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Aperture 2

The greatest gift ever

Written by JO from Emmaus

Jan 13, 2009

I got Aperture 2 for christmas this year and I can't stop using it. The effects and editing is absolutely wonderful.
Thanks for another great program APPLE.

34 of 59 people found this useful

Aperture 2

P3 - Picture Perfect Photo's

Written by DL from San Diego

Dec 25, 2008

I just got Aperture 2.0, (I have not used Aperture 1.0 before) and believe that after viewing all the tutorials that I can now use it to "tweak" my photo's and share them in a whole new way!

This is a "Serious" powerful application (the box is heavy with multiple disc's) and even though the tutorials make it look simple; i know, (for me) that it will take some "quality time" to absorb all the "power of it's Force" as I strive to become one with Aperture 2.0 to better correct/share my photo's..
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Apple is wise to provide an ever increasing number of these tutorials; the better Apple help us "learn" Aperture 2.0, the more folks will seek it's Power to make their photo's look professional!

Look out Adobe/CS/Photo Shop; Aperture is HOT & MUCH EASIER TO USE!

98 of 114 people found this useful

Aperture 2

INCREDIBLE

Written by PB from Austin

Dec 8, 2008

I'm new to shooting in RAW format. I spent years shooting JPEG because they looked great, small file size, nice prints. Never really understood RAW, primarily because I never took the time to find out what the buzz was all about.

Aperture 1.0 came out. A friend gave me a copy. I HATED IT. Continued using iPhoto. Simple, easy to use. My cup of tea.

Another friend who was a professional photographer for 20 years and continues shooting for pleasure told me that I should switch to RAW. I asked why? He said because it will give you the best images possible.

I kept shooting JPEG.

Aperture 1.5 came out. I did the upgrade. Well, enough of that. Back to iPhoto.

Aperture 2.1.1. was released. I waited. Read every single review and commentary from customers I could find, then, I decided to give it another shot.

And this is worth noting: One of the deciding factors in purchasing 2.1.1. for me was the 50 mini video tutorials posted on Apple's website. I was able to find out how to handle very specific issues just by watching these tutorials.

I found a copy of 2.1.1. on Amazon for $156.49 w/ free shipping.

Reset my camera to RAW + JPEG FINE. Did a walkabout the neighborhood and shot everything.

Today, Aperture arrived. I installed it, dumped a couple of hundred photos in it and started using the editing tools. So easy to use. Incredibly powerful. Probably old hat for the DSLR photographers out there, but, it was a day of revelations for me.

What an incredible product. I just can't believe it. I can do things in minutes that would takes hours in a darkroom.

Great job Apple.

1264 of 1347 people found this useful

Aperture 2

A happy Windows-based photographer has seen the light...

Written by RT from Harleysville

Dec 8, 2008

I was a happy Windows-based photographer that spent a considerable amount of time perfecting my work flow on a Vista machine. I had all five of the applications I used in my work flow "streamlined" and was getting good results.

In September I won a contest to shoot with pro photographers in Grand Teton National Park and learn Aperture. I had recently purchases an iMac to do some iPhone development so I could "play" with the software.

Fast forward three months. All of my photography (actually all of my computing) is now on the Mac and managed through Aperture. My work flow went from five apps to one, my time to turn-around images has fallen by 70% and the quality of my work is vastly improved. Best of all, I'm making considerably MORE MONEY using this setup.

Nothing, since the switch to digital, has changed the way I shoot, process and output images more than my switch to Aperture. It's simply THAT GOOD.

140 of 152 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Impressive...

Written by PS from CHICAGO

Nov 17, 2008

Just playing with adjustments on sample images that come with this program, I'm amazed!! Easier than photoshop and very powerful. Can't wait to get this thing in action on my holiday project, digitizing my film negatives! Not too worried anymore about how they will come out of the scanner...

53 of 67 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Aperture is great... but... ... ...

Written by SR from Altadena

Nov 14, 2008

I tried the 30 free trials of both Aperture and Lightroom. Most of that time I found myself in Lightroom because Aperture did not have the RAW update for my camera yet. I have to say, Lightroom is quite impressive. Works like a champ and has some really nice non-destructive masking tools which I used constantly. But so great was my allegiance to Apple, when Aperture came out with the update for my camera I fled from Lightroom and purchased Aperture with the thought that they'd be pretty much the same product and that Aperture would link into my Apple work-flow much better. Which turns out to be true. It's great. But seems to be missing some really important items, the biggest is non-destructive masking and editing of specific parts of my photo. Aperture has NO masking. Aperture does have a lot of plugins which allow you to do this (at enormous expense; some plugins cost more than Aperture itself) but the plugins are "destructive." The plugin actually launches another window where you tweak and adjust but when you save, a duplicate TIFF version is saved in Aperture. At this point you are hosed. You cannot go back into that plugin and tweak any adjustments you made. You have to do it all over again. It's a HUGE weakness. If I'd known ahead of time, rather than just jumping on the Apple wagon when the RAW .cr2 update showed up, I would have remained in Lightroom. So the bottom line is this: Aperture and Lightroom both have the same basic adjustments for photos (RAW being the most important), so they're on even ground there. Aperture excels at metadata and organization tools which makes it feel more like a great database program with the most basic photo adjustment tools thrown in. Lightroom isn't so great at handling huge libraries, but has much better control over image and is much less "destructive" to your images. In the end, for me, it doesn't matter how well a photo developing program allows me to find my photos. What matters is the end product: the photo. Lightroom, for now, really seems to have the upper hand. So, Aperture, it was nice knowing you (and too bad I spent the 200 bucks) but I'll be moving back to Lightroom (and spending another 300 bucks). Oh, well. You live, you learn, you spend...

