Customer Reviews

Aperture 3 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Before I start the review I need to add a few caveats. The first is I have not really used Adobe Lightroom so I will not be comparing Aperture 3 to Lightroom. (Lightroom is the biggest competitor to Aperture and from what I have read owns the majority of the market). I have tried Lightroom 3 and I could not get past the restrictive module system and the small editing space. I thought I was going to have to slog through learning how to used Lightroom 3 when Apple surprised and delighted me by releasing Aperture 3. Also, I haven't really used iPhoto that much since I got Aperture 2. So I will only be making passing remarks about those programs. The other caveat is that this is a massive program with massive upgrades and there is no way I can cover everything so I will be covering how this program handles my workflow.

Bottom Line Up Front: Aperture 3 is an amazing Photographic Workflow System that fits all of my professional and personal needs. Apple has implemented so many amazing features into this program that it is an absolute must upgrade from Aperture 2. For anyone interested in taking their photography up from the casual (iPhoto) to enthusiast level, Aperture 3 is a great tool to help you accomplish that. For anyone using Lightroom who hates being restricted by what module you are in, Aperture 3 offers amazing new professional features especially concerning showcasing your work. (Still+Video slideshoes, GraphiSutdio, Queensberry, Leather Craftsmen, and Couture Books are just some of the outstanding new features.)

One thing you need to know up front is that Aperture 3 has some stability issues. I have been using Aperture 3 for about 16 hours and have had about 8 crashes. One thing to note is that because of how Aperture works you do not lose any work. You just need to restart the program. I am sure we will be seeing a patch released relatively quickly. Aperture 2 was always the crashiest program I own (most Apple programs never crash but Aperture 2 crashed about 1 time every 8 hours). Unfortunately it looks right now that Aperture 3 will continue that tradition. I will say that Aperture 3 plays a lot better with Snow Leopard than Aperture 2 did. For me these crashes are irritating and I hope they get worked out. However, this is still a truly amazing upgrade over Aperture 2.

My basic digital workflow is to Organize, Edit and Showcase so this is how I will structure the review.

Organize

For Aperture 3, apple has added 2 new ways to organize you photos; Faces and Places. I have read some people disregarding these features as amateurish (You can switch them off if you don't want to use them. Also, faces slows Aperture down right after import as it scans for faces). I, for one, use Aperture 3 for professional and personal purposes. So even if these features were not professionally useful, I still like them (I do find them useful professionally also). These features are nice for allowing photos to stay together in the group in which they were shot. I used to have to pull photos out, especially of people, to relocate to another folder or project. Or I would have to add the person's name as a key word. Either way it was tedious and often required a compromise. Now I can leave all of the photos from a shoot in one location and find a person. Or I don't have to remember when I was shooting at a particular location. I can go to the map and find the photos that way. I think this is awesome from an organizational standpoint. A note on the faces feature. It does a fantastic job finding even the blurriest or off angle faces in a photo. However, it is not as good at recognizing people as I think it should be as it asked me to name some in-focus straight-on shots of people I had already named. This is still a great feature just don't expect miracles.

Aperture 2 used to really bog down once your library got over 10,000 photos. For this reason, I started creating a new library every quarter of the year. I don't know if Aperture 3 has fixed this 10,000 photo slowdown but what they have done is make Library management much better. First off you can change libraries on the fly without having to restart the program. You can also merge and export libraries from inside the program. This library management was one of the biggest things on my Aperture 3 wish list. Aperture 3 is a native 64 bit program so on the newer machines with Snow Leopard I am sure the limit will be higher than 10,000. However, because of Aperture's free-form design and differences between hard drive memory and the relatively small physical memory your computer has there will still be a point where large Aperture libraries will bog your computer down.

The final thing I will talk about concerning Organize are color labels, flags and a new sort option; sort by Orientation. I was just about to go through and hand sort by orientation so this feature will save me a ton of time. You can flag a photo by clicking the top right of the photo. You assign color labels by hitting the option key and 0-7 or by right clicking and selecting the color. The flag and color labels give you more options to quickly organize your photos. As an example, I used to sort my photos according to people, scenic nature, and abstract. Now I can leave the photos in their imported projects and just assign purple to people, green to nature, and yellow to abstract. Then I can make a smart album that sorts for green or yellow, etc. Sweet. Many times I have transition photos as I am processing the photos. Those photos can get in the way. Now I can flag them. Also, externally edited photos return to Aperture as TIFFs. These files get huge (try 60 MB per photo--ouch). Unfortunately, Aperture does not have a file type converter so after I get finished with the TIFFs I export them out as JPEGs and then import them back in as JPEGs. Then I delete the TIFFs. A laborious process but the flags can be used to help me keep track of the TIFF photos so when I get to the export process I can easily find them.

