Is it just me, or is Aperture...

Question

Level 2

273 points

Is it just me, or is Aperture...

Is it just me, or is Aperture...really, really something?

I do studio and location shooting. I'm a small fry, though. In studio I control the strobes so exposure is dead on. When I get to Aperture there's like nothing to do! I hit the saturation a click, neutralize my whites (my strobes are warm when powered down and give a red cast), and edge sharpen.

Location work: adjust the white balance by the custom target that I shoot. Hit the saturation. Maybe exaggerate the sky or grass through Color. Edge sharpen.

I'm guessing that good technique helps, but I think the RAW conversion is pretty sharp. ACR gave me trouble with its presets and I have to finesse it (turn off the auto correx and stuff). Turning off the noise reduction (I use a 20D at ISO 100. There's no noise!) in ACR gave me grainy-looking skin. I don't have these problems in Aperture!

I think Aperture is doing very well, and it has seriously cut my post time down. Hooray!

(Just a little encouragement for those of us who actually like and use Aperture)
Scott

iMac Intel Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Dec 12, 2007 1:39 PM

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Answer 1

tidysteve

Level 4

2,975 points

Dec 12, 2007 2:35 PM in response to Scott Hampton

thanks for this scott ... we do not see enough praise here only condemnation ...

i too think it is doing very well, and has helped me improve my post production, and makes for more time shooting ... double hooray !

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Answer 2

Scott Hampton Author

Level 2

273 points

Dec 12, 2007 3:38 PM in response to tidysteve

YEs, of course. It's my pleasure.

I received a lot of help on these boards and I feel it necessary to say something nice. Aperture is really saving me a lot of time and I'm scratching my head wondering how I got along without it. I spent so much time struggling with other RAW converters and now I'm on easy street.

Hey, if anyone else would like to pipe in about how Aperture has made their life easier please do!
Scott

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Answer 3

Dec 12, 2007 8:18 PM in response to Scott Hampton

Aperture rocks. IMO every Mac DSLR photog should invest in learning Aperture. Non-Mac photogs should buy a Mac.

-Allen Wicks

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Answer 4

Dec 13, 2007 10:20 AM in response to SierraDragon

I agree! As a one-time ACR and CS 'pixel pusher' it almost seems as though I should be working harder on my images. Ap DOES rock and I just can't wait to see what 2.0 brings!

Happy Holidays to everyone.....

John

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Answer 5

Scott Hampton Author

Level 2

273 points

Dec 13, 2007 10:26 AM in response to John Rees

That's what I'm talking about! I finish editing and then I'm looking around like "OK, now what. I should be doing something else, right...?"

I think the RAW finetuning is really helping, too.
Scott

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Answer 6

tidysteve

Level 4

2,975 points

Dec 13, 2007 12:51 PM in response to Scott Hampton

Scott Hampton wrote:
I finish editing and then I'm looking around like "OK, now what. I should be doing something else, right...?"

yes you should ... more shooting! 😉

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Answer 7

Scott Hampton Author

Level 2

273 points

Dec 13, 2007 1:01 PM in response to tidysteve

"Amen!" lol

Yep, I have a shoot tomorrow, and hopefully this NYC rain and snow will let up so I can go shoot outside. And then come back and spend--what, 5 minutes--in post with Aperture. lol

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Answer 8

max-pol

Level 1

115 points

Dec 13, 2007 2:01 PM in response to Scott Hampton

absolutely... I'm also among those whose photography has been deeply impacted by Aperture.
before then, I was using D-SLRS in jpegs and lamenting the poor color, sharpness where I didn't want any, lack of sharpness where I needed some... and highlights recovery is just awesome, while waiting whether the camera and printer manufacturers realize dynamic range is the next battle to fight...

long live Aperture, and well rewarded patience/studious apprenticeship...

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Answer 9

Dec 14, 2007 12:16 AM in response to Scott Hampton

I honestly can't imagine running my business without Aperture...

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Answer 10

Rotlex

Level 1

39 points

Dec 14, 2007 5:49 AM in response to Scott Hampton

I would whole heartily agree here. While I'm not a pro by any means, since Aperture, I'm able to import, sort, keyword and adjust hundreds of images from any event I do more quickly and efficiently that EVER before. To me, Aperture is a God send. Love it, and looking forward to the next version with MUCH anticipation!

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Answer 11

Scott Hampton Author

Level 2

273 points

Dec 14, 2007 6:00 AM in response to Rotlex

Exactly.

I'm finding that some of the dyed-in-the-wool methods of post-production from the past are not necessary anymore.

I was looking at a shot that I spent a good amount of time adjusting in Adobe Camera RAW. It looked pretty good. Then I took it to Aperture. One click white balance, one click of Saturation, and it surpassed what I did in ACR. I really think the RAW Fine Tuning is excellent.

I'm so eagerly awaiting 2.0!
Scott

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Answer 12

Jerdo

Level 1

5 points

Dec 14, 2007 6:01 AM in response to Scott Hampton

I have to agree. Aperture has made post time a breeze. Merry Christmas and an Aperture New Year.

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Answer 13

Dec 15, 2007 12:08 PM in response to Jerdo

Merry Christmas and an Aperture New Year.

Nice!

-Allen Wicks

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Answer 14

Flat Eric

Level 2

250 points

Dec 15, 2007 12:33 PM in response to Scott Hampton

Interesting thread Scott, I have to agree with you wholeheartedly. I was recently processing a bunch of shots for a competition and naturally did them first in Aperture - took about 5 minutes a shot. They looked fine, but I felt a bit guilty - it shouldn't be this easy right? - so I spent some considerable time tweaking and refining them with Capture NX ( Nikon D2X files) and tried again. I found no discernable difference between the Aperture and the NX results (except obviously ones that I used masks for in NX). Unless there are specific problems in a file that need masking techniques or cloning then Aperture does a wonderful job, quickly and easily.
If they add a decent clone tool, selective masking and a type tool then for me Photoshop CS3 (the other software I occasionally use) goes straight out the window, followed by Nikon NX. D3 compatibility would be nice too, but that will come in time I'm sure.

FlatE 🙂

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Answer 15

Dec 20, 2007 12:49 PM in response to Scott Hampton

I'm with you, Aperture is amazing. I actually get excited while shooting to get my photos back into Aperture just to see what kind of quality it can bring out in my photos. I'm really hoping to get a 2.0 announcement, should be soon!!!

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