Switch to Aperture?
I just bought a Mac. Should I switch to Aperture? I’m using Lightroom now.
I trained on both Aperture and LR but found Aperture to be more intuitive. I've used Aperture almost exclusively and have to say that although I am in the (great) minority for professional photographers I find it faster and more natural than LR and like it quite a bit. That said, Aperture is past due for a real upgrade from version 3 and there is beginning to be some grumbling that Apple is less interested in the pro photo/video market than chasing more consumer products, both hardware and software.
On the minus side, Aperture lacks geometric correction tools (I use the PTlens plug-in), lacks automatic lens enhancement, and the range of burning and dodging is too limited. Raw conversion might be a little better (and faster) than LR but to my eye it's not as good as DxO (which I do not use because its workflow is extremely clumsy).
It's really a tradeoff between workflow efficiency, personal preferences, and image quality. I use Photoshop on <5% of my images; the various Nik plug-ins launch within Aperture, work cleanly, return you to Aperture when done, and cover virtually anything that Aperture doesn't handle natively.
My advice would be to stick with what you are used to unless you're willing to learn a new workflow. One advantage of LR is that it's dominant in the pro market so any questions or workflow issues you may run across will be easily researched. Art and photography schools, for example, typically use LR/PS workflow. Getting answers to advanced questions on Aperture (beyond what the Aperture user guide or the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store can tell you) is tough.
It's like the Canon/Nikon argument. Once you try both, whichever you choose will leave you occasionally wondering if the other has a certain feature worth jumping for!
Aperture is much better than LR when opening a raw file. Take a pic out of your window make sure it has the street half in shadow, so the other half is in bright light. Acquire it in both LR & Aperture. The Aperture version will have a lot more detail, the LR version will have some burnt out detail, that is the main reason. You will prob find most people you chat with say LR, it has a massive following, but do this experiment and you will never chose LR.
Depends really. I tried out both when Aperture was first released and went with Aperture for many reasons including the ease with which I could revert edits- nondestructive capability that I believe LR added later. Every new release has improved in leaps which has been brilliant. That said, I'm eager for the newest release! LOL.
I think you should download the free trial and see how it works for you. Go with whichever feels most easy to use and serves your purposes best! :D Good luck and I'd love to hear what you've decided on and why.
I have tried both for 30 days current versions too. I like the way RAW works slightly better in Aperture , library mgmt, integration to photo stream , IOS . Ligtroom i like key words, spray key words, and tools such as Noise reduction is much better. I went with Lightroom
+1 for Lightroom. The gradient tool is awesome. Tried out Aperture(purchased through Apple App store) and it just wasn't working for me. The zoom in function and cropping tools just were not as intuitive as the Lightroom version was. :(
Susan, I've been shooting and using a combination of programs for the past 21 years. I currently use a combination of Aperture, Bridge, CaptureOne. All our in studio tethered Canon shoots are tethered and go to Adobe Bridge for the workflow. I use Aperture for several clients to manage the 20,000 images in their library better and for my personal images. Also, if you have multiple home computers just buy the App in the AppStore on your computer as it is 79.00 compared to 199.00 for Lightroom. It'll then install on multiple computers or easy reinstall if you need too.
I've been using Aperture for a few years, and while most of the time it works well and I'm able to get the look I want, it is sometimes very frustrating. I used to use an iMac (about four years old), and Aperture would sometimes display crazy patterns and other weird stuff. I finally got rid of the iMac and switched to a Macbook Pro with 8GB of RAM. That seems to have helped a lot, but I still see the spinning beach ball way too much. I still have to force shut Aperture every once in a while. On the other hand, I've never had a problem with any of Adobe's products (mostly Photoshop CS5 and Elements 9). They just work and work well. If it wasn't for the amount of time I've invested in importing photos into Aperture that I would have to redo in Lightroom, I'd make the switch.
On the other hand, I do like Aperture's vaults for backup. I like the single mode where I can do everything (vs. Lightroom's various modules). I like the built in book layout features (although they're a bit more restricted than I'd like).
Steve
Lightroom has better market share and some nice features that Aperture does not have. But Aperture is a better product. Adobe has developed a talent for making workflow more complicated than it needs to be.
Susan: Aside from being a photographer, I've also been an IT pro for the last 12 years. Don't get caught up at all in the "switch to Apple" simply because you use Apple products. Apple makes fantastic devices. This much is true, but there is a reason why Adobe is the industry standard for post production tools. Lightroom and Photoshop are THE post production tools of choice.
Let's look at it however from a feasibility standpoint. Do you really want to have to spend money on an application that is going to offer you little to no extra benefit or functionality that Lightroom already offers you? What about intergration with Photoshop? Do you want to spend MORE time behind the computer learning another new application that will yeild you (at root) the same results?
I would suggest that not only do you stick with Lightroom, but you build your post production workflow around it.
mM
I have been using aperture since the 3rd version was made available. From everyone that I talk to they say they are happy in Lightroom, I am very comfortable in Aperture, they are basically the same in my opinion. Stick to what you know best so you don't have to spend time learning new software. Everything that is available for Lightroom (Nix software, other plugins) are also available for Aperture. Main reason I like apertures is the direct upload ability to Facebook, Flickr, others... but that is also available on Lightroom.
I would say no, I've been using Lightroom (2 and 3) on Mac's for years and it's my fave post processing software, although I'm growing to also love photoshop, and plug-ins like Silver Efex and Perfect Photo Suite.
If you're comfortable in Lightroom and like how it's working for you, I'd say stick with it.