Version 3.3 White Balance Slider doesn't change with eye dropper

Why do you expect the slider to change on its own? You set the basic white balance using the eye dropper, then adjust the warmth by shifting the slider.

Is that right?

Not quite: By selecting "natural gray" or "skin tones" you tell Aperture how to interpret the sample that you pick with the eye dropper. If you select "skin tones" and pick a sample from a face, Aperture will set the white balance in a way that the skin sample looks o.k.; if you set the white balance to "natural gray" , you need to sample a gray tone and Aperture will change the white balance accordingly.

Or simply press the "auto button" - then Aperture will try to find some "gray" or "skin" tone and do the above automatically. In all three cases you can fine tune the result by adjusting the "warmth" slider.

Regards

Léonie

Note that the new white balance is even slicker than that. If you have faces enabled, and have faces in the photo, white balance should be totally automatic. It knows where the faces are, and it will automatically white balance based on them. You don't even need to click the eyedropper.

"Automatic" would not always work - sometimes you have to use manual WB - Aperture recognizes faces, even if they do not have skin tones 😀