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Aperture Now Shipping
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Speed its main selling point? Not exactly.
Exactly what Aperture's selling point is will likely vary between photographers, but I for one am not especially interested in the "speed" aspect. (Not that I won't take it, but it's not the selling point.) It takes some serious hardware just to run Aperture; if you have serious hardware, Capture One is pretty responsive too.
What it provides is a collection of image correction, preview, and management capabilities that heretofore has required several packages, all expensive. Moreover those packages have not all been particularly well thought out from a UI standpoint.
My biggest need right now is for better software for viewing and selecting RAW files. It's easy to get 400+ images from a single shoot, many of which are slight variations on a theme. Capture One is a poor tool for comparing and selecting images. C1 also has a pretty lousy interface, one of the most nointuitive I have ever seen.
I am not sure I would have given Apple $500 for a simple C1 replacement but replacing C1 plus giving me excellent preview features (virtual light table and loupe are a GREAT idea) plus organizational capabilities that, right now, I manage with shell scripts... yea, no problem, take my money.
Heck, Aperture even incented me to buy a Quad.
jim frost
jimf@frostbytes.com
Lacero said:
Exactly what Aperture's selling point is will likely vary between photographers, but I for one am not especially interested in the "speed" aspect. (Not that I won't take it, but it's not the selling point.) It takes some serious hardware just to run Aperture; if you have serious hardware, Capture One is pretty responsive too.
What it provides is a collection of image correction, preview, and management capabilities that heretofore has required several packages, all expensive. Moreover those packages have not all been particularly well thought out from a UI standpoint.
My biggest need right now is for better software for viewing and selecting RAW files. It's easy to get 400+ images from a single shoot, many of which are slight variations on a theme. Capture One is a poor tool for comparing and selecting images. C1 also has a pretty lousy interface, one of the most nointuitive I have ever seen.
I am not sure I would have given Apple $500 for a simple C1 replacement but replacing C1 plus giving me excellent preview features (virtual light table and loupe are a GREAT idea) plus organizational capabilities that, right now, I manage with shell scripts... yea, no problem, take my money.
Heck, Aperture even incented me to buy a Quad.
jim frost
jimf@frostbytes.com
iGary said:LMFAO!!!!
Not two minutes after OTB posted, the UPS truck shows up with my copy.
Me = Happy Camper.
Apple's shipping status system suxxors, though.
Big grin here! Glad you got yours today, too!
OTB
As an experiment...
I've opened up Aperture. If you have any tips/info on Aperture, add them to the guide page.
http://guides.macrumors.com/Aperture
Anyone can edit that page. no login required.
arn
I've opened up Aperture. If you have any tips/info on Aperture, add them to the guide page.
http://guides.macrumors.com/Aperture
Anyone can edit that page. no login required.
arn
Installed my Aperture program, then settled down to watch the 90-minute DVD. Sheesh, if I'd realized it were THAT long...! I got kinda squirmy and a couple of times paused it to answer the phone and to do a couple of things, but I did watch it all the way through to the end.
That done, I got to work with the program itself. I decided it might be smart to start small, so I imported just one folder, one with about 100 jpeg images. That moved fairly quickly and all the processing that I did seemed to move pretty smoothly on my iMac (rev B, 2 GB RAM). I haven't installed Aperture yet on the PB, as I probably won't be doing much image manipulation/cataloging on that machine unless I take a long trip and am doing a lot of shooting/downloading, in which case then it would be good to have it in there.
Haven't tried anything with RAW yet, but I'm sure that the process will be significantly slower. In a few weeks I'll be using Nikon's new D200, and I know that those files, jpeg or RAW, are going to be huge and that processing time will be slowed down. The images today were from a 7.0 mp camera, my little Casio EXILIM Z750 P&S. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a lot of lagging with Aperture in the iMac, as I'd been concerned about that possibility. We'll see what happens when I start dealing with RAW and when I'm dealing with RAW from the D200!
For me, speed was not one of the first criteria in deciding to purchase Aperture. I am much more interested in being able to finally organize and catalog and locate my images easily, and to do a quick-and-dirty adjustment here-and-there when need be...and I like the idea that it is an Apple product that is designed to work seamlessly and smoothly with the OS in my Mac.
