Aperture

Aperture

Jun16

Tethering support in Aperture 3 expanded

Posted in: Aperture

Interesting news for those of us who use Aperture 3: Tethering Support in Aperture 3 Expanded in OS X 10.6.4 Update, Includes Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III and 5D Mk II (and more): ”

The title says it all… proper tethering support is finally here! No more Hot Folder actions, no more dropped connections (well at least that’s the idea), no more rubbish Canon software, no more crashed Canon mid-shoot. It’s fast and it works. I’ve just tested this with both the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and the 5D Mark II, and it’s beautiful. Here we go.

Plug in That Canon!

First thing I did was launch Aperture 3 and plug in the 1Ds Mk III (with a USB cable). Previously, unless you had Canon’s hideously unreliable software running, nothing much happened. I’m 99% sure that in Aperture nothing would pop open in the Import window, but I could be wrong there. Regardless, here’s what you get now:

Look at that, Aperture knows what my camera is! Super sweet.

Start Tethering

Close the import window, create a new project, and fire up tethering.

From the File menu, choose Tether > Start New Session… and that will open the Tether Settings dialog, with most of the same options you get when you import photos.

(Via Tips & Tricks.)
Jun4

Custom Importing in Aperture 3

Posted in: Aperture
This could be helpful for many people: it is about custom importing in Aperture 3. I have specific custom workflow set up in Aperture 3 when it comes to importing, it saves me a lot of time so I can get right into photo editing.
A recent post in the forums asked a very specific workflow question, but I’m sure many others have or will come across similar workflow needs, so I wanted to respond to the question as a tip.

You can read the complete question here, however the simplified need is to:
1. Import only the best photos
2. On import, label them sequentially with a custom name
3. Export the photos, keeping the custom name intact
Read more about custom Importing in Aperture 3 here.
(Via Tips & Tricks.)
May30

Aperture user tips

Posted in: Aperture

If you are looking for some Aperture user tips, you should check out the new “User Tips” section over at apertureexpert.com, here is the scoop:

I’ve just created a new ‘User Tips’ section to this site (look for it in the toolbar), where readers like you can post your invaluable Aperture tips for the community to enjoy. Head on over and check it out, and be the first to post!

My first suggestion for a new topic would be on migrating from iPhoto… I know a lot of users out there have done it, and I haven’t! So let’s hear what you went through, what went right and wrong, and help out some newbies in their migration.

It’s an experiment, and I hope it works

(Via Tips & Tricks.)
May26

Aperture 3 Library tip

Posted in: Aperture

If you are having any major problems with your Aperture 3 Library at the point in the future, here is a tip worth remembering: Before you launch the application, press Command + Option key on your Mac keyboard and then the Aperture 3. You will be presented with Aperture 3 Library First Aid screen which allows you to do three things with your Library: Repair Permissions, Repair Database or Rebuilt Database (the last option should be really used as a last resource). The first two options are safe to use any time and should resolve most common problems you may experience with your Aperture 3 Library.
May24

Look at Thumbnails, Previews and more in Aperture 3

Posted in: Aperture
Here is a comprehensive Look at Thumbnails, Previews, and More in Aperture 3:
A question from the forums inspired the lengthy post below:

Can some one tell me what the heck the big difference is between previews and thumbnails in aperture!!

Great question, and no doubt a confusing point in Aperture. But like most deep features in Aperture, the more you understand it, the more you realize how powerful the options really are.

Let’s start with a list of the different types and renders of images related to a single file. This assumes you’re shooting RAW, however all of this list with one obvious exception pertains to JPEG’s, TIF’s, or any other digital photo or scan brought into Aperture.
1. The image file itself. Technically, you don’t ever actually see this image. We’ll get to that.
2. For RAW files, the embedded JPEG
3. The Thumbnail
4. The Preview
(Via Tips & Tricks.)
May23

How do you back-up Aperture 3?