9 of 12 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Excellent Value

Written by TF from tempe

Nov 8, 2008

I upgraded from an iBook PPC based laptop to the late 2008 macbook pro and wanted a pro application for it. I'm an amateur photographer so Aperture was a no-brainer. I've heard about this Aperture for quite awhile and wondered how it differed from iPhoto. I downloaded the trial and bought a key less than a week later. Basically, iPhoto is a consumer product, Aperture being pro. What I love about Aperture is that it integrates seamlessly with iPhoto, which I still love to fall back on for the 'fun' stuff. You can share libraries with just a few mouse clicks. All of iPhoto's elements(i.e., albums, events) can be imported into Aperture. However, Aperture is so much richer and robust than iPhoto even as it's features make it's way into iPhoto. For example, Aperture is much more configurable than iPhoto. The controls are more finely tuned (especially for RAW). Searches are amazing with almost any metadata capable of being searched. This is useful for large libraries of images. Projects can be saved and backed up elsewhere. Whole libraries can be saved in special files called vaults which can also be backed up. The interface is clean and uncluttered. Dual monitor support is available which is nice when I can afford that new LCD Cinema Display(on my wish list.) Best of all is the value. The features built into this software are worth so much more than $199.99USD. I recommend buying the book 'Aperture2' from Peach Pit Press to guide you through this feature rich application. It is part of the Apple Pro Training Series and is Apple Certified. The only reason I didn't give this product 5 stars was because I think it still has room to grow.

140 of 149 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Way ahead of the competition

Written by CC from Ottawa

Oct 19, 2008

There are several amazing features about this product that makes it the best in its class (for quick photo edititng and organization). First of all, its interface is extremely clean and well organized so that it makes it very easy for the user to find everything that he needs. Also, this product has great features for organizing your phtots and finding them very quickly, viewing your photots in full screen mode and making quick but important adjustments to your photos. Overall, their is nothing tht compares to this product. Plus, it is virtually bug free and works the way you would expect an apple product to work. Keep up the good work apple!!!!

563 of 637 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Great App

Written by LM from Dallas

Oct 18, 2008

I have dove in with both feet and feel the software is more than I expected. From an amateur's perspective, I find that it does what I need it to do, however I have started looking at Plug In's for extra capabilities. I recommend watching some video podcast for shortcuts and explanations as the software is intensive and comprehensive. Some of the things you can do with other software programs are not done with the same type of key strokes or menu logic. But there does seem to be a real good reason for most everything. I like this program a lot. The more you use it, the better you get at putting just the right finishing touches on that once in a lifetime shot.

75 of 86 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Great Program for Photo Management

Written by MS from Honolulu

Oct 18, 2008

I really enjoy the simplicity of the program for organizing photos into projects and being able to quickly enhance or correct the photo. There are great options that are easy to find and make sense. I also enjoyed all the Podcasts available on iTunes that showed how to use the features. I highly recommend this product.

57 of 66 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Prety Good!

Written by HH from Qualicum Beach

Oct 13, 2008

Apple has done it again! making some more Great software for mac's!! This software is good but i think it is overpriced for what it is. Ok so i can edit my pics etc. But i think it should be somewhat cheaper. Other then that this is a great program! and it is easy to put my pictures in it. I simply plug-in and, it starts, and they are in the program!! great job! 4 stars.

41 of 62 people found this useful

Aperture 2

A Hundred times better than Photoshop

Written by CC from Sarasota

Oct 12, 2008

Aperture is an amazing product. I am able to edit a photo in 30 seconds! You can also create web galleries in a matter of minutes. A great way to share pictures with friends and families. Aperture is a superior product, and I recommend it to anyone that takes pictures.

59 of 75 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Excellent program for any serious hobbyist

Written by MP from COLORADO SPRINGS

Oct 11, 2008

iPhoto on steroids! The seamless integration with iPhoto and intuitive design are ingenious! I've been using this for a few months now and have been amazed at how well the non-destructive photo editing features work. The exposure correction options, for example, work much better than iPhoto alone. Some features I even prefer to use over the equivalent in Photoshop CS3. The only disappointment is the gee-whiz stuff like making greeting cards, but then you can use iPhoto (which has a few more built in designs) for that type of thing anyway.

182 of 193 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Worth and useful for photographers

Written by VC from Brooklyn

Oct 2, 2008

I am an amateur photographer, and this has proven to be more useful to me personally than iphoto w/more functions in terms of its software specializes in filing, comparing, editing, exporting your work. In a metaphor it's a cabinet that holds all your pictures in an orderly manner; it allows you to lay it out on a light table digitally, photoshop is there to polish the specifics of individual pictures. It's worth an investment.

569 of 658 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Great product!

Written by JH from El Segundo

Sep 24, 2008

Easy to use, very happy with this product.

43 of 92 people found this useful

Aperture 2

Good to go!

Written by CK from Alexandria

Sep 19, 2008

User friendly GUI and awesome keyword searching capability. Probably the best $100 you can spend for storing mass quantities of photos.

81 of 113 people found this useful