asset management
- Build a cache
When a folder containing image fi les is opened in Bridge every photographer is practically biting
their arm off to see the fruit of their creative labours. This impatience to see the glory, or experience
the dejection, is why some photographers are not fans of Bridge. The problem is one of time -
the software needs it - and you don’t have it. Your relationship with a Digital Asset Management
system is likely to be a lot more positive if at this stage you either GO AND MAKE YOURSELF
A CUP OF COFFEE or switch to Adobe Photoshop to work on another image whilst Bridge is
busy building thumbnails, reading the metadata and - its biggest task by far - building full screen
previews of your images. The process that has to take place the fi rst time you open a new folder
of images is called ‘building a cache’. Until this process is complete and the cache has been built
you are not going to be able to interact with your images in real time in Bridge.
Unless you have a top of the range computer everything may appear to be covered in glue until the
cache building is complete and it will likely annoy the socks off you if you attempt to move, open or
organize your work in any way. Even after all of the thumbnails have appeared you must still allow
the software time to create the larger previews. After this process is complete Adobe can quickly
display the images each time you revisit the folder, as it will refer back to the cache it built the fi rst
time. The cache is a hidden treasure trove of all of the visual elements of your images required to
make real time editing possible.
Note > Do not move or rename the folder once the image cache has been built without
‘exporting the cache’. If the central cache thinks your images are new Adobe will start the
task of building previews all over again. Exporting the cache (outlined in Step 10 of this
workfl ow) to the image folder enables Adobe quick access to the previews and thumbnails
wherever its new location. Choose ‘Use Distributed Cache Files When Possible’ from the
Advanced options of the Preferences dialog box if you intend to keep all of your image
folders in a separate location to your main computer. This will negate the need to continually
export the cache for each and every image folder.