Aperture 2.0 vs. Photoshop Elements 4/6

I hope this is the right place to ask this. I'm getting a Mac soon to do photo organization and editing. I have a Nikon D200 and I use Photoshop Elements 5.0 on Windows right now. I need basic photo editing, tagging, and organization capability. I currently upload to Flickr, but I would also consider .Mac. Is Aperture 2 a better choice than the soon to be released Photoshop Elements 6? I know it's tough to compare to a product that's not yet released, but any comparisons (even to iPhoto) would be useful. Thanks.

actually this might have been a better place to ask ...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1394869&tstart=0
SierraDragon (Allen) does a great job on this topic ...

Similar Messages

Aperture 3 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 problems.

I have installed Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, which I have setup as plugin for Aperture 3. In Aperture preferences the photos are exported as 8 bit TIFF 300 DPI, no profile and automatically stack new versions selected in general.
I right click on selected image (version) in Aperture and select edit with Elements, this create another version of the same photo in Aperture but increasing size from say 5MB to around 40MB. The Elements programme opens in Elements editor but the selected image is not there, I can only drag it in from Aperture. I then edit the image, then click save, it open a box save as and to a wierd folder like Uwvo2vg etc. I click save, get message saying it will overwrite file of same name, click save using a unique name. When I go back to Aperture, the edited file is not there and when I search for the unique name, nothing comes up.

I had somewhat similar problems running Elements 10 as external editor, but under 10.6.8. The simplest fix is to send .psd's instead of .tiff. You can change that in preferences.
If you must use .tiff (I do, becaues PTLens doesn't like psd) you have to change the file extension to .tiff in the save dialog. Elements saves as .tif and Aperture saves as .tiff. Notice the number of 'f' at end of extension.
Here's what was happening to me, which is a little different:
• when you send to external editor, Aperture saves a .tiff and opens it in in Elements
• you do your work and close the file
• Elements saves as .tif, and so doesn't overwrite the Aperture tiff.
• Aperture doesn't know the .tif exists so it shows you the un-edited .tiff that if made at the beginning
I get around this at the save dialog in Elements. Basically Elements goes into a Save As kind of dialog, so if I add the extra 'f' at the end, Elements asks if I want to over-write the existing file, and when I say yes the changes show in Aperture.
If you open Elements and go to 'Recent Files' (or something like that), you can see the .tif and .tiff files together. If you delete the .tiff and add the extra 'f' to the Elements .tif, the changes will show in Aperture.
What you shouldn't be doing is changing the name of the file in Elements. For the edits to show in Aperture you need to save the file with the same name and change the extension to .tiff. The file that Elements saves must have exactly the same name as the one Aperture made, because that's the file that Aperture knows about.
If you do a library database repair, Aperture will find these .tifs and add them to the library, but they won't be where they should be. The show up in a recovered file folder at the bottom.
Note that Elements 8 didn't have this kind of trouble. And note that I'm not running Lion, so some of the behaviors I describe may be different that what Lion users see.

Cannot edit Aperture 3 photo in Photoshop elements 10

When I want to edit a photo in Aperture 3 through Photoshop Elements 10, nothing happens. The photo does not show up. It used to work before.

That it never worked right is important to know .
Reset the external editor selection in Aperture following the instructions at the link I posted above.
You should be able to right-click an Image, select "Edit with NamedEditor", edit the copy of your Image that Aperture creates and sends to the external editor, close your file in the editor (do not "Save As"), and end up back in Aperture with your original Image next to your selected duplicated-and-edited Image.
Do you?

Just went to MacBook Pro from a Dell PC. Is Aperture 3 like Photoshop Elements?

