or deleted outside of LrC using any file browser (not just
Bridge), then the path stored in the LrC catalog is no
longer valid, and that’s what creates the problem. It’s a
fixable problem (see my article called When Photos Go
Missing on LightroomKillerTips.com), but it’s a problem
that’s best avoided by only using LrC to move, rename,
and delete files and folders that have been through the
import process.
You can use Bridge, however, to view the contents of
folders managed by LrC without any problem at all, and
this can be useful. Additionally, you can use Bridge to
move, rename, and delete files that have not been through
the import process into LrC, which is also very useful.
If you’ve ever been asked for help by a friend or family
member while being handed a hard drive/DVD/thumb
drive with all kinds of image files on it, then being able
to open, view, and evaluate those files with Bridge can
be more useful than importing the lot into a LrC catalog,
or using the limited powers of another file browser.
Similarly, if you’re in need of organizing a drive full
of old photos before importing into LrC, then it might
be useful to use Bridge to get those files organized
into a logical folder structure, while weeding out the
unwanted files. This gives you the ability to view all
supported RAW file formats, as well as the contents
of TIFF and PSD files (with easy trips into Photoshop if
closer inspection is required); delete at will; and rename
and create additional folders.
Many people are just more comfortable doing a big job
like that in a file browser. Once you have it organized toyour liking, and have deleted
all of the unwanted material,
then you can import into
LrC using the Add option
to maintain the existing file
structure and, from that point
on, only use LrC for those
file-management tasks.USING BRIDGE AND
LRC TOGETHER?
If you do need to view the
contents of a folder that’s
been imported into LrC, then
there are a few things to keep
in mind beyond the don’ t
move, rename, or delete any-
thing in Bridge advice. First,
because LrC only stores edits
in LrC as a set of instructions
within its own catalog file, by default you won’t see
those edits reflected in Bridge. This can be confusing,
but is easily corrected.
In order for edits made in LrC to be viewable in
Bridge, you need to instruct LrC to write those changes
to the photo’s own metadata. You can do this manually
by selecting the photos in Grid view of LrC first, then
using the Metadata>Save Metadata to Files command,
or by pressing Command-S (PC: Ctrl-S). For RAW files,
a sidecar XMP file containing the LrC edits will be
created in the folder, which makes those edits viewable
in Bridge (and Camera Raw). For supported non-RAW
photos and DNG files, LrC writes directly to the photo’s
own metadata. Aside from Develop module edits, any
keywords, star ratings, or color labels applied in LrC will
also become visible in Bridge.You can also configure LrC to write all changes auto-
matically to each photo’s metadata (in addition to its own
catalog, of course), by going to Lightroom Classic (PC:
Edit)>Catalog Settings, selecting the Metadata tab, and
checking the box to Automatically Write Changes into
X M P. Note: This is unchecked by default because it can
be resource-intensive. If you have a large catalog and you HOW TOPHOTOSHOP USER
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