Q: Don't give up on Aperture

I wonder what triggers that. When I use a new card in my camera I have to disable that option again. And when I reformat a card, in the camera Photos treats it as a new device and I have to disable that option again to keep Photos from launching, when I insert the card.

léonie wrote:

 

Ignoring Photos should suffice.

It's almost impossible to ignore. It rears it's ugly head every time I insert a memory card. I have 2 which I now use regularly. I have checked the 'little box' in photos time and time again for both cards.

It gets very tiresome.

Jerry

Ultimately this is your choice, Apple are quite clear that parts of OS X should not be removed, that doesn't stop you from deleting it however. Let us know if there are any unwanted side effects.

At first I was very disappointed indeed to hear that Apple were no longer developing Aperture and equally disappointed that Photos was just a glorified version of iPhoto.

I researched and found independent reports and videos showing that PhaseOne's CaptureOne Pro has a far superior RAW Converter engine than any from Adobe or Apple. I exclusively shoot RAW wildlife subjects on Canon EOS D-SLR.

As one door closes, another door opens - And so I am now much better off without Aperture and am using CaptureOne Pro 8.

I researched and found independent reports and videos showing that PhaseOne's CaptureOne Pro has a far superior RAW Converter engine than any from Adobe or Apple. And so I am now much better off without Aperture and am using CaptureOne Pro 8.

As others have pointed out, image and photo editing apps are a dime a dozen. That is not the area where Aperture's demise has left a void.

Where Aperture uniquely excelled was in its DAM features, workflows, and user interface. There is nothing on the market that even comes close.

freediverx01 wrote:

 

I researched and found independent reports and videos showing that PhaseOne's CaptureOne Pro has a far superior RAW Converter engine than any from Adobe or Apple. And so I am now much better off without Aperture and am using CaptureOne Pro 8.

 

As others have pointed out, image and photo editing apps are a dime a dozen. That is not the area where Aperture's demise has left a void.

 

Where Aperture uniquely excelled was in its DAM features, workflows, and user interface. There is nothing on the market that even comes close.

I totally agree that Aperture excelled in just about everything and did so in the ways that most Apple products do so. However, I reiterate what I pointed out earlier that CaptureOne Pro (C1) has a far superior RAW Converter - I very objectively processed several of my same images in a side-by-side comparison while I had C1 installed on trial before purchasing.

RAW post-processing is the heart of any and every image editor, unless of course all you need is an 'average consumer' App such as iPhoto. As doubtless most people here already know, RAW is all the data which every digital camera's sensor captures. The higher quality cameras then give you the option of the camera's onboard conversion to JPEG based on what the manufacturer thinks is the most satisfying - A lowest common denominator - And they do a very good job of it too. But.... JPEG discards so much RAW data and hence your potential image quality. The fact that a RAW file is about five times the size of a JPEG file speaks volumes. That RAW data then needs processing and surely whether you are either a 'serious' amateur or a professional photographer you want the best RAW Converter you can possibly get.

It is indeed extremely disappointing that Apple have decided to give up developing Aperture but this is an inescapable fact and only leaves us with two options. One is to dedicate a computer installed with a Mac OS which can run Aperture into the foreseeable future, and the other option is to find another App which is more future-proof.

Yes, Aperture was or still is (while it continues to be usable) numero uno regarding user interface and organisation but guess what?.... It doesn't take long to become familiar with and enjoy another post-processing App and if its resulting images are closer to your original vision, then it's a no-brainer. Irrespective of whether Apple had tossed Aperture onto Death Row or not, CaptureOne is a far superior RAW editor and the bottom line is your final edited image.

If Apple did a U-turn and decided to resurrect Aperture, would I return? - Not unless they made its RAW Converter on a par with CaptureOne Pro 8. But I am not gonna be holding my breath waiting!

As with choosing cameras and lenses, it's horses-for-courses and CaptureOne Pro 8 suits my needs far better as a wildlife serious amateur photographer who exclusively shoots RAW. Plus... C1 has an exciting future as it continues to be developed - Phase One is not a here-today-and-gone-tomorrow company - It has been quietly developing its products for many years and longer than Aperture has been in existence.

The bottom line is simply your final edited image.