Just went to a MacBookPro from a Dell PC. Have used Photoshop Elements for a long time. Does Aperture 3 operate like Photoshop Elements? Which does the best job of photograp editing?

well, like Terence said above, Elements is a pixel-level editor. you have brush tools, text tools, erasers, etc. you can manipulate the image on a pixel-by-pixel basis. you can draw shapes on top of the photo, add text, and on and on.
there are no tools for doing that sort of thing in Aperture. Aperture is a tool that's main strength comes in organizing photos into projects and albums. you can add keywords, edit metadata like copyright fields, and rank them with 0-5 stars. from there you can make global adjustments like contrast, brightness, and saturation to an image. you can even easily copy a set of preferred adjustments onto an entire selection of photos, easing the work of giving an entire album a certain look. many of the adjustments can be masked as well, so that the adjustment only applies to certain areas of the image (making the sky darker in a landscape, for instance).
but if you wanted to add a red border to a photo you can't do that. want to add some text with a fancy outline and a drop shadow? no dice.
however, if you really want to do something like that to a given photo within Aperture, you can choose edit the photo with Photoshop Elements. Aperture makes a new version of the file and opens it in Photoshop Elements. From there you can make your changes, add text, borders, brush strokes, composite in another photo, etc. then save your new file and within the Aperture library, you now have two versions of that file.

I have a 3 year old MacBook Pro with MAC OSX 10.6.8, iPhoto '09 version 8.1.2 and have downloaded two software programs: one is Aperture 3.2 and the other is Photoshop Elements 9 (which I got from a friend who didn't need it). I am totally happy with the

I have a 3 year old MacBook Pro with MAC OSX 10.6.8, iPhoto ’09 version 8.1.2 and have downloaded two software programs: one is Aperture 3.2 and the other is Photoshop Elements 9 (which I got from a friend who didn’t need it).
I am totally happy with the way iPhoto organizes my photos and how I can work with iMovie to create slide shows with music from iTunes, etc.
I have been shooting mostly high resolution jpegs and I continue to learn more and more about photography, post processing etc. I realize that the small adjustments I can make in iPhoto are good, and are adequate most of the time. However, a have started to experiment with shooting RAW images and would like to go the next step, ie. post processing.I am totally technically challenged and need SIMPLE, INTUITIVE programs and am certainly NOT anywhere ready for Photoshop CS whatever!
After having these programs sit on my computer, I decided to try to see if I could figure them out. When I opened Aperture, this is what first comes up.
“Welcome to Aperture 3.2
Your library needs to be upgraded to work with this version of Aperture. Once upgraded, you will not be able to use this library with previous versions of Aperture.
Upgrading a library from previous versions of Aperture 3 generally takes a few minutes or less, though larger libraries will take longer. After that, Aperture 3.2 will upgrade your library's thumbnails, but you can use the application during that time.
Tip: To open a different library, quit Aperture and hold the Option key down while starting Aperture
Current Library Location:
Jadzia (home) -----Pictures------Aperture Library
QUIT UPGRADE”
I have heard horror stories about moving your entire library to Aperture, ending up with 2 libraries, etc. etc. hence my previous reluctance in attempting Aperture. In addition, many of my photography friends are saying: Go with Lightroom 3.....you’ll love it!
So here is my dilemma. I don’t want to mess around with my iPhoto library. All I want to be able to do, is to isolate a few photos, export them to Aperture, Elements, and work on them there, then bring them back into iPhoto.
Can I do this? Should I forget about Aperture and Elements and look at purchasing yet another program like Lightroom?

Export those few photos via the File ➙ Export ➙ File Export menu option with Kind = Original to the Desktop. Then import them into the Aperture library. That would keep one copy in your iPhoto library and another in your Aperture library to edit, etc.
You can use Photoshop Elements 9 from within iPhoto as your editor of choice. However, if you edit a raw file in iPhoto with PSE9 the resulting edited version must be saved outside the iPhoto Library and imported back in as a new file. For editing jpegs just do a Save (not a Save As) and it all will be kept within iPhoto.
Using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop or Photoshop Elememts as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window
that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements the Saving File preferences should be configured as shown:
I also suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always. In PSE’s General preference pane set the Color Picker to Apple as shown:
Note: to switch between iPhoto and PS or PSE as the editor of choice Control (right)-click on the thumbnail and select either Edit in iPhoto or Edit in External Editor from the contextual menu. If you use iPhoto to edit more than PSE re-select iPhoto in the iPhoto General preference pane. Then iPhoto will be the default editor and you can use the contextual menu to select PSE for your editor when desired.
OT

Photoshop CS5, Photoshop CS5 ex, Photoshop Elements 9, iPhoto, Aperture????

