Stack files



Stacks let you group files together under a single thumbnail. You can stack any type of file. For example, use stacks to organize image sequences, which often comprise many image files.

Note: Adobe Bridge stacks are different from Photoshop image stacks, which convert groups of images to layers and store them in a Smart Object.

Commands that apply to a single file also apply to stacks. For example, you can label a stack just as you would a single file. Commands you apply to expanded stacks apply to all files in the stack. Commands you apply to collapsed stacks apply only to the top file in the stack (if you’ve selected only the top file in the stack) or to all files in the stack (if you’ve selected all files in the stack by clicking the stack border).

The default sort order in a stack is based on the sort order for the folder that contains the stack.

An Adobe Bridge stack in the Content panel (collapsed)

An expanded stack

Create a file stack

 Select the files you want to include in the stack, and choose Stacks > Group As Stack. The first file you select becomes the stack thumbnail. The number on the stack indicates how many files are in the stack.

Manage stacks

  • To change the stack thumbnail, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the file you want to be the new thumbnail and choose Stacks > Promote To Top Of Stack.
  • To expand a collapsed stack, click the stack number or choose Stacks > Open Stack. To expand all stacks, choose Stacks > Expand All Stacks.
  • To collapse an expanded stack, click the stack number or choose Stacks > Close Stack. To collapse all stacks, choose Stacks > Collapse All Stacks.
  • To add files to a stack, drag the files you want to add to the stack.
    Note: While you can add a stack to another stack, you cannot nest stacks. Files in the added stack are grouped with the existing stack files.
  • To remove files from a stack, expand the stack and then drag the files out of the stack. To remove all files from a stack, select the collapsed stack and choose Stacks > Ungroup From Stack.
  • To select all files in a collapsed stack, click the border of the stack. Alternatively, Alt-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the stack thumbnail.

Preview images in stacks

In stacks that contain 10 or more images, you can preview (scrub) the images at a specified frame rate and enable onion skinning, which allows you to see preceding and succeeding frames as semitransparent overlays on the current frame.

  • To preview a stack, hold the mouse over the stack in the Content panel until the slider appears, and then click Play, or drag the slider. If you don’t see the Play button or slider, increase the thumbnail size by dragging the Thumbnail slider at the bottom of the Adobe Bridge window.
  • To set the playback frame rate, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the stack and choose a frame rate from the Stacks > Frame Rate menu.
  • To set the default stack playback frame rate, choose a frame rate from the Stack Playback Frame Rate menu in Playback preferences.
  • To enable onion skinning, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the stack and choose Stack > Enable Onion Skin.