Today’s Question: I have Adobe Bridge on my new computer, but it does not include Adobe Camera Raw and can only be used as a browser for viewing images. When I try to open in Camera Raw, the message that pops up says a subscription is needed to use it. Am I missing something?
Tim’s Quick Answer: While Adobe Bridge is available for free without the need for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, using Camera Raw to process raw captures requires a subscription that includes Photoshop, such as the Creative Cloud Photography Plan.
More Detail: As I’ve mentioned previously, Adobe Bridge is available for free to anyone with an Adobe ID, with no requirement to pay for a Creative Cloud subscription. That means anyone can use Bridge to manage their photos and other creative assets, without having to pay for the software. You can get more info (and download Bridge for free) on the Adobe website here:
https://www.adobe.com/products/bridge.html
However, Camera Raw is effectively a feature of Photoshop, even though it is possible to access Camera Raw from within Bridge. In other words, if you don’t have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription that includes Photoshop, you don’t have access to Camera Raw.
So, with the free version of Bridge you can manage your photos but not open them in Camera Raw to process them. You would need a Creative Cloud subscription so you can install Photoshop and therefore have access to Camera Raw, either directly from within Bridge or by opening a raw capture in Photoshop.
