Apple Aperture 2.0
£129.00
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We’re pleased to report that Apple has responded to complaints about the previous version of Aperture RAW converter by releasing this ‘simplified’ version, Aperture 2. We found the software is as comprehensive yet as mind-bogglingly cluttered as before. It’s crucial you devote sufficient time to learning how to use it first.
A full round-up of RAW converters is featured in Practical Photography May 2008.
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Features & workflow:
Before Apple’s Aperture hit the market a couple of years ago, RAW converters simply did just that – convert RAW files. Aperture broke the mould with its all-in-one approach to post-production. So, as you can imagine, the list of features is huge – more than 100 of them new – and there were plenty to start with.
Lots of the features were revolutionary when Aperture was first launched, but have since become standard. However, there are still plenty of unique features. One of the best is the Light Table – a virtual lightbox that allows you to arrange layouts and see how your pictures will work together. This is ideal for experimenting when printing an album or creating a portfolio.
The new Quick Preview mode is exciting too – allowing users to turn off the previews and use the thumbnail image embedded into the RAW file so you can see all of your images the second they’re imported. If you want to check sharpness you can simply bring in the loupe (a virtual magnifying glass) to examine areas at full resolution.
Performance:
As with all Apple products, Aperture is totally integrated into Mac OS and works seamlessly with other programs such as iPhoto and Safari. Importing, stacking and autostacking options work very well – helping you view and edit pictures shot in quick succession. You can determine the maximum time between frames and the software stacks them for you.
The one criticism about Aperture is that there are so many options, numbers and sliders on the edit panel it’s extremely confusing. As a result, you’ll have to remove the options you don’t use and minimise others to find the tool you want. If you’re a newcomer, the workflow is unlike anything else you may have used before and will obviously take users some time to get used to.
Verdict:
Aperture makes a bold claim to be a ‘total post-production application for photographers’ – but, remarkably, it doesn’t disappoint. Aperture has consistently fallen in price since its launch a few years ago (Aperture 1 cost around £350, while 1.5 came down to £200, and now version 2.0 costs just £129). Compared to the £200 currently required for Adobe’s Lightroom, Aperture offers a lot more. The major setback for most photographers is that Aperture is only available for Apple Macs. But once you’ve got used to having Aperture at the centre of your workflow, you won’t be able to manage without it.
Product information:
Operating system Mac OS X v10.4.11 Tiger or v10.5.2 Leopard
Processor 2.0GHz (or faster) Intel Core Duo/dual 2.0GHz (or faster) PowerPC G5
Recommended RAM 2GB
Hard disk space 5GB