6 Months Since Aperture (& iPhotos) Death

[maflynn]

Don't take this too harshly please...

A lot of the arguments for why I should be using Lightroom sound like the arguments for why I should be using Windows instead of Mac.

"Everyone's doing it. Have you seen their market share? There's a reason for that."
"Compatibility"
"You know its going to be around for a long time because it is the major focus of the company."
"Sure they are an evil, soul sucking, menace, and they have crappy licensing that is a headache when you have to deal with them, but you can get software that works with them from Wal-Mart."

Don't worry, I'm not taking it harshly.

My point is that many people have moved off of Aperture for reason, LR is providing some great tools. If you're happy with Aperture, or Photos, then go for it. All I'm suggesting is that Lightroom is a tool that brings together a lot of advantages. Aperture had many of those same advantages, had apple continue to improve that products I'd still be using AP.

I personally find the best tool that meets my needs, and that's LR. Your needs may be different, all I can offer is my opinion

 

[irishv]

A lot of folks probably don't need much more than that.

Yup. My biggest issue with using Snapseed, etc has always been having to duplicate images and having poor library management on iOS. iCloud Photo Library (on the surface) seems to address that.

 

[skaeight]

Yup. My biggest issue with using Snapseed, etc has always been having to duplicate images and having poor library management on iOS. iCloud Photo Library (on the surface) seems to address that.

Ya Snapseed seems like an abandoned product, it looks like an iOS 6 app.

 

[jms969]

I was just playing around with Pixelmator's iOS extension, and if they come out with something like this for Mac, that might fill in the gap of losing round tripping - for more advanced stuff the photo could just be opened in Pixelmator directly. I'm sure other companies will have similar things.

Presets are the only thing I wouldn't have, hopefully that's something they would add soon.

I just hope the beta of Photos comes out to the public beta test program before my CC demo expires. I may be willing to give this some time and see where it goes. The prospect of extensions is intriguing and could be something entirely new in the way we edit photos. I'm kind of realizing I don't want to miss out on at least seeing where it goes.

As I have said before, I wish that had transferred aperture to the boys at pixelmator. A pixelmator/aperture combo would have made a nice prosumer competitor to PS/LR...

I suspect pixelmator has bought into the koolaid that is Photos so they will head down the consumer path as well...

 

[robgendreau]

As I have said before, I wish that had transferred aperture to the boys at pixelmator. A pixelmator/aperture combo would have made a nice prosumer competitor to PS/LR...

I suspect pixelmator has bought into the koolaid that is Photos so they will head down the consumer path as well...

OOOooh, that would be cool.

Might have been even more interesting if Apple didn't do an application at all. Just left it to others completely. And say integrated some of the photo organization into the Finder, like adding the ability to add captions, ratings, keywords, etc (like in Windows), and with the ability to make albums right in the Finder. And then sort on that.

Then others could work on the editing/adjusting part of it. I suspect few wanna compete with a freebie Apple application that has such favored access to iOS and Apple's exclusive cloudy thing. BTW, isn't that the sort of thing that we used to complain about with Internet Explorer?

 

[skaeight]

OOOooh, that would be cool.

Might have been even more interesting if Apple didn't do an application at all. Just left it to others completely. And say integrated some of the photo organization into the Finder, like adding the ability to add captions, ratings, keywords, etc (like in Windows), and with the ability to make albums right in the Finder. And then sort on that.

Then others could work on the editing/adjusting part of it. I suspect few wanna compete with a freebie Apple application that has such favored access to iOS and Apple's exclusive cloudy thing. BTW, isn't that the sort of thing that we used to complain about with Internet Explorer?

One way of looking at it is that Photos is exactly that. It's kind of the finder of photo editing. They've built some basic tools in, but developers will add more advanced features via extensions. I'm hopeful that's what happens.

 

[OreoCookie]

I suspect pixelmator has bought into the koolaid that is Photos so they will head down the consumer path as well...

It seems pretty clear that Apple will have an Extension for images on the Mac as well, so Extensions would serve as universal Plugins with all of the niceties that come with it (e. g. that they are non-destructive). And given their history, the Pixelmator guys would certainly be among the first to write such an extension. And since all apps which allow for image-based Extensions, I don't see why this should be limited to non-professional apps. That'd be really great for developers, too, the folks at Nik and other plugin developers could just make an Extension as another target for their programs. In an imaginary world where Adobe wouldn't put cross-platform homogenization above everything, you could even have a Photoshop Extension.

