How to save RAW edits as 16-bit TIFF? Can't find in Aperture, easy on iPhoto

In Aperture this option is in the Aperture Preferences > Export > External Editor Format:

I suppose I do not understand how Aperture saves processed RAW photos then; in iPhoto by contrast, the default saves them as JPEG unless the TIFF option is selected.

If you are shooting RAW, Aperture will always store the original RAW file and the sequence of adjustments to produce the image version. It does not render the edited image and create an image file. Only when you export the edited image or share it, will a file of the processed image created.

All editing is always done starting from the RAW file and adding all adjustments. You will see the resulting image in the browser, but the rendered image file will only be created when you need it outside Aperture, and then you can select a suitable export preset. Edited image versions do not take up much extra space, only for thumbnails and optional JPEG previews.

I forgot to say - generally Aperture and iPhoto are sharing the same kind of library, but iPhoto will always create a high resolution JPEG version of the modified image (and you can optionally have 16bit TIFF versions), but in Aperture this is optional. Only if you enable the generation of Previews they will be created, and you can specify the quality and pixel size of the JPEG previews.

Aperture doesn't "save" the edits as files. All adjustments you make to a file are saved as metadata in a database. This is why Aperture is called a "non-destructive" editor.

The only time your edits are actually "saved" to a file on disk is if you export. Then you can export a JPEG or a TIFF that represents the RAW file plus all the edits you've made.

It's a different way of working and thinking than the traditional "photoshop" way but the end result is the same, and it saves a lot of space, and again gives you freedom to make lots of changes as you see fit.

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