I don't use LR at all. No use to me. I use ACR + PS, and sort everything manually into my own filing system.
EDIT: I should clarify that I do use Bridge all the time in conjunction with ACR, since I didn't actually answer your question. But LR is a big NO. Tried it for a few hours once, then uninstalled it.
Bridge is one of the best things Adobe ever came up with. It's exactly what it says it is - a Bridge between different apps, Adobe's and others too. I always have Bridge open and pointed to the folder of images I'm working on. So easy to choose multiple images to open at once. The Output tab provides a great way to make html web galleries for clients. The easiest path to PhotoMerge. And you can have multiple Bridge windows open pointed to different folders, making it even faster and easier to jump back and forth. Of course, like all Adobe products, you do have to do a bit of customization of the layout to make it more efficient, but that's super easy too. And having the metadata readouts at right there is another bonus. I have never used Lr and only rarely use ACR, but Bridge is absolutely indispensable to my workflow. I think that people that don't use it probably don't understand how it can save you so much time.
I have used Bridge before transitioning to Capture One. I did switch not primarily because of the Bridge functionality, but because of the raw file post-processing functionality offered by Adobe. Capture One needs a bit of work to understand and fully take advantage of its functions, so Bridge remains a good choice for many people.
I never bought into Bridge, I prefer CaptureOne because I mainly shoot tethered, the ability to apply the copied adjustments to subsequent files, sending selects to Photoshop for editing and archiving sessions. For me, I shoot a project, use the star rating to cull images, copy to two external drives and been doing so for about a decade. As a new version is released, it will ask to update older sessions and it takes very little time to do so.
Wow! I thought I was a dying breed using Bridge. But you've got over 20 replies to this in two forums. I thought the lack of forum activity about Bridge was an indication of low usage. Maybe not? Maybe it's because the software is so stable and so easy to use that it generates little need to ask questions. Unlike Lightroom, which spawns tons of confused users.
Bridge is faster, smaller, easier to use than LR. I remember the first time I tried Lightroom I wanted to filter raw files that had no adjustments made yet. Pretty simple in Bridge, it's right there at the bottom of the Filter pane, one click. I don't remember the steps in LR, but there were several and it took considerable Googling to find out how.
Yes I absolutely use it. Not a Lightroom user I totally hate their forced cataloging. I use Capture One for raw conversion. But I'm not one of those people who saves everything, only print worthy images
I don't use Bridge (used to, before LR), but I have a good friend who has been trying to master the catalogue and file system in LR to organize his photos, but he just can't do it. He has multiple catalogues, lost photos, and his actual photos are spread out over several hard drives. He just can't seem to clean it up. It takes a particular kind of mind to easily master LR, and not everybody has that kind of mind. I keep telling my buddy that Bridge would be perfect for him but he is too stubborn and continues to torture himself with LR. So my advice to any newbies is this: LR has way more things that it can do than Bridge, but is also way more complicated. If you want, give LR a try and if it seems to come easy, continue with it. If not, use Bridge. The photo editing possibilities in LR are pretty much all present in Adobe Camera Raw, just formatted a bit different.
