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 Though Apple computer hardware and the OS X operating system are the disproportionate choice of digital imaging professionals, the company's iPhoto application is aimed at a more mainstream, consumer-level audience. Recently, however, Apple asked pro photographers to "Think Different" (the company's old ad tag line) about imaging software. The result is an ambitious program called Aperture, which might be described as "iPhoto for Pros" but really aims much higher. Like its sibling, Aperture is a beautifully designed, all-in-one package that seeks to redefine the way its users work with images. But Aperture costs about $500, while iPhoto is included free on all new Macs. Fortunately, the new software has a prodigious feature set and high-octane performance to match its hefty price tag.
Despite early rumors, Apple has made very clear that Aperture is not a direct competitor to Adobe Photoshop CS2, the reigning heavyweight for image editing. In fact, it presumes that most Aperture adopters will use it in tandem with Photoshop. While the new program's features do cross into Photoshop territory, Apple designed Aperture mainly to streamline workflow for large image collections. In the process they created an unusual hybrid app that merges compare and select tools, cataloging and searching, flexible view and presentation options, and an essential but limited set of the most commonly used image adjustments.
Most of Aperture's varied functions are accessible simultaneously from the program's unique "modeless" interface (top). Within a single workspace you can import and organize images; browse and scrutinize them; assign rankings and captions; add keywords and run searches; manage metadata; adjust exposure and other parameters; crop and retouch; and much more. But the most trendsetting thing about Aperture is its native ability to handle RAW files, which requires high-end hardware hardware (see sidebar, next page).
Given the requisite processing muscle, Aperture is able to handle RAW images with the ease with which other programs do JPEG, TIFF, and Photoshop PSD files. And it's very fast. You can preview RAW photos at high speed, even full-screen on a 30-inch Cinema
Display; zoom to 100 percent and scroll fluidly; compare and magnify many shots simultaneously; use a "virtual" Loupe to check fine details (below right); and make corrections in real time. And you can print directly from RAW files without first having to convert to an intermediate format.
Working with RAW means never having to alter the original picture data. Aperture takes this concept even further by applying the very same nondestructive model to JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files as well. Thus, any image adjustments you make -- to color, levels, white balance (bottom, center) -- are saved simply as instruction sets that stay with the unaltered originals and can be modified, removed, and applied to other images using the Lift & Stamp tool. The same goes for cropping, rotating, and retouching. Aperture lets you create multiple versions of any original, which are stored as instruction sets rather than actual-pixel duplicates.
This system of "virtual" duplicates means that extra versions require very little extra storage space. And it minimizes the need for multiple pixel-based copies that tend to clog your hard drive. But there's a trade-off: Any images or folders of images that you want to work with in Aperture must first be imported into its dedicated, iPhoto-style library. The good news is that idiot-proof backups called Vaults mirror your Library on any additional drives and can be updated automatically.
How do you share files from Aperture's Library with other programs? By exporting them, dragging and drop-ping a Project into a desktop folder, or designating an external editor to open Aperture-based files. If you send a picture to Photoshop, the edited file reappears in Aperture as a new version -- without overwriting the original. One catch: Aperture can see, but not work with, Photoshop layers; if you import a layered file and apply adjustments, it simply saves an additional flattened version.
Other Aperture assets include Stacks, which reduce onscreen clutter by hiding similar shots underneath your chosen best shot. Stacks may be created manually or by using Auto-Stack, based on the interval between shots that you specify. Then there are Smart Albums, which you create by applying precise search terms to sort through keywords, EXIF shooting info, IPTC captions, and other metadata attached to your files.
Aperture's presentation tools include Web Gallery (for posting image collections online), Web Journal (for creating photo blogs), and Book (you upload a layout directly to Apple and order copies). All these tools give you a choice of themes and layout options. We loved being able to perform nearly any image adjustment (white balance, cropping, sharpening) on any photo within one of these layouts, change or add keywords and captions, or use the Loupe magnifier to peruse fine details. Ditto with Aperture's Light Table (below, center), a kind of informal pasteup board where you can experiment with image combinations, sizes, and positions.
Overall, we found Aperture to be a very intuitive program. As Photoshop users we needed to learn many new icons and keyboard shortcuts, but eventually these allowed us to work much faster. The various compare and select tools -- five-star ranking, Stacks, and multi-image previews -- made short work of large editing jobs. And it was a pleasure not having to switch between separate browser and image correction modes in order to open RAW images in a different application. Operating full screen with the floating Heads-Up Displays (above left) was super. Most fun of all was dual-monitor mode with a pair of 30-inch Cinema Displays. (Yes, Apple loaned us two!)
As a Version 1.0 product, of course, Aperture isn't perfect. Because it isn't Photoshop and doesn't intend to be, there are no layers, no masks, no selection tools, no special effects filters, no perspective correction, nor a pixel-level color readout. Plus, retouching, sharpening, and noise reduction are somewhat rudimentary. Other gripes: no zoom steps other than 100 percent or synchronized scrolling when comparing zoomed images. We also discovered that Aperture doesn't support all RAW formats. But our biggest initial complaint involving the quality of Aperture's RAW conversions -- oversharpened, too contrasty, and noisy in shadows -- was rendered moot by Aperture's first software update.
So is Aperture right for you? It's an impressive debut. But if you buy it, you face the realities of early adoption, making a commitment to hardware upgrades and a nonstandard file system. Still, Apple has a habit of turning cutting-edge innovations into industry mainstays, so your faith may well be rewarded.
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