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

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Moving photos from Aperture to Photoshop Elements

How do I move all my photo projects from Aperture to Photoshop Elements 12

What happens if you select both images in Aperture, and then click to Edit in External Editor?
Ernie

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.

Aperture versus Photoshop Elements versus iPhoto

Please forgive my ignorance, I'm a lifelong PC user that has finally seen the light and converted to a MAC. I'm a bit confused on how I would use these three apps together. If I primarily take pictures, connect the camera to the MAC, edit/tag/organize photos, how do these apps work together and where are the files actually stored? Should I import into Iphoto first and then into Aperature, or straight into Aperture. Is there any purpose for using Photoshop Elements if I own Aperature?
thanks in advance,

Just to throw in my two cents, I am also a recent convert from the iPhoto/PSE combination to Aperture. Of course I still have PSE, but haven't needed to use it since I started using Aperture, as the editing tools are so powerful compared to those in iPhoto. Some key points I would make regarding aperture:
1. iPhoto is non-destructive, as was pointed out above. You can always revert to your original, and can even find the original in the finder if you open the iPhoto library package and navigate to it. But Aperture is much more flexible and space efficient because it seldom creates additional files unless you ask it to. It just previews what your edits look like - it doesn't save an edited version of your photo. This means the library takes up less space, and you can back out/turn on individual edits and see the effects. Very cool.
2. The iPhoto/PSE combination does not deal with editing of RAW format photos as well as Aperture. If you need to edit a RAW in PSE, editing is done in 8-bit color, and I believe saved as an 8-bit TIFF back to iPhoto. Aperture works in the full bit-depth and maintains the RAW file until you tell it to create something else. While I still have the "problem" (not to start a whole debate as to whether it is really a problem) of PSE only supporting 8-bit color for editing functions, I almost never need PSE. If I do I guess I can just put it at the end of my workflow and save my final jpeg or whatever.
3. Aperture supports editing plug-ins, so that it's editing capability can be expanded. Granted, many if not most of these plug-ins cost money, but you could purchase several and have capabilities in some areas that exceed that of PSE, but still invest less money that you would for full Photoshop and have the benefit of not having to leave Aperture to do these edits.
4. Aperture supports tethered shooting and remote control of your camera, if your camera supports these functions. It may be that only a minority of photographers are interested in these capabilities, but still, if you are one of them, it is important.
Steve
Message was edited by: StevenJD

Aperture vs Photoshop Elements

Hi everyone,
I am considering switching from Photoshop Elements to Aperature. How happy will I be?
Thanks for all your input!

Apps like Aperture and Lightroom are primarily images-management apps with limited editing capability; iPhoto is a free beginner version.
For significant editing but poor images-management one can use very expensive Adobe Photoshop, less expensive Adobe Photoshop Elements, Pixelmator or (free) GIMP.
IMO DSLR photogs should own/learn/use one app from each of the two categories above.
Specific to only removing distracting background elements are apps/plug-ins like KnockOut2.
You are using Elements, so editing is covered. For images management use iPhoto for free until it seems limiting. Only then embark on the one-time 30 day Aperture trial, realizing it it hardware-intensive (your MBP is adequate if RAM is maxxed).
HTH
-Allen Wicks

Exporting Photos From Aperture to Photoshop Elements for Layer-Editing

Back when I paired iPhoto with PSE to do layer editing, it was easy to export the first layer-picture from iPhoto, then click-and-drag the second photo directly on top of the first in PSE, then 'stretch to fit'.
I've since moved to Aperture 3, and although I can 'edit in Photoshop Elements' the first picture, I can't drag or export so that it superimposes ready for opacity adjustment and effects...

What happens if you select both images in Aperture, and then click to Edit in External Editor?
Ernie

Using iPhoto, Aperture 3 and Photoshop Elements 9 together...

Hi everyone,
I recently upgraded from iPhoto to Aperture. It does almost everything I need but there are some much more advanced editing tools in Photoshop Elements that I need occasionally and also I like to be able to quickly create attractive template based e-mails using iPhoto, so I need all three apps.
Currently I have my photo library in Aperture 3 but it's really clunky to create attractive photo emails using iPhoto because I have to click 'Show Aperture Library', which is very difficult to navigate and is pretty much unusable. My next attempt is going to be to see whether I keep all my pictures in an iPhoto library and then browse and edit them in Aperture and Photoshop Elements.
Has anyone got any tips on this topic?
Thanks,
Jim

