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RyDarling1
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Bridge For Archiving

Mar 14, 2013 3:02 PM

Tags: #cs5 #adobe #bridge #files #filename #thumbnails #bridge_cs5 #previews #metadata #cs6 #management #bridge_cs6

Hello,

 

I've come to the point where I have too many projects archived. Retrieval of anything has become so time-consuming. These projects contain top level file names that are way too long and way too similar to try and read through. So I've been working with a new design for archiving that has been working SOOOOOO great for me at home; So much in fact that I want to bring this archiving design into the office over a network environment where I work. In retrospect its been brainless to set up. I'm at the point now though where I could use some feedback regarding your concerns and suggestions. The design goes something like this....

 

Every project no matter how big or small gets put into a folder with only a sequential numbering system. Directly inside of that folder is the folder containing the ENTIRE project and a .psd thumbnail file that visually represents that project. Think something like a DVD cover. And that’s it! The rest of the design, the function, relies fully on the title of the thumbnail and the keywords that that thumbnail would have relating to the project. Then I set up a smart collection looking only for those thumbnails. For me I point it to each thumbnail having "_thumb" in the title. Then I let it run for about 20 min or so finding all of the thumbnails automatically; remember one for each project. Once I'm satisfied I simply select all of them and drop them into a new collection (not smart).  The last collection mentioned is usually where I do most of my navigating from. With utilizing keywords, my searches from start to the point of retrieval take an average of no more than 30sec now! Oh! I almost forgot to mention, simply right clicking on the thumbnail and find "reveal in bridge" and it will take you straight to the location.

 

 

2.jpg 1.jpg

 

 

 

If I need to find a project, I'm visually searching for it inside of the collection. After working with this for a few months now it’s been a lot like to walking into a video store and looking for movie. Accept the store rearranges its inventory bringing it right to you (like I'm in the matrix or something).

 

Now that it is set up my workflow is:

Bridge > Collection > Filter Keywords (ex. Project type, Date, Product type, finish, etc.) > Identify Thumbnail > Right-click > Reveal in Bridge > Done                      ETA  15seconds     From what used to take 5 - 20 min.

 

 

If this sounded too confusing I'm working on putting together a video for youtube to demonstrate. I'll repost it here when it’s ready.

 

Again, I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, feedback, concerns, and questions.

552 Views   9 Replies   Latest reply: RyDarling1, Mar 25, 2013 11:24 AM
 
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  • Omke Oudeman
    3,058 posts
    Nov 27, 2004
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    1. Omke Oudeman,
    Mar 14, 2013 3:15 PM   in reply to RyDarling1
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    Again, I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, feedback, concerns, and questions.

     

     

    While your set up at home is very nice and well thought (although many users find that collections are not always that reliable) I'm afraid your goal at work will be a whole other task that will be very difficult if not impossible.

     

    Often said, Bridge is not designed for use over a network, it may be so in the far future because many people have already requested for this but that won't help you now. For now it is primarily user based and it stores all important data in your user account. It can store cache in a different location but combining two or more stations with this will probably run you in to problems.

     

    I just pointed to the image archivist in an other post about similar subject.

     

    http://imagearchivist.blogspot.nl

     

    But if you have a serious job about archiving with many different users over a network the easiest and fastest way (as often not the cheapest I'm afraid…) is to have a dedicated DAM like Canto Cumulus that is designed for use over a network.

     

    It can be even customized to your situation but that also comes with a prize

     
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  • RyDarling1
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    2. RyDarling1,
    Mar 14, 2013 3:47 PM   in reply to Omke Oudeman
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    Oh sorry, I should have mentioned, I've been using this with ONLY my files at work (roughly about 430 projects). Everything has been through the network. I've even tested it on other machines randomly within the office. So far everything has been running great.  I tested it on a machine that had CS5 with no issues.

     

    So when you mention that it's not designed to work on the network, what do you mean exactly?

     

    Certain aspects should be handled by a single user, I agree. i.e. Creating new Keywords and maybe even Smart folders. But I've talked to my IT Dept and they've informed me that both the Keyword .txt file and the file created from collections can be pushed out to any node with bridge installed.

     
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  • Curt Y
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    3. Curt Y,
    Mar 14, 2013 4:56 PM   in reply to RyDarling1
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    Some users to get Bridge to work on a network, but the main problem is that all the cache and other key files has to be on one server so eveyone can work with files.  But I will be the first to admit I know nothing about networks. 

     

    Look at this recent post  http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1170382?tstart=0

     
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  • RyDarling1
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    4. RyDarling1,
    Mar 15, 2013 10:06 AM   in reply to Curt Y
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    From what I understand the cache files are automatically created when going to a directory through bridge. Each user's cache information would be different depending on where they've been but I'm not sure how this would be an issue. a standard collection would have all of the file path pre defined rather than Bridge activly searching for it. My department is working from the same server. And our archiving is pushed to another server once the job is done. So I imagine I'll have a few collection sets pushed to everyones computer with each collection looking at a max of 2,500 folders.

