Photo answers review
Photo answers rating 
Features & interfaceWhen Aperture was first launched, it introduced some exciting features such as the Loupe (a great way to assess detail in an image) and Auto Stack (where you could group images that had been taken over a set period of time, defined by you, making editing far less daunting).
With Aperture 2.1, Apple has come up with another cracking new feature – Quick Preview. When converting RAW files, if you spot an image you want to take a closer look at under the Loupe, it’ll display a full resolution section.
New tools include Recovery control to pull back blown highlights, plus with a Vibrancy slider that adds saturation. There are also Dodge and Burn tools, options to Saturate, Desaturate, Sharpen, Blur, Contrast and Fade, that can all be brushed into specific areas of the image.
Aperture 2.1 is packed with features – even side-stepping the need to dive into Photoshop on many occasions. There’s also a stack of output options, with Apple’s own print and book service, as well as a host of web options via Apple’s .Mac service.
The interface has had a rework too – the Projects, Metadata and Adjustments panels have all been consolidated into a single, easy-to-navigate panel known as ‘the Inspector’. To speed up your workflow you also have the chance to customise your keyboard shortcuts too.
Once you’ve built up a library of projects, you can skim over a project with the thumbnails changing to reveal all the images in that folder – as in iPhoto.
In fact Aperture 2.1 offers so many features it could be a bit daunting for first-time users but once you get going and learn how to hide tools you don’t use regularly, you’ll be off – but be prepared for a bit of a slow start!
Performance
A bit of a grumble with earlier versions of Aperture was the fact that you needed a serious Apple Mac to be able to use it without it slowing up. Quick Preview goes some way to making things faster. That said, you’ll still need a well-specified Mac to get the best out of it – ideally a fast Intel Core Duo with some decent memory.
Every release of Aperture sees the price drop and this latest version is no exception. At £129, it’s great value; its closest competitor, Adobe’s Lightroom, costs a shade over £200.
For the time being at least, Aperture 2.1 is the best workflow package out there from import to export. If you’re a Mac user and shoot tons of images, then you’re in the lucky position of having a wide range of powerful features at your fingertips to help you edit and output your pictures with a minimum of fuss – all at a very reasonable £129.
Product information Operating system: Mac OS X v10.4.11/10.5.2
Recommended processor: Dual 2.0GHz PowerPC G5 processor or faster or a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor
Memory: 1GB (2GB for Mac Pro)