Apple today introduced Aperture 2, the next major release of its photo editing and management software with over 100 new features that make it faster, easier to use and more powerful. With a streamlined user interface and entirely new image processing engine, Aperture 2 also introduces new imaging tools for highlight recovery, color vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and RAW fine-tuning, and lets users directly post their portfolios on the .Mac Web Gallery for viewing on the web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV. At a new low price of US$199, anyone can easily organize, edit and publish photos like a pro.
“Many of the most respected photographers on assignment all over the world trust Aperture to organize, edit and deliver their images,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing, in the press release. “With its simpler interface and lower price, anyone can take full advantage of Aperture’s power.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the quality of the image,” said Sports Illustrated contributing photographer David Bergman, in the press release. “Even before I begin making adjustments, Aperture’s new RAW processing gives me better images with more visible detail and better color rendering than any other program I’ve tested.”
“I used to have so much stress about post-production on a shoot, having to juggle multiple applications to make sure they all worked,” said Bob Davis, PDN Top Knots Wedding Photographer 2007, in the press release. “With Aperture that’s no longer a factor. I can do everything all in one application.”
Featuring a new, easier user interface designed to be more intuitive and accessible, Aperture 2 now lets users navigate between Viewer and Browser modes with a single key command. Screen real estate is maximized for images with an all-in-one heads up display that allows users to toggle between library, metadata and adjustment controls in a single tabbed inspector. The All Projects view, modeled after iPhoto’s Events view, provides a poster photo for every project and the ability to quickly skim through the photos inside, and the integrated iPhoto® Browser offers direct access to all the events and images in the iPhoto library.
Performance has been enhanced in Aperture 2 so it’s faster to import, browse and search large volumes of images. Embedded previews let photographers caption, keyword and rate images as they are being imported, and with the ability to export images in the background, photographers can continue working while images are processed to JPEG, TIFF, PNG and PSD file formats. Quick Preview allows users to browse RAW images in rapid succession without having to wait for files to load, and the Aperture library database has been re-architected to provide fast project switching and near instantaneous search results, even when working with extremely large libraries of 500,000 images or more.
Aperture 2 delivers powerful new imaging tools for getting the most out of each photograph. Apple’s next-generation RAW image processing is at the core of Aperture 2 offering uncompromising image quality and precision controls that let users fine-tune the image profile for each of their cameras. New tools for improving and enhancing images include Recovery for pulling back “blown” highlights, Vibrancy for selectively boosting saturation without adversely affecting skin tones, Definition, which offers local contrast for adding clarity to images, Vignette & Devignette filters for providing professional visual effects and a true soft-edged Repair and Retouch brush for quickly and easily removing blemishes, cleaning up sensor dust and cloning away problem areas.
Aperture 2 works seamlessly with Mac OS X, iLife, iWork, .Mac and Apple print products, so any image in the Aperture library can be accessed directly from within other applications, such as iMovie, Keynote and Pages, and even from within Leopard Mail. Now with .Mac Web Gallery support, Aperture users can publish their photos once to view them on the web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV. Books in Aperture 2 feature new theme designs, layout tools, customized dust jackets (including full-bleed) and foil stamped covers.
Aperture 2 is available immediately for a suggested retail price of US$199 through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Owners of previous versions of Aperture can upgrade to Aperture 2 for just $99.
More info about Apple’s new Aperture 2 here.
Reviews convinced me not to buy previous versions, I’ll be looking for evidence this one is worth having.
About freakin’ time! But Apple should at least offer those of us who paid to test drive this software, a free upgrage to Version 2.
Wonder how many people have already jumped to Lightroom after not being able to work with D300 and D3 images for so long
So that was the reason why Mozart got his knickers in a twist with Apple yesterday!
Whiner tmsruge above – get a life. Aperture has been a joy.
” . . . with over 100 new features that make it faster, easier to use and more powerful.”
That’s why I’m calling it “SNAP-erture”.
Ampar?
*groan*
FYI
http://www.apple.com/aperture/upgrade/
Maybe now they will fix the problem with PS3 and the crop tool. This has taken way to long.
Groan? Shutter, maybe.
C’mon! Focus!
Apple must be trying to win back the market from Adobe with the price drop.
How much did they lower the price?
Pffffttt! I was an Aperture user once. Then moved to Lightroom. What a difference. How many of us care about Aperture anymore?
To all the Aperture naysayers..Lightroom is merely a glossy version of iPhoto. Aperture the first to the market and the first to address the demands of photographers is the undisputed winner.
Adobe is a good company at best. Sure you, me and 110% of the population uses the CS3 apps. This fact doesn’t necessarily make it better than what Apple offers. Let’s take a quick look at Adobe Premiere “PRO” — pleassseee, what a load of shit on a silver plate.This program had been pulled from the Mac community in 2001, they literally left stranded a handful of users. Final Cut on the other hand, matured and literally along with Avid owns the NLE market.
Shortly after FCP, Apple introduces a one of kind application, Aperture. Design to fill a niche based that Photoshop couldn’t complete. Sure photoshop can do more than Aperture – but it was shit poor at management and to this very day it continues with it’s lopsided feature developments.
So back to Lightroom, why in Jesus’s name would I support another app by a company that continues to be wishy washy with it’s Mac support. Let’s not talk about the Power PC CS2 to Intel CS3 transition fiasco!
Anyways, LightRoom sucks balls, very much like Premiere “Pro”.
Hooray!