Edit

There have been many many upgrades to the photo editing abilities of Aperture 3. The two major categories are Presets and Adjustments. The Presets are quick fixes, color, white balance, Black and White, and adjustments. You even have the option to create your own presets. These Presets allow you to make quick adjustments without having to fiddle with the sliders. For example if the white balance is not quite right on your photo and you know you shot in tungsten light then just pick that preset and it adjusts the white balance for you. From what I have seen so far this even works well on JPEGs. You can do similar things with exposure and other parameters.

The Adjustments section has far too much to cover here in this already lengthy review. However, the quick brushes are a powerful new feature that I will try to cover. One example of these brushes is Dodge. This used to be a plug-in in Aperture 2 now it is in the program (If you are used to this from Aperture, all of the brushes work in the same way). The reason this is significant is that all of the in Aperture edits are non-destructive. That means you can always go back to where you started. All plug-in changes, one, create a new copy and permanently change that copy and, two, are TIFFs which take up a tremendous amount of space. All of the quick brushes allow you to resize the brush, change the amount of fall off around the edges, and strength of the brush. Additionally, all of the brushes have an overlay to show you where you have applied the change. Some of the other brushes included are dodge, burn, saturate, reduce noise, sharpen, etc. This is an incredibly powerful editing tool that allows you to non-destructively enhance your photos in some dramatic ways.

I had quite a few plug-ins with Aperture 2. The good news is that they work with Aperture 3. The bad news is they are 32 bit while Aperture 3 is 64 bit. The way Aperture 3 handles this is to close and then reboot into a 32 bit mode. Slightly annoying but I am glad my plug-ins still work.

My favorite plug-ins for Aperture are the Nik Effects programs. Even the new Aperture 3 editing tools do not render those plug-ins obsolete. However, I like to layer 3 to 4 filters over a photo. Since Aperture exports the photo out to the plug-in I can only layer 1 at a time and that means more transition photographs. Aperture needs to allow plug-ins to work inside of Aperture for non-destructive edits.

Finally, Aperture needs and in-program file type converter. The export/import routine is crazy and it is made worse by the fact that you lose rating, key words, etc.

Showcase

This is another area where Aperture 3 has really made amazing improvements. When I first got Aperture 2, I had a book printed and to me it wasn't even acceptable for home use, let alone professional use. Well that has changed with Aperture 3. You can download plug-ins from GraphiSutdio, Queensberry, Leather Craftsmen, and Couture Books.(Note you need to be a partner photographer or verified business to get the Queensberry or Leather Craftsmen plug-ins). Take a look at these books and you will be astounded by the quality. (For home users, the price will probably astound you but now you can see why wedding albums cost so much.)

Aperture 3 has also added a slide show function. What is cool about this feature is the ability to use both still and video in the slide show. Many believe this hybrid style is the future of publishing. With cheap electronic paper only a short way off, the day of stills only is coming to a close. Overall, the slide show creator is very good but falls short in a few areas. The first is the limited number of Themes that come with Aperture 3. I know of 2 or 3 additional themes that iPhoto has that are not in Aperture. Second, there is no randomizer function for the photos. Sure you can move them by hand but if you are talking about 150+ photos then sometimes I want to start with a random group of photos and change from there. The last problem is that some of the themes have different proportion frames. That means that Aperture will put the photo in the center. If your subject is off to a side then it might end up getting cut off. Aperture needs to be smarter about what it puts into what frame and then flag the frame for you. Overall, it makes nice slideshows but you will probably still sometimes need to use iMovie or iPhoto for you slide shows. Also, if you are using the $.99 version of a song from iTune store in your slide show, Aperture will not let you export (e.g. output to burn onto a DVD or put on your iPhone) your slide show.

Overall

I have barely scratched the surface of what Aperture can do but as you can see it is an immensely powerful photography workflow program. It is not perfect and it currently has stability issues. However, none of this diminishes what you can accomplish with this program or how enjoyable it is to use.

I've been using Aperture since Version 1.0. I've evaluated each released version of Adobe Lightroom. There's no question that Aperture 3.01 is the fasted, most stable, easiest to use photo management tool that's been released. I've just spent three weeks using Aperture 3.01 to manage the 6,000 photos I took on a recent trip. I've exported photos, built a web site and synched albums to my iPhone. I've used the Brushes feature to retouch hundreds of photos. All worked perfectly, and 2-3 times faster than Aperture 2.X.

