Is the new Photos like Final Cut Pro X or is Aperture like Hypercard?

[HDFan]

I had no problems with Apple Dropping Final Cut Pro 7 and replacing it with a completely different program, Final Cut Pro X. The deficiencies of the initial release of FCPX didn't bother me either since I knew that Apple was committed to the software and would fix problems and add features back as time permitted.

I had hoped that this was the case for Photos so I haven't converted my Aperture library. However after reading the review in MacWorld's June issue I now am thinking that photos is not like FCPX. Aperture is like Hypercard. When it is gone in OSX 13 Photos will still not have the missing Aperture features.

http://www.macworld.com/article/290...n-iphoto-but-less-powerful-than-aperture.html

The key paragraph reads::

Apple hasn’t been simply creating a new photo application for the Mac—this is the Mac component of the company’s grand photography effort that connects the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and the Web. With iCloud Photo Library, Apple is attempting to make all of your photos—not just the ones you capture with any one device—available on every Apple product you own.

So if you're creating an app that works on a 5.5" iPhone as well as a Mac you're never going to add back those missing Aperture features.

 

[OreoCookie]

So if you're creating an app that works on a 5.5" iPhone as well as a Mac you're never going to add back those missing Aperture features.

I don't think this is an apt assessment: there is already pro software that works cross platform, cross devices, cross device categories, the most prominent example is Microsoft's rewrite of Office where all versions (be it the Android, OS X, iOS or Windows version) are based on a common code core. You don't need to go as far as that, but what Apple did is part of a bigger trend: iPhoto —*and also the old iWork apps — have been conceived during the digital hub era where the iPhone and iPads did not exist. Consequently, they do not fit into a cloud-centric world. Apple, just like other software vendors, has decided to reboot all of its major pieces of software. But in the end, I don't think this has anything to do with the pro/non-pro »divide«. Apple made a decision to pool all resources on Photos and not start development of Aperture X/Photos Pro.

Apple could have made Aperture X/Photos Pro by following the file management paradigm of Photos and putting more sophisticated sorting, tagging and editing tools on top. Apple could also leave this to third parties in the future by opening Photos for OS X in the same way as Photos for iOS. Perhaps we'll find out more in a month. I find it very hard to believe that Apple is not aware that they make the world's most popular camera.

 

[sbeaudoin]

I find it very hard to believe that Apple is not aware that they make the world's most popular camera.

Photos app demonstrates that Apple is well aware that the iPhone is the most popular camera. Serious photographers shoot events, projects. iPhone photographers shoot moments. Coincidence that Photos now organize images by Moments?

On other threads, people are asking for the return of geotagging. No need for it in the app, the iPhone takes care of it. Round trip to external editors like PS? Who goes to PS before sharing their selfies to the world. This was in iPhoto and Aperture. Would have been easy to include it in Photos.

No serious photo DAM and editor is free. Aperture was never free. Why Apple should develop an application as good as Aperture was or Lightroom for free?

Photos is designed for the camera that Apple sells, the iPhone. Not for serious photographers. Sadly, after using Aperture 2 and 3, I moved on to Lightroom.

 

[OreoCookie]

Photos app demonstrates that Apple is well aware that the iPhone is the most popular camera. Serious photographers shoot events, projects. iPhone photographers shoot moments. Coincidence that Photos now organize images by Moments?

Sure, I think that's why Apple threw their whole weight behind it. It's just that I expected that Apple would continue a more advanced solution alongside, just like they have for music and movies.

 

[sbeaudoin]

Sure, I think that's why Apple threw their whole weight behind it. It's just that I expected that Apple would continue a more advanced solution alongside, just like they have for music and movies.

They should have replaced iPhoto with Photos and keep Aperture as an advanced paid application. The market was probably not big enough to keep Aperture going compared to the millions of iPhones they sell. They made their pick.

Apple is selling hardware and now provides basic software to get people going. Most will be satisfied with that offering. Advanced users have to look somewhere else. I did and not looking back.

 

[OreoCookie]

They should have replaced iPhoto with Photos and keep Aperture as an advanced paid application. The market was probably not big enough to keep Aperture going compared to the millions of iPhones they sell. They made their pick.

I don't see it this way, Apple is doing plenty of things because they feel that it is in their DNA to do something (e. g. the other pro products or their commitment to accessibility and sustainability). Up until the end, Aperture was selling well on the App Store, so it is clear that there was a market. Nevertheless, I think Aperture needed a complete overhaul as well, limping along wasn't really an option anymore. I think Apple's decision came because their engineering talent has been stretched very, very thin for years.

Apple is selling hardware and now provides basic software to get people going. Most will be satisfied with that offering. Advanced users have to look somewhere else. I did and not looking back.

Apple is selling plenty of pro software, Logic X, Final Cut Pro X and FileMaker come to mind immediately, and at least two of them have received from-the-ground-up rewrites in the recent past (not sure about FileMaker). It's just that Apple has chosen to abandon the pro DAM market.

 

[paolo-]

I'd wait until WWDC, but IMHO, Aperture is dead. The pro apps that Apple has kept were in markets where they had a strong hold.