Posted in: Aperture

Last week when I was watching Aperture 3 with Scott Bourne I learned more about Aperture 3 Vaults which are extremely useful feature to back your Aperture Library effectively and fast. Therefore I have decided to add a third external drive to my set up this week.

Since I am using two computers (I work on both – an iMac and MacBook Pro) and do not have Network Attached Storage at my home-office, I was looking for quick and easy way to share and back up my large 70GB+ Aperture 3 Library. I came up with inexpensive way of sharing and backing up the library using the LaCie 250GB Rugged External Drive with Firewire 800. Each of my computers have their own external back up drives already, however they are slow USB drives which are used by Apple’s Time Machine for frequent, general data back up through out the day. By adding a third external drive which is much faster and portable as well as Aperture 3 Vault feature, I can quickly back up and sync the Aperture 3 Library using fast Firewire 800 connection. This particular – LaCie 250GB Rugged External Drive – comes with three different interfaces for added bonus if I ever need it: USB 2.0, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800.

Additional bonus in this set up is that I get to keep three different copies of the same Aperture 3 Library in case something goes wrong. Because of the small size of LaCie 250GB Rugged External Drive I am able to store it in a fireproof safe when not in use. This is on top of keeping all images stored online and off-site as well.

One day – if and when I save up for it – I hope to get the new Drobo NAS, but this is an expensive solution which may be hard to justify the cost at this time. I wonder sometimes how other back-up their images and what other solutions are out there. How do you back-up Aperture 3.0? Do you use Aperture 3 Vaults?

If you missed Aperture 3 with Scott Bourne last week, there are two more online classes coming up this Monday May 24th, 2010 and on Monday 31st, 2010 at 6pm EST. The online classes are live and free… worth checking them out!

LaCie connected with Firewire 800 to Aperture 3 as Vault
Apr30

Aperture 3.0.3 update details

Posted in: Aperture
This update improves overall stability and fixes issues in a number of areas. The key areas addressed include:
- Applying adjustments such as Retouch or Chromatic Aberration
- Creating and using Raw Fine Tuning presets
- Viewing, adding and removing detected faces
- Switching target printers and paper sizes when printing
- Duplicating Smart Albums
- Repairing and rebuilding Aperture libraries
- Reconnecting referenced files
- Working with GPS track files in Places
- Searching for keywords in the Query HUD or Keyword Controls
For detailed information on this update, visit this website.
Apr20

“What’s New in Aperture 3” Video

Posted in: Aperture

If you are a new Aperture 3 user like I am, you may be interested in this video: “What’s New in Aperture 3” Training Video on MacCreate“. You may also be interested in free (if you are watching / attending it live online) course called: “Aperture 3 with Scott Bourne (a 3-Week Course)” This online course will run on Mondays, May 17 – May 31. Duration: 2 Hours 6PM — Eastern Time.

This has been up for a while now, but I never managed to promote it here! I created a 2-1/2 hour ‘What’s New in Aperture 3’ video exclusively for MacCreate. Check out the promo video below, and buy it here.

(Via Tips & Tricks.)
Mar25

Apple releases 3.0.2 update for Aperture

Posted in: Aperture

Hot on the heels of Apple’s previous 3.0.1 update for Aperture, Apple’s latest update to Aperture 3 continues to address overall stability and issues. Glad to see Apple stays on top of it… and it is interesting that there is even mention about iPad in this latest update!

Aperture 3.0.2 does add one very significant new feature, buried at the very bottom of the release notes: iPad compatibility. This will allow users to import photos from the iPad into Aperture, and to sync photos in their Aperture library with the iPad. There are also a few new minor features, like the return of the ability to navigate through images in the viewer using scrolling, and a display for how much disk space you need to import an existing iPhoto or Aperture library.

Beyond that, there is a wealth of fixes for general stability and issues. Some of the fixes address lost data and slowdown when importing iPhoto and Aperture 2 libraries. There is a series of fixes to preserve the hierarchy of folders imported into Aperture. The 3.0.2 update also resolves a number of issues with Aperture’s new Faces feature, along with issues where presets and image metadata would be missing, incomplete, or fail to be saved.