I have bought my last Mac if it will not run Aperture. I have a 2012 Mac Pro, Late 2013 nMP, and a mid 2015 Macbook Pro Retina, all of which will run Yosemite and Aperture 3.6. These will be the last Macs I will buy unless Aperture or a program of equal capability published by Apple is produced. These should last me at least for the next five years. I am also responsible for 50 Macs at various clients I still maintain. I am advising them the same. As an Apple Value Added Reseller in Video, I sold well over 150 Mac Pro level systems. To abandon Aperture is the height of stupidity on the part of Apple. It should also serve as a warning to those using other Apple Pro Apps such as Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Logic Pro. Get your Macs now and hold on to them while they will still run the software you need. Apple is tossing you overboard in favor of teenagers and iPhones. A very sad situation. Yosemite is my last stop with Apple unless they keep updating Aperture.

jimwiseman.com wrote:

 

I have bought my last Mac if it will not run Aperture. I have a 2012 Mac Pro, Late 2013 nMP, and a mid 2015 Macbook Pro Retina, all of which will run Yosemite and Aperture 3.6. These will be the last Macs I will buy unless Aperture or a program of equal capability published by Apple is produced. These should last me at least for the next five years. I am also responsible for 50 Macs at various clients I still maintain. I am advising them the same. As an Apple Value Added Reseller in Video, I sold well over 150 Mac Pro level systems. To abandon Aperture is the height of stupidity on the part of Apple. It should also serve as a warning to those using other Apple Pro Apps such as Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Logic Pro. Get your Macs now and hold on to them while they will still run the software you need. Apple is tossing you overboard in favor of teenagers and iPhones. A very sad situation. Yosemite is my last stop with Apple unless they keep updating Aperture.

....I'm afraid that Apple have already stated quite categorically that they are no longer developing or updating Aperture and I would not hold your breath waiting to see if they reverse that decision - My money is very heavily betting that they won't! But I agree with you wholeheartedly that Apple tossing Aperture onto Death Row is depressing and does not bode well for the future. From where us serious amateur and professional digital photographers are sitting it looks like a very bad decision. I think they have over estimated the limited shooting capabilities and image quality of even future phone cameras and more importantly their editing capabilities.

However Jim, although Aperture is, or was, perhaps the best image editor and organiser out there, its major failing is its RAW Converter. Aperture's RAW Converter is good BUT it doesn't hold a candle to that of PhaseOne's Capture One Pro 8 and neither does Adobe's Lightroom match up to CO's RAW engine.

The RAW Converter is the heart of any image editor and so need I say more?

From where us serious amateur and professional digital photographers are sitting it looks like a very bad decision. I think they have over estimated the limited shooting capabilities and image quality of even future phone cameras and more importantly their editing capabilities.

I don't think it's that at all. The bulk of their customers are mobile users and that's where the bulk of the demand is. They're feeding that monster - and no there's no need to sneer about teenagers with iPhones. That phone is the most popular camera in the world. The editing capability of their app is perfectly suited for those users. Simple, easy, cross platform.

They took what is - for them - a pragmatic decision based on what the bulk of their customers use and need. For the serious hobbyist or pro, then we need to make other arrangements as we don't fit a large enough category for them, any more than we do on Windows or Linux...

Terence Devlin wrote:

 

From where us serious amateur and professional digital photographers are sitting it looks like a very bad decision. I think they have over estimated the limited shooting capabilities and image quality of even future phone cameras and more importantly their editing capabilities.

 

I don't think it's that at all. The bulk of their customers are mobile users and that's where the bulk of the demand is. They're feeding that monster - and no there's no need to sneer about teenagers with iPhones. That phone is the most popular camera in the world. The editing capability of their app is perfectly suited for those users. Simple, easy, cross platform.

 

They took what is - for them - a pragmatic decision based on what the bulk of their customers use and need. For the serious hobbyist or pro, then we need to make other arrangements as we don't fit a large enough category for them, any more than we do on Windows or Linux...

.....And I now think you are absolutely right, Terence.

I had been previously looking at the subject solely from the viewpoint of a D-SLR photographer who exclusively shoots RAW and who takes no interest in what phone cameras have to offer.

However, I do think that it's sad that a company as financially rich as Apple now is has decided not to continue to offer its products to the wider market it already had. There is plenty room for both.

