Exporting from Aperture, RAW+edits or JPEGs?

Question

Forgive me if this is a basic question for seasoned users but I am new to Aperture (just coming to the end of a trial period).
I shoot in RAW format but have recently also included a JPEG medium sized version.
I have imported both versions into Aperture 3 and have chosen the raw version as the one to be viewed.
I would like to export the raw versions, as adjusted, into high quality large size file JPEGs which I can then burn to disk to share.
I can see how I export the master (with no ability to change the format) or the JPEG as it is (or at even a lower resolution). How do I get large size JPEGS from the raw version?
I have looked a little while for the answer - if it does happen to be covered elsewhere and I have not spotted it, please go easy on me.

Answer 1

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
In your camera, are you shooting RAW+JPEG, i.e. the JPEG is imbedded within a single file that includes the RAW image? This is an option for example on Canon cameras. When you Import form your camera, there are several options in the Import pane on the right side of Aperture’s window. You can select RAW+JPEG and use the RAW as Master or use the JPEG as Master. You should always select RAW as Master as you are limiting your control over the images if you work with JPEGs as Master. The JPEGs you import with those RAW files are not wasted however as Aperture will use them when present to generate Previews. Previews, when used, are what Aperture displays in the Viewer mode; Thumbnails are smaller than Previews and are displayed in the Browser mode.
You mentioned you are making adjustments to the Masters. I assume those Masters are your RAW files. So the images that are based on your adjusted Masters are called Versions. When you export, you can still Export Masters but those files will not include your adjustments. Typically you’ll want to Export Versions so the images you export include your adjustments.
Now to maximize the quality of the exported images, you can use the Aperture -> Presets -> Image Export to define how you want the images exported. You can Export your RAW adjusted images as JPEGs, TIFFs, PSDs, etc. So let’s say you choose JPEGs as the output format for your exported files.
When you execute the Aperture -> Presets -> Image Export or Files -> Export command, you’ll see a similar dialog in terms of selecting the image format and other items. It sounds like you want to use the JPEG format, original size, with high quality (use 10 or 12 for the image quality setting).
Are you exporting to be able to view on the Web (or any screen) or to print? If the goal is just to view, then you can select a DPI (dots per inch or PPI, pixels per inch) such as 72 or 100 or whatever matches your screen. If you are sending it to other people, you may likely select 72 as that’s the old screen default density. If you are planning on printing from the exported files, then you’ll want to select at least 300 dpi in the export panel.
As for colour profile, you can use the default sRGB as that will be commonly available for most users or make another selection as you wish. Your camera likely defaults to using sRGB colour space, but you can change that in some cameras to something like Adobe RGB 1998 if you have that option.
That should get you started. To summarize, define the settings you want in the Presets and I hope you have a better understanding of what Aperture does when you import your RAW+JPEG files and export Versions.