This patch aims to stop crashes associated with adjustments, both from imported libraries and those applied by Aperture 3 itself. There’s also a handy fix for a crash bug associated with emptying Aperture’s trash.

Finally, there’s a minor update for iMovie 09, called iMovie 8.0.2, which allows iMovie to play nicer with video files stored in an Aperture library.

More details can be found in the release notes for Aperture 3.0.2.

(Via Macworld.)
Mar23

Aperture Adjustment Preset

Posted in: Aperture

I have been working on some new adjustment presets for Aperture 3 and I thought I will share them with others.

Since I love street photography in black and white, here is my adjustment preset called Street Black & White. Below is a sample of the preset in action, first image is the original and second image with the adjustment preset applied.

Download - Street Black & White.AdjustmentPreset
Mar18

Free Aperture 3 presets

Posted in: Aperture

After switching from Adobe Lightroom to the new Apple Aperture 3 I have started to really miss all my Lightroom presets I have worked with for the last couple of years or so… I had a tone of them in my Lightroom, but they are useless at this point as there is no easy way (if any) to convert them to work within the Aperture 3.

I have created a handful of my own Aperture 3 presets in recent days but I am always on a look out for some creative new preset ideas. I have seen a few web sites where some people try to sell you a bunch of presets, which I thought was a bit odd! It seems like it has always been a common practivce for people to share Lightroom presets, not sells them. Anyway, it looks like there are not as many resources online for Aperture and people rather make a few bucks trying to sell you presets instead of simply sharing them.

But when you dig around for a while online you can find almost everything! And today I have found a great source of many free presets right on Flickr, there is a group for Aperture users where you will find members sharing their own presets for free. Not all of them may be of use for everyone, but at least it is a start in right direction. I hope more people will share their presets online in future, a central place like a web site would be great and judging by some of the posts in the discussion threads someone is working on it as well. You may also find some Aperture presets available on Apple web site here. Hopefully once I have a handful of my own presets (and I am happy with them), I will share them online – either here or on Flickr.
Mar5

Aperture 3 WB shortcut

Posted in: Aperture

Here’s a little gem hidden in Aperture 3 that’s quite handy… a keyboard shortcut that’s not listed in the keyboard shortcut list, for setting White Balance.

To set White Balance on a photo, normally you’d click on the eyedropper in the White Balance Adjustment tool, then click on a neutral gray area of the photo. But now, just tap Command-Shift-W and that will call up the same tool. (The Adjustments tab does have to be active, however.)

(Via Tips & Tricks.)
Feb24

Aperture 3.0.1 update

Posted in: Aperture
It’s a happy day for any of the Aperture 3 user today… It looks like Apple is seriously taking its newest version of the software and shortly after the initial release they have just released an update for it, version 3.0.1. You can read up on all the details about this update in their support article on Apple’s web site – while you do – run a software update on your Mac to download it. I did and the updated worked very well. It is not a big download actually.

So what’s you new in it? Mostly a lot of little corrections and fixes for some of the issues people were experiencing since the initial version 3:
- Upgrading libraries from earlier versions of Aperture
- Importing libraries from iPhoto
- Importing photos directly from a camera
- Memory usage when processing heavily-retouched photos
- Face recognition processing
- Adding undetected faces using the Add Missing Face button
- Printing pages containing multiple images
- Printing photos and contact sheets with borders and metadata
- Editing photos using an external editor
- Display of images with Definition and Straighten adjustments applied
- Zooming photos in the Viewer and in the Loupe using keyboard shortcuts
- Accessing Aperture libraries on a network volume Selecting and moving pins on the Places map
- Adding and editing custom locations using the Manage My Places window
- Switching between masters when working with RAW+JPEG pairs.
Glad to see they have been quick in addressing those issues and hopefully everyone will be happy from now on…