Aperture 3 missing ratings on import

hello,
you're pointing to adobe docs. the specification for iptc core (which apple decided to adhere to) can be found here: http://iptc.cms.apa.at/std/Iptc4xmpCore/1.0/specification/Iptc4xmpCore1.0-spec-XMPSchema8.pdf
deprecated stuff like Category, Supplemental Categories are also no longer supported, and probably not imported.
If you check, Ratings is nowhere to be found there. That being said, it was part of Aperture 2 import, and I don't really see why you wouldn't import ratings, but maybe an update will reconsider that. In the meanwhile, you can import ratings with a script if you want, or disguise your ratings as keywords in the originating software, before import, and then apply ratings accordingly in a batch in Aperture.
j

i agree that not importing ratings is unelegant at the least, but it seems apple stuck to industry standard IPTC core, instead of going with adobe's extensions. lots of people complained apple didn't adhere to IPTC core with version 2 of aperture, so now they did to the point where they eliminated importing anything that's not part of it. you can basically store anything in xmp, as long as you know how to interpret it back in. if enough people complain on the feedback page for aperture, it might make it back in, you never know. i doubt they listen in much here.
j

maccreate.com posted a script to apply the ratings of the file as it was originally imported. from what I can see, the values are imported, but just not assigned inside aperture. their script reads the imported values and applies them:

(*
Name: Apply Ratings from XMP Sidecar by Selection
Author: Mac Create Network maccreate.com
Date: 2/23/2010
Description: This script applies ratings from in an image's XMP sidecar and assigns it to the image just after import.
The user must select images within Aperture and then execute this script.
*)


tell application "Aperture"
set imgSel to (get selection) --must select images in Aperture
tell library 1
repeat with imgVersion in imgSel
tell imgVersion
if (IPTC tag "StarRating") exists then --not every image will have a sidecar or a StarRating value
set main rating to (value of IPTC tag "StarRating" as integer)
end if
end tell
end repeat
end tell
end tell

have you ever compared high iso results from aperture with lightroom?....
j

never tried, since i don't use flickr professionally. i alway used aperture, but keep a backup library on lightroom (you never know the future). i always found it to be ahead in editing tools and simplicity, but far behind and a lot less elegant as a dam tool.
j

to keep stuff in sync, i just export my masters to my backup disks with an xmp sidecar. it's those disks i then import into lightroom. haven't done any of this since upgrading to aperture 3 yet. i guess i will have to find a workaround for the ratings. adjustments are impossible to sync between the 2, because they use completely different raw engines (aperture's being superior imho).

as far as dam is concerned, i prefer the way aperture is a type of "electro applicance" for photos. you don't really have to worry too much about where stuff goes, or how it comes out again. lightroom is too file-system oriented.
j

Page 155 (top) of the Aperture 3 User Manual -

"About Importing XMP Sidecar Files
You can import and export XMP sidecar files in Aperture. However, Aperture displays only metadata that adheres to the XMP 1.0 specification. Ratings, label values, and custom metadata created by third-party applications are not supported."