Personally, their shoving of Aperture onto Death Row has done me a favour because I much prefer Capture One Pro's RAW Converter and the RAW engine is the heart of any digital editor and strongly influences the image quality of our efforts.

However Jim, although Aperture is, or was, perhaps the best image editor and organiser out there, its major failing is its RAW Converter. Aperture's RAW Converter is good BUT it doesn't hold a candle to that of PhaseOne's Capture One Pro 8 and neither does Adobe's Lightroom match up to CO's RAW engine.

If I demonstrated to you that a particular Windows PC was significantly faster than your Mac of choice, would that persuade you to switch? Or what if I tried to persuade you to switch from a BMW 328i to a Cadillac CTS by claiming the latter has some specific feature or capability the former lacks?

Yes, those are extreme examples, but they illustrate how many of us feel about Aperture and its non-Apple alternatives. It's not a simple question of which app has the best RAW converter. It's a matter of which product we feel comfortable using on a daily basis. For me, the DAM features are infinitely more important than subtle differences in RAW conversion quality that no one will ever notice outside of a side-by-side comparison. I knew for years that Lightroom's RAW converter and other features were reportedly better than Aperture, yet this never tempted me in the slightest to switch because of how much I hate Adobe's UI and workflows.

Capture One may or may not be as bad as Lightroom in this regard, but I've seen no evidence that its DAM and workflows can hold a candle to Aperture's. I also sense that migrating an Aperture library to Capture One would require a massive amount of work and tinkering with frustrating results. I would not be interested in Capture One if it were a free product, let alone considering its actual sky high price.

Personally, their shoving of Aperture onto Death Row has done me a favour because I much prefer Capture One Pro's RAW Converter and the RAW engine is the heart of any digital editor and strongly influences the image quality of our efforts.

Red Robin, we're delighted to hear how happy you are with Capture One, and how its superior RAW converter has fulfilled your dreams. But please stop using this rather narrow viewpoint to repeatedly counter complaints from the rest of us who are more concerned with Aperture's DAM features and workflows and the lack of suitable alternatives on the market. Accept the fact that not everyone shares your single-minded obsession with RAW conversion above all else. If RAW conversion quality were that important to us, we would have switched to Lightroom or other products long ago.

freediver,

Completely agree with your post. I always shoot raw, but the converter is not my highest priority compared to Apertures other features. I also have been working for years on digitizing old family photos (from the late 1800’s to 2000). This involves scanning photos, film and slides which obviously do not benefit at all from the raw converter. However, the robust DAM features of Aperture have allowed me to easily categorize all images according to media source, plus easily add peoples names, locations, photo origin, descriptions, etc.

The project will still take years to finish and I will keep at least one computer on an OS X version that reliably runs Aperture until this project is finished. I will then migrate the images to another system with all metadata intact (probably Lightroom). Maybe I will learn to love it, but several attempts to use it have left me disappointed.

Everyone has their top priorities. Mine is not the raw converter.

Dave

P.S. Anyone here that thinks Apple is going to resurrect Aperture is dreaming. You better start making your exit plan; even if it takes years (like me).

When I need superior RAW conversion I always turn to Capture NX2 by Nikon for my Nikons. Yes, it too has been phased out because Nikon is unwilling to pay Google licensing fees for the NIK technology in that product. But I have it running on all of my Yosemite Macs, and find it to be by far the best RAW converter for Nikons along with the U-Point local control in that product. Aperture will bring the converted NEF, TIFF or JPG right back into it's database as a roundtrip. As others have said here, I find the interface and DAM superiority of Aperture easily better than any of the other products on the market, and that is why I will continue to use it. I will, of course be moving my photos out of Aperture over this period as well, as I'm afraid Apple has truly shot itself in the foot in this product class. But day to day, I will keep using it. Should work for me for at least five years. No more Macs for me during this period because of this. Will just keep the current ones that run Aperture (about 10 of them) running. What a hare brained move by Apple. Kicking their most loyal customers down the stairs.

Kicking their most loyal customers down the stairs.

How do you know we're the "most loyal" customers? Seriously? Part of the problem I see on these threads is a certain sense of imagined entitlement. You paid for a product. It worked. Now they don't make it anymore. They're entitled to not make it, you're entitled to not buy it. It's not a "relationship" anywhere except in marketing classes.