For the record, I much prefer Aperture to Lightroom. However, I sincerely wish Apple was [much] quicker to market with their RAW support updates. They should be getting support from the camera manufacturers on this, as it benefits them both. I know it’s difficult stuff, but it’s one of my biggest peaves about Apple.
Waited far too long for this.
‘Aperture naysayers’, gman, were that way for a reason. Aperture 1.5 was an inferior product to LR’s speed and simplicity and it dropped to about a 5% share before very long (and stayed there).
No matter what you think, the people who do this for a living don’t care that it’s Apple vs Adobe. They just want it to work.
“Lightroom is merely a glossy version of iPhoto.”
That is a comment of such amazing ignorance that it’s not even worth the effort.
I gave the Aperture trial a fair shot. It was slow, complex and utterly useless in face paced, real world shoot situations. My boss liked the look of it so our studio bought 2 copies. A total waste of $600.
LR ate Aperture for lunch. Period. But that was yesterday.
Let’s see if Apple cooked up something worthy in 2.0.
Apple’s insistence on secrecy at the pro level is hurting them immeasurably. In the consumer market, it’s fine. Build up expectations, let some rumors fly. Then hit them with a must have product. Fine.
That approach in the pro market? Absurd. Pros need a roadmap.
Right now the only one we have is thanks to Intel.
I agree with “tmsruge,”
About freeking time!!!
Looking forward to it and hoping it’s all about speed, speed speed!
STILL compatible with my PowerBook G4?!?!
I’m impressed! Now if it comes close to the speed of iPhoto I’ll really be impressed.
Nikon D3 and D300 support is a nice touch as well.
@ “Going to Give It a Try”, you state:
“Apple’s insistence on secrecy at the pro level is hurting them immeasurably.” on what are you basing this?
Final Cut Pro, incase you missed the boat, is developed in secrecy.
yet, FCP Studio has matured into a product that is years ahead of the competition. Unless, of course you consider FCP Studio a consumer product?
Also, you stated that professionals don’t care if it’s Adobe or Apple, will a I beg to differ. Part of how I decide on what and who to buy, is if they truly have the my interests at the forefront.
Ampar needs an intervention. He is returning to the land of puny puns.
Glossy monitors…now there’s a pile of shit on a silver platter. The real reason I’ll never buy a MacBook Air or iMac.
I evaluated both Aperture and Lightroom last year and they’re both excellent products – we’re lucky to have such a choice unlike those poor Windows users. I would have been happy with either but preferred Aperture’s workflow (it’s a personal thing) but I do miss Lightroom’s extra performance.
Downloading now and if they’ve sorted out the performance I’ll be very happy.
Of the ppl who have tried A2? is it faster? I went to lightroom because performance of Aperture was horrible.
The proof is in the numbers.
Apple fans, *Apple users* overwhelmingly chose LR for good reason. It was the better product.
You’re at a shoot. You have $10k’s worth of models and stylists and assistants at your beck and call. Would you rather have the Adobe product that gets the job done faster and simpler or the Apple product that is significantly slower and more complex, makes you stare at the beachball for 8 seconds when all you did is scroll down and takes its sweet time doing anything else – on your new MBP??
Dude, Aperture hit a 5% market share and never recovered – amongst creatives who use Apple products more than any other group!
The forums are jammed with Mac users saying, “well, I tried both and LR was so much faster, I got tired of looking at the beachball in Aperture”.
It hurts Apple when they have the lesser product and nobody can get anyone to give us any freaking clue when to expect an improvement.
I do this for a living. It’s my life, my mortgage, my kid’s schooling. I don’t bs around with this stuff and I don’t spend money on products that don’t do what I need them to do.
Me: When can we expect Aperture v.2? Apple: No comment.
Me: What can I expect to see in v2.0? Apple: No comment.
Me: When can I expect CS3? Adobe: 1st Qtr 2007 approx.
Me: What can I expect for new features in CS3? Adobe: Well, we’re working on features X, Y and Z, do you want to be on the email list so you know when the release date is confirmed?
For crying out loud, look at the comment from ‘Jay’s brother’ up there.
Why don’t you ask him why he “was an Aperture user once” and then moved to LR?
But… like I said, that was all yesterday. This is v2.0 today.
I’ve held off on Aperture waiting for this day. If they got it right they’ll have a new customer.
Gman. Peace.
Craperture takes a Number 2…I had to say that. I tested 2.0 today with a Canon MkII tethered via Firewire and USB. Connectivity with either cable was horribly unreliable, but it is impressive when it works. I hope this issue is eventually fixed. The new interface is such an improvement and way more effective. The new retouching tools are awesome. Overall it is very worthy of the $99.
First off, anyone who says that Aperture or Lightroom is “better, period” is just a blowhard. Although these two apps seem to compete in the same market, in fact, they are designed for different audiences. LR is the more consumer-friendly, and Aperture is aimed at high-volume pros. Features largely overlap, but LR’s adjustment tools better serve tweakers, whereas Aperture better serves editors. For my landscape work, I’d rather have LR’s tools for extensive adjustment and correction of a small number of images. But, as a professional event photographer shooting thousands of images at a time, I wouldn’t give up Aperture’s organizing, ranking and culling tools for anything. The ability to share entire projects with my business partner is a big plus, too. I retouch my landscapes in PS anyway, so LR doesn’t offer me anything I don’t already have.
Apple has delivered most of what I wanted in v.2: background export, moiré & chromatic aberration correction, and vignetting adjustment. The only piece missing is lens distortion adjustment.