VERDICT: Should be central to the CS3 suite but Bridge CS3 is comparatively disappointing.

The Bridge application was introduced in the previous CS2 release and, as its name suggests, is designed to integrate the different members of the CS3 suite by acting as a central media management hub.

This latest release sees a number of key media management improvements, most obvious of which is the new default three-column interface in which files are selected to the left, thumbnails viewed in the main central pane and individual file details and image previews displayed to the right. The range of file types supported has been extended to include Fireworks PNG and Flash SWF and FLV – though disappointingly not Flash FLA or HTML. You can also now preview more than one file at a time and zoom in on details with the integrated Loupe tool in the enhanced Preview panel. Completely new is the Filter panel which lets you quickly narrow down which thumbnails are shown based on file type, date, label and ratings. You can also take manual control of which files are displayed by grouping similar items as “stacks” which are each represented by a single thumbnail.
Alongside its management function, Bridge acts as the natural front end to a number of support tools such as the latest release of Version Cue, for managing workflows and file versioning, and Adobe Stock Photos, which lets you search multiple online sources for royalty-free images (convenient but expensive). New additions are the links to Bridge Home for up-to-date information and support material for all the CS3 apps and Acrobat Connect which, if you’ve signed up to the service, enables online meetings and real-time collaboration. Most impressive is the new Device Central CS3 which lets you preview content as it will appear on different mobile devices and under different conditions – for example letting you see how a particular bitmap would appear with no backlight and with typical indoor reflections.
The central and increasing importance of Bridge CS3 is reflected in the fact that the program is now bundled with each of the standalone versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign as well as with the various CS3 suite editions. However, bearing in mind how much time professional designers are likely to spend with Bridge, the program still needs to be made more comprehensive, attractive and friendly – the media handling in Photoshop Elements springs to mind.