Aperture instead of iPhoto?

Hope this is not a daft question, if so please forgive me. I have just purchased Aperture and woukd like opinions on the pro's and con's of rerplaceing iPhoto completely with Aperture? Is this advisable or do the two applications do completely different things?

I have just purchased Aperture and woukd like opinions on the pro's and con's of rerplaceing iPhoto completely with Aperture?
Aperture and iPhoto are designed as tools for the same tasks; Aperture is the more elaborate application, that will give you more options and more control, a better raw fine tuning, and more advanced editing tools. It is more suitable for very large photo libraries and has better tools to design and organize your photo library. Only it will take more time to learn, what is possible and how to adapt Aperture to your needs.
But you do not have to jump right in - you can migrate gradually. Aperture and iPhoto can share their libraries. There is no need to ever abandon iPhoto. You can simply open your iPhoto Library in Aperture and get going. Aperture 3.3: Using a unified photo library with iPhoto and Aperture
And you want to do things that Aperture cannot do, e.g. print cards, open your Aperture library in iPhoto. Keep iPhoto around, see:
Keep iPhoto - It May Come in Handy!
Regards
Léonie

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How to sync with Aperture instead of iphoto

Hi,
I have an iphone 3gs and when I connect the iphone it shows up in iphoto so I can import the images it has taken, but I would prefer it to show up in Aperture as I prefer to use that, I cannot find any settings to make it default to Aperture instead of iphoto, does anyone know what I should be doing?
Thanks for reading,
Julie

Image Capture app., preferences, select which app. to launch when a camera is attached, select Aperture.
One of your choices will be "other", you can select aperture from here.
Message was edited by: wjosten

Aperture instead of iPhoto in Pages

I am using Pages and would like to replace a photo. It appears my only option is to use iphoto. All of my images are in Aperture. Is there a way to make Aperture my default?
I appreciate your assistance.
Richard/

don't look back"
Aperture does a lot more than iPhoto. Then again, Photoshop does a lot more than Aperture. For Aperture to offer some of the extra functionality found in PS, it's necessary to purchase expensive plug-ins. I find myself somewhat annoyed, then, that I have three programs for editing photographs, when in fact one of them, PS, does just about everything.
I still find some use for iPhoto, though. It's easy to use and it offers tricks missing from Aperture. As far as I can tell, e.g., there is no easy "blur edges" command with Aperture (although I'd like to be proved wrong); desaturation and sepia are just as easy to use. Sharpening, levels, contrast, brightness, straightening, cropping, shadows and highlights are there, too with a much cleaner interface than is offered by Aperture.
Also, perhaps because I've been making photographs for several decades, I tend to know what constitutes a good photograph; my photos generally don't need major tweaking, and so iPhoto often seems the logical choice. When it's not, there's Photoshop for almost anything else I'd need.
That's why iPhoto, for now, still lives on my computer. It's so convenient. The OP might want to keep it around for that reason, too - it's simple and simply good at what it does.
That said, I also own Aperture, and Aperture now owns all my photographs - it's pretty slick, it's fast, and I don't end up with full-size, multiple copies of the same photograph eating up space on my hard drives. It's become my compromise-default go-to program, so that I can avoid the either-or issue of basic iPhoto or massive PS.
I'm just worried that another terrific program will come along, and I'll have yet another way to edit a photograph. Where will the madness end?

Problem Importing Photos from Aperture 3 into iPhoto '11

I store my photos in Aperture 3, but import them into iPhoto to create calendars, cards, etc. I usually work with RAW or high resolution JPG images in Aperture. However, when I import these into the new iPhoto '11, it automatically converts my RAW images into very low resolution images (e.g., 100-200k instead of at least 1-2MB). I cannot seem to find an option to change this. This was not a problem with the old iPhoto. To import, I start in iPhoto, then click "Show Aperture Library", then drag my photos/folder. I would like to have an option to import images as RAW files, or just high res JPGs.
I know I can export my Aperture images to the desktop, then import them into iPhoto for a temporary fix, but that is such as hassle, especially since iPhoto and Aperture are supposed to work well together. Thanks for any suggestions!

