Aperture or Lightroom?

[Flea77]

Originally Posted by mercphoto

No you don't. :) Photoshop integrates with Aperture just as easily as it does with LR. In Preferences, under Export, select an external image editor, such as Photoshop. Now, select the image you want to edit and goto the menu and select Images, Edit With. When in Photoshop simply do a "save" to get the image back into Aperture. Its really simple.

That's still a little more complex. I never had to set anything in Lightroom, it just worked with Photoshop right out of the box. I don't have to do a "save", I just close the image and say yes to the prompt, done.

Not knocking Aperture, just saying that one Adobe product automatically works with another Adobe product without having to do anything at all.

Allan

[mercphoto]

Originally Posted by hue-e

I'd say lightroom all the way, but that's just because of the photoshop integration.

How is it better than Aperture's integration of Photoshop?

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by ken74

It's all about choices and works best for you. Both have free trials of their latest releases.

That pretty much sums it up right there.

If Aperture was available for PC I would give it a try.

[LanceHaynie]

Originally Posted by mercphoto

How is it better than Aperture's integration of Photoshop?

Lightroom is integrated with Photoshop Aperture is not.

[picman]

Lightroom and Photoshop share the same raw engine. The controls in one look and work like they do in the other.

Competition is a great thing - neither of these programs would be as good as they are without the other. Comes down to a personal choice.

[Kraftsims]

thanks for the input.

I did follow those links and read about lightroom.

I'm impressed with how similar they are, thought LR was going to be a big departure based on the initial reactions.

For those who haven't actually used aperture but opine about it, based on the articles I've read, aperture does exactly the same and does it the same way best I can tell. I simply right click a photo and it is launched in CS4 intuitively. Then I edit, click the save button, back to aperture and keep moving.

I don't have to do any exporting at this point until ready to put the pictures on another media, such as flash drive. I utilize the mobileme and iphone/itunes syncing. Some problems with those, but works ok.

I appreciate the input. So far, see no reason to leave behind aperture honestly. I am willing to as I get a bit of envy when all I hear is LR this and that. I figured I was being left behind.

I first realized maybe they were similar when I went to Kelby's PS day long deal and he kept going on about LR. Envy hit and I thought I was being left behind.

Funny thing is, when I tried his approach with aperture, it did the same thing, just used some different buzz words to describe the same action.

My conclusion so far is that it is strictly a preference and that both are great programs.

I'm tempted to move just because that is where the crowd is, over at LR. So much buzz about it.

Yet I've never been one to follow the crowd ever since I switched to a mac, but that's another story.

Appreciate the great conversation.

-Robert

[jstevensphoto]

I use Aperture 3 mainly because it is a fairly simple, intuitive program. One drawback is when I wanted to use a Topaz plug-in called ReMask, it wouldn't work and the Topaz Tech told me Aperture was not capable of using Masking programs as plug-ins. Don't know if that's really true, but that's what I was told. As for integration with PS, all you have to do is select PS as your "External Photo Editor" under Preferences, right click and away you go. I think I'm the only person in my Photo Club who uses Aperture. They are all pretty-much LR PS people. To each his own.

[Angelo]

James, I am also an Aperture user - Been using it since it came out.
It is a great program as I'm sure LR is.
As you said, "to each his own".

[Todd Lambert]

Count me in as an avid Aperture user. I do almost 90% of all of my editing in A3. Very rarely do I even need to go into Photoshop. Aperture's editing capabilities surpass what L3 can do actually.

[jstevensphoto]

Originally Posted by Todd Lambert

Count me in as an avid Aperture user. I do almost 90% of all of my editing in A3. Very rarely do I even need to go into Photoshop. Aperture's editing capabilities surpass what L3 can do actually.

Glad to hear that, Todd. I keep telling people that the adjustment panel in Aperture 3 is pretty good, but I think people assume a program like PhotoShop that you have to "take classes" on has to be superior. I think digital photo is reaching a point where people are going to start realizing that you really don't have to have a Phd to be pretty good at it. To me, if there's an easy way to get it done, why not?

[Angelo]

James, as the saying goes, there's more way to skin a cat. I gravitate towards the easier way, always. There's no question that PS is the benchmark for all products out there. Although PS is getting easier to use other software companies are finding ways to make the PP work even easier. A good example is NIK Software. I am certain whatever NIK can do PS can also do it, but much more complicated using PS.

I've looked at LR and it's very similar to A3.
Let's hope they both survive this competitive market because the competition will always benefit the consumer.

[Mosephus]

I've used both and I mainly use Aperture 3 right now mainly because of it's price point/ When I changed systems it was $80 vs. $300 and I'm not a professional so I really can't complain. I will say LR3 has more tools in the tool box and many more tricks up it's sleeve. Aperture 3 has a few things that really annoy me, there are a few things I used to be able to do in LR3 that if it were a paid job using A3 would have screwed the pooch. But I love the organization I can keep with A3 and the power it has in certain aspects, in a perfect world (me being rich that is) I would use both.

[jstevensphoto]

Originally Posted by Angelo

James, as the saying goes, there's more way to skin a cat. I gravitate towards the easier way, always. There's no question that PS is the benchmark for all products out there. Although PS is getting easier to use other software companies are finding ways to make the PP work even easier. A good example is NIK Software. I am certain whatever NIK can do PS can also do it, but much more complicated using PS.

I've looked at LR and it's very similar to A3.
Let's hope they both survive this competitive market because the competition will always benefit the consumer.

I have been looking at the NIK bundle as an Aperture plug-in. Heard lots of positive comments about NIK. I do lots of Black and White, so might help me a lot. Thanks Jim

[Angelo]

Hi James, I hate to get off topic and so I will quickly say NIK is fantastic!!!!
Why don't you begin another thread on NIK Software and we'll discuss and answer any questions you may have. I have the complete bundle.