Today’s Question: Is it possible to import images and videos to Lightroom Classic using Bridge as an intermediary for the purpose of culling, and then including metadata updates such as color labels, star ratings, or reject flag?
Tim’s Quick Answer: It is possible to use Adobe Bridge to cull images before importing them into Lightroom Classic, but this isn’t something I generally recommend due to the more complicated workflow and the fact that some of the metadata attributes are not compatible.
More Detail: I recommend using a workflow that is as streamlined as possible, avoiding unnecessary steps that introduce the potential for making mistakes. In the context of using Lightroom Classic to manage your photos, for example, I recommend importing all photos directly into your catalog, without using other software to download and review the images.
In addition, there are some potential issues with the differences in how metadata is handled in Lightroom Classic and Bridge.
You can assign star ratings in Bridge, and those star ratings will still be applied when you later import the photos into Lightroom Classic. However, by default the color label definitions don’t match, and so if you assign color labels in Bridge they will all appear as white (undefined) color labels in Lightroom Classic. Therefore, if you’re going to use color labels in both applications you should change the definitions for the color labels so they match. This would generally mean changing the definitions in Bridge so they match the definitions in Lightroom Classic.
There isn’t a pick flag feature in Bridge, and the reject flag in Bridge is not the same as the reject flag in Lightroom Classic. Therefore, you should not use the reject feature in Bridge unless you will be deleting those photos before importing into Lightroom Classic, as the reject flag won’t follow the images into the catalog.
So, while it is absolutely feasible to download and review your images in Adobe Bridge before importing them into Lightroom Classic, this isn’t something I recommend. But if you’re going to use this workflow, just be aware of the metadata differences, and the need to change the definitions of color labels so they match in both applications.