Aperture creates preview images that contain all the adjustments you've made to the master image. These previews are what is shared with other apps such as iLife or if you drag and drop an image out of Aperture to another app or the Finder.
The size of the previews is controlled in Aperture Preferences. Open Aperture Preferences and click on the Previews icon at the top. In the bottom of this dialog there is a popup menu titled "Photo Preview". This is the setting that controls the size of the image Aperture shares with iPhoto. Change this setting to the size you want.
But wait, you're not done yet. Changing this setting does nothing until a new preview is created in Aperture. If you right click an image in Aperture there is a menu item near the bottom named "Update Preview". But what you really need is "Generate Preview". Right click the image and then hold down the option key and you'll see "Update Preview" change to "Generate Preview". Choose "Generate Preview" and a new preview will be created using the new size setting you made in Preferences. You need to do this for each and every image you wish to share at the larger size. You can select multiple images before selecting the "Generate Preview" command to speed things up.
Now when you share an image from Aperture to iPhoto the new larger file will be used. The advantage of smaller previews is your Aperture library will also be smaller but the trade off is what you get in other apps that are using your images.

Photo preview blank when browsing Aperture Library from iPhoto

Hello to everyone,
I need to import in iPhoto some photo of my Aperture's Library, but when I open it from iPhoto I can see all the pictures exept the lastest that I've imported in the Aperture Library (that have been taken with a Canon EOS 550D with RAW format): I see a blank icon (that can I select and import in my iPhoto library) instead its preview.
In Aperture the Canon EOS 550D RAW format works correctly, but I can't see the preview of the image in the browser under iPhoto.
Can anyone help me solving this problem?
I have Snow Leopard 10.6.7 (with all the updates) and the lastest versione of both iPhoto and Aperture.
Thanks.
Andrea

Hi Terence,
thanks for the reply, but I've already regenerated all my previous (the entire library), but with no success.. I still continue to see a blank icon browsing the Aperture Library from iPhoto.
But I see that each time I enter in Aperture, it alway restart processing library (but only for some photos).. when it finish that process, I close Aperture and when I enter in it again, it restart processing the same photos.. again and again and again
Any other suggestion?
Regards.
Andrea

Aperture and Not IPhoto

Hi Folks,
I have been looking at Iweb as an easy way to update my web site. However from reading posts its clear that i can only use photos stored in Iphoto Libaray.
How do i use photos that are stored in my Aperture Library file instead, or do i need to create the photos i need on the web in iphoto only
Thanks

Hi,
My personal experience is that I can use photos from anywhere. I just drag and drop.
I use photos on my desktop that have never been run thru iPhoto. I use photos I have in an app called Lightroom. I also use photos on occassion that I get from the web and just drop them into iweb. Works fine for me. Of course I also use iPhoto for some photos too.
I am interested in using Aperture...but cannot till I update my computer system sometime early next year. Anyway...I am interested to know if you still cannot use Aperture to drag and drop. Mac is so integrated and all the apps work well together I would think it would work.
If you cannot PUSH the photos from within Aperture to iweb or PULL the photos from within iweb.....just try and drag and drop.
If you have iPhoto and want this.....can you drop your Aperture pics into iphoto to push or pull into iWeb?
Good luck...please let me know because I am very interested in using Aperture and your results.
j'wock

Change media browser to folder instead of iphoto?

Is it possible to change the preference of the media browser to open image files from a folder of images on a hard drive instead of iphoto?

Yes, it duplicates everything and makes thumbnails of them all.
If you have everything set up with iView already, continue using iView. If you have an operating system which is modern enough to have Expose, the tassk of dragging from one program to another is much easier. inn fact, I prefer using the finder in this way because you don't have to have to open the media inspector, browse to your folder, drag the image in and close the media inspector (if you are on a smaller screen)
You just go to the otherr program/folder, find what it is you are looking for, click on it, press f9 and drag it over the Pages document, click f9 again and you are able to drop where you need it in the document.
I have found, in the past, relying on the media browser can be suspect. There are times when the computer hangs for over a minute for some reason, which can tie up Pages and, sometimes, the entire system. It's a nice idea for photos, but not necessarily the best for images. (and yes, there can be a difference)
My current question would be: Can you use the Aperture libraries within the Media Inspector of Pages & Keynote?

