How to use Adobe Bridge to proof images

instructions based on CS5

 

Settings

• Open Adobe Bridge

• From top menu, Select Edit>Preferences

1. Under general tab (optional): can set background color that works well for you, in general recommended to choose a mid tone range (not too dark and not too light) that best allows you to visually distinguish the images you are proofing for quality

2. Under Thumbnails (recommended): customize what metadata fields are displayed for each images. Recommend show the following fields per image:

• Date Created

• Dimensions (in inches)

• Color Profile

• Copyright

3. Under Metadata: Select fields to display by checking:

• File Properties – all fields

• Camera Data (Exif) – all fields

• IPTC (IIM,Legacy) – only select ‘Copyright’ and ‘Copyright Info URL’

• Unselect all other categories

 

 

Note: not all images will have data in selected metadata fields. For example ‘copyright’ information will only appear if this information is manually recorded in the Tiff header. Flat bed scanners tend to have less information (such as EXIF technical data) than images captured using a digital camera, however still good practice to display common metadata fields for when data is available.

 

• click option to "hide empty fields"
• press OK

 

4. Options for thumbnail quality and preview generation:

• When using thumbnails to QC images, recommended to use “Always high quality” option

 

 

 

5. Save settings by clicking the "apply" check mark in the lowest right hand corner of workspace

 

Steps for reviewing image quality

Overview key steps see Imaging QC Workflow

 

1. Select document to be reviewed from archival box

2. Update google tracking spreadsheet for object (wrc#) you are reviewing

3. Open Bridge and navigate to object folder (under “Raw”)

4. Thumbnails will appear under “content” panel

5. For each image verify technical specs defined for the project are met

• Tiff File format

• 400 ppi

• 24 bit depth (8 bits per color channel (RGB) 8 x 3 = 24)

• AdobeRGB1998 color profile

 

6. Verify accuracy

• Scanned page matches size of physical page

• Color/tone of digital image matches original document

• No cropping of texts, no blemishes or distortion of image has occurred

7. Review completeness

• edges should be visible per page

• uniform border per page

• compare digital images to physical document for any missing pages

• scanned all images (eg blanks, reverse sides, front / back matter, hard covers, spines)

8. Verify consistency

• uniform dimensions across all pages in object

• proper page orientation

• use project filenaming convention

• filename suffix matches physical printed page number or native order of pages

 

9.    Make corrective actions as needed. May include:

• rescanning corrupt files or obscure text
• scanning any missing pages
• relabeling files
• assigning ICC profiles
• updating copyright info (for photographs only)

10.       Document any corrective actions in google spreadsheet

11.       When complete, transfer physical document to archival box for metadata processing

12.        Move object folder from “Raw” to “Master”