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Review

Aperture 3: a Photographer’s Review

by Alex Nazari | 8:43 am, February 10th, 2010

For those familiar with iPhoto, Apple’s recently upgraded Aperture 3 is a great introduction to advanced digital imaging without the price tag and headache of learning Photoshop. Aperture 3 is the software equivalent of an entry level DSLR camera—not quite professional quality, but much more enticing than your average point-and-shoot.

Apple added over 200 new features, some useful and some negligible. Faces and Places allow for better image organizing, and the RAW + JPEG import option keeps files in order. Like iPhoto, Aperture 3 uploads directly to Facebook and Flickr, and the Camera Info Pane shows the camera settings and specs of each specific picture, similar to the LCD pane of a camera.

This feature is especially useful if you’re interested in easily accessible ISO, aperture, and shutter speed information. In addition to direct uploads, Aperture 3 makes spiffy slide shows that combine text, images, music, and video — a great means of showing off anything from your meticulously produced fine art photos to your crazy spring break pictures.

Best of all is the new Brushes feature, which allows for easy and detailed digital adjustments without the use of difficult to master layer and filter settings. You can adjust anything from the entire image to tiny areas with just a few clicks. Aperture’s features are best taken advantage of with photos shot in RAW mode, so if you are not willing to sacrifice the space on your hard drive or if your camera does not shoot in RAW (most point-and-shoots do not shoot in RAW format), you won’t enjoy the full spectrum of Aperture’s photo editing power.

In sum, Aperture 3 is an easy-to-learn introduction to digital imaging. The more ambitious amateur might want to delve directly into Photoshop, though Aperture’s $199 price tag is much more competitive than Photoshop’s $999 investment price point. However, students looking to pursue digital photography might want to reconsider, as Adobe’s student discount prices Photoshop CS4 at a very reasonable $199. Consumers should also consider Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom as more specialized alternatives.

The best way to determine of Aperture 3 is right for you is to download a free 30 day trial and take advantage of Apple’s tutorials.

  • nrphoto

    What in the world are you talking about?

    “Aperture 3 is the software equivalent of an entry level DSLR camera—not quite professional quality, but much more enticing than your average point-and-shoot.”

    That is the most ignorant thing I’ve read in quite awhile. Aperture isn’t meant to replace photoshop. It serves a completely different purpose in the workflow, and it is an incredibly capable application at doing what it was designed to do.

  • editorguy

    Your review is ridiculous. I am a professional photographer and I have been using Aperture ever since it was first released. It is a a fully professional image editing application every bit as good as Adobe Lightroom, especially with the new features in version 3. I have used Lightroom as well, and it is also a great application, but I have chosen to go with Aperture. As the previous comment states (nrphoto), Aperture does not replace photoshop, but should be used along with photoshop. I have Aperture set up so that I can take an image to photoshop for specific types of manipulation that are better done there than in Aperture. When I save the image in Photoshop it is updated back in Aperture. Aperture is an application meant to handle large numbers of images that require quick adjustments, while Photoshop is not meant to be used this way. Go back to playing with your point and shoot camera and stop pretending you know anything about professional photography.

  • alzberg

    I thought this was a great review of the new features! Thanks, Alex!

  • NazariRoses

    Great job Alex! I’m so proud of you!

    Love Mom.

  • jcjc

    Editorguy:

    How do you move your Aperture photos into Photoshop and then back again? I would prefer to store my images in Aperture (I have Aperture 2); edit in Photoshop CS4; then re-store in Aperture 2.

  • Milesofmarketing

    Some of you take yourselves a bit too seriously I think. Maybe instead of raving about yourselves and what you know, why not try providing useful information in a non-threatening manner that may help someone vs. cut someone down.. Being rude does not make you a better artist, just a snobby mean human being. 

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