Several Bridge/ACR issues & questions

[Control Z]

I'm trying to give Bridge/ACR a fair shake, but I'm having some difficulties.  Perhaps separate posts might be more appropriate, but any thoughts/solutions for the following would be appreciated:

(1) Bridge previews look pixellated, making it difficult to judge focus on photos.  Even when viewing a full-screen preview, the image looks soft.  When I use the 100% loupe, it processes for a few seconds, then renders a sharp image, but the overall larger picture is not sharp.  Is there an ideal preview setting, something like the smart preview in Lightroom?

(2) Is there a way to view or revert to a non-processed raw file in ACR/Bridge?  In the Lightroom develop module, pressing the "\" key shows a before-after.  Is there anything equivalent in Bridge and ACR?  Or alternatively, is there a way to create a duplicate of the processed file without the raw edits?

(3) Is there a way to step back through edits in ACR/Bridge like Lightroom's history function?

(3) ACR raw processing seems clunkier on my machine than Lightroom or other raw software (Aperture, Photos, Capture 1).  When I move a slider, the whole image darkens momentarily when the slider is being moved, rather than just gradually showing the desired change.  This is distracting and make it very difficult to do raw edits.

(4) ACR highlight clipping is acting weird.  Even though highlights are blown out (the histogram triangle is white), I can't get the blown out areas to display white.  Even when I pushed the exposure slider all the way to the right and there is no detail in the photo, only a tiny patch is red.  There must be some threshold setting somewhere, but I can't find it.   See attached screen grab for an example.  In this file, I purposely pushed exposure up all the way.

Thanks very much!

[Control Z]

Computer info:

I have a Mac desktop running 10.11.4 (El Capitan) and Photoshop CC and Elements 13. It is over 2 years old (mid-2011 iMac, but I just replaced internal hard drive with SSD), and has 20GB of RAM. Its hard drive has 472GB free out of 1000GB. There also is another internal HD where I keep my images, with 422 GB free of 1.9TB on the main partition.  There is an additional 1GB partition on that drive.  The last time I shut down was more than 24 hours ago. I have never run a cleanup program on the new SSD, but was experimenting with a free version of Clean My Mac 3.  

And please let me know if you'd prefer that I split this up into separate questions, but they all came to me at once while trying to work.  

[Samantha LaRue]

5 hours ago, Control Z said:

(1) Bridge previews look pixellated, making it difficult to judge focus on photos.  Even when viewing a full-screen preview, the image looks soft.  When I use the 100% loupe, it processes for a few seconds, then renders a sharp image, but the overall larger picture is not sharp.  Is there an ideal preview setting, something like the smart preview in Lightroom?

There is a setting that I've seen Damien mentioned before called "high res previews" but for the life of me I cannot find it in my Bridge (I have CC as well). So he'll have to tell you where to look for that. Click on the image with the magnifying glass and viewing it at 100% is the only way I'd  evaluate an image for focus. The speed of your computer determines how quickly that preview will render.

6 hours ago, Control Z said:

(2) Is there a way to view or revert to a non-processed raw file in ACR/Bridge?  In the Lightroom develop module, pressing the "\" key shows a before-after.  Is there anything equivalent in Bridge and ACR?  Or alternatively, is there a way to create a duplicate of the processed file without the raw edits?

Yes, just go to "edit > develop settings > clear settings" or "camera raw defaults" and it will take you back to the SOOC if for some reason you want to start fresh. Nothing you do in raw is ever permanent, so there is no need to create multiple copies of the raw files for different ways you've edited. 

 

6 hours ago, Control Z said:

(3) Is there a way to step back through edits in ACR/Bridge like Lightroom's history function?

No, but as I said above, nothing in ACR is permanent so you can change it at any time. 

 

6 hours ago, Control Z said:

(3) ACR raw processing seems clunkier on my machine than Lightroom or other raw software (Aperture, Photos, Capture 1).  When I move a slider, the whole image darkens momentarily when the slider is being moved, rather than just gradually showing the desired change.  This is distracting and make it very difficult to do raw edits.

Not sure what is causing this if the stats you posted above for your computer are accurate. You should have plenty of speed. 