Okay.... so I am a bit overwhelmed with trying to decide if I should be upgrading from iPhoto or not.
iPhoto has been great for making my photobooks. But, on occasion, it has been a bit frustrating trying to get the right number of vertical vs. horizontal photos on a page. Sometimes when adding, if you add in the right order, configurations can change, usually in size (not necessarily orientation unless it is the fewer photos per page layouts 2-3 or 4). But, it makes it go really quickly to do albums as there isn't much engineering going on as you go from page to page (on occasion, I make a separate dummy album that has a different theme that I think manages my horizontal v. vertical issue or perhaps the number of photos allowed on a page (as some themes only have up to 4 or 6 photos per page and on occasion, I like to have more 9, for example)).
Primarily, I have used iPhoto to do personal albums. I intend on possibly starting to offer my services to get albums done for people and/or do slideshow videos for them. With that, I do end up, even with my own, photos from years past or current that have coloring issues or rips/tears/fading.
As it is right now, I have used iPhoto to work on the highlights, shadows, etc, which for me right now, is by trial and error.... I don't really know what I am doing and iPhoto doesn't seem to care. Fortunately, whatever I do, I can go back to the original, which I think is true in Aperture as well... However, I think I might have heard differently with Photoshop (CS5 or Elements)?
I have not installed any plug-ins for the other printer services in iPhoto (eg. Leather Craftsmen), but, I know it is possible a client may want a 12x12 album or some of those other shapes, sizes, cover options out there.... e.g. Shutterfly, even.
One other bit of information is that I am not just a candid completely amateur photographer either. I do take quite a bit of photos with my Canon Rebel Xsi. Not top of the line.... but, although I can should in raw, have chose to always just go with jpeg as this is a hobby of mine and I really don't have loads of time to just adjust all my photos... nor necessarily the space on my computer to put everything at raw. But, I could be persuaded otherwise, if I really knew how to use and really know what the benefits of it are (again, I know I should take classes or something, just don't know where to focus my attention).
So, what am I asking? Well, a few things:
1. If my primary goal is to make Photobooks, which program(s) should I have?
2. I understand you could have iPhoto or Aperture and then edit photos in PhotoShop.... Does that save the file back to Aperture/iPhoto or does it make a separate file in Photoshop?
3. Which books, classes, etc would you suggest to learn the uses of such program(s)?
4. Does the program you mention in #1 strong enough to handle typical adjustments on jpegs-aging, color casts, lack of proper lighting, red-eye (iPhoto seems to do okay on this even in the auto function, but on occasion, it sometimes replaces with too dark of a correction, or not fully complete.)
5. Does Shutterfly have a print plug-in so I could make photobooks on either Aperture or iPhoto and have Shutterfly print? Or is that just available on Photoshop (unless I print to jpegs and then upload to Shutterfly using the Shutterfly uploader)?
6. Is it really beneficial to shoot in raw over jpeg?
7. If Photoshop is even part of your answer in #1, is it worth it to have CS5 or CS5 Extended with the 3D option?

