Why I’ve Moved To Apple Aperture

As many of you know from this post, I’ve taken the plunge on a Canon 350D DSLR recently. After I’d been taking shots for the first couple of days iPhoto just didn’t seem to cut it for editing photos anymore. I had moved up from the consumer Sony CyberShot to a professional Canon DSLR, so why not the software too?

Aperture

I promptly downloaded the Aperture 30 day free trial, installed it, and moved my iPhoto library over (which I must ad was very simple and swift, thumbs up Apple!)

What do I like about Aperture that iPhoto doesn’t offer?

  • Versioning

I love the ability to create as many versions of any image without effecting the original image.

  • Stacks

Now I have the DSLR I can take up to 3 frames per second, stacks are a great way to manage these images taken in rapid succession.

  • Advanced Editing Tools

I love the ability to edit RAW images with super attention to fine details, Aperture allows me to edit images 50 times more powerfully that iPhoto.

  • Edge Sharpening

Ah, this falls under the advanced editing tools, but edge sharpening is a life saving tools. What I have images of the sky I dont want the whole thing sharpened, just the foreground, otherwise the image looks grainy.

Aperture 1.5 is avaliable for a free 30 day trial here. IF you like it and decide to purchase, you will be able to download the 1.5.1 update which includes many enhanced features on common tools such as the loupe, plus a slightly enhanced application speed.

Regarding performance? I’m running an iMac 17″ Intel Core Duo 1.83Ghz with 1.5GB of RAM, and Aperture runs super smooth.

Overall, I’m very happy with Aperture, expect a more in-depth review, and lots of posts with Aperture tips. Maybe even a little series of video podcasts in the future, along with a review of the Canon EOS 350D.

What do you use to manage your digital images, and why do you like it?

Comments

  1. #1

    Smaran → smarandayal.com

    I use iPhoto regularly and religiously. The only thing I’ve been dissatisfied with are its editing capabilities. They’re too limited.

    So, after reading your post, I’ve decided to try out Aperture myself.

  2. #2

    Derek Punsalan → 5thirtyone.com

    You’ve missed the best feature of Aperture which is non-destructive photo editing. Tweak and touch-up your photos all you want knowing that at a moments notice, you can return to the original untouched version.

  3. #3

    Michael

    @Derek

    “I love the ability to create as many versions of any image without effecting the original image.”

    same thing, just worded it differently.

  4. #4

    Ryan → www.appleication.com

    Erm, Derek, I don’t think he did:

    “I love the ability to create as many versions of any image without effecting the original image.”

  5. #5

    wph

    I’ll give Aperture a try once I get a computer that’ll run it.

    Derek, I think he didn’t mention that because iPhoto has that too, and the review was about things Aperture has over iPhoto.

  6. #6

    Taylor → taylorolson.blogspot.com

    Hey Glenn,

    I found out about your site from Michael Yurechko. Nice work. Once I get a mac I will try out Aperture.

  7. #7

    Leo → www.dis.uniroma1.it/~querzoni

    I suggest to try out Adobe Lightroom too. It has lower system requirements and is the only option on my old Powerbook 12″ 867Mhz :-(

    Anyway, it’s a great piece of software. Highy reccomended !

  8. #8

    yannic → yannicwalter.de

    hmm I use iPhoto. But it’s kinda slow, maybe because I have only 512MB of Ram. I’m going to upgrade soon.

    Although I’ll have a look at Adobe Lightroom.

  9. #9

    Tony → retrofit.wordpress.com

    I’ve tried Aperture. But it requires vastly higher system requirements compared to Adobe Lightroom.

    From my usage of Aperture, I would have to say that it’s a really great professional photo manipulation software though.

  10. #10

    josue → madeincr.com

    I use Aperture and I’m very pleased with it as well.

  11. #11

    Caitlyn Imburgo

    Glenn! :) Congrats on the purchase of Aperture. It is indeed a great application, as can be expected from Apple. Some video podcasts sound great as I would love to see/hear about your new 350D.

  12. #12

    Fidel Mercado → mercado.multiply.com

    I use iPhoto too since I only have an iBook G4. I did download the trial version but it’s pretty slow even if I have 1.5GB of RAM…Still, it’s a great application for both cataloging and image editing.

  13. #13

    C.M.Sevilla → www.viewingglass.com

    Personally, I use Photoshop CS. I am downloading Aperture and see how it works out. I have a G4 PB with 1 gig of ram, I hope it works well.

  14. #14

    Glenn Wolsey → www.glennwolsey.com

    Good luck with everyone who’s giving it a run, be sure to let us know how it goes.

  15. #15

    Glenn Wolsey | What Setup Are You Kicking? → www.glennwolsey.com/2006/11/27/what-setup-are-you-kicking

    [...] A Realistic Dream SetupWhy I’ve Moved To Apple ApertureBuilding Your iTunes Music Library7 Slickest Mac Setups: Take TwoiMac 17″ vs 20″ vs 24″Apple Special Event: Predictions7 Slickest Mac Setups5 Great Accessories To Compliment Your Mac Setup [...]

  16. #16

    marscus

    BUT it is computer hungrey, needs almost top of the middle range an that sounds like bucks t spend, look forward t reading more after you have used it a while.

  17. #17

    Glenn Wolsey : Blog Archive : My Photography Workflow In The Field → www.glennwolsey.com/2006/12/27/my-photography-workflow-in-the-field

    [...] When the shoot is finished, I connect my CF card to my USB card reader (I need a new firewire card reader) - and I wait for the images to import into Aperture. [...]

  18. #18

    Glenn Wolsey : Blog Archive : What Mac To Save For? iMac or Mac Pro? → www.glennwolsey.com/2006/12/11/what-mac-to-save-for-imac-or-mac-pro

    [...] taking the plunge on a DSLR and moving to Aperture, I am demanding a machine with more power to edit my images and perform system intensive tasks such [...]

  19. #19

    Glenn Wolsey : Blog Archive : My Apple Aperture Workflow → www.glennwolsey.com/2007/05/17/my-apple-aperture-workflow

    [...] though through time it becomes easier to navigate without thinking twice about an action. With my Aperture workflow, I’ve tried to adapt the same thing to how I manage my projects and [...]

  20. #20

    Jorge Quinteros → www.jorgeq.com

    As a faithful Apple user for 6 years, I migrated straight from iPhoto to Aperture. Enjoyed the interface as well as all the amenities it had to offer but I still felt that I was missing something.

    After a while, I gave Adobe Lightroom a chance and it ended up being the best transition ever. Works seamlessly with PS3 and can’t say the same about Aperture.

  21. #21

    subcorpus → www.subcorpus.net/blog

    apparently it needs one 1GB of RAM to install …
    so my MacBook Pro is like out …
    So moved on to Lightroom …
    Works great … !!!

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