Hi Ernie,
Thanks for your post. I will try to explain in a little more detail what the problem I'm having is. If I want to create an iPhoto picture template e-mail, say a postcard, then I select File/Show Aperture Library. A browser window pops up. If I browse to 'Projects' then the previews of each project are huge - about 6 fit on a screen with the window maximised. I can't find a way of zooming out in order that I can browse the hundreds of projects in my Aperture library. Is there a way of doing this? Also, I can't seem to control the sort order. The options in View/Sort Order seem to sort the iPhoto album, not the Aperture library browser.
If I select Photos from the navigation tree then I get previews of all my 13'000 pictures and about 100 fit on the screen. Again, I don't seem to be able to zoom in/out nor control the sort order.
What surprised me this morning is that I finally deleted my old iPhoto library and then opened iPhoto to see how it would react. I selected whatever the default was (forgot already!) and now I see my iPhoto library as it was before I deleted it. However, I can't find the library in my Pictures folder. Could it be that iPhoto is reading it from the trash can??
Finally - is there a way of adding pictures to my posts in this forum? Perhaps I could illustrate the views i'm getting in iPhoto's Aperture library browser.
Yours,
Jim

Problem Photoshop Elements 10 as ext. editor with Aperture

I use Aperture to manage my Photos und would like use Photoshop Elements 10 as editor.
In Aperture Preferences, Photoshop Elements 10 is setup as ext. editor.
When I choose a photo in Aperture and klick edit in the menue, Photoshop Elements 10 open correct, but no picture ist displayed.
The same problem with iPhoto.
Any help?
Thanks
Urs

Make sure you are linking to the application and not a shortcut.
Hidden fles in Lion:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/909/cpsid_90947.html

Loading files from Aperture 3 into Photoshop Elements 9

I am using an iMac with both Aperture and Photoshop Elements 9 loaded. My camera loads the images into Aperture. I select teh option to Edit with Photoshop Elements; Elements opens but the screen in blank. A PSD file is created in Aperture which I then have to export and manually load into Elements I have tried resetting the colour picker to Apple in Elements Preferences; I have tried resetting the options in Aperture to 9-bit, tried 16-bit, ensure the export option is PSD. Nothing works. Any ideas?

Do you mean they are still on the CD/DVD and you want to export them directly from CD/DVD?
That's not possible since the CD/DVD is not writeable. You have to move the photos to your hard drive first.

Photoshop elements and aperture

How do I edit using PS elements - I went to preferences, chose PS elements as the external editor, but the image stays in aperture and I can not seem to get the image in a place to edit using PSE. I have tried double clicking on the picture but that does not get to PSE.
Thank you

Have you found a fix for this yet?
I use Aperture with Photoshop Elements 6.
My example:
I have an original image say 20081212-33.jpg or 20081212-33.nef, in Aperture. I use referenced files.
Aperture will then create 20081212-33.tiff, and PE launches and I edit the image.
The problem comes with the save. Elements acts as if it needs a new filename. The one it suggests is usually 20081212.tif.
Right there is already a problem: PE uses a different extension from Aperture.
If I go ahead and save the file PE wants, it never shows up in Aperture.
If I click on the copy Aperture made, that works, but only on the first edit.
If I later decide to edit 20081212-33.tiff, Aperture doesn't create a new file for PE to use. I either overwrite the existing file (which can sometimes seem to screw things up in Aperture if I edit metadata), or I have to manually import an image I save somewhere like the desktop.
I can understand Aperture not creating a new file the second time. You already have an edited file so it assumes you want to edit again.
However, it would be nice if there were some way to make PE use the same extension.
Also, I frequently tell Aperture to make PSD files instead. Then when I'm done I want to add a final version to the stack in Aperture, and there is no convenient way to do that.
Any ideas appreciated.
It's not unworkable, it's just a little clunky.

Aperture vs. Photoshop Elements 4.0

Hi, I am a beginning photographer and I want an beginning piece of photo editing software. Does anyone have any suggestions. For example, how would you Aperture users compare Aperture to Photoshop Elements 4.0. If it helps I'm using a Canon Rebel XTi.

They are totally different apps but with a small amount of overlap.
You need (inexpensive) Photoshop Elements for individual image editing. PE is poor for management of batches of images.
Aperture and Adobe's Lightroom are (a bit more expensive) apps for the management of batches of captured digital images. You will want one of them (here we prefer Aperture) as you get into shooting substantial batches of DSLR captures. Aperture will deal with the editing issues of 98% of your images, but you definitely want PE for the 2% which will likely include your best shots.
-Allen Wicks

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

Aperture or Photoshop Elements?

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