Apple Aperture 2

published : Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | model : APPLE MacBook Air

Theme : Digital Photography | Photography software

Here is Apple Aperture 2 which has been long time expected by Aperture 1.5 users. Apple claims it brings over 100 new functions and improvements. Let's see that !

With this week's update of Leopard to Mac OS 10.5.2 and the support of new camera's RAW file formats, we could have guessed something was going on on the Aperture side. Yes, i twill embed the new Raw engine that Apple uses to display the RAW files of Canon G9, EOS 1Ds MkIII, Sony Alpha A700 etc.

The user interface of Aperture has been redesigned to offer a more decent way to browse around your photo library that what Aperture 1 could offer. A lot of users were sick of Aperture interface and tricky keyboard shortcuts. Now, you can even edit your own shortcuts. Aperture shares with iPhoto the way you can browse by event, project and so on. You can also browse into your iPhoto librairy in Aperture 2. The QUICK PREVIEW menu also allows you to view, inspect and compare your pictures very easily with a full set of well thought new tools.

On the image processing side, Aperture 2 also offers new functions which will allow Apple's software to keep up with Adobe Lightroom. A brush tool allows to erase small defects on the pictures. The vignetting tool, which can be tuned, can correct this lens defect as well as purple fringes for example. He new Vibrancy tool, just like the vibrancy of Lightroom, may increase selected color saturation in a very smart way without giving an artificial look to your pictures. This tool is a must have and once you will have tried it, you will never ever use the color saturation tool again. Let's also give our special prize to the sharpness settings which can be tuned in the printing section. Actually, you may only sharpen an image when you know what you will do with it !

You may discover the over 100 new functions of Apple Aperture 2 on Apple's website. Aperture 2 is now already available for download.