Plenty of people were fine using Final Cut Pro 7 and it was a cheap fully featured video editor that even made its way into some Hollywood productions. FCPX was a complete failure. The product was not ready and they alienated the pro video crowd. It might make sense for smaller project and maybe even larger productions with the updates at this point. But most novices look up to the pros and they left a long time ago.

Logic Pro has a very large following and is one of the most respected DAW, especially when it comes to composing/MIDI. Although It's starting to loose some ground to Ableton Live in some circles, the update was warmly welcomed and was exactly what the users wanted/expected. Better performance, great new features. A simplified UI is available for novice but the powerful features are still there.

If Aperture was to get an update, it should have happened years ago. The last update that brought significant features to Aperture dates back to 2012. Aperture was ahead of the curve when it came out but it couldn't keep up with the updates Lightroom got. At this point, it's too late to bring out a new version of Aperture. The pros have left when Aperture was announced dead - and I don't see them coming back after being left out in the cold. Photoshop users get Lightroom for free. And other solutions like capture 1 are incredibly good and will just keep getting better.

Apple could make a decent version of Aperture. They have the money and brain power. But I don't see what feature they could bring to get a slice of the market.

 

[OreoCookie]

Plenty of people were fine using Final Cut Pro 7 and it was a cheap fully featured video editor that even made its way into some Hollywood productions. FCPX was a complete failure. The product was not ready and they alienated the pro video crowd. It might make sense for smaller project and maybe even larger productions with the updates at this point. But most novices look up to the pros and they left a long time ago.

FCPX is used in everything up to Hollywood productions (the movie Focus with Will Smith was cut using FCPX). There was plenty of bitching and moaning after its release, because of Apple's botched marketing and complaints by users that FCPX works differently from FCP. The characterization as a failure or success in the market is a long-term question, and it seems to me that Apple has consistently added features, and that it gains popularity.

The pros have left when Aperture was announced dead - and I don't see them coming back after being left out in the cold. Photoshop users get Lightroom for free. And other solutions like capture 1 are incredibly good and will just keep getting better. [...] But I don't see what feature they could bring to get a slice of the market.

There were more than enough Aperture fans who preferred its UI and its way to manage files. A proper cross-device syncing and cloud-syncing solution would be the killer feature for me, for instance.

 

[bmac89]

The sad thing is that assuming they ever bring back Aperture or an alternative such as Photos pro / x.... people have already jumped ship and invested in a new program. Not to mention the uncertainty of whether the Apple program will be continued.

Iphones might be the biggest seller but the mac is the workstation of many creative professionals and enthusiast - whether photography, video, design... etc. I hope Apple doesn't ignore this and turn the mac into a large i-gadget.

 

[MCAsan]

Sad for whom? I can't image any serious photographer thinking iPhoto/Photos was or will ever be a substitute for Aperture, Lightroom, or CP1. It is aimed at the huge market of IOS snapshot takers.

 

[shaunp]

Apple are concentrating on the consumer experience, which to be fair is where their biggest market share is.

Like many others I've jumped from Aperture to Lightroom. Adobe have made it easy to migrate and I can't see a reason to go back to anything Apple produce as they clearly aren't interested in the professional photography market.

I'm also interested to see what Apple do with the Mac Pro at the WWDC. The current one was announced 2 years ago. I have one, it's a great little machine, but I'm interested to see Apple's commitment to the platform. Everything Apple are doing with hardware is too consumer, and far too much style over substance. Has anyone tried using the keyboard and trackpad on the new Macbook? I'm due to replace my laptop (rMBP 2013) at some point next year, but if this style of keyboard is adopted for all Apple laptops I'll be looking elsewhere. And that's the issue I have with Apple - style over substance. I would actually prefer a fatter laptop, with a decent keyboard (anyone remember the old Thinkpad keyboards, the proper ones not the Lenovo junk), an ethernet port and the ability to upgrade the RAM if I need to. As for the Mac Pro, I'd like to be able to drop one of the GPU's for an additional CPU. And why does the iMac have the SD card on the back of the machine, why not the front or the side? Is that too much to ask?

I'm sure we all have our gripes with whatever technology we are using, but for me I need a platform I can use all day every day as a VM lab, photo editing and my every day 'stuff'. Apple is very good at the every day 'stuff', but only for those who work 2 hours a day from a Starbucks. For the rest of us, Apple needs a more flexible 'Pro' platform. Although Windows 10 is looking very good, and the Dell M3800 has my attention.

 

[bmac89]

Sad for whom? I can't image any serious photographer thinking iPhoto/Photos was or will ever be a substitute for Aperture, Lightroom, or CP1. It is aimed at the huge market of IOS snapshot takers.

I was referring to Aperture not Iphoto or Photos.
Exactly - that is my point. Apple is becoming an I-device company and turning its back on the things that will interest more serious users. Ditching Aperture in my opinion is just another step down this path. The program may have needed updates but atleast it was a semi serious piece of software unlike this snap happy freebie.