     

    What do you mean my "key files"?

     
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  • Omke Oudeman
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    Nov 27, 2004
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    5. Omke Oudeman,
    Mar 15, 2013 11:39 AM   in reply to RyDarling1
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    From what I understand the cache files are automatically created when going to a directory through bridge. Each user's cache information would be different but I'm not sure how this wouldd be an issue.

     

    This would be a case of trial and error first on your systems but as said, Bridge uses one central cache file and you should point all users to that location. There is an option to also place cache in folders when possible, this is an option in the preferences. It will take a great deal of discipline and also I don't think working on the same folders will be a wise thing. But you could study what happens to the cache files in the particular locaton you have stored it in. It makes folders for added cache per folder based (AFIAK).

     

     

    My department is working from the same server. And our archiving is pushed to another server once the job is done. So I imagine I'll have a few collection sets pushed to everyones computer with each collection looking at a max of 2,500 folders.

     

     

    Collection are not else then aliases of the originals. If you choose to work from a collection it opens the file from the location the original is stored in.

     

    If two people have the same collection items it also can create problems with either overwriting files or other stuff, but also this will be a trial and error on your system, all whet is stated here is pure theoretically

     

    And aslo seriously keep in mind that Bridge is not designed for network use and Adobe also official does not support this usage.

     
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  • David__B
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    6. David__B,
    Mar 18, 2013 10:05 AM   in reply to RyDarling1
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    Hi RyDarling,

     

    First let me commend you for coming up with this solution. I know it can be frustrating trying to find the perfect system. I hope this system works for you, sounds like it is so far.

     

    When I read through your solution I had some of the same concerns as others that posted. When contemplating your solution these were my thoughts: Collections are basically just metadata searches, these searches are done based on indexed data in the Bridge cache files. In some cases these cache files get so large they can impact your system performance. That being said, you might want to pull these .psd thumbnails out of the corresponding product folders and just index these files by themselves, 430 .psd files would be much less overhead than all of the projects and their corresponding resources. You might be able to easily isolate them with some targeted Windows searches by file type and naming convention and then just make copies in a new location, possibly a local folder. They would be easy to index and wouldn't require creating a collection for each project. You might want to consider printing contact sheets of all of these .psds too or assigning keywords to them for searching. This info might useful for you:

    http://helpx.adobe.com/bridge/kb/cache-bridge-cs4-cs5.html

     

    Although Bridge can be used over a network that wasn't its intended use. I have seen issues browsing over a network appear when changing versions of Bridge or versions or Windows. That's not to say that Bridge can't be used in this way, but when doing so if you run the risk of running into problems that there might be no easy solution to down the road. This might be another consideration or reason to setup something local rather than network reliance (this point was also brought up by others too I see).

     

    The other thing I thought about was whether Bridge is the best app for you in relation to these .psds. Other apps that might be alternatives would be Lightroom or Elements Organizer. These rely on a database (aka catalog) of imported files - with only 430 images it might not be worth it. Lightroom can generally easily manage 30k-50k on a typical system. If you're already a Photoshop user Elements probably wouldn't make sense for just the database portion but Lightroom might. It would come down to personal preference and what you're comfortable with, anyway another consideration that might be worth some exploration for you.

     

    Hope these help

     

    -Dave

     
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  • RyDarling1
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    7. RyDarling1,
    Mar 25, 2013 10:58 AM   in reply to David__B
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    Hi Dave,

     

    Sorry for the Late reply. I’ve been out of the office. I got married last week!

     

    I guess there were a few things that I had forgot to mention. I am using keywords. My organizing system wouldn’t be worth it without them. I am a little worried about the whole cache overload. I have some questions on this:

     

     

    1)      If the cache becomes too large could I redirect it to be saved to an external HD?

     

    2)      Can purging the cache on a regular basis regulate it overloading?

     

    I saw you mentioned issues with an upgrading. I upgraded to CS6 from CS5 while still creating

     

    Ultimately myself and my team will need to dynamically navigate through close to 10,000+ projects. I found this link<http://forums.adobe.com/thread/425841?start=40&tstart=0> where a “Digital librarian” mentioned that she is using bridge to manage over 120,000 assets. This gave me much hope!

     

    Regarding other apps, I’m under the impression that Lightbox only works with a local database. I’m not familiar with Elements.

     

    Ryan

     
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  • Curt Y
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    8. Curt Y,
    Mar 25, 2013 11:22 AM   in reply to RyDarling1
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    RyDarling1 wrote:

     

     

     

    1)      If the cache becomes too large could I redirect it to be saved to an external HD?

     

    2)      Can purging the cache on a regular basis regulate it overloading?

     

    You can set the location of the cache to any drive, but you can not split it up.

     

    Some users purge the cache every so often and let it rebuild.  If you compact cache (in preferences) you can also regain alot of space.

     
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  • RyDarling1
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    9. RyDarling1,
    Mar 25, 2013 11:24 AM   in reply to Curt Y
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    Thanks Curt! And thanks again for all the help!

     
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