Converting RAW to JPEG

Yes, you can do that. It's a shame, however, to throw away the RAW files. It sort of defeats the purpose of Aperture and shooting in RAW which is that you can make completely non-destructive edits to the RAW file--unlimited, forever--and still have that original data should you ever need it to change any of the versions/edits, or make another (with very little additional storage space as each version is just a set of instructions). Once you toss the RAW and have only the JPEG, you are very limited . . . quality is lower and any future edits will require saving a full size new version of the file (or save over earlier version, and then no return possible!) and will cause further degredation of the image with each edit.

A shooting in RAW/converting to JPEG/delete the RAW workflow does, at least, give you the one advantage of having more data (especially highlights and shadows) to work with during your initial edits before exporting as JPEG.

I would suggest, though, just buying some extra storage space, keeping the RAW files in Aperture for possible future use, and exporting JPEGS to a seperate folder for use in iPhoto, etc. Storage is pretty reasonable these days.

cheers-
dave

That's the thing about Aperture. It never "saves any photos" when you make changes... all changes are just instructions on how to modify it for appearance. This is a large part of why Aperture requires a powerful computer (or, more properly, a proper video card).

To export, all you have to do is select file->export versions. Select the photos you want, and select high quality JPEG (you can tweak exactly what this means). Export to a folder or location of your choosing, and then import those into iPhoto. You need not keep those JPEGs around for any other purpose... Aperture can dynamically generate them from the RAW file + your editing instructions.

Just go under the file menu and choose "export version" and then choose the appropriate presets you would like (they have several options for JPEG, TIFF, etc. at different sizes). Designate the folder (something you've created on the desktop, etc.) and then choose the "add to library" command in iPhoto to have it imported. It should be relatively quick and easy.

cheers-
dave

Yes. It is creating a JPEG version based on your changes (and based on the settings you select for the JPEG you export -- again there are presets).