Because I am mostly a nature photographer, I didn't and don't use the Faces feature; I can't speak to it. But the Brushes feature is pretty amazing. As a selective sharpening tool, for example, it has no peer in any other Mac photo software. Seriously, the upgrade is worth it for the Brushes features alone.

Conversion of my 282GB Aperture library to version 3 was admittedly time-consuming. I'd estimate 6 hours, running on a 2 quad-core Mac Pro with 4GB of RAM. I did compact and backup my library before converting; I can't say if that was necessary or not. I also keep one-third of my primary drive empty. And I did install the upgrade to version 3.01 before doing anything. Except for the duration, there were absolutely no problems with the conversion. No keywords in my complex keyword system were lost. No photos were lost.

Keyword searches are now blindingly fast: before you can click the Close box on the search dialog, the photos have been found and displayed. Opening a photo for editing in Photoshop - yes, you still need PS - is much faster.

I've only discovered on problem, and while it is definitely Apple's issue, I'm not sure it is Aperture's. The otherwise excellent Magic Mouse will occasionally cause random scrolling in the Browser window of Aperture. It happened in version 2.X; it still happens in version 3.01.

I have to wonder if those reporting various problems with Version 3 don't have underlying hardware problems. This is a terrific piece of software, in my experience. My unqualified recommendation.

Yes, Aperture 3 is very fast compared to Aperture 2 and 1, and it has a lot of wonderful features, but its instability on my system is a show-stopper. SGML: Sounds Good, Maybe Later!

I downloaded the trial version of Aperture 3 from Apple. It's the same as the standard version but requires a purchased serial number after 30 days. Unfortunately, only one hour was needed to determine that this software is not yet ready for prime time. It crashed 3 times during the first hour of use, and then I deleted it from my system (iMac 27" i5, 8 GB RAM).

Instead of buying Aperture 3 now, I'd recommend waiting until at least the first few patches are released by Apple. I'm sure these issues will be addressed sooner or later. Google "Aperture 3" and "crash" and "unstable" online to see what other photographer are saying right now.

If you're feeling lucky, here are a couple of tips that might save you from spending hours and hours of frustrating work:

1. Use IPTC tags for each shot so even if Aperture "goes away," the keywords, caption, photographer, copyright, etc. tags are preserved for each shot.

I've been using Aperture on a daily basis since version 1 was released, and still have Aperture 2.1.4 on my system. With both Aperture 1 and 2, I have experienced occasional "library" (database/catalog) corruption. I don't know if Aperture 3 has the same issues but given its current instability, I'd suggest erring on the side of caution.

Aperture has sometimes associated the wrong metadata (captions, keywords, etc.) with some of my shots, as well as the wrong thumbnails. The standard fixes include rebuilding the Aperture catalog by holding down the option and command keys while starting Aperture, and manually deleting the thumbnail files from library packages. Sometimes these methods have worked, sometimes not. When they haven't worked, I've lost many hours of time rebuilding the library and re-applying adjustments to thousands of shots.

Fortunately all the metadata for each of my shots is in IPTC format, embedded in the image files rather than just in Aperture's library, so I haven't lost any critical image information as a result of these problems. At least a couple of times per year I've had to delete a corrupted Aperture library, which means losing all the image adjustments, plus waiting while all the thumbnails get rebuilt.

2. Import your images into Aperture by reference, leaving them in their original folders. Don't allow Aperture to move your shots into its "package."

If Aperture crashes or corrupts its own library, you'll be happy that all you have to delete is the library, knowing your shots are safe and sound where you left them. Yes, you could probably extract them from an Aperture library package if necessary, but if the package is truly corrupted by Aperture, you'll have a much bigger job ahead of you. As a side benefit, if you use other software packages such as LightRoom or PhotoMechanic to manage or edit your shots, you can do that very easily if the shots are in their original folders.

I'm sorry to write this negative review. I've been waiting for Aperture 3 for a long time, but I won't buy it until Apple fixes it. I wish you better luck than I had with it.