Anyway, today I fooled around with rating the images and assigning keywords, then spent a little time doing a crop and adjustment of exposure levels on one. Just for the heck of it I then went into PS CS2 and did a little more tinkering on the image and then went back to Aperture. This was more so that I could see how well that process would work than it was about perfecting the image. You can specify your external image editing program in the preferences pane, which I had done. That all works just fine. Afterward I reflected on how there were no problems, no glitches, no crashes, even though I was using two RAM-intensive programs more or less at the same time. Heh, try THAT on a Windoze machine!
I didn't play with stacking any groups of images,as this particular folder has mostly images which are fairly similar, but I sure appreciate being able to rate them and then view the browser in a format that sorts them out and groups them nicely: it's going to really help my workflow to have that kind of thing.
My immediate, visceral response so far to Aperture is: WOW!!!!! WOOT!!!! WOW!!!! Uh, yeah.... It's pretty cool. I'm so happy I have a Mac so that I can use this program! My timing was pretty right on the money, too, as I had just bought my iMac and was thinking about what kind of image cataloging program to buy when Aperture was announced. I promptly decided to hold off on any decisions and purchases, so didn't download any other programs but then couldn't resist, took the plunge and pre-ordered Aperture. I'm glad I did! I think Aperture will fit my needs very nicely.
I'm sure that many of the features and functions available on Aperture are available in other software, but I had just never gotten around to doing anything about purchasing something to catalog my images. When I first got my iMac I had already read about iPhoto and knew that it would probably be problematic and not terribly flexible in handling my images, so I just put everything into the "Pictures" folder instead so that I could retain the folder hierarchy and naming system I'd already established. I'll probably not just dump everything into Aperture in one load, either, but will do it piecemeal, making separate "projects" so that I can retain control over how things are to be organized. A lot of those folders have a lot of images to be sorted and winnowed out -- it'll be such a pleasure to be able to do it quickly and efficiently with Aperture!
One thing I haven't yet done since buying my iMac and later the PB is to get an external firewire hard drive. It's been on my list of "must-haves" but I have dawdled about actually buying one and setting it up. I see that Aperture strongly encourages the user to have such a device and to use it for the Vault. I like that Aperture will be so easily able to synchronize with the drive and that backups will be so easy. OK, so tomorrow I'll trot over to the Apple store and finally buy the darned thing! LOL!
So here is my mini-review of first impressions and first experiences with Aperture.... I am looking forward to reading more from other people as they start working with this program.
OTB
That done, I got to work with the program itself. I decided it might be smart to start small, so I imported just one folder, one with about 100 jpeg images. That moved fairly quickly and all the processing that I did seemed to move pretty smoothly on my iMac (rev B, 2 GB RAM). I haven't installed Aperture yet on the PB, as I probably won't be doing much image manipulation/cataloging on that machine unless I take a long trip and am doing a lot of shooting/downloading, in which case then it would be good to have it in there.
Haven't tried anything with RAW yet, but I'm sure that the process will be significantly slower. In a few weeks I'll be using Nikon's new D200, and I know that those files, jpeg or RAW, are going to be huge and that processing time will be slowed down. The images today were from a 7.0 mp camera, my little Casio EXILIM Z750 P&S. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a lot of lagging with Aperture in the iMac, as I'd been concerned about that possibility. We'll see what happens when I start dealing with RAW and when I'm dealing with RAW from the D200!
For me, speed was not one of the first criteria in deciding to purchase Aperture. I am much more interested in being able to finally organize and catalog and locate my images easily, and to do a quick-and-dirty adjustment here-and-there when need be...and I like the idea that it is an Apple product that is designed to work seamlessly and smoothly with the OS in my Mac.
Anyway, today I fooled around with rating the images and assigning keywords, then spent a little time doing a crop and adjustment of exposure levels on one. Just for the heck of it I then went into PS CS2 and did a little more tinkering on the image and then went back to Aperture. This was more so that I could see how well that process would work than it was about perfecting the image. You can specify your external image editing program in the preferences pane, which I had done. That all works just fine. Afterward I reflected on how there were no problems, no glitches, no crashes, even though I was using two RAM-intensive programs more or less at the same time. Heh, try THAT on a Windoze machine!
I didn't play with stacking any groups of images,as this particular folder has mostly images which are fairly similar, but I sure appreciate being able to rate them and then view the browser in a format that sorts them out and groups them nicely: it's going to really help my workflow to have that kind of thing.
