Thread: Photogs That Use Aperture:

First off--tech talk, I know. I'll post it there too. Happy? Grrr.....

Now to the question--
Have any of you had any issues with Aperture failing? I just read a bunch of stuff in an Apple forum and am freaking out about continuing to use Aperture. I haven't had any problems yet, but I just can't bear the thought of the system failing one day and the possibility of losing all my work. I back everything up to a hard drive weekly, but was just wondering--if I ever decide to quit using Aperture, will those RAW files open as they should in another application (say, Lightroom?)

How do you back up your system? How do you load yoiur RAW images to Aperture? Straight from the card? Like I said, I'm curious to know if, I've loaded my RAW files directly from the card--so the only copy of the RAW file is in my Aperture library, would I be able to open that file in another application (from my hard drive--not after exporting from the aperture library).

So far, Aperture has been purdy damn sweet, but I'm having a ridiculously anxious moment.

Originally Posted by grizzle6

First off--tech talk, I know. I'll post it there too. Happy? Grrr.....

Now to the question--
Have any of you had any issues with Aperture failing? I just read a bunch of stuff in an Apple forum and am freaking out about continuing to use Aperture. I haven't had any problems yet, but I just can't bear the thought of the system failing one day and the possibility of losing all my work. I back everything up to a hard drive weekly, but was just wondering--if I ever decide to quit using Aperture, will those RAW files open as they should in another application (say, Lightroom?)

How do you back up your system? How do you load yoiur RAW images to Aperture? Straight from the card? Like I said, I'm curious to know if, I've loaded my RAW files directly from the card--so the only copy of the RAW file is in my Aperture library, would I be able to open that file in another application (from my hard drive--not after exporting from the aperture library).

So far, Aperture has been purdy damn sweet, but I'm having a ridiculously anxious moment.

I've been running Aperture since it came out and have had no issues at all. Truth be told most of those people on the Aperture forum dont know shit. I.E. 90% of the issues they list are spelled out in the Aperture manual.

The most important thing is to make sure the HD that your libary is on is properly formated as well as your Vault.

The only issue that I have had so far is that for the Vault to work, you have to be able to fit your entire libary on one continuous drive, so I have my system configured so that I have two raid's with one being dedicated solely to the libary and another soley dedicated to the Vault.

My only major gripe is that it will not let you export the RAW master image with any Meta data that you have input in Aperture (It only makes changes to new verions not the orignal RAW)

Originally Posted by mtbakerskier

My only major gripe is that it will not let you export the RAW master image with any Meta data that you have input in Aperture (It only makes changes to new verions not the orignal RAW)

I.E. Keywords, Captions, etc.?

As long as you are backing up the raw files to external media, then you'll be ok. The .xmp sidecar files are what hold your raw settings. They may appear differently if you were to put them into another application (such as Lightroom, which you should be using anyway because Aperture is a $300 failure), since different aps process raw files differently. Just make sure you're backing up your entire library. I use a RAID system to back up my stuff, but that's only because it's my bosses system and he can afford such a thing. What I would reccomend is atleast burning onto some of the new gold archival DVD's (made by several companies) and storing them off site. Beyond that, I would look into something like the new 750 Gb one touch backup drive (I forget who makes it) or a simple RAID like the one from www.yellowmachine.com

Originally Posted by grizzle6

I.E. Keywords, Captions, etc.?

Exactly they are only applied to your Versions, not the original RAW image, as Aperture NEVER EVER modifys the original RAW file.

Personally I dont think that it is that big of a deal, since images are ususally selected using low_Res jpegs, and then the RAW is sent to the printer only when needed. Besides, if your submittign your images, you SHOULD be including all of your copyright data in the metadata anyways, wich is best done using an action and batch, wich can easily be applied to any Raw files before you send them out after exporting them from Aperture.

BTW
I have used / tested both systems, and for me Aperture is the BEST, simply because it uses versions.

I've been using Lightroom beta for awhile and dig it. No issues importing RAW files that previously where imported via the canon software. All meta data flows seamless into CS2. I back up to an external HD manually every night. I was going to buy Aperture but figured I'd give lightroom a shot first. Now I just can't wait for the full blown version as I'm sold on it. Hopefully they'll add a few features and it will eliminate the need for Bridge in CS3.

Grizz, also check out www.wheelsandwax.com and look in the forums. Not really any info on Aperature there, but would be good for you to check out if you already haven't.

Bump for Aperture update to 1.5:

http://www.apple.com/aperture/newfeatures/index.html
1. Flexible Library Management
2. Seamless Integration with iLife ’06 and iWork ’06
3. Export Metadata Automatically
4. Advanced Color Controls
5. Hone Images with Edge Sharpen
6. Speed Metadata Entry with Presets
7. A Loupe...with Onscreen Controls
8. Create Adjustment Presets

Originally Posted by Arty50

Bump for Aperture update to 1.5:

http://www.apple.com/aperture/newfeatures/index.html
1. Flexible Library Management
2. Seamless Integration with iLife ’06 and iWork ’06
3. Export Metadata Automatically
4. Advanced Color Controls
5. Hone Images with Edge Sharpen
6. Speed Metadata Entry with Presets
7. A Loupe...with Onscreen Controls
8. Create Adjustment Presets

STOKED! How the hell did I not see this this morning?????

On a side note....

Adobe released Lightroom Beta 4 this morning.... Sounds like Aperture is starting to actually become usable. It's gonna be a hard choice when the real version of LR is released

Wow. Sweetness. Only problem is, I feel like I'm already only at the tip of the iceberg with Aperture. I need to attend a seminar or something...