 

[robgendreau]

No, the Finder is the Finder and Photos is yet another application. Even if you reference images in Photos any versions (not sure Photos has those, but say adjusted image then) are tough to get at from many applications, as they are now with iPhoto and Aperture. You have to use either a dialog box and "Media" or something like iMedia Framework.

And I'm not holding my breath for much in the way of extensions. I've got bazillions of iOS photo apps; only Camera+ and Afterlight can be accessed from Photos, and it's not too helpful and rather buggy.

Maybe it'll be better on Mac OS, but I've only see a few Mac OS extensions up to now and they've been possible for a while (Pixelmator, DevonThink, Things, Prizmo eg). They aren't super useful, mostly a "share" type menu. Maybe Photos will drive more, but why not just plain old "edit in"? It's already here and just works.

 

[skaeight]

No, the Finder is the Finder and Photos is yet another application. Even if you reference images in Photos any versions (not sure Photos has those, but say adjusted image then) are tough to get at from many applications, as they are now with iPhoto and Aperture. You have to use either a dialog box and "Media" or something like iMedia Framework.

And I'm not holding my breath for much in the way of extensions. I've got bazillions of iOS photo apps; only Camera+ and Afterlight can be accessed from Photos, and it's not too helpful and rather buggy.

Maybe it'll be better on Mac OS, but I've only see a few Mac OS extensions up to now and they've been possible for a while (Pixelmator, DevonThink, Things, Prizmo eg). They aren't super useful, mostly a "share" type menu. Maybe Photos will drive more, but why not just plain old "edit in"? It's already here and just works.

My hypothesis of why the "edit in" is gone is covered in this post:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20688128/

In short, extensions are going to be able to work in RAW space, the "edit in" uses a baked TIFF.

I do agree, I'm not holding out hope that extensions will quickly fill in gaps. it's likely going to be years before Photos + extensions matches Apertures current functionality.

 

[v3rlon]

Bah, this is excruciating. In my search for a utility to replace Aperture (in case Photos fails), I have been reading reviews. When I find something that looks promising, I make sure to look for negative reviews/comparisons to make sure I am not forgetting something.

Not only have I not found anything I like, but I am retroactively liking things I have used before even less.


Maybe we should set up a table where we can edit and add features or packages as a community.

 

[skaeight]

Bah, this is excruciating. In my search for a utility to replace Aperture (in case Photos fails), I have been reading reviews. When I find something that looks promising, I make sure to look for negative reviews/comparisons to make sure I am not forgetting something.

Not only have I not found anything I like, but I am retroactively liking things I have used before even less.


Maybe we should set up a table where we can edit and add features or packages as a community.

I'm right there with you. I've redited sets of photos several times because I've been bouncing between Aperture and LR. I just got back from a weekend in NYC with photos to process and I honestly don't know what to do with them.

 

[colorspace]

I'm right there with you. I've redited sets of photos several times because I've been bouncing between Aperture and LR. I just got back from a weekend in NYC with photos to process and I honestly don't know what to do with them.

Well I just finished putting in what I thought were my last hours w LR before the demo expired -- and for some reason it apparently still hasn't expired for some reason, and I'm still able to edit (maybe cause I haven't quit?). In any case, played quite a bit with stacking multiple images into a single panoramic by the built in roundtrip with PS. And I must say it works FANTASTICALLY -- easy and seamless, with no "waste images" generated. I'll have to give a big + to LR for this one.

 

[skaeight]

Ok, I think I finally have my final answer, Lightroom.

This did it for me:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55259489

Not even a histogram unless you manually turn it on for every. Single. Photo.

This is just unacceptable. This shows where Apple's head is at with this application. It is not for people who actually need to edit photos. They're intending people to use their smart edit sliders and nothing more. That post also does confirm there are no presets, so Pogue likely had a typo (Adjustment Resets).

It's very possible Apple may change their mind on this before the final 1.0 is released, but I'm starting to feel like I have Stockholm Syndrome if I continue to put up with Apple's crap. They aren't after serious photographers anymore. This more than anything illustrates that point. I guess I just need to move on.

