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Pro Application Support 4.0.1
Nothing quickens the blood like a thrilling software update. Am I right, folks? Ok, perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but it is a good feeling to have some bugs that have been bothering you squashed with a nice update. Apple has just released Pro Application Support 4.0.1 which, 'improves general user interface reliability for Apple's professional applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Final Cut Express HD, Soundtrack, Logic Pro and Logic Express.'Fire up Software Update, or download it directly from Apple's website.
TUAW Tip: Aperture keyboard shortcuts for scrolling through your library
Click To Play play_blip_movie_291511(); One of the things I mentioned in my Aperture podcast that I love so much about this app is its plethora of features designed especially to increase efficiency for power users and pro photographers. This tip centers around Aperture's keyboard shortcuts that allow for some very useful navigation and scrolling of the library browser, which is the pane that displays thumbnails of all the images in the currently selected album, project or folder. Instead of just explaining the shortcuts or giving you a screenshot, however, I thought I would go one step further and put together a short demo video of the shortcuts and the browser in action, additionally pointing out the small shuttle control on the right that helps detail just how quickly you're scrolling. It isn't anything fancy, but it should give you an idea of just how cool and actually useful this feature is.For those who want the actual keyboard shortcuts, they are: J, K and L to scroll up, stop and scroll down, respectively.
TUAW Tip: Aperture can download videos, just not catalog them
Well shiver-me-timbers: while Aperture doesn't catalog anything but images, it at least helps you download 'non-image files' off your camera so you can manage them some other way. When I performed the initial import from iPhoto (using Aperture's handy File > Import > iPhoto Library command), a notification appeared at the beginning of the import letting me know that Aperture found a few files it wouldn't import. I realized the files in question were probably a few movies I shot with my point 'n shoot camera, which led me to assume that Aperture simply doesn't handle or even touch those files to begin with. Apparently, my assumption was a bit off.As it turns out, plugging a camera or card into Aperture that contains either audio or video files (and possibly other types) will generate the dialog you see in this post, allowing you to download the files Aperture isn't designed to handle to another location on your Mac. This is great because you can set up another location to, for example, store all the home movies you've been shooting and manage those files with the Finder or another app like yFlicks once you're done working in Aperture.As for those home movies in iPhoto, I guess I'll still need to dig those out some other way. Fortunately, iPhoto automatically applies the keyword 'movie' to all movies it imports, which should make this task a bit easier for anyone else making the upgrade to Aperture like I did.
Aperture to Picasa plugin
Having just gotten a decent camera I've recently discovered the joys of Aperture. As a long standing Flickr user, I immediately installed Frazier Speirs excellent Aperture to Flickr plugin. For those inclined towards Google's Picasa instead, however, there is now a new plugin that performs a similar function for that service. The Aperture to Picasa Web Albums plugin offers support for creating new albums, conversion of Aperture keywords to Picasa tags, and an Album selector with cover images.The Aperture to Picasa Web Albums plugin is in beta is a free download from Übermind.
TUAW Tip: Apple TV, iPod and more can sync photos from Aperture
Since I committed to stepping up to Aperture from iPhoto, I've been slowly learning that Aperture really isn't left out in the cold in terms of integrating with other applications or syncing photos to devices like the iPod and Apple TV. If you don't have Aperture installed, you simply won't see it as an option in things like Apple's system-wide Media Browser or iTunes for photo synching; that's what caught me, since I've been running my entire iTunes library on an older iMac downstairs, and Aperture on my MacBook Pro. Today I decided to tinker with a few things by plugging an iPod into my MacBook Pro, and suddenly I caught this option in iTunes for Aperture. This setting also appears in the sync options for the Apple TV as well, and works just as you expect; you can chose to sync your entire photo library, or you can pick and chose albums (or Projects, as they're called in Aperture), complete with image counts for every album in the list.This should be great news for anyone who, like me, previously thought Aperture couldn't play with all the system-wide integration that iPhoto enjoys.
TUAW Podcast #25: Aperture
Now that I'm on the home stretch of my undergrad (just a thesis project left to finish), I'm finally able to stretch my legs into some hobbies I've been meaning to pick up. One such hobby is photography, and since I've been flexing my digital tools, I've quickly become enamored with Aperture, Apple's professional alternative to iPhoto. Even though I am by no means a professional photographer (no laughing at my pictures!), there are a ton of features in Aperture that drew me away from iPhoto, and I thought highlighting some of these tempting tools would be ripe for a TUAW podcast. Aperture, in my opinion, isn't just for the photographers whose lens bags weigh more than most typical household dogs; it offers a wealth of general features for power users, photography enthusiasts and those who need something that lands right at the intersection of iPhoto and Photoshop in terms of both functionality and price.Hence, TUAW Podcast #25 was born. For just over twenty minutes I explore some of Aperture's features that I think appeal to a wide audience. Pick up a copy from our iTunes Store Podcast directory, this direct link or our own podcast rss feed.