I am a loyal Aperture 2 user. I have used it since it came out and have learned to love it over Lightroom. I was waiting for this upgrade anxiously and given the Apple usually releases flawless products I was very enthused to start using the new software.
Installing it was a disaster, it kept crashing after the installation when it was converting my A2 libary to an A3 libary, very dissapoitning. After finally getting it to install it also was draining all my hard drive resources and not finishing the transition of libraries, complete letdown.
If you look at the support page in Apple around Aperture a ton of users are experiencing the same problems. I think Apple in its rush to beat Lightroom 3 release they just released a piece of crap beta product and did not do the appropriate testing. Apple loves to talk about the user experience and this has been probably the worst I've ever had with Apple or with any piece of software.
I am not saying you should go over to Lightroom 3, but at least wait to have Apple get their act together. I am seriuosly thinking of returing this item and waiting to have a real release candidate, not a beta version.

I have been using Aperture 3 since it came out - it definitely had stability issues previously but 3.0.2 is very stable. The new features work well and I am still learning about them. Definitely worthwhile upgrading now in my view. It is also working with the Niksoftware plug-ins now as well without difficulty. Check out [...] for some examples and info, or Maccreate.

Initially I found the product unusable due the instability issues; however, I reloaded the program and installed the patch which Apple provided. I have been using the software for about six weeks now with no problems. A great program. For someone who is not a professional, but enjoys photography, it is intuitive. Easy to get professional results.

Aperture 3 changes the file structure of your Aperture library so that you cannot use the library with Aperture 2. Should you try an install of Aperture 3, make sure that you back your Aperture 2 library separately, that you know how to uninstall Aperture 3 if it does not work, and that you can re-install Aperture 2. I found that using TimeMachine was a relatively easy way to restore the Aperture 2 library and application.

I love Aperture 2 and it was a no brainer to upgrade to Aperture 3.

Boy was I wrong. The software installed - no problem - but it crashed every 5 minutes and hijacked over 90% of my MacBook Pro's resources attempting to convert the database. After 6 hours and way too many crashes I backed out and reverted to Aperture 2.

I thought that it might just be my install, so I went to the [...] support site and saw that my issues were the norm. I recommend anyone considering the upgrade go to the Apple website and read the Aperture 3 blogs under in the Support area.

This release was untested, unstable, and not ready for shipping. Very surprising for an Apple software release.

Big Aperture 2 user so was delighted when this was finally announced. Was great at first but the more I use it the more buggy it seems to get, 2 years of development to get this? Apple needs to fire it's beta testers ( if there were any ) and pay me instead because I clearly can do a better job in 1 hour of using it than they did during development. See the Apple support forums for the list of issues, I will not bother repeating them here. But I would say stay away from it until now, it needs a .1 release at least before anyone can take it seriously.

I will say though that it's nice to have someone other than Canon's own software supporting the sRAW format for my Canon 50D.

Once they bug fix this I'm sure I'll love it as much as Aperture 2 ( Also use Lightroom 1, 2 and beta of 3 ) but I'll wait and see.

I have been using Aperture 2 for almost 2 years and had few issues with it other than the inferior RAW support compared to Adobe's Lightroom. I bought the upgrade package for Aperture 3 because of it's RAW support updates and some of the additional features advertised (although I still prefer using the NIK support software for Aperture to do colour and exposure editing.)

Aperture 3 is probably in my opinion one of the most unstable programs ever released since an infamous OS launched to coincide with the Millenium.

I have searched forums and applied all sorts of suggestions (eg turning Faces off) to try and prevent the frequent crashes but to no avail. I can't even crop a picture without the program crashing. Go ahead and read the forums, I'm not the only user making these complaints.

To add insult to injury, Aperture 3 does not support the RAW format of the Panasonic GF-1, a very popular camera. You need to do some minor hacking according to forums to get the format supported (why Aperture 3 supports almost every other modern digital Panasonic except the GF-1 is mind boggling.)

I loved A2 for it's ease of workflow. But seriously, A3 in it's current state is a piece of garbage. I'm using a Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.5G with 4 gig of RAM so I do not believe it is a hardware issues. And my RAM is good (I've checked).

If some fix is applied and stability improved, I would recommend Aperture as a wonderful program to ease your editing workflow.

If nothing happens in the near future and Apple continues to twiddle their thumbs, then I would recommend jumping to Lightroom. I know I am.

This product works great and is replacing Photoshop for my routine photo editing because Aperture is simple, intuitive, and effective. It is also resource friendly. File management is very simple and easy to understand; it is a major improvement over Aperture 2 because it enables multiple libraries. The brushes are a terrific feature and with the detect edge feature are great for editing out background from birds, etc.

I also definitely recommend Derrick Story's Aperture 3 video tutorial on [...] to get you quickly up to speed.

I have not experienced any crashes. It did take a while to upgrade my images (automatically) but it was simply a matter of patience.