Ya the Panorama workflow with LR + PS is great (awesome pic btw). That level of integration is fantastic and the huge upside of the LR/PS combo is that it feels like as I grow my skills, it will grow with me, as opposed to an app where I have to manually edit each photo every time after manually turning on the histogram.

 

[colorspace]

It's very possible Apple may change their mind on this before the final 1.0 is released, but I'm starting to feel like I have Stockholm Syndrome if I continue to put up with Apple's crap. They aren't after serious photographers anymore. This more than anything illustrates that point. I guess I just need to move on.

I think this pretty much sums up where I am as well. Photos is such a HUGE step backwards that I can't even begin to see how it could be turned in to an interesting product for someone really interested in photography! Amazingly I think we all were expecting Apple to release something between iPhoto and Aperture... and instead they went for the middle ground between iPhoto and Instagram! Utterly disheartening.

 

[skaeight]

I think this pretty much sums up where I am as well. Photos is such a HUGE step backwards that I can't even begin to see how it could be turned in to an interesting product for someone really interested in photography! Amazingly I think we all were expecting Apple to release something between iPhoto and Aperture... and instead they went for the middle ground between iPhoto and Instagram! Utterly disheartening.

Ha. The only thing that kept me coming back to considering it is what happened with FCPX. That is a truly great application now even though it started off rough. I don't think it's a great comparison though because it was still a pro application just lacking a few features and it had a completely different editing paradigm.

But you're right, it's almost like they realized people weren't using iPhoto because they were posting on Instagram and Facebook, so they designed an app that would capture that market. Nice analogy!

 

[The Bad Guy]

<snip>Amazingly I think we all were expecting Apple to release something between iPhoto and Aperture... <snip>

Not all of us. I'm not surprised at all in regards to 'Photos'.

 

[joemod]

There are a few things that I consider crucial when it comes to cloud services:
(1) I want to know where my files are.
(2) I want to have a complete copy of these files on at least one of my devices and have these backed up. I don't trust any single service or device.
(3) I want at least some flexibility to react to edge cases (e. g. when my storage needs exceed a storage tier that I pay for).
(4) I want to automate as much as possible.

Have you checked Crashplan? I am not sure about (1) but I think the rest are covered with it.

 

[maflynn]

Amazingly I think we all were expecting Apple to release something between iPhoto and Aperture... and instead they went for the middle ground between iPhoto and Instagram! Utterly disheartening.

No not all of us, I saw the handwriting on the wall with Aperture not being updated, yet I refused to give it up. Once they came out and said no more updates after Yosemite's compatibility updates. I figured its time to move on.

Aperture has (had?) a lot going for it, its a great app that is sagging with age. Apple could have really done so much with it. Instead they chose to cater to the consumer segment and ignore the more serious photographers. We saw this with their other pro apps, and with iWork when they released major updates they all had features stripped away. Quite disheartening to be sure.

 

[skaeight]

No not all of us, I saw the handwriting on the wall with Aperture not being updated, yet I refused to give it up. Once they came out and said no more updates after Yosemite's compatibility updates. I figured its time to move on.

Aperture has (had?) a lot going for it, its a great app that is sagging with age. Apple could have really done so much with it. Instead they chose to cater to the consumer segment and ignore the more serious photographers. We saw this with their other pro apps, and with iWork when they released major updates they all had features stripped away. Quite disheartening to be sure.

This one does feel different though. The histogram is there, but it has to be enabled for every photo, every time. That is almost like a big middle finger to photographers saying to get out we don't want you here. That was not just a missing feature, it was a deliberate design decision to make the application harder to use to do what the old photo apps were intended todo. If I had to guess someone decided they didn't like the way it looked and said "who needs it anyways, hide it. The nerds will enable it if they want it".

This is the ultimate in form over function.

 

[jms969]

It seems pretty clear that Apple will have an Extension for images on the Mac as well, so Extensions would serve as universal Plugins with all of the niceties that come with it (e. g. that they are non-destructive). And given their history, the Pixelmator guys would certainly be among the first to write such an extension. And since all apps which allow for image-based Extensions, I don't see why this should be limited to non-professional apps. That'd be really great for developers, too, the folks at Nik and other plugin developers could just make an Extension as another target for their programs. In an imaginary world where Adobe wouldn't put cross-platform homogenization above everything, you could even have a Photoshop Extension.

