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Upgrade or migrate/ Rejoin separate external library's

Since upgrading to OS 10.9.4 on my iMac I am unable to edit in Aperture 2.1.4, it simply crashes with the message "Aperture quit unexpectedly" one i crop etc.


1/ I gather this is due to the upgrade so am not sure as a next step? Upgrade to next version of Aperture or simply change to Lightroom. I am happy with APerture and regulary use the Nik software plug ins and find these provide plenty software tools for me. But given the negative vibes around about future of APerture i am willing to try something different if need be.


2/ My libraries are also all over the place on different external drives - most recent pics on a OWS Mercury ELite Pro which i need to use an adaptor to plug in as it is an American brand. Much older photos are on a couple of WD drives which are not connected to the computer right now because they refuse to start up. What is the best way to go about reestablising my library so it is whole again?

CHeers.

Posted on Jul 11, 2014 6:34 PM

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4 replies

Jul 11, 2014 6:57 PM in response to fotonut

Aperture 2 has nit been supported on MacOS X and been having more and more siince version 10.7. You have been lucky, to able to use it all since then. If you want to continue to work with Aperture, upgrade. There will be a compatibility upgrade for Yosemite, so you can expect to be able to use it with the next version as well, at least for one and a half year. But it is really for you to decide, if you are willing to pay the 80$ after the announcement of the demise of Aperture.

Jul 12, 2014 12:16 AM in response to fotonut

I have not much experience with Lightroom, so I cannot give advise on how to migrate. Afaik, Lightroom cannot read Aperture libraries. You will need a working Aperture application to be able to export your images with all your edits and metadata tags, unless you are happy with migrating only the originals.


The successor to Aperture and iPhoto, "Photos.app", is supposed to be able to read Aperture libraries and to support the advanced features of Aperture. You may want to wait for the release of "Photos.app", to make your final decision about the migration.

Jul 12, 2014 10:49 AM in response to fotonut

Ouch. You have a bit of a problem.


If you search you'll find lots of tutorials for switching from Aperture 3 to LR. Basically the problem lies in getting information Aperture stores about your photos (keyworks and other metadata, organization like projects/albums, and edits to the photos themselves) into a form LR can use. It can use standard photo metadata easily. Organization is a bit tougher, but can be accomplished via keywording, folder organization, and some other tricks. Edits are basically stuck in Aperture; you have to export an image to preserve them in a new DAM (unless and until you can switch to Photos when that comes out). There's really no way to simply import an Aperture library into LR (or vice versa).


Most of the solutions rely on being able to use Aperture to export, or move masters, or whatever. Seems you can't do any of that. I also assume you are using non-referenced photos. I don't think merging your libraries will make the process of moving to Aperture 3, Photos, or LR any easier, but iPhoto Library Manager might be able to do that for you.


But there are still ways; it just depends on how much work you wanna do. Aperture libraries are just package folders; your masters are in there, just hidden. You can make use of aliases, or even changing the name of the Aperture library itself, in order for the Finder and/or LR to see inside that masters folder and find your photos. BE CAREFUL though; research what you're doing before you jump into that. I use LR to reference files that are within a current Aperture/iPhoto library but messing around in there can have some bad results with Aperture if you don't know what you're doing. But it can also save you if you have no other way to access those photos. You could also just manually copy them out of there, perhaps a safer route.

Upgrade or migrate/ Rejoin separate external library's

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