Apple Aperture 2.0 Upgrade

List Price: $99.00 Discount Price: $79.99

Features:

• Next-generation RAW image processing for producing images of the highest quality
• Quick Preview mode for rapid-fire photo browsing
• Image adjustment controls such as Recovery, Definition, Vibrancy, and Vignette; Soft-edged Retouch brush for removing unwanted elements from photos
• Simplified user interface that maximizes screen space and provides direct access to your iPhoto library
• .Mac Web Gallery support for instantly publishing photos online, allowing visitors to both view and download images

Customer Reviews:

Very easy to use [Posted on 2008-02-29]
I've been using the free trial of Aperture 2.0 for a couple of weeks now. Within a couple of hours of working with the trial, I ordered the full product.

I was given version 1.5 of Aperture for Christmas, so I was a little disappointed to find that Apple released a new version so soon after I got it. Apple also dropped the price by $100, which now makes it an incredibly good deal for anyone who hasn't bought this type of software before.

However, after getting over the shock of having to spend another $89 to upgrade software that was only 1 month old, I downloaded the free trial to see if it was worth upgrading. In the month I'd owned Aperture 1.5 I had spent quite a bit of time working out what it could do and how to make it use it. I could quickly see that 1.5 was a power piece of software, but it would definitely take some time to get the best out of it.

After upgrading to the trial of 2.0, and watching a couple of the Apple tutorial videos that are online, I was able to get impressive results very quickly. As I already had Aperture 1.5, I had already began shooting all my photos in RAW format on my Canon Rebel XT. I also tried editing some JPEG photos I had previously organized in iPhoto.

Results with RAW format photos are amazing. Aperture makes working with RAW so easy. I am able to correct exposure problems, which is just not possible with JPEG. I had a image that had lots of white in waves crashing over a rock. By adjusting the exposure in Aperture, and by using the highlight and shadow adjustments, I was able to bring out an amazing amount of detail, turn an average shot into a great one. The automatic correction of exposure levels makes a big difference to many of my shots.

With JPEG images, the results are less impressive. This is not a limitation of Aperture, but a limitation of shooting images in JPEG which loses a lot of the information that was actually captured with the camera's sensor. You are still able to make adjustments, but making big adjustments quickly introduces noise into the image. The tools available in iPhoto 08 produce good results with JPEG, and I wouldn't pay for Aperture if I only shot JPEG images. The automatic exposure correction that worked so well on many of my RAW images is not available on JPEG images.

If you have a camera that can shoot RAW images, such as almost all digital SLRs, and a few compact point-and-shoots such as the new Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom, I would definitely recommend shooting in RAW and getting a trial of Aperture to see if it works for you.

You should be aware that shooting in RAW creates much bigger files, so consider this when making your decision. Getting the most out of Aperture means you have to shoot in RAW, and the biggest cost in moving from JPEG to RAW will be larger memory cards and hard drives.

Aperture is so easy to use that I'd recommend it to anyone with a basic knowledge of photography that wants to learn more. Download the free trial, shoot some RAW images with your camera, and only order the full version if it works for you.

Major Improvement [Posted on 2008-03-03]
I'm not going to go into all the bells and whistles and let other reviewers do that. All I can say is, that this is a MAJOR improvement over Aperture 1.5 with a much more intuitive user interface. I might go so far as to say that v2 is more like beefed up iPhoto than v1.5 which I found frustratingly difficult to wrap my brain around. I bought the upgrade after seeing a demo at the Apple Store in town.

Much needed and great improvements [Posted on 2008-03-09]
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R12L93DK5GJFRY Aperture 2.0 was much expected and very much needed. The improvements to this program demonstrates that Apple indeed listens to its customers. Aperture 2.0 includes a better and expanded interface, with the kind of speed that makes it a work horse program for professional photographers who need to process hundreds of photos at a time. It's almost intuitive workflow makes a great program for almost any serious photographer.

I especially like the new additional adjustment tools and the simplifier less crowded interface. The ability to interface with other Apple programs like iWork, iWeb, and Keynote is also a plus.

Above all, for me anyone, is the image preview settings. Clicking this means that you can scan image files without them fulling loading into the program. This is the perfect setting for scanning, rating, keywording, and re-organizing image files. And the best is that you can get into image mode simply by clicking the keyboard shortcut key, P.

Finally, Apple's upgrade of Aperture indicates that they indeed are not going to abandon this program. On the Apple website, you can view over two dozen short and to the point tutorials to learn about every major aspect of Aperture 2.0.

Much Improved! [Posted on 2008-03-27]
A tremendous jump from previous 1.5 version. Was avoiding even using Aperture cause it seemed like it had a lot of features that allowed variations in the looks of the program but did not have a lot of picture adjustment and editing tools. Not so with 2.0, like I said a tremendous jump in useful features. Aperture 2.0 is more than just a photo editor in the makes of Photoshop. More so it is a picture file management software. I beleive with forethought a medium to high level amatuer can move to the next level with this software. I downloaded the Users Manual from Apple.com/aperture under Resources tab. It is a 702 page PDF. You can check it out. It will give you detailed info about this softwares capability.

I especially like the Publishing aspect of this software. You can create pages and publish directly to web, or create and publish Hardcover, softcove, or spiral bound books with relative ease. Using pre-loaded templates for both web publishing or book creation, getting your product exposure in a very short amount of time.

For those of you who were overwhelmed and confused about the real direction 1.5 was trying to take you the 2.0 upgrade is worth pursuing.

I congratulate Apple for taking this product seriously and remolding it to better suit a photographers creative thought and distribution processes, and not just a software that software designers could appreciate.

Apple Aperture 2. upgrade [Posted on 2008-04-20]
Apple Aperture 2.0 Upgrade This is a much improved version of a good product. It contains a section called "Image Adjustments" that is worth a print out. Using the example pictures will aid in understanding the adjustments. You will need to spend several months to become an expert. A printed manual would be nice to have. New books on the upgraded program would also be great.

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