Maybe, but for me it is way too little way too late. will get some support from app developers but the pro market is still gone forever...

I though that I had about 800MB of images, in actuality it is well north of 1TB (there are photogs with many many times that quantity of images). There is not a chance in hell I am going to switch DAMs, I don't care if Photos makes the coffee and takes out the trash I am locked in to LR and PS...

----------

No not all of us, I saw the handwriting on the wall with Aperture not being updated, yet I refused to give it up. Once they came out and said no more updates after Yosemite's compatibility updates. I figured its time to move on.

Aperture has (had?) a lot going for it, its a great app that is sagging with age. Apple could have really done so much with it. Instead they chose to cater to the consumer segment and ignore the more serious photographers. We saw this with their other pro apps, and with iWork when they released major updates they all had features stripped away. Quite disheartening to be sure.

That is why you cannot rely on a hardware company for your software needs

 

[v3rlon]

That is why you cannot rely on a hardware company for your software needs

Apple is not a hardware company. They put an intel chip on a fox con motherboard with AMD/Nvidia gfx card yada, yada, yada.

This is a nice computer, but it would run Windows or Linux if I asked it to. I choose to run OS X.

Now, the Histogram is there, it just ha to be enabled. That is one preference setting away from being on all the time (even if they haven't added that setting yet). I am 100% certain Apple did not do this to 'give you the middle finger.'

One of the things mentioned specifically in the "Advances in Core Image" video is how easy it is to create presets for developers. IF they are easy to create, they should be easy to implement.

So this may well turn into an FCP X with a rough start that matures into a great application. I would hope they learned their lesson last time and get this one sorted out first though.

 

[fcortese]

Macworld's Chris Breen wrote an article about Photos and near the bottom addressed the"pro photographer" gripe and recommended this:

Photos is not an Aperture replacement. It doesn’t offer Aperture’s organizational powers, brushes, versions, and so on. You can certainly be disappointed that a free bundled app doesn’t replace one that once cost a couple of hundred dollars, but all that’s going to earn you is frustration. Apple’s moved on and it seems you’ll have to as well.

Much as I counseled AppleWorks users to stop doing work in an app that had no future, so too would I suggest that Aperture users start looking for the next way forward. While Aperture will continue to work perfectly well for quite awhile, if you continue adding images and editing them extensively, you’re making more work for your future self when you finally have to jump to another app.

I've given up waiting and started learning and using Lr.

 

[skaeight]

Apple is not a hardware company. They put an intel chip on a fox con motherboard with AMD/Nvidia gfx card yada, yada, yada.

This is a nice computer, but it would run Windows or Linux if I asked it to. I choose to run OS X.

Now, the Histogram is there, it just ha to be enabled. That is one preference setting away from being on all the time (even if they haven't added that setting yet). I am 100% certain Apple did not do this to 'give you the middle finger.'

One of the things mentioned specifically in the "Advances in Core Image" video is how easy it is to create presets for developers. IF they are easy to create, they should be easy to implement.

So this may well turn into an FCP X with a rough start that matures into a great application. I would hope they learned their lesson last time and get this one sorted out first though.

If the person at dpreview is correct the histogram has to be enabled every time you go to edit a photo. Is that correct?

 

[v3rlon]

If the person at dpreview is correct the histogram has to be enabled every time you go to edit a photo. Is that correct?

That is what it reads like. So either a)the write has not found the "always open images with a histogram' option or b) that option does not yet exist in Photos.

But, if there IS a histogram that can be turned on, then it is nearly trivial to add a checkbox so that it is always come up with the edit image.

That said, same reviewer says there are no brushed effects while others have said there are, but that 'you can only alter size but not intensity.'

 

[maflynn]

Apple is not a hardware company. They put an intel chip on a fox con motherboard with AMD/Nvidia gfx card yada, yada, yada.

They are a hardware company everything is geared to towards selling hardware, even their iPhone ecosystem which change the equation a bit, is geared towards driving people to buying hardware products.