PHPture: Aperture on the web
PHPture is very cool, and almost makes me wish I used Aperture to organize my photos. PHPture leverages the web technologies that are baked into every Mac running OS X to enable sharing of your Aperture library over the web. PHPture is limited to serving up webpages from the Mac that has Aperture installed on it by default, but I don't see why you can't serve up PHPture from a remote server that has access to your Aperture library.PHPture is open source, requires PHP 5 (which isn't included with OS X) and has been tested on OS X 10.4.9.Thanks, Nik.
Flickr upload Automator action 1.0
It's been a while since we've hit the Automator beat; too long, in my opinion. And what better way to bring everyone's favorite little automate-able robot back into the TUAW spotlight than with the Flickr upload Automator action from James Pitts? After some simple instructions for installing, this action is prime for all sorts of image-related workflows, such as a Folder Action that allows you to drop pictures onto a folder to simultaneously add them to iPhoto, Aperture and Flickr (with tags) - all without lifting a finger (well, that is, if you don't count the original finger you had to lift to drop the photos on the folder in the first place). I ran into a catch getting this installed, however: following James' instructions to the letter, I couldn't get Automator to see the action when I installed it for all users - it would only work when installed in my own user's Home directory. That isn't too big of a deal, personally, since I'm the only user on my machine, but I figured this was worth noting for those who work on multi-user Macs. James Pitts provides his Flickr upload Automator action with instructions for free at his blog.
Free Aperture web seminar for iPhoto users
Our faithful reader and tipster Nik Fletcher just passed a link our way to a new web seminar Apple has made available called Aperture for iPhoto Users. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet (I wanted to share it with y'all before diving in myself), but details on the site reveal exactly what you would expect: the seminar explores the advantages of stepping up to Aperture from iPhoto, as well as how to migrate your library (spoiler: it's really just a one-click process - I recently did it myself as I'm testing out the Aperture demo) and even how to use both applications for your photography workflow (something I'm particularly interested in). Apple also includes links to other Aperture resources such as the O'Reilly-dedicated Aperture site with links, blog posts and tips of their own, as well as another Apple seminar that covers the world of Aperture extensions.If you ask me, this seminar was far too long in coming, but it looks like it could be a great start on answering all those 'why should I move to Aperture?' questions for anyone interested in stepping into the world of professional digital photography management.
Apple releases Pro Application Support 4.0
Apple has released a Pro Application Support 4.0 update that "improves general user interface reliability for Apple's professional applications." Basically, if you use any of the Final Cut Suite apps, Aperture, Final Cut Express HD or Logic products, you'll probably see this in Software Update. Strangely, as with previous Pro Application Support updates, there isn't a whole lot of extra information as to what this update fixes, or what bugs and quirks it squashes; it's just 6 MB of UI update goodness, I guess.[via MacDailyNews]
FlickrExport Lite for Aperture, new versions all around
First there was FlickrExport for iPhoto, and it was good. Then its developer, Fraser Speirs, asked us whether we wanted him to make a FlickrExport for Aperture, and the answer to that question was also good. Now there is FlickrExport Lite for Aperture, and as a free product, it looks pretty sweet. Previously known at Flickr as the Flickr Plugin for Aperture, Fraser has re-named the plugin and brought it home to be displayed alongside its bigger brothers, complete with a feature-comparison page that breaks down the major features of all three FlickrExport products. If you've been on the fence between using iPhoto or Aperture and want to upload to Flickr, these plugins are where it's at, and I actually learned a few things from this feature comparison page, such as the fact that the Aperture plugin can add geodata before uploading, add tags after uploading and even replace existing photos on Flickr. Looks like this blogger is going to have to give Aperture a more thorough run-through.Oh, almost forgot: all the FlickrExport plugins have been updated with bug fixes and one big new feature: the ability to set the moderation level on the photos you upload.
Aperture 1.5.3
You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you get an Aperture update. Apple, today, has released Aperture 1.5.3 onto unsuspecting pro photographers everywhere!This free update addresses the normal bug fixes and performance issues as well as: Leaf Aptus 22 and Aptus 75 images are imported correctly (I am sure that means something to someone) Many issues with using external editors have been fixed Restoring from a vault And much, much more. Aperture users should apply this update as soon as possible (but remember, back ups are your friends).