1. If my primary goal is to make Photobooks, which program(s) should I have?
iPhoto is entirely template driven, Aperture's books are very customisable and there are losts of online options too. Google a bit and see what's out there.
2. I understand you could have iPhoto or Aperture and then edit photos in PhotoShop.... Does that save the file back to Aperture/iPhoto or does it make a separate file in Photoshop?
Yes and Yes. In iPhoto: You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
In Aperture, Preferences _. Export and set your external editor there. WHen you send a pic to PS with Aperture it makes a tiif or psd and sends it over. Saving in Photoshop brings it back.
4. Does the program you mention in #1 strong enough to handle typical adjustments on jpegs-aging, color casts, lack of proper lighting, red-eye (iPhoto seems to do okay on this even in the auto function, but on occasion, it sometimes replaces with too dark of a correction, or not fully complete.)
Photoshop Elements is a good compromise between the cost of full photoshop and the features you'll need.
5. Does Shutterfly have a print plug-in so I could make photobooks on either Aperture or iPhoto and have Shutterfly print? Or is that just available on Photoshop (unless I print to jpegs and then upload to Shutterfly using the Shutterfly uploader)?
You could look that one up at Shutterfly yourself, no?
6. Is it really beneficial to shoot in raw over jpeg?
Depends on what you want to do... Really that's a massively basic question. I would check out some o the online Photo forums and see what advice you can find there tom get you started. You could do worse than look here
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
7. If Photoshop is even part of your answer in #1, is it worth it to have CS5 or CS5 Extended with the 3D option?
Given the amount of your experience, rather than diving in and spending a whole lot of money, start with iPhoto and Photoshop Elements. Explore. IF you want to upgrade, when you're ready, migrate to Aperture and Elements. I think you're a good way from facing CS5 yet.
Regards
TD

When I external edit an aperture photo using Photoshop Elements 9 and then get out, the changes are not reflected in Aperture when I return - this used to work for me but doesn't seem to have for some time - help please?

Have used Aperture for some time - at some point this stopped working - not sure when
workflow:
click photo and elect to use the external editor (Photoshop Elements 9)
Copy of the photo is created in Aperture with the "O" badge and I am rolled out to Photoshop
Have to change the type to 8-bit in Photoshop to start making changes
When done and I exit I am prompted to save the photo
On returning to Aperture however the "O" badged photo does not get updated/reflect my changes
Other Things:
I can find a changed photo sitting in the Aperture Library using finder or Photoshop itself - so I know changes have been made a new file saved (TIFF).
I am wondering if I am missing some (new) preference such that the changes are not proerly being saved for re-display/storage in the Aperture Library
I am running Lion OSX at the moment but the behaviour was the same under Snow Lepoard versions.
Current version of Aperture is 3.1.3, Elements is 9.0
Any help/suggestions greatfully received

Try using psd. Some rerports indicate some confustion between the apps with TIFF. See:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15921933#15921933
I cannot confirm, nor test, since I use PS CS5, and not Elements.
Ernie

With Photoshop elements you can cut a person or object out - can Aperture 3 do the same?

Looking to purchase Aperture 3 but wanted to know if it can do similar things to Photoshop elements.
Photoshop elements allows you to cut/remove objects, people, faces, etc...I would like to know if Aperture can do the same?
Are there any other features that Photoshop has that Aperture does not and vice versa?

They are different kinds of programs.
PSE is a graphics program. Graphics programs are built from the ground up to do digital compositing.
Aperture is a DAM (Digital Asset Manager) and RAW converter and developer. It is superb at each of those tasks. It does not do compositing, but it does allow you to assign a program as its external editor. Aperture then handles the trade-off (both ways) between Aperture and the specified external editor.
That is the standard Aperture set-up. Most photographers need a DAM, an image developer, and occasionally a graphics program. Those who shoot RAW need a RAW converter.
(Added) Without the jargon, it comes down to this: You use your camera to take digital photos. You use Aperture to store and organize your photos, and to make each photo as good as it can be, as well as to make variants of your photos. You use a graphics program to create new graphics that combine photos, text, shapes, etc.
Message was edited by: Kirby Krieger

Problem with editing Aperture photos with Photoshop Elements 10

When I try to edit with Photoshop Elements 10, Aperture makes a tiff file, starts Photoshop Elements 10 and get to a screen where I have a choice between "editing" or "managing" files. I select editing but when i finally get the editing screen there is no photo to edit. Process worked fine in Elements 9 and Aperture 3.1. Anybody been able to roundtrip with Aperture 3.2.1 and Photoshop Elements 10?

