Aperture 1.5

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Here's a link to the Apple web page listing all the new features in Aperture 1.5: <b>

<a href=http://www.apple.com/aperture/newfeatures/index.html"> http://

www.apple.com/aperture/newfeatures/index.html</a></b><br>

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Apple will have a free upgrade for existing Aperture users available for download later this

week.<br>

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Two new features I personally look forward to are the more flexible file management

offered in Aperture 1.5 and the ability to export metadata automatically via XMP sidecar

files.<br>

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Here's a working link to the Aperture New Features web page:<br><b>

<a href="http://www.apple.com/aperture/newfeatures/index.html">http://

www.apple.com/aperture/newfeatures/index.html</a></b><br>

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('%22' was somehow appended to the URL of my original hyperlink to that web page -

oops!)<br>

Can't wait for the download to become available. I just got 1.1 last weekend and am coming

to the end of the mammoth task of importing all my photos into the Aperture Library. Some

of the comments over at macrumors.com suggest that this update could include some major

under the hood performance benefits as well as the new features. Here's hoping!

Peter, thanks for the link. I agree that allowing users to references their files without

importing into a monolithic database is a huge plus.

I just bought Aperture 1.5 after using Lightroom for 2 months. I was concerned Aperture

would be slow and would offer less Adjustment tools than Lightroom Beta v 4. My first

impressions are:

- image quality from my RAW files have never been so good! Beautiful colors and tones.

Much better than from Adobe ACR/Lightroom. On one portrait I have, Lightroom/ACR

showed some artifacts (like Magenta pixels on the skin), none of that with Aperture;

- the file management system rocks, and is so fast, I mean really fast ( I have a Power Mac

G5 Dual 2ghz, with GB 3.5 RAM, my pictures are all located on an external drive, Maxtor

OneTouch 500GB);

- the flexibility you get with the Keywords tools is just fabulous, not immediately intuitive,

but once you understand its logic, it is easy and a time-saver;

- the full screen mode is superb, allowing you to use the entire surface of your monitor

while still having access to all adjustment, keywords hub at the press of a button;

- It works seemlessly with Photoshop, creating version(s) of your master file in such an

easy ways...and when you close PS2 it is there in your Aperture Library;

- the loupe: yes it works like a charm.

- sharpening (normal or edge sharpening) is also superior than in Lightroom, and it rarely

creates sharpening artifacts on the pictures...amazing! Edge sharpening on portrait is

great, no need to go to Photoshop to use my sharpening tool;

- the quality of the preview is outstanding, on some images I had been working recently, I

discovered little defects I had not notices earlier...and here again, you have a spot & patch

tools, that one more time, will save you the need to go back and forth with Photoshop;

- I miss the curve...Yes no curve in Aperture, but you have Highlight and Shadows

Recovery, and they seem to work better than PS 2 (it creates less halo);

- The printing engine is really great. I have yet to compare it with Imageprint, but will

report later.

In many ways, Aperture remind me of iView Media Pro, like the ability, from Aperture to

send images via emails (not yet possible on lightroom), plus a ton of other stuff, like the

Smart Projects: set up some criteria, like Keywords, Camera Used, Lens, shutter speed, and

the smart project will browse the entire library and update the smart project whenever it

finds a image meeting your selection criteria, very very nice.

I did not integrate all my pics into Aperture Library, but rather the most recent projects I

am still working on, first as referenced files, and then I integrated them in the Library. I

advise you do it that way so you have a better feel how it works before you migrate all

your pictures into Aperture.

Kudos to Apple !