IPhoto 09/Aperture 2 versus iPhoto 09/Adobe Lightroom 2

Does any one have any recommendations on which combination works best?

Lightroom has no awareness of the existence of iPhoto. There is no way that it can recognise the iPhoto Library or any of the work you have done in it - albums, keywords etc. To move files or photos between the two you will need to export from one and import to the other.
Aperture recognises the iPhoto Library and there is a command there to facilitate migration from iPhoto to Aperture. This process captures your Events, Albums, keywords and so forth.
Also, with the Aperture -> Show iPhoto Library command you can import individual photos over to Aperture.
From iPhoto the Show Aperture Library command means you can access the Previews in your Aperture Library.
At heart, these three applications do the same job. Aperture and Lightroom are firmly focussed on the Pro user shooting high volumes of RAW. They both offer distinct advantages over iPhoto in processing RAW, no matter what the volume.
What iPhoto can offer both of these are - very simple books, calendars and so on and much better slideshows options.
Regards
TD

How can I set up Lightroom 5 to be my default editing program instead of iPhoto in my macbook? [was: Lightroom]

How can I set up lightroom 5,to be my defualt editing program instead if iPhoto in my macbook.

Try 2 Ways to Change the Default Application to Open Files With in Mac OS X

How Is Aperture Better Then iPhoto At Organizing Photos?

I was just wondering what sets Aperture apart from iPhoto when it comes to organizing my photos?
I just purchased Aperture for this reason and was just wanting to know some of the key features for organizing in Aperture.
Thanks,
Sam
Please feel free to tell me anything you know about Aperture because I would love to know!

Asset management tools the key is to keep your images organised as your library of photos grows and grows. And Aperture is much more of a king than iPhoto in this regard.
In iphoto for example the search facility is fairly simple to use and yes you can use keywords to find an image, however as you library grows and your workflow becomes much more sophisticated, and it will, when you work as a photographer, you will want to have a much more powerful search facility such as to able to go into Aperture and search for images using more criteria. In smart albums in iPhoto there is a list of words of metadata fields to use for searching for images, but in aperture there is literally dozens of metadata fields you can choose from to powerfully find any image efficiently and quickly. And in Aperture it records every little detail of your cameras data that you can use in your search facility.
There is a few ways how to efficiently organize your images in Aperture what I have mentioned just above is really just a tip of the iceberg.

Organizing photos in aperture 4 vs iPhoto 09

Ok editing and all aside, for the sake of organizing is aperture better than iPhoto 09? I know it is expensive and iPhoto is free but I'd just like to know if it organizes or has more options for organizing than iPhoto, is the interface better? Thanks guys.

for the sake of organizing is aperture better than iPhoto 09?
Organising where? In the Application or in the Finder?
Averaged out of the cost of iLIfe, iPhoto is a $16 app. Aperture is somewhat more expensive. Of course it has extra options in just about every area of the workflow.
So what's "better"? Do you need the extra features?
One way to look at it:
Are you a home photographer? Shoot the kids birthday party holidays and vacations? shooting jpegs on a point and shoot or a DSLR on Auto setting? iPhoto is probably what you're looking for.
A pro? A serious hobbyist? Shooting Raw or high volumes of jpeg? Sounds more like someone who'll get value from Aperture to me.
But the best thing: download the trial and see.
Regards
TD

Before Mountain Lion and Aperture 3.4 Iphoto libraries would show up as a project. Can I still have this feature?

Before Mountain Lion and Aperture 3.4 Iphoto libraries would show up as a project. Can I still have this feature? I want to keep my iphoto libraries on another drive but now it appears the only way I can have Aperture search all libraries for a photo is to merge the aperture library with all the iphoto libraries. In the past the photos were referenced photos in their orginal libraries but now we are creating one big aperture library. Does this make sense? I liked the old way were the iphoto libraries showed up in the left window as a project. Does anyone know of a work around?