My immediate, visceral response so far to Aperture is: WOW!!!!! WOOT!!!! WOW!!!! Uh, yeah.... It's pretty cool. I'm so happy I have a Mac so that I can use this program! My timing was pretty right on the money, too, as I had just bought my iMac and was thinking about what kind of image cataloging program to buy when Aperture was announced. I promptly decided to hold off on any decisions and purchases, so didn't download any other programs but then couldn't resist, took the plunge and pre-ordered Aperture. I'm glad I did! I think Aperture will fit my needs very nicely.
I'm sure that many of the features and functions available on Aperture are available in other software, but I had just never gotten around to doing anything about purchasing something to catalog my images. When I first got my iMac I had already read about iPhoto and knew that it would probably be problematic and not terribly flexible in handling my images, so I just put everything into the "Pictures" folder instead so that I could retain the folder hierarchy and naming system I'd already established. I'll probably not just dump everything into Aperture in one load, either, but will do it piecemeal, making separate "projects" so that I can retain control over how things are to be organized. A lot of those folders have a lot of images to be sorted and winnowed out -- it'll be such a pleasure to be able to do it quickly and efficiently with Aperture!
One thing I haven't yet done since buying my iMac and later the PB is to get an external firewire hard drive. It's been on my list of "must-haves" but I have dawdled about actually buying one and setting it up. I see that Aperture strongly encourages the user to have such a device and to use it for the Vault. I like that Aperture will be so easily able to synchronize with the drive and that backups will be so easy. OK, so tomorrow I'll trot over to the Apple store and finally buy the darned thing! LOL!
So here is my mini-review of first impressions and first experiences with Aperture.... I am looking forward to reading more from other people as they start working with this program.
OTB
jimf said:
I'm sure the speed in contrast to using Adobe Creative Suite 2 is impressive but it's efficiency that is Aperture's strength to me. You don't convert the file to use various tools...they tools work with the file all the way through the process regardless. It reminds me of using a Macintosh. It's not the fastest machine but you get your work done more quickly because the operating system is more effective and doesn't require you to jump through so many hoops to get it done.
On the Brink said:
Not sure what your hardware configuration is, but if you are cruising though 7mp images with little difficulty you shouldn't have too many problems with the 10mp D200 (when it ships).
I'm using a D2X and Aperture just flies through those 12mp files.
mainemike said:
Good to know! This is a Rev B iMac with stock hard drive, stock graphics card, etc., and 2 GB RAM. I was surprised that there wasn't more difficulty with Aperture. However, as I mentioned, the particular folder with which I started out was one with about 100 jpeg images. I know that with RAW things will be a little different and I would expect that when I'm using the 10 MP D200 things will be somewhat different, too.
OTB
NoNameBrand said:
That's pretty much exactly what I mean. I'm currently using Capture for RAW conversion, White Balance control, etc. and also for highlight control (D-LIGHTING).
And actually, I still rely on Photoshop for a lot of my image editing, and I don't think that will change for the moment as I'm somewhat well versed in Photoshop and not so well versed in Aperture. Time will tell if I rely on Aperture more for the bulk of my RAW image editing and tweaking. But I can say without hesitation that I'll continue to work with Photoshop.
It has been said...on the "internets"...so you know that it MUST be true...>
...that Nikon's Capture Editor software works best with images taken with Nikon cameras; that somehow there is this sort of "proprietary voodoo" going on where Nikon Capture brings out the best in RAW files taken with Nikon cameras and that no other software package will produce optimum results because, well, it isn't Nikon software.
Let the debunking or validation of this idea begin!
I share your ambivalence towards Nikon Capture though. Improved, yes, but still sluggish. And Nikon View doesn't hold a candle to Aperture when it comes to image previewing and selecting. Not even close.
On the Brink said:
Keep us posted - would be interesting to see. I noticed that I imported a file of about one hundred JPEGs and later, a different folder of about 60 RAW files. I didn't keep time with a stopwatch or anything. But the difference in speed between JPEG and RAW was not terribly noticeable. Of course, I can only speak for my experience using my particular machine.
Will anyone who has the app care to tell us not only their hardware configurations, but also how it looks in Activity Monitor? I have a feeling that my machine might just explode trying to handle this !
I have an iMac G5 rev. B, 1.5GB, and about 175GB of free space. Photoshop CS already seems to have a huge footprint, I can't imagine what this will be like when I have Aperture, Photoshop, and (the memory hog of all memory hogs) Safari open at the same time.
