Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
Adobe Firefly
Software & Services How to use Adobe Firefly in 30 minutes
Adobe Express during our review
Software & Services Adobe Express (2025) review
Three iPhones on a red and orange background showing the new Photoshop app
Software & Services How to focus on an object in Photoshop
Photographer on laptop at home
Software & Services The best Adobe Portfolio alternatives 2025
CyberLink PhotoDirector during our tests
Software & Services Best Adobe Lightroom alternative of 2025
Adobe Photoshop Select tool in use for an image of two people in bright clothing outside on a sunny day
Creative Software The 5 biggest new Photoshop, Firefly and Premiere Pro tools that were announced at Adobe Max London 2025
Google Photos interface displayed on two phones on a yellow background
Phones These 9 Google Photos features will change the way you save, share, and edit images
  1. Computing
  2. Software
  3. Creative Software

How to organise your photos with Adobe Bridge CC

How-to
By Nick Peers published 1 February 2017

Sort your photos

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Using Adobe Bridge CC

Using Adobe Bridge CC

These days, it doesn’t take very long to accumulate photos and other images across multiple drives. And getting them organised is no easy task. 

But, luckily Adobe has come to the rescue. The company known best for its powerful (and pricey) Photoshop product has quietly made its tool for organising and cataloguing your images free to use.

The program in question is Adobe Bridge CC, and it’s packed with handy features and time-saving tools to bring order to your photo collection.

Read on to discover how to organise your photos into collections. You can also apply useful tags and other identifying data to photos with the minimum of fuss and even import photos directly from other sources, including your digital camera. 

If you’ve been struggling to stay on top of your photos, Adobe Bridge CC will be your new best friend.

  • The best free Photoshop alternatives 2017
Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
1. Set up Adobe ID

1. Set up Adobe ID

Go to to the Adobe Bridge CC website and click ‘Download’. Select ‘Beginner’, ‘Home User/Hobbyist’ and ‘My own non-professional use’ before clicking ‘Sign in’ if you have an Adobe ID.

Click ‘Sign up for an Adobe ID’ and fill in the form if not – you’ll need to supply personal details, an email address and password. Click ‘Sign up’ and follow the instructions to get your download.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
2. Download and install

2. Download and install

You’ll start by downloading and installing the Creative Cloud desktop app – follow the prompts and once it’s installed, sign in with your Adobe ID credentials. 

Switch to the ‘Apps’ tab and scroll down the list until you find Bridge CC – click the ‘Install’ button next to it. Scroll back up to see a meter revealing the download and installation progress. Click ‘Open’ when done.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
3. Set up favourite folders

3. Set up favourite folders

A multi-paned window (split into five sections) will open. The annotated screenshot reveals the key elements of the program’s user interface – take the time to make your picture folders more accessible by locating them in the middle pane, then dragging the folder into the Favourites list. 

Drag and drop folders within the pane to rearrange them, or right-click to remove them.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
4. Group photos into collections

4. Group photos into collections

Bridge allows you to group related photos together into collections without having to move them into the same folder.

Switch to the ‘Collections’ tab in the bottom left pane, then click the ‘New Collection’ button. Give it a suitable name, then use the top left pane to browse for photos to add to it. Drag them onto the collection icon to add them.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
5. Smart collections

5. Smart collections

Alternatively, click ‘New Smart Collection’. This creates a dynamically updated collection of photos that match specific criteria, such as ‘filename’, ‘metadata’, ‘date modified’ or ‘created’, and keywords. 

Choose which folder or drive to search, and select whether or not to include subfolders and match one or all criteria. Click ‘Save’, then right-click and choose ‘Edit’ to make changes.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
6. Assign metadata

6. Assign metadata

Identifying and finding photos can be time-consuming without adding additional information to the file’s properties in the form of metadata. 

One of the simplest forms of metadata is to add keywords to your photos, such as the place they were taken or the people who were in them. Select the Keywords tab in the bottom right pane to view them, or switch to the Keywords view.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
7. Manage keywords

7. Manage keywords

Several suggestions already exist, click ‘+’ to add a new keyword from scratch. If a photo already contains a keyword, select it and the keyword appears italicised in the list – right-click it and choose ‘Make persistent’ to add it to Bridge’s collection. 

