Review of the Apple Aperture

www.apple.com Price: £300 When we first looked at Apple Aperture last May it was slick, fast and impressive, but there were flaws and it was pricey. At the same time, Adobe launched the beta of Lightroom, which performed better in many ways. As a first release, we expect bugs and Apple’s update promises to deliver the goods. Like Lightroom, Aperture is a workflow and Raw editing tool, allowing importing, cataloguing and conversion of files non-destructively using XMP sidecar files. Changes made to images are saved as data files and applied when the image is opened in Aperture, leaving the original file unaltered. Also, the image and sidecar can be imported into Photoshop for further editing. The software can also be used to effectively manage JPEG and TIFF files. Loupe improvements There are 20 new features. Notable ones are an improved library system, allowing storage in any folder or disc of your choice without the needless copying of files into a central depository. Apple has also improved the loupe, with better on-screen commands, such as an off-screen mode that links the cursor and loupe so you can view selected images at the side of the main window, thereby not covering your image with the loupe. You can even use it on images in the film-strip window, without opening them in the main pane. The program now has integration with Apple’s iLife and iWork packages, for simple importing into documents or presentations. There’s improved metadata management, including presets to automatically attach copyright, captions and so on to batches of files and you can save common adjustments as presets. The colour control has also been extended to allow individual colour correction; for example, blue skies can be adjusted without affecting the rest of the image. The software offers stacking of images on a light-table, as well as side-by-side image comparison. The modular form of the software allows you to move between libraries and editing controls easily, as well as offering print options and web gallery creation. Importantly, Apple has improved the Raw conversion process, with excellent image rendition and no sign of the image noise that plagued some images in the initial release. VERDICT There’s too much in Aperture to cover in a short review, but this release is a big improvement on the first version. A free update is available for licence holders, and the price for new users is much more affordable than it was, though still expensive. Download a free trial from Apple’s site. What Digital Camera Score 88%