(Aperture 3 and PSE 10; Lion; using Referenced files in Aperture)
I tried Barbara's recommended method and PSE now opens with the image displayed and accepts edits. However, when I save the adjusted image, what I get in Aperture is a TIFF file of that name but with no edits displayed.
When I go to the directory in which the referenced files are located, the adjusted file exists and I can view it.
So, (at least as I have things configured), when accessing PSE from Aperture I am able to make adjustments and save the adjusted file, but the adjusted file does not display in Aperture.
Is anyone having success with Barbara's method using referenced files?
I hope it is not necessary to do a separate import to get the adjusted file to display in Aperture - which would make PSE totally impractical for use.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Using photoshop elements 9 as an external editor - after saving in Photoshop the results do not display in Aperture

I set up my external editor as Photoshop Elements 9, I follow the instructions to edit a selected image in the external editor. When finished editing in Photoshop, I hit Save (not Save As), and go back to Aperture, and the work I did in Photoshop does not display in Aperture. Is there anything else I need to do to make the work I did in Photoshop display in Aperture?

I had the same problem with PSE 10, and this soution worked for me. Thanks. But is this the real answer? Isn't there a way to save the file without having to add an "f" to the suffix? It doesn't seem to make sense to me. Is it an Aperture problem or PSE? I went to the Apple store amnd the so-called aperture/photoshop expert spent an hour trying to figure it out and finally got the answer by reading this post!!!

Using Photoshop elements 6 as external editor in aperture

I am new to aperture2, have imported photos into the aperture library, from a folder on the harddrive. I have set photoshop elements as the external editor. When i select a photo for external editing i get redirected to elements, do the editing, but when i close and save the edited picture and go back to aperture, i have two of the same pictures in aperture one with two circles in the bottom left corner, one with a square with arrows in, but not the edited version. Checking in finder, the edited picture is in the folder where I imported the photos from. Am a missing a basic setting?

That sounds very strange. You should have the referenced icon in the lower right corner on the edited version as well.
Just thinking; are you using Aperture 1.x by any chance? In the previous version of Aperture the edited image was stored inside the library file, and in version 2.x the edited image is stored together with the original referenced master.
You could try to rebuild your library by holding down the "CMD + OPT"- keys when starting Aperture. Choose from the dialog.
Regards
Paul K

Using photoshop elements 12 as external editor in Aperture 3.5.1

I have been using photoshop elements 12 as external editor to resize some photos and add some refinements not available in aperture....
It look like the file I send to PE becomes HUGE but is not marked as a separate version.....there is a little mark in lower right corner..
Is this correct?normal?
It is a problem, because I am also trying to use focus stacking software and it won't stack files with huge size differences...
thanks
sailmom

oh wow!
I started with a .orf (olympus omd em1) RAW file 13.73 MB...
I just right clicked to edit in photoshop elements...
so the one beside it...is 40.51.....it does not say new version but it has the "dot" on lower right.....
so I don't understand all the intricacies of this...but I am guessing sending a file out of Aperture gets a huge file in return.....
thanks!
sailmom

Aperture 3 or Photoshop Elements (Mac) ?

Hi.
I'm 17, and I'm a budding photographer... I was just wondering, what would be the best programme for editing photos (simply) ? - Aperture 3 or PhotoShop Elements?
I know Photoshop would probably be best, but I can't afford £600/£700 for a disc or however much it is!
Cheers!

Hi scottalter,
They are different categories of programs. Comparing them isn't meaningful. PhotoShop (and Elements) is a pixel-level editor. Aperture is a digital asset manager, with some photo editing (not pixel editing) built in. Aperture is akin to Lightroom.
The photo editing means that you start with something (your original photo), apply a change to it (adjust brightness for example) and end up with a different picture. You can only modify your photos in existing, predefined ways. PhotoShop allows you to add things to your photo that it didn't start with.
That being said, Aperture may still be the tool for you. Its management is great, and there are a lot of adjustments that are probably exactly what you are looking for.
If you can express what it is you are looking for, we members of the forum can probably tell you if Aperture is going to do it or not.
nathan

Aperture or Photoshop Elements?

