How to Move Images Between Bridge & InDesign

InDesign is the print design production engine of Adobe's Creative Suite. Adobe introduced Bridge in Creative Suite 2 as a file navigation and management system to help locate files quickly. Creative Suite 5 and 5.5 integrates Bridge into its design and production software. You no longer have to use the "Place" method to bring in files. Now moving and placing images from Bridge can all be done from within InDesign.

Instructions

1. In InDesign, click the "Window" menu and select "Mini Bridge." Drag the panel into the panel dock if you want to keep the panel nearby but minimized.

2. Click the "Browse button." This opens the Navigation and Content areas of the panel.

3. Navigate to your desired image or illustration. Along the top of the Mini Bridge, switch the Panel View mode to "Preview Pod" if you want to see a larger thumbnail of a file. In the Content bar, you can select the "Filter" icon to search by star rating or label.

4. Select your desired files. Use the Command (Mac) or Control (PC) key and click on each file you want to place if they are non-adjacent items.

5. Drag and drop the files into InDesign. If you are dragging more than one file over, the place cursor will access "multi-place load" and indicate the number of files you selected. Hover over the pre-designed frames and click the frame to fill it with the loaded picture. If you do not want the picture in a pre-designed frame, click on an empty space on the InDesign page and the file will be placed at 100 percent.

Tips & Warnings

• If you know the name of the file, click the Search icon at the top of the Mini Bridge panel and type in the name, then hit "Enter."

• You can create snippets by dragging and dropping them from InDesign back into Mini Bridge.

References

• AdobeTV: Use Mini Bridge in CS5 Applications
• Adobe InDesign CS5 & CS5.5: What's New