6 hours ago, Control Z said:

(4) ACR highlight clipping is acting weird.  Even though highlights are blown out (the histogram triangle is white), I can't get the blown out areas to display white.  Even when I pushed the exposure slider all the way to the right and there is no detail in the photo, only a tiny patch is red.  There must be some threshold setting somewhere, but I can't find it.   See attached screen grab for an example.  In this file, I purposely pushed exposure up all the way.

The clipping warnings don't match the color of the histogram. Anything that isn't black is clipped to varying degrees. 

[Damien Symonds]

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(1) Bridge previews look pixellated, making it difficult to judge focus on photos.  Even when viewing a full-screen preview, the image looks soft.  When I use the 100% loupe, it processes for a few seconds, then renders a sharp image, but the overall larger picture is not sharp.  Is there an ideal preview setting, something like the smart preview in Lightroom?

Preferences>Advanced: "General Monitor Sized Previews"

[Damien Symonds]

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(2) Is there a way to view or revert to a non-processed raw file in ACR/Bridge?  In the Lightroom develop module, pressing the "\" key shows a before-after.  Is there anything equivalent in Bridge and ACR?

In Bridge, no, there's no way to view a before, except by actually reverting it (right-clicking and choosing "Clear settings").

In ACR, you use the Preview buttons at the bottom right corner of the image, exactly the same as LR.

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

Or alternatively, is there a way to create a duplicate of the processed file without the raw edits?

Hell no.  You're using proper software now, not a toy.  You have to edit like a grown-up.  The purpose of raw processing is raw processing.  To make a single perfect clean version of the photograph you took.

Versions happen in Photoshop.

[Damien Symonds]

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

3) Is there a way to step back through edits in ACR/Bridge like Lightroom's history function?

No.  This is a funny one.

In Photoshop, the history function makes sense, even though only unskilled editors need to use it.  Things happen linearly in Photoshop.

But in raw, nothing happens linearly.  At any point, you can go back and re-adjust a certain slider, regardless of what other adjustments you've made since the last time you adjusted that slider.  Am I making sense here?

There's no need for history in raw.  If you want to re-adjust something, just do so.

[Damien Symonds]

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(3) ACR raw processing seems clunkier on my machine than Lightroom or other raw software (Aperture, Photos, Capture 1).  When I move a slider, the whole image darkens momentarily when the slider is being moved, rather than just gradually showing the desired change.  This is distracting and make it very difficult to do raw edits.

This is an odd one, for sure.  As Sam said, everything in your specs suggests it should run fine.  Out of interest, is it the same if you're editing an image which is on the SSD?

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(4) ACR highlight clipping is acting weird.  Even though highlights are blown out (the histogram triangle is white), I can't get the blown out areas to display white.  Even when I pushed the exposure slider all the way to the right and there is no detail in the photo, only a tiny patch is red.  There must be some threshold setting somewhere, but I can't find it.   See attached screen grab for an example.  In this file, I purposely pushed exposure up all the way.

Thanks very much!

Is it the same if you push the Whites slider all the way up?

[Control Z]

19 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Preferences>Advanced: "General Monitor Sized Previews"

Thanks!  I was playing around and tried that after asking the question.  What a difference!

[Control Z]

11 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

In Bridge, no, there's no way to view a before, except by actually reverting it (right-clicking and choosing "Clear settings").

In ACR, you use the Preview buttons at the bottom right corner of the image, exactly the same as LR.

Hell no.  You're using proper software now, not a toy.  You have to edit like a grown-up.  The purpose of raw processing is raw processing.  To make a single perfect clean version of the photograph you took.

Versions happen in Photoshop.

I understand what you're saying and your overall editing philosophy and keeping one raw master, but, for my purposes, I don't often need to also work in Photoshop.  For instance, creating a black and white and color version of a photograph just seems easier to do in ACR/Lightroom than going to Photoshop.  Perhaps I'll come around to seeing it your way with more experience.  

[Damien Symonds]

1 minute ago, Control Z said:

I understand what you're saying and your overall editing philosophy and keeping one raw master, but, for my purposes, I don't often need to also work in Photoshop.  For instance, creating a black and white and color version of a photograph just seems easier to do in ACR/Lightroom than going to Photoshop.  Perhaps I'll come around to seeing it your way with more experience.  

If you don't care about the quality of your photos, stick to Lightroom.  That's what Lightroom is for. Lots of photos, mediocre quality.