"

You can view not only the shooting date and file format, but also the resolution, size, exposure settings at the time of shooting, and even the focal length.

Without opening the file to check, you can see at a glance in a list whether a photo has the size you need.

Even for non-photo files, you can see the dimensions and file size at a glance, which is very convenient.

My Recommended Feature #4 "Labels"

Even once you've decided which files to use, finding them again later is a hassle.

But by marking them with the label feature, finding and distinguishing files becomes much easier.

My Recommended Feature #5 "Simultaneous preview"

Amazingly, you can select multiple photos and preview them enlarged all at the same time.

It's great when you want to compare images, such as when you're unsure which one to use.

Besides features 1 through 5, Bridge has plenty of other handy functions.

Incidentally, you can easily switch to the display layout best suited to your needs—such as viewing metadata or browsing images as a list—from the Workspace options.

Why not give Bridge a try yourself?

It just might make your work a little easier!