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Any Apple Aperture users? Please chime in!

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AndreiD:
Hello people,

I'm interested if there are any Apple Aperture users out there and if yes what other apps do you use on your Mac in the aid of post processing. Also how much do your rely on Aperture? What kind of plug-ins do you use (if any)?

I'm also interested in correcting distortion and vignetting in Aperture and what plug-ins do you use?

Thanks

neuroanatomist:
I use Aperture, but only for library management.  I use DxO Optics Pro as my RAW converter - I think it handles ISO noise better, and the lens corrections are matched to specific bodies (unlike LR, for example).

AndreiD:
And you can't do that in Aperture or you choose not to  :P

Chicorob:
I have been using Aperature for a few years now so I have been through the different revisions.  The current one is much better at handling almost everything than some of the original releases.  I like it, but I am sure that there are other programs that handle certain things (like RAW conversion) slightly better but for 99% of my images it works just fine.  I use Photoshop as an external editor when I need to (which is rare but is nicely integrated into Aperture) and have several plug-ins.  My favorite, and the one I use most often, is the Nik suite of programs.    I like their algorithm for edits which is based on color and exposure ranges rather than defined areas.  Their de-noise (Dfine) and sharpening programs (Sharpener Pro) are top notch.

I dont use the distortion or de-vignetting features often and if it was really that importation from one of my images I would probably run it through DPP since I believe it is Canon lens/camera specific.

I also have the Tiffen Efx filter suite which is way overpriced for what it is as well as a few others.  Some of the export plug-ins are also great, and since I use zenfolio it integrates pretty seamlessly with direct image download and album creation.

The only thing I would caution is that if you are not comfortable using the Apple file system beware.  They have some great archiving features built in but doesnt use the typical windows file system so dont expect to find a image file outside of Aperture unless you have specifically exported the file to another location.  It took me a while to trust this but after a huge upgrade meltdown where I had to start from scratch, I was able to restore everything I had easily and didnt lose a single image.  I can archive whole libraries to multiple external disks on top of Time Machine.  Lots of redundancy!  I am sure Lightroom has similar features, I just havent used it.

acoll123:
I have been using aperture for a couple of years now. Works great for me - I only shoot part time but do sell a few sports shots regularly. Aperture links directly to Zenfolio where I sell my stuff from or make things available to friends and family.

The plug-ins I have are noise ninja and Photomatix HDR. Noise Ninja works OK but I rarely use it. I use Photomatix all the time for landscapes and architectural shots.

I have heard good things about the NIK products - specifically the ones for black and white. I think it is called silver FX or something like that.

I keep things in different libraries and just open up the appropriate one (i.e. newspaper, personal, one-off engagements . . . 
I also occasionally use Photoshop Elements - there is a direct link from Aperture  - Mainly for stitching panoramas . . .

I have been using Mac stuff personally and professionally for about 5 years now and don't regret it. At All.

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