As about 26 of my friends have informed me, Aperture2 has just been released, along with lots of great improvements.
Forgive me if I'm not jumping up and down with glee...
As you know, if you've followed my posts, I have the Aperture Tattoo... I got on the train after giving Aperture a good, healthy skeptical look. I was a skeptic at the outset for a lot of reasons. Aperture v1.0 was not a good product, and should not have been public, and certainly not for the price. It was retooled, and with v1.5 my take on it was that it was first, a great product, and second, a product Apple was committed to. We're not selling stuff to hobbyists, here, we're selling to people who have to pay the rent and put food on the table.
Then why have I backed off?
Well, for one, the interest just did not seem to be there. Photographers worldwide were very slow to adopt the product, and Boston is no exception. The market surveys out there show a microscopic share, with Adobe holding all the cards.
In addition, it really seemed like Apple was dropping the ball. This was a landmark update that should have come six months ago. Many of the folks who have been using Aperture have asked me what happened, and should they bail and jump to Lightroom, and this was last Fall. I, myself, have switched to Lightroom.
This kind of thing drives me nuts, but it's something that happens in the digital imaging business. The landscape is still changing fast, and some trains you think are heading out of the station only falter and sputter after leaving the platform. We can only continue to try to make the best decisions we think we can make, with the best information and the best body of experience. As many people who have known me over the years can attest, I have no qualms about calling a dog a dog. (Tony Rinaldo, a photographer/customer of mine once asked me about a printer I had just got done testing. I said "It's a piece of CRAP". He laughed, and said, "That's exactly why I trust your advice, Ted, you never hold back...")
So, after all that, what about Aperture2?
First, I still have the tattoo, OK? I think Aperture brings some really revolutionary things to the table, and I think anyone working with large quantities of images should consider it. Thankfully, after a year or so, Apple finally made a free trial download available... jeesh.
Second, I am still committed to supporting you, and anyone if you are working with Aperture. Again, it's a great solution, and it is getting better. Not as fast as I'd like, but it is.
Third, if you are in a commercial, and particularly an "archival" environment, I would strongly suggest you consider Lightroom as a product that seems to be more universal and will be around for a long time... and yes, I can train and support you on that too.
Finally, if you want to read a nice business school profile on how NOT to be successful as David in a David and Goliath matchup, read through the history of Apple's Aperture product release and development... from my humble opinion, it is a perfect example of mis-stepping every inch of the way. The infuriating thing, and by the way, the same thing I saw with the Kodak 14N digital camera, is that it is truly a great product suffering from just plain silly mismanagement.
I still feel that the advice I gave in support of Aperture holds true... I will, however, eat my words that "Aperture will take over the World!", much like Final Cut has taken over video editing. If Apple wants to beat on Adobe's back door, they're gonna have to do a lot better than that...
Aperture2 vs Lightroom
Nods to David Schloss, who is part of the Aperture User Professional Network, found here: http://apertureprofessional.com/ here is a probably pretty complete list of what Aperture does that Lightroom does not.
...and yes, I'm starting to get a little gleeful. No jumping up and down quite yet, though...
"These are the ones off the top of my head, I’m sure I’m missing some.
I’ll break this down into Aperture features in general (1.5 and before) and then 2.0 features. These are sort of in an off-the-top-of-my-head order.
Aperture, General
File Management and workflow
—-—-—-—-——-
• Ability to move files around to any location via the Aperture interface, copying, moving and relocating files as you do so.
• Direct integration with iLife and iWork applications—all Aperture projects are available in all Apple iLife and iWork programs via the Media Browser for drag/drop use in creative process. For example, drop images from Aperture projects into your Podcasts created in Garageband. Drop multiple photos into Keynote to create slideshows with work (especially cool with new Smart Builds). Sync images from Aperture to your iPhone automatically. Drop photos right into Pages documents. All of this happens without having to ever export a file. The Media Browser just gives direct access to your Aperture (and iPhoto) projects, smart albums and images.
• Dual-monitor support for side-by side extension of the workspace. For example, display browser on one screen and full-size image on second display.
• Onscreen soft proofing of color space for output.
•Ability to send email attachments of images in any format at the click of a button.
• Non-modal interface that doesn’t require jumping into a mode to develop images, a mode to adjust them, etc. Ability to perform adjustment or metadata tasks at any time.
• Automatic web upload to .Mac account.
• Automator and Applescripting.
• Light table layout mode for image preview and previewing.
Interface
——-
• Loupe – resizeable, moveable loupe that pulls data from original raw file, allowing zoom of up to 1600% on an image. The loupe can also display color data and values, and is used for pixel-level precise color sampling for tools like White-Balance and Color. (As opposed to the “Loupe” in LR that’s simply a zoom mode.
• Configurable layout that allows for the rotation or swapping of position of browser and viewer, and resizing of interface elements. Interface elements can be toggled off to expand view (see Aperture 2.0 for more changes to this) and HUD use for non-invastive palettes that can be toggled on and off and repositioned.
• Hierarchical keywords – Nested-multi-layer keyword support for assignment and search of images.
• Keyword buttons and drag/drop – Keywording allows for drag-drop keywords onto multiple images, or assignment (and removal) of keywords via button sets.
• Smart Albums – Create albums based on search criteria that automatically update as images match those criteria. (For example,
• Smart Web Albums – Web albums automatically created via smart search criteria.
• List tool that displays images as a sortable list based on EXIF/IPTC attributes.
• Custom IPTC and metadata view modes.
• Customizable metadata overlay available for Viewer, Browser and as a tooltip (with two different display modes for each).
Editing/Adjusting
—-—-—-
• Batch change of all metadata at once.
• Ability to lift and stamp
• Raw fine tuning controls that adjust the baseline tonal curve of the imported raw file, and allow for a camera-model level adjustment to be applied.
• Highlight and shadow tool.
• Edge sharpen tool.
• Straighten tool (enhanced in 2.0) that both straightens and crops images.
Output
——
• Print presets allowing for instantaneous printing to specified printers using pre-saved print output settings, paper types, and color management settings.
Content Creation
—-—-—-
• Books and prints – Custom books or prints ordered directly through Aperture interface, delivered right to you. (Sizes from 4×6 to 20×30)
Backup
——
• Vault – One click backup of Library to multiple drives at once.
Aperture 2.0
—-—-
File Management and Workflow
—-—-—-—-——
• New Raw 2.0 engine, which gives the RAW Fine Tuning tool a Hue Boost slider and Moire adjustments.
• Tethered shooting with Nikon and Canon cameras.
• Task pausing via Activity display
Interface
——-
• Quick Preview mode, which can use either an Aperture generated or camera-generated preview for display on screen. (By default, btw, Lightroom is showing you just a preview, by default Aperture is showing you the raw data.
• Customize keyboard settings for any Aperture tool and menu item.
Editing/Adjusting
—-—-—-
• Edit plug-in architecture
• Display of hot and cold points.
• Custom color sampling tool for adjustments of precise colors in an image. (In addition to any CMY, RGB point)
• Events view (a la iPhoto) allowing you to view all projects by rollover thumbnail vies.
• Vignette tool that does exposure or brightness.
• Healing tool that allows for repair of contiguous parts of the image, not just a single dust spot.
Output
——
• Print sharpening
• 16-bit printing support to HP and Epson printers.
• Custom book sizes to any size (that you can print or save as PDF)
• Web 2.0 gallery that syncs automatically to Aperture project so that people can upload images to the gallery and have the sync on the back end."