Use categories to group related keywords together, then select linked photos and tick the relevant keywords to add them.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
8. Use metadata templates

8. Use metadata templates

faster way to assign metadata – including other tags listed under the Metadata tab – is to set up metadata templates. 

Choose ‘Tools > Create Metadata Template’ to set up a template of information for specific photos. Work through the sections filling in the fields you want – you’ll find keywords under the IPTC Core section, for example. Give it a suitable name and click ‘Save’.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
9. Apply metadata

9. Apply metadata

Next, select all the photos you wish to apply the metadata to – one way to do this is organise them into a temporary collection. 

Once selected, pick the the template from the ‘Tools > Append Metadata’ or ‘Tools > Replace Metadata’ menu depending on whether you want to simply add the metadata to what’s already there, or replace it with the tags in your template.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
10. And there’s more

10. And there’s more

We’ve scratched the surface of what Bridge can do, so keep digging – import photos from your camera (click ‘Advanced’ to access more options), apply ratings to favourite photos and develop your own labelling system via ‘Edit > Preferences > Labels’, allowing you to mark files for whatever purpose or workflow you want to use.

  • Enjoyed this article? Discover how to get the most from your PC and new things to do in Windows Help & Advice. Take advantage of an exclusive offer in our sampler today.
Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Nick Peers
See more Computing How Tos
Read more
Adobe Firefly
How to use Adobe Firefly in 30 minutes
Adobe Express during our review
Adobe Express (2025) review
Three iPhones on a red and orange background showing the new Photoshop app
How to focus on an object in Photoshop
Photographer on laptop at home
The best Adobe Portfolio alternatives 2025
CyberLink PhotoDirector during our tests
Best Adobe Lightroom alternative of 2025
Adobe Photoshop Select tool in use for an image of two people in bright clothing outside on a sunny day
The 5 biggest new Photoshop, Firefly and Premiere Pro tools that were announced at Adobe Max London 2025
Latest in Creative Software
The interface of the Adobe Photoshop for mobile app, edits of a model against a blue sky
Photoshop finally gets a pro-grade Android app – here are 3 reasons why I'm excited to try the free version
Adobe Creative Cloud
The price of AI? Adobe hikes Creative Cloud subscriptions for some with new Pro plan – here’s what you need to know
A crowd watching an Adobe Max London keynote
Adobe Max London 2025 live – all the new features coming to Photoshop, Firefly, Premiere Pro and more
Adobe Photoshop Select tool in use for an image of two people in bright clothing outside on a sunny day
The 5 biggest new Photoshop, Firefly and Premiere Pro tools that were announced at Adobe Max London 2025
Photoshop CC logo on a screen
How to make an image background transparent in Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom photo plans get a huge price hike, but there's a way to avoid it
Latest in How Tos
Gabriel Book (Mark Gatiss) riding an old-fashioned London bus in Bookish season 1
How to watch Bookish season 1 online from anywhere
The South Park characters in a line
How to watch South Park season 27 online and from anywhere
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 16: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks on during a practice round prior to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 16, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
British Open 2025 live stream: how to watch the golf online, schedule, Round 1 tee times
Kevin Vauquelin of France and Team Arkea - B&B Hotels attacks climbing the Cote d'Outreau
Watch Tour de France LIVE: Pogacar records dominant Stage 12 win, TV channels, free streams
People wave flags at the Royal Albert Hall in west London on September 7, 2013 during the last night of the Proms. US conductor Marin Alsop became the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms in its 118-year history. AFP PHOTO/CARL COURT (Photo credit should read CARL COURT/AFP via Getty Images)
How to watch First Night of the Proms 2025: live stream for free online from anywhere
MLB All-Star Game Logo
How to watch MLB All-Star Game 2025 — watch baseball online from anywhere
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    OpenAI claims the new ChatGPT agent can run your errands, build your slides, and make you look like you have your life together
  2. 2
    Chinese hackers hit Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing in spear phishing campaign
  3. 3
    Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 for as little as $149.99 when you trade in your old smartwatch
  4. 4
    Pico's next XR headset could be lighter and smaller than ever, but I hope it just skips to AR glasses instead
  5. 5
    Status Audio's new 3-driver wireless earbuds have us very excited – they could be the perfected version of some nearly-genius buds

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...