Try trash the com.apple.iPhoto.plist file from the HD/Users/ Your Name / library / preferences folder.
(On 10.7 or later: Hold the option (or alt) key while clicking on the Go menu in Finder to access the User Library)
(Remember you'll need to reset your User options afterwards. These include minor settings like the window colour and so on. Note: If you've moved your library you'll need to point iPhoto at it again.)
What's the plist file?
For new users: Every application on your Mac has an accompanying plist file. It records certain User choices. For instance, in your favourite Word Processor it remembers your choice of Default Font, on your Web Browser is remembers things like your choice of Home Page. It even recalls what windows you had open last if your app allows you to pick up from where you left off last. The iPhoto plist file remembers things like the location of the Library, your choice of background colour, whether you are running a Referenced or Managed Library, what preferences you have for autosplitting events and so on. Trashing the plist file forces the app to generate a new one on the next launch, and this restores things to the Factory Defaults. Hence, if you've changed any of these things you'll need to reset them. If you haven't, then no bother. Trashing the plist file is Mac troubleshooting 101.

Concerned about Aperture backups vs. iPhoto backups

Hi All,
I've just installed Aperture 2.0 and after reading a lot of the posts here regarding the superior way that Aperture handles files compared to iPhoto, I wanted to start using Aperture for everything regarding organizing my photos.
I have a couple of concerns/questions though...
1) After importing my iPhoto library into the Aperture library as managed masters, I see that I can't actually access the originals/masters inside the Aperture library via Finder. When I right-click on the Aperture Library and choose Show Package Contents in Finder, I see the albums and events, but I do not see any of the actual photos.
This concerns me regarding backups... even if I use the Vault feature in Aperture, I wouldn't have access to the actual masters outside of Aperture. If I want to migrate to a different photo cataloging/editing app later, can this be done?
With iPhoto, I can access the originals when I need to AND they get backed up with Time Capsule or any other system backup.
2) I've read a lot about Aperture's non-destructive editing being a strength... Isn't this the case with iPhoto as well? In Finder, the iPhoto library contains a folder called "Originals" and one called "Modified"... the Original folder contains the masters and the Modified folder contains copies of the masters to which I've applied edits. Wouldn't this be considered non-destructive as well?
3) Given these two above points, I'm considering starting over and importing my iPhoto library in Aperture as referenced files. My two concerns here are this:
a) What are the draw backs, if any, of doing this? Won't I get the same benefits using Aperture with referenced files?
b) If I add new photos to iPhoto after I've imported the library into Aperture as referenced files, I'm assuming they won't show up in Aperture, right? I guess the alternative is to just open up the iPhoto library in Aperture and not import anything... anything I'd be missing here with regards to Aperture's superiority over iPhoto?
Thanks so much for any answers and advice. I appreciate it.
Rick
Message was edited by: rickdeet
Message was edited by: rickdeet

rickdeet
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
1) After importing my iPhoto library into the Aperture library as managed masters, I see that I can't actually access the originals/masters inside the Aperture library via Finder. When I right-click on the Aperture Library and choose Show Package Contents in Finder, I see the albums and events, but I do not see any of the actual photos.
a: The Library structure of Aperture is quite different. Yes the files are there, but they are inside further packages. Each approject is in itself a further package file, and it contains - among other things - the actual files.
Now this opens several lines of possibilities. 1: I post a lot on the iPhoto forum and I always advise users to use a Managed Library. iPhoto’s abilities with Referenced Libraries are poor. This is not the case with Aperture. It has very strong abilities with Referenced Libraries, so much so that many folks recommend them as default.
That said, if you prefer the managed library, then backing up the Library Package does exactly that. Just like iPhoto, you get everything.
If you want to migrate to a different application, well, frankly the right way to do that is to export the images - same as iPhoto. But that said, if you get inside the Library and then the projects, there are your Original files. Just a single extra layer away.
2) I've read a lot about Aperture's non-destructive editing being a strength... Isn't this the case with iPhoto as well? In Finder, the iPhoto library contains a folder called "Originals" and one called "Modified"... the Original folder contains the masters and the Modified folder contains copies of the masters to which I've applied edits. Wouldn't this be considered non-destructive as well?
Yes and no... Aperture works very differently from iPhoto. As you point out, in iPhoto edits are carried out on a copy of the Original and saved as the Modified version. However, this modified version is a generation down - and therefore more compressed - than the Original. That said, with the Non Destructive feature of iPhoto 08 and later, you’re never more than one generation away from the Original +if you edit in iPhoto only.
Aperture works very differently. There is no Modified Version. When you edit an Original in Aperture your decisions are recorded in the Database and applied to the pic live as you view it. The only time a new file is produced is when you go to use it - email it, print it, whatever...
Given these two above points, I'm considering starting over and importing my iPhoto library in Aperture as referenced files. My two concerns here are this:
a) What are the draw backs, if any, of doing this? Won't I get the same benefits using Aperture with referenced files?
Do you mean “Won’t I get the same benefits using iPhoto with Referenced Files? IF so, the answer is no. And if you ever have to re-attach the masters to a iPhoto Library, then you can set aside the weekend to do a lot of clicking.
There are no drawbacks with using a Referenced Library in Aperture. If the numbers of photos you process are very large there are distinct advantages to doing so - masters stored on multiple disks for instance.
b) If I add new photos to iPhoto after I've imported the library into Aperture as referenced files, I'm assuming they won't show up in Aperture, right? I guess the alternative is to just open up the iPhoto library in Aperture and not import anything... anything I'd be missing here with regards to Aperture's superiority over iPhoto?
Why would you import to iPhoto is you’re using Aperture? A much better workflow would be to import to Aperture and then share the Aperture Previews with iPhoto. But no, the relationship between Aperture and iPhoto is not dynamic. They don’t read each other’s Libraries as they change.
Aperture’s superiority over iPhoto is down to much better file management controls, much better processing tools with more more fine control over them, much better everything to do with processing photos.
iPhoto has better slideshows and it has Calendars.
Regards
TD

