Basic Aperture Questions for a Beginner

[DavidLeigh]

Hi All,

I'm completely new to Aperture and currently having a lot of fun with it. But i do have quite a few questions. I will try to make them ones that are not immediately obvious for a total beginner, but please bear with me.

1) My guess is that Aperture does not make changes to the original file and all changes made are via Aperture. In other words, only photos exported from Aperture will have changes you've made. Is this right?

2) I'm thinking that the auto enhance is an algorithm. Does that mean that it will give you the same results every time you use it? I have this photo that is kind of over exposed. When i click enhance, it goes dark and then I have to click it again to get the right result. Is this a bug or something wrong with the particular photo.

3) I'm sort of getting the hang of the sync feature with facebook and flickr. Will changes made in facebook and flickr be made in Aperture as well.

I probably have some other questions but this will do so far.

Many thanks.

 

[iancheyne]

Non destructive

Aperture does not alter the master file, you can have as many versions as you like. The changes you make are held in a database and applied on the fly to th image. If you export an image Aperture asks you if you want to export the master or the version ...

 

[OreoCookie]

1) My guess is that Aperture does not make changes to the original file and all changes made are via Aperture. In other words, only photos exported from Aperture will have changes you've made. Is this right?

Yes, the original file (RAW or jpg) is never touched. Aperture saves small text files that essentially contain the »slider settings« and such, and then renders the image afresh (although it will render a preview jpg).

2) I'm thinking that the auto enhance is an algorithm. Does that mean that it will give you the same results every time you use it? I have this photo that is kind of over exposed. When i click enhance, it goes dark and then I have to click it again to get the right result. Is this a bug or something wrong with the particular photo.

Auto enhance analyzes the image and tries to apply settings to make the photo »look good«. If you're interested in photography, I suggest you stay away from this and do things yourself The way RAW files are rendered looks usually quite »dull« and less »sharp« than in-camera jpgs, but that's deliberate (not pertains to all RAW converters, not just Aperture).

3) I'm sort of getting the hang of the sync feature with facebook and flickr. Will changes made in facebook and flickr be made in Aperture as well.

No, the photos are just uploaded, changes made on facebook or flicker will not trickle down to your library.

 

[BJMRamage]

Auto enhance analyzes the image and tries to apply settings to make the photo »look good«. If you're interested in photography, I suggest you stay away from this and do things yourself The way RAW files are rendered looks usually quite »dull« and less »sharp« than in-camera jpgs, but that's deliberate (not pertains to all RAW converters, not just Aperture).

Sometimes I click Auto to see how it looks and what settings they used. Then remove them and start my own or adjust from there.
It can be a good starting point, especially when starting out...no harm since it is just instructions.

 

[Macman45]

Sometimes I click Auto to see how it looks and what settings they used. Then remove them and start my own or adjust from there.
It can be a good starting point, especially when starting out...no harm since it is just instructions.

Hmm, I've been using Aperture for a few years and I've never actually used auto! I just tried it on a couple of shots and it does a half decent job. As you say a good starting point if you are new to Aperture. I don't think I've ever taken more than 100 or so shots that didn't require adjustment...Usually exposure as I frequently photograph objects that are highly reflective where the flash will ruin the shot..Apertures exposure adjustment is very good though.

 

[BJMRamage]

Sometimes I take one of the Presets or a downloaded preset, use that and then run my own adjustments based on that. Copy it to a few other photos to see how it looks and then save my own Preset.

It is like using actions in Photoshop. watching the actions and reading the steps help you understand more of it.