Any Apple Aperture users? Please chime in!

[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 

[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.

[acoll123]

Forgot to address your vignetting question. I personally like a little bit of vignetting and regularly ADD it to images. Adding and removing it is pretty easy and works pretty well IMO. I'm not sure what kind of distortion you want to correct. I don't think the chromatic aberration tool works very well, maybe I just don't know how to apply it properly . . .

[Aglet]

I run an i7 iMac and use nearly everything BUT Aperture.  Whenever I try demos it chokes and crashes too often so I haven't even been able to get a sense of how well it works.

I do most of my work in Canon's free Digital Photo Pro.
When i need to do something DPP can't then I use DxO 6 & 7, Lightroom 3, Photoshop Ext. with Nik Suite and Topaz suite of add-ons. 

DxO doesn't have as many i-p & o-p file formats so a bit of a kink in possible workflow.  Free demo is worth trying.
I tried early LR 4 demo (pre-release) and haven't tried it since, performance was very sluggish but it did work well.

On One Software's suite I've demo'd a couple times with poor experiences on Mac as well.
Not sure if PhotoMechanic is available for Mac but my event-shooting buddy relies on it with his wintel laptop.

DPP, LR, DxO and PS.
If I had to (just) pick one that I had to pay for, it'd be Lightroom, does wonders for the price.

[Avro1]

Currently I use Aperture for organizing my JPEG only pics from Australia, about 1000+ . I have a MacBookPro and loaded Aperture before I left for Australia. I used Aperture primarily for organization ,... later I did some post processing in Aperture. I was self taught and found the software easy to learn. It met my needs.

Now I am focusing on shooting RAW only, and have used Digital Photo Professional for post processing. Still not sure if Aperture will be part of my workflow in the long term, or something else LR? perhaps. I like you are looking at buying plug-ins at some point in time.

[robbymack]

Aperture, IMHO, is the best all around editing tool out there. I think it handles raw just fine, others may disagree and that is their perogative. It does 99% of what I need, for the rest there is photoshop, but I have seen no need to upgrade that program for several years. The nik programs are great and I also use photomatix from time to time as well.

[Michael_pfh]

[...]
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.

For the exact reason I am using Lightroom on my MacBook Pro.

[Northstar]

I recently started using Aperture on my i5 Mac 27". (side note, this high resolution iMac really makes your images look better compared to regular monitors )

Aperture works great for me...I don't do a ton of PP so for $79 I think it's a great value.  Also, I found it easier to learn compared to other programs, this was important for me because I didn't want to spend days weeks months learning how to use the software.  I'm not a pro though, so I guess If I was working as a full time pro I would probably take the time to learn LR because adobe seems to focus more on their product in this area as compared to apple

[neuroanatomist]

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.

Actually, it depends on how you bring your images into Aperture.  At import, you can choose 'in the Aperture Library' or 'in their current location'. The former makes a copy of the file and stores it 'inside Aperture' (meaning inside the application package file itself) - you can get to it via Finder, but you have to work at it. The latter imports as a 'referenced image' meaning Aperture only imports a thumbnail and location pointer, leaving you to manage the file location/organization in Finder (which is 'the typical windows file system') as you'd manage any other documents.

[Sith Zombie]

I love the damn thing! It's really easy to organize various projects or categories into folders and files so I use it as my main photo library, where I keep all my stuff. Its simple to get to grips with but as deep as LR, all the major editing tools are there.
I like the way edits are non destructive so you can erase any edits you make and get back to the original RAW. There's also a template feature where you can make a set of edits, then select any amount of images and copy those edits onto them all, Pretty useful if you want a set of photos to have the same look/style.
I don't use any plug-ins, if I need heavy editing [layers, liquify, cloning etc] I use photoshop and then store the results in Aperture.
The way apple software works just 'sits better' with me, Microsoft Word held out pretty long but I eventually switched to Pages [apple word processor]. The only thing I don't like is I tunes.... 'Why have my Soundgarden albums just disappeared??!! DAMN YOU'

[wamsankas]

I have been using aperture for a while now and dont see me using anything different. It does all the standard organization and editing one would need. Does anyone know of any free plugins to gain more effects though? Aperture seems to be lacking in preset effects such as "toy camera" or "cross process" i feel there has to be more options out there. this is just for quick fun edits instead of doing it all manually. any help would be great!

[mws]

[...]
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.

For the exact reason I am using Lightroom on my MacBook Pro.

Same reason for me. I've been a life long Apple user, but I like to know were the files are on my computer.