Logickeyboard offers keyboard shortcut replacement keycaps
If you really want to master a powerful piece of software like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or Aperture you need to use the keyboard shortcuts. Of course, memorizing all those combo can be quite daunting, and so keyboard overlays have long been a convenient "cheat sheet." Logickeyboard takes this idea to the next level by offering a complete set of replacement keycaps preprinted with the keyboard shortcuts. They have recently released a set for Aperture, but they also have sets for Photoshop, Pro Tools, Logic, Final Cut Pro and more. The keycaps set even includes a tool for yanking the keycaps off your keyboard. Most of the sets are only for the presently shipping white Apple Keyboard. If you're the less adventurous type you can also just purchase a wired or wireless keyboard with the keycaps pre-installed.Needless to say, this kind of thing is probably only going to appeal to somebody who spends a lot of their time in a singe application. Nonetheless, it might be a helpful way to speed up the process of becoming a keyboard ninja in your program of choice. The keycap sets run $59 for mangling your own, or you can purchase a pre-made one for $99 wired or $119 wireless (versus Apple's standard price of $29 and $59, respectively).[Via DigitalFreak.net]
FlickrExport for iPhoto and Aperture updated
I only use one plugin for iPhoto and it is Connected Flow's amazingly useful FlickrExport for iPhoto. I know some folks think it is a little pricey, but this plugin makes posting my pictures to Flickr a breeze, and I am willing to pay a fair price for anything that makes my digital life easier. From the Connected Flow blog comes news that FlickrExport (both for iPhoto and Aperture) has been updated to resolve an issue with uploading large amounts of pictures to Flickr. Full release notes are available for the iPhoto and Aperture versions here and here, respectively.If you're a user of either plugin be sure to download the update. A license for FlickrExport for iPhoto costs £12 whilst the Aperture plugin will set you back £14.
Grudgematch: Aperture vs. Lightroom
TUAW reader Sherrod is a photographer on a mission: He's going to examine Lightroom and Aperture side by side, and he needs your help.He has set up what will be a series of posts looking at each of the applications, with the intention of declaring a winner. Sherrod asks his readers what they'd like to see him examine, outside of his own agenda. So have your say and watch the battle! We look forward to your findings, Sherrod.
Lightroom vs. Aperture - What's Best?
Now that Adobe has officially shipped Lightroom (as we recently mentioned), the natural question is: which one is better, Lightroom or Aperture? Of course folks have been playing with the Lightroom beta for quite some time, so this is not new question, but Derrick Story over at MacDevCenter posts on two new series by professional photographers writing for O'Reilly comparing the two software packages. He links to the first post Micah Walter's series for the Inside Aperture blog, and to the start of Michael Clark's initial comparison between the two on the corresponding Inside Lightroom blog. Neither has yet revealed their final conclusions, but it should be interesting to see where they both go. On a related note, Macworld podcast 74 features a discussion of the relative merits of the two packages by Rick LePage (as does this earlier post on TUAW). From what I can tell so far in many of these discussion, the answer to the question is not going to be entirely straightforward, with one package clearly better than the other. It is more likely that the answer will be something like: it depends on what you want your workflow to look like, and how you want to interact with your images. So TUAW readers, what's your take? Which one do you prefer and why?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 now available
It is mid-February, and you know what that means: Adobe today announced the immediate availability of it's competitor to Apple's Aperture, Photoshop Lightroom. Version 1.0 includes the updated Camera Raw 3.7 framework which adds support for a number of new cameras including the Nikon D40 and Pentax K10D. Lightroom is available at a special discounted introductory price of $200 until the 30th of April, after which the price will increase to $300. Current users of the Lightroom beta can continue using the software until the 28th of this month. I've been using Lightroom since I picked up a Pentax K100D back in December, and I absolutely adore it. The interface is beautiful, it runs pretty darn well on my aging PowerBook, and it seamlessly integrates with Photoshop CS2. Now I just have to figure out how to work the automated processing features and I'll be golden... once I find the cash to pay for the full version. [via MacNN]
Aperture to Final Cut Pro
Connected Flow, makers of the very cool FlickrExport, have just released a free Aperture plugin that some of you are bound to be crazy about. Aperture to Final Cut Pro, oddly enough, exports selected photos from Aperture toa Final Cut Pro video sequence. It allows you to choose the transition, how long you would like this photo montage to last, as well as what Codec you want it created it. Pretty nifty, and all for the low, low price of free (though it is provided as is, so if it burns down your house and drinks all the milk... that would be odd and Connected Flow could not be held responsible).Thanks, Nik.
Working with Metadata views in Aperture
Aperture is Apple's tool designed for professional photographers who take lots and lots of pictures. As such, handling metadata is an important part of any workflow involving Aperture. James Duncan Davidson has some tricks to help you get the metadata you need into Aperture as quickly as possible. I'm sure this will save someone some time out there.
Aperture 1.5.2 on Software Update
When photographs dream, they dream in both color AND black & white -- and they dream of being managed with Aperture. The 1.5.2 update of Apple's pro lightbox is out tonight on Software Update and via the download page; what's new, gang?[I]mproves overall reliability and performance in a number of areas of the application, including contact sheet printing, Smart Albums, watermarks, Lift & Stamp, image export, and versions using an external editor.Note that you'll need to be at OS X 10.4.8 before you can move up to Aperture 1.5, to say nothing of bumping up to 1.5.2. Happy sorting everyone.Thanks Zon!
