Apple Releases Aperture 2
Feb. 18
6:05 am
Last week Apple released a major update to Aperture, their image workflow application, and the new update includes more than 100 new features, tweaks, and enhancements, including support for the latest cameras from Nikon, Canon, and Sony. The update includes major user-requested improvements to the interface, and to the overall speed of the program, especially in viewing thumbnail images.
I haven’t had a chance to play with the new version yet, (I hope to this week), but the improvements look pretty substantial and the initial feedback I’ve seen from existing Aperture users has been very positive. You can see a list of all the new features in version 2, by clicking this link.
I’ve only played around with the new version for a few hours but I’ll share my first impressions with You. Aperture 1 have been my principal photo program for the last eight months and the changes in 2 are pretty easy to see for the regular user.
I won’t go into the GUI changes. I’ll need more hours to evaluate those changes.
One thing is very apparent though. SPEED. It’s a lot more snappy. The (lack of) speed in version 1 could sometimes drive me up the wall. In particular the straight’en tool in full screen-mode sucked badly. Borderline unusable. The change here is enormous.
For me the most important changes are in the RAW engine. The exposure curve have been changed a lot and the high-lights are dampened a good deal. For me this is a good thing. It used to be a problem that photo’s that were ok on the camera histogram (also the rgb one) were blown out in Aperture. No more so.
An other change is that the default color saturation has been toned down and at the same time, the colors are have been warmed up a little bit. Combined with a toned down sharpening this gives a softer and more organic look.
A pol-filter on a blue sky had an almost explosive effect in the old 1.1 engine. Now it’s a bit more sane but the old engine is still available for when I want to go crazy
So far I like rel 2.
A word of warning though. Don’t automatically convert all Your pictures to the raw 2 engine. The change is pretty significant and might not be in line with Your artistic intentions.
Cheers,
John
I can also verify that Aperture 2 is faster than Aperture 1.5.6.
I also like the new tools; they are very handy.
Mihalis.
I downloaded the demo of Aperture 2 and then opened the DMG. I can’t install the program because it says that I need 1GB of RAM. I have a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo Mac Mini with 512 MB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. I guess I’m out of luck for at least trying it out. I did manage to download the program Shake from Apple’s website but I don’t even know how to work it. Why is Apple’s software so confusing but the third-party Apple software developers have way better products for people like me that need something simple. Oh, I almost forgot, I am running version 10.4.11. I like Tiger better than Leopard. If you buy Leopard, you’ll want to downgrade to Tiger since its so familiar and better.
I’ve just downloaded the Aperture 2 trial onto my G5 imac (with 2GB RAM) and I must admit it still feels very slow to preview a folder full of RAW files.
Aperture 2 has so many excellent features as to give Lightroom a real shake up, but I am totally perplexed how Apple can release this product with such a pathetically low standard of performance at every level. Even using a fully optioned top of the range MACPRO, Aperture 2 performs so slowly and draws so much processing power that it is completely unusable for any serious pro photographer. I am an unashamed Apple disciple owning almost everything they ever made but Aperture 2 in my opinion would have to be their worst performing and most disappointing software yet …. particularly as it could be one of their great ones but for the shocking performance.
Why do they put out a program without a manual? The online manual is over 700 pages. I can’t afford to print it in color and when I am using the program I can’t have the manual on the screen at the same time.