Can Aperture 3 and Iphoto sinc library ?

Hi .
I´m not photo professional but I want more reosurce with my photos. I bought Aperture 3 and I feel I have most I need from Iphoto. I don´t want have too many space with two photo libraries and have a risk to loose something. It´s possible to sinc my aperture library with Iphoto ? For a hobbist you think Iphoto is enough ?
Thanks,
Daniel Rodrigues
Brazil

No, you cannot sync your iPhoto Library and your Aperture Library.
You will have to make up your mind which of the two you will want to use in future.
If you really feel the need for the advanced editing and organizational tools Aperture has to offer, you can have an easy transit from iPhoto to Aperture by importing your iPhoto Library as it is into Aperture. This will keep all your meta tags, events (now called projects), albums, slideshows, etc.
Aperture has a steep learning curve, but it is possible to use initially no more than than you did use in iPhoto and so gradually get to know the program.
The way back from Aperture to iPhoto is not so easy, for you cannot import your Aperture lIbrary into iPhoto. It is a one-way road. So try it thoroughly before you commit yourself.
Regards
Léonie

Get old Aperture library into iPhoto without need to upgrade Aperture first?

I've my photo libraries in an old Aperture format. I didn't upgrade to Aperture 3, because I didn't get a new Mac until recently. Now with Yosemite my old Aperture app can't be installed anymore (neither old iPhoto). So I've not an old Aperture library file which I'd like to import into the new iPhoto, but I get the dialog that I've to upgrade to Aperture 3 first.
Do I really have to purchase a $80 upgrade to get my pictures out of an old version of Aperture? I'd upgrade to Aperture 3 and continue using it if it wasn't already announced to be discontinued soon. But what to do until the new Photo.app is available some time in 2015, plus who knows whether the announced "will be able to import Aperture libraries" isn't also limited to Aperture 3+ versions?
You see my pickle?! I can't run old Aperture on Yosemite, I can't import my old Aperture library into the new iPhoto and Photo.app isn't available yet. What to do?
The option to run an old OS X via VMWare, import Aperture to old iPhoto and then upgrade to new iPhoto also seems a bit much work.
What I am looking for would essentially be a "Import Aperture 2 library into (new) iPhoto" script/tool/converter.
Thanks,
-H

Crrect - as I said
you can get the original photos out by copying the masters folder and importing to iPhoto
And yes there is no good solution for switching from a outdated software package to a different up to date one - Aperture or pretty much any other software - iPhoto will update all old iPhoto libraries and Aperture will update all old Aperture libraries but iPhoto will not update old Apertue libraries nor will Aperture update old iPhoto libraries
LN

Aperture instead of iPhoto?

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