I am an amateur photographer and photography is a keen hobby of mine. I have recently been pondering the idea of purchasing a photo-editing package from the app store and have come across both Aperture and Photoshop elements. I enjoyed using iPhoto but it felt a little limited. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Aperture and Photoshop target different needs - if you are a serious photographer you should get them both, see Re: how to combine breketed photos in one like in photoshop
Aperture serves two purposes:
It is an excellent tool to manage and organize huge photo libraries for fast retrieval, tagging, geocoding, and efficient storage of different versions of the same photo.
And it has excellent image processing tools to develope high resolution photos (raw, tiff, jpeg) into a rendered version and to adjust the photo (noise reduction, contrast, retouche, white balance and color color correction, sharpening, ...).
But Aperture deals only with image files taken with a digital camera, not with graphics. It does not support transparency for example. For this the program offers an interface to use plug-ins or external editors, like Photoshop or the free Gimp.
Photoshop is a graphics compositing program; it offers basic image processing tools, but you can use it to add graphics annotations to your image or two combine parts of different images - it is great to work with transparency, layers, arbitrary shaped selections.
I use Aperture do organize my photos - my Aperture library now includes all images I own, reaching back to 1910, the including the first photos my greatgrandparents have taken. Developing the raw images or adjusting jpegs Aperture is very intuitive and easy to do. And if I need to do compositing I use a plug-in or Photoshop.
You may want to have a look at Gimp. It can do similar things as Photoshop, but is free. Also, have a look at the Aperture tutorials on the Aperture Support page: Aperture Support
Regards
Léonie

Recommendation: Aperture or Photoshop Elements 8?

I've been using iPhoto '08 for the past year and find that it does 90% of what I need. For a few photos though, I want to be able to apply adjustments to certain areas of the photo, not to the whole photo like iPhoto does.
I shoot in RAW and would want to keep iPhoto for keeping my photos organized if possible.
I've downloaded the demo for Aperture and I'm thinking this is what I'm looking for, but is there any reason why I should consider PSE? From the demo it looks like PSE makes it's adjustments against JPEGs (from what I can see) and as a result if I applied a brighten or darken layer with a mask to a photo and set the adjustment too high it resulted in some awful pixelation in the images.
Anyway, given what I'm trying to do, what do you recommend?
Thanks!

Aperture is like iPhoto -- in that it manages your entire photo library and allows you to apply adjustments to the photos. Photoshop Elements doesn't manage photo libraries and is intended not only for 'adjustments' but for wholesale manipulation of a photo (e.g. major effects, adding objects or people to photos who weren't really in them, removing major items from a photo (not just minor things like blemishes, etc.)
iPhoto applies adjustments to the whole photo (and, generally speaking, so does Aperture), whereas in Photoshop you have to select an area in a photo in order to adjust it (and adjustments will only be applied to the selection.)
If you get Photoshop Elements, you can configure iPhoto to use it as an 'external editor'. By default all the quick adjustments you want to make are handled by iPhoto, but you can right click any photo and select "edit in external editor" and it would invoke whatever utility you want... such as Photoshop.

Having problems with aperture 3 on imac osx 10.7 and wish to install adobe photoshop elements 10, question will i loose all my liberary from aperture??

would i loose my fotos from the aperature library when i change to adobe photoshop elements 10. aperture keeps shutting my system down all available help has not done any good. gmadeline

You'd only loose your Aperture libraries if you deleted them or damage them in some other way. The simple act of installing another app will not do this.
Of course you do realize that PS will not have any access to the Aperture libraries. If your originals are referenced then PS can get to them as it would to any file. If your originals are managed you will need to export them in order for PS to use them.
This all assumes you are abandoning Aperture for PS. If you are looking to do something else post back,

Aperture 2.0 vs. Photoshop Elements 4/6

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