!I have an iMac G5 rev. B, 1.5GB, and about 175GB of free space. Photoshop CS already seems to have a huge footprint, I can't imagine what this will be like when I have Aperture, Photoshop, and (the memory hog of all memory hogs) Safari open at the same time.
The Black Rock said:Will anyone who has the app care to tell us not only their hardware configurations, but also how it looks in Activity Monitor? I have a feeling that my machine might just explode trying to handle this
I have an iMac G5 rev. B, 1.5GB, and about 175GB of free space. Photoshop CS already seems to have a huge footprint, I can't imagine what this will be like when I have Aperture, Photoshop, and (the memory hog of all memory hogs) Safari open at the same time.
According to Apple, your computer should be able to handle Aperature just fine.
BTW, Adobe Creative Suite doesn't seem to phase my computer, (which is similar to yours), I can have all of them open and still hardly see a difference.
And Safari doesn't use much either.
Maybe you've got that lucky Safari, I've got several tabs open and it just starts to take up 30-40% of the CPU. I've seen it go over a Gig.5 in VM.
I hope I'll be able to run Aperture well enough on this until I can get my Quad. I'm switching over to digital next year, and with that I'll start accepting jobs I've been refusing for a while.
I hope I'll be able to run Aperture well enough on this until I can get my Quad. I'm switching over to digital next year, and with that I'll start accepting jobs I've been refusing for a while.
What inside the package?
Please someone from the lucky one, post what is include in the package . I mean is there ony 1 DVD with Tutorial and the programm? How "heavy" is the programm itself? That else in there? Why do we need 5 GB of free space for installing the Aperture (saw it on Apple site).?
Please!
Please someone from the lucky one, post what is include in the package . I mean is there ony 1 DVD with Tutorial and the programm? How "heavy" is the programm itself? That else in there? Why do we need 5 GB of free space for installing the Aperture (saw it on Apple site).?
Please!
1 tutorial DVD about 90 minutes in length.
1 install DVD.
223-page "Aperture Getting Started" book.
Aperture Quick reference card.
Install pamphlet and serials.
Software coupon sheet.
30-page license agreement (multi-lingual).
Apple Care software service and support guide.
859 megs is what the program took up on my hard drive.
The activity monitor is NOT indicative of how your computer will handle this program. It is HEAVILY Core Image dependent (I can hear my GPU working with most of the adjustments).
Cheers.
1 install DVD.
223-page "Aperture Getting Started" book.
Aperture Quick reference card.
Install pamphlet and serials.
Software coupon sheet.
30-page license agreement (multi-lingual).
Apple Care software service and support guide.
859 megs is what the program took up on my hard drive.
The activity monitor is NOT indicative of how your computer will handle this program. It is HEAVILY Core Image dependent (I can hear my GPU working with most of the adjustments).
Cheers.
As an FYI (and I don't know what ype of images others are working with), I found it immediately necessary to empty my wallet of 330.00 for the ATI X800 XT video card.
My 9650 just ain''t cutting the mustard with 12MP and 8MP images, especially when it comes to cropping, straightening and other adjustments at the full screen level.
My 9650 just ain''t cutting the mustard with 12MP and 8MP images, especially when it comes to cropping, straightening and other adjustments at the full screen level.
iGary said:
Thanks for the quick answer.
WOW 859 Mb - Do you have any idea what are they all about? (I mean it could not be the programm itself).
Still the mistory why we need 5 Gb of free spece ( sudjested by apple) There is no themes of additional stuff like in DVD studio Pro , Motion, Sound Pro or LiveType , there is just the plain application. BIZARE!!
vadim007 said:Thanks for the quick answer.
WOW 859 Mb - Do you have any idea what are they all about? (I mean it could not be the programm itself).
Still the mistory why we need 5 Gb of free spece ( sudjested by apple) There is no themes of additional stuff like in DVD studio Pro , Motion, Sound Pro or LiveType , there is just the plain application. BIZARE!!
There are sample imprts and projects etc....all I know is it said "859MB required."
The Black Rock said:Will anyone who has the app care to tell us not only their hardware configurations, but also how it looks in Activity Monitor? I have a feeling that my machine might just explode trying to handle this
I have an iMac G5 rev. B, 1.5GB, and about 175GB of free space. Photoshop CS already seems to have a huge footprint, I can't imagine what this will be like when I have Aperture, Photoshop, and (the memory hog of all memory hogs) Safari open at the same time.
