What Is New And Different In Apple’s Aperture 2.0?

Apple’s secrecy moves into the quiet gear this week. First, OS X 10.5.2 for Leopard, now Aperture 2.0.

The latest version of Apple’s photo imaging and workflow software gets a bucket of new features, some needed speed improvements.

Ron and I are big fans of Apple’s Professional Applications—FinalCut Studio, Logic Studio, and Aperture. We figure if the software is good, we can use it, then that helps Apple prosper.

With little to no fanfare, Apple launched Aperture 2.0 today, just a day after a quiet but momentous release of Leopard 10.5.2. Previous Aperture releases got front page news and promotion on Apple’s web site.

This upgrade is largely ignored on Apple.com, being pushed aside by more profitable Apple products such as MacBook Air, iPod Pink, iPod touch, the 16 GB iPhone, even iTunes Movie Rentals.

What’s new in Aperture that makes it a worthy upgrade? First, the money news. Aperture’s new price is $199, only $99 for the upgrade. See? Competition is a good thing.

Apple also touts over 100 new features in Aperture 2.0, including much need tools to streamline professional workflow to move digital images from capture to completed output.

From what we can tell of the limited information provided by Apple, Aperture sports an easier interface, the ability to browse through images faster with improved performance, and more image processing tools.

Also from what we can tell, Apple has quietly begun listening to customers. Note the changes to the translucent Menu Bar and improved Stacks features in OS X 10.5.2. Apple has listened to users and consolidated interface components in Aperture 2.0.

Projects, Adjustment, and Metadata panes are now combined into an all-in-one Inspector using tabs to switch between the three components. The thumbnail browser can now be hidden which gives you more screen space to view photo enlargements. Again, tabs are used to cycle through View modes—Browser Only, Browser and Viewer, and Viewer Only.

Aperture 2.0 includes a Filmstrip mode for the Browser component. The Inspector itself can be switched to the left or right side (remember, the new Inspector isn’t a floating palette) as exists in other Mac applications.

Projects are handled better in Aperture 2.0 with an All Project view that works like the Events in iPhoto ‘08. Click on a project and scan the contents by skimming across the poster image.

Tabbed sections show up in the Preferences window which covers everything from General to Web Gallery buttons, and Export, Previews, and Appearance in between.

One new feature we’re anxious to try is the Full Screen Mode of Filmstrip. It works like the Dock, with hiding on or off. Hover the mouse pointer over the docked Filmstrip and it appears above, just like the Dock when set to hiding mode.

Very important to Mac users who need more than iPhoto, but don’t want to invest time and effort into Photoshop Creative Suite, Aperture now comes with 50 tutorials that cover most aspects of the interface, features, and functions, including sample projects.

Aperture is not Photoshop. For professional or semi-professional wannabes, Aperture 2.0 represents Apple as a disciplined software developer willing to listen to customer needs and requirements. The price is lower, there’s an upgrade price, and many of the new features are those requested by Aperture’s customers.

The new Apple doesn’t mind some competition from Adobe and Lightroom, either. Both products have met with a rather lukewarm response from the hard-nosed professional photographer crowd, but given more slack and consideration by those of us who are semi-professionals but don’t wear a badge.

The new Aperture is available from the Apple store, though not yet available from the Mac360 Store (Amazon).