That was something which was a pleasant surprise to me, being a recent switcher -- I was amazed that I could have all three programs open at the same time without any glitches! Try THAT on a Windoze machine! LOL!
I did, however, quit my Entourage email program so that I wouldn't be interrupted by notifications of incoming email.
I didn't check Activity Monitor, but the machine (rev B iMac with stock hard drive --250 GB -- and stock graphics card, 2 GB RAM) didn't even blink in protest during the whole time I was working with Aperture and PS CS, and I had watched the 90-minute DVD movie just prior to working with the software, too. My Windoze machine, which also has 2 GB RAM, wouldn't have been able to have handled all of that. I would have had to have rebooted after watching the video, and still would have had a crash while trying to use PS CS....
Today I will be installing Aperture on the rev E 15" PB (7200 rpm hd, 2 GB RAM) and we'll see how that fares.... Initially I wasn't going to put the program on there but I know I'll be eventually using it when I travel, so might as well install it right now.
OTB
iGary said:
I have a strong suspicion that once I've got the D200 and am shooting more and more RAW that there will be yet another new Mac in my future.... I know the iMac isn't built to withstand serious heavy-duty image manipulation. This will tide me over until I do get a PM. I'm glad that I have held off with that though, so that as I use Aperture more and with different images, I'll have a much better idea of what I will really need and how to configure the PM at the time of ordering it.
OTB
Awesome info and screencaps all, thanks for sharing.
I'm working to save up for a PM so I can run this bad boy. It sure sounds like a great addition to workflow and the screens of it looks Apple-nice, as one would expect.
iGary, I'd love to hear your reaction to speed boosts between your 9650 and the new x800xt you are getting. I'm trying to figure when configuring a PM if the 6600 will cut it or to save a touch more and get the 7800....decisions decisions
I'm working to save up for a PM so I can run this bad boy. It sure sounds like a great addition to workflow and the screens of it looks Apple-nice
, as one would expect.iGary, I'd love to hear your reaction to speed boosts between your 9650 and the new x800xt you are getting. I'm trying to figure when configuring a PM if the 6600 will cut it or to save a touch more and get the 7800....decisions decisions
efoto said:Awesome info and screencaps all, thanks for sharing.
I'm working to save up for a PM so I can run this bad boy. It sure sounds like a great addition to workflow and the screens of it looks Apple-nice
iGary, I'd love to hear your reaction to speed boosts between your 9650 and the new x800xt you are getting. I'm trying to figure when configuring a PM if the 6600 will cut it or to save a touch more and get the 7800....decisions decisions
Will do. It's coming overnight, so I'll know tomorrow.
Bright side is, there's not much more I can do to torque this thing up aside from a Raptor drive, so my bank account will be happy....until MWSF.
Cheers.
1 GB RAM Doesn't cut it...
2GB is definitely the way to go...running Aperture on a 1.67gHz 17" PB with 1GB RAM doesn't work unless you are a slow thinker or extremely patient...love the program though on the PowerMac, haven't had much time to play, will post more later
Quick Highlights:
Bummers (though you knew it going into the purchase and hopefully will only get better) --
Doesn't necessarily give all you need in compatibility, at least where you would like it to be, especially for the hardware reqs,
Righteous--
Loupe tool increases speed by itself...
Retaining master images is a plus...
I enjoy the iTunes-esque organization style, very intuitive for me...
Light table, second-fav aspect (loupe is #1)
As a photographer, especially working with events, I am excited to have a program designed specifically for a RAW workflow and yes this version might bite the big one in a few areas but the commitment Apple seems to have to continually master this program has me looking for a pot of gold...
Skipper
2GB is definitely the way to go...running Aperture on a 1.67gHz 17" PB with 1GB RAM doesn't work unless you are a slow thinker or extremely patient...love the program though on the PowerMac, haven't had much time to play, will post more later
Quick Highlights:
Bummers (though you knew it going into the purchase and hopefully will only get better) --
Doesn't necessarily give all you need in compatibility, at least where you would like it to be, especially for the hardware reqs,
Righteous--
Loupe tool increases speed by itself...
Retaining master images is a plus...
I enjoy the iTunes-esque organization style, very intuitive for me...
Light table, second-fav aspect (loupe is #1)
As a photographer, especially working with events, I am excited to have a program designed specifically for a RAW workflow and yes this version might bite the big one in a few areas but the commitment Apple seems to have to continually master this program has me looking for a pot of gold...
Skipper
