[Macworld]

Post your comments for The 7-step edit in Aperture 3.4 here

[robogoboqfy1]

Aperture 3? Let us know when we can do this in Aperture 4. Most of us have already switched to Lightroom.

[defraserii]

I have been diehard Aperture user since version 2. It's great that you offer this step by step. But for those of us who do this professionally, Aperture has fallen significantly behind. Lens profiles - missing. Perspective correction - missing. Noise reduction - poor... and the list goes on. I won't even speak of the recent crashes when applying brushes.

I too am making the move to Lightroom 4.

[denniswilliams]

I would be interested in seeing an image that was rejected by your client due to lack of (lol) lens profiles or perspective correction. There has to be a financial loss do to the lack of an option before a pro would even notice it.

Post shot perspective correction is a lousy excuse for using the right lens or camera to begin with. Same holds true for most post fixes. Hard to believe billions are spent on digital cameras and lenses which produce images requiring so much post to be commercially viable.

[defraserii]

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I would be interested in seeing an image that was rejected by your client due to lack of (lol) lens profiles or perspective correction. There has to be a financial loss do to the lack of an option before a pro would even notice it. Post shot perspective correction is a lousy excuse for using the right lens or camera to begin with. Same holds true for most post fixes. Hard to believe billions are spent on digital cameras and lenses which produce images requiring so much post to be commercially viable.

You would not see such an image, because I would never present such an image to a client. I simply use another application, other than Aperture. Further, pro-level wide angle lens, such as the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8, notwithstanding their costs, can produce images requiring perspective correction depending on the angle from which the image is shot. An example of this would be shooting a tall building from the ground level. Correction of such issues should not be dismissed as irrelevant.

[DerrickStory]

So, every time I publish an article on Macworld about how to use some aspect of Aperture, we're going to debate Lightroom vs Aperture? Really?

[pkin]

Thanks for this nice tutorial. I would add that for indoor shots I also set a white balance preset from a reference in the same lighting, and reapply it to other pictures. I also use straighten regularly so imperfect lines do not distract. I am not a professional, but I am surprised at those so dissatisfied that they switch to Lightroom: When I rarely correct for lens/perspective issues, I call Photoshop from within Aperture <http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5128?viewlocale=en_us>. I like the logical flow and interface of Aperture, and don't want to engage a learning curve for adjustments I use very infrequently.

[defraserii]

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So, every time I publish an article on Macworld about how to use some aspect of Aperture, we're going to debate Lightroom vs Aperture? Really?

Derrick, I don't think this amounts to a debate of Lightroom vs Aperture. As a long time Aperture user, I think you are simply seeing a level of frustration that a product on which we have relied has essentially languished for lack of attention. From a general user perspective, your step by step instructions are appreciated.

[DerrickStory]

So after this article was published, I receive this note via email: "I'm curious why you didn't touch on Auto Enhance as part of this tutorial." I think that's a good question that could actually help other people.

I didn't cover Auto Enhance here because it uses Curves as one of its corrections. Even though Auto Enhance works very well IMO, part of any auto adjustment is fine tuning the effect that Aperture has just applied. And I think for photographers just getting their feet wet with image editing, which is who this article is written for, Curves is more of an intermediate level adjustment.

So, you could use Auto Enhance a few different ways. One would be to try it, and if you don't like the effect, just undo. Another approach would be to learn a bit more about Curves for the fine tuning. Or, you could edit Auto Enhance to not include Curves.

This is fun stuff!

[DerrickStory]

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So, every time I publish an article on Macworld about how to use some aspect of Aperture, we're going to debate Lightroom vs Aperture? Really? Derrick, I don't think this amounts to a debate of Lightroom vs Aperture. As a long time Aperture user, I think you are simply seeing a level of frustration that a product on which we have relied has essentially languished for lack of attention. From a general user perspective, your step by step instructions are appreciated.

Even though I appreciate your measured perspective, I don't agree that Aperture has "languished for lack of attention." For example, RAW profiles, which require a lot of work, are added on a regular basis. Dot releases of the app might not have the PR sizzle that 4.0 would generate, but they represent an ongoing evolution of an already solid application. If Aperture isn't evolving at the pace that you'd personally prefer, that's fair. But labeling it as an untended garden isn't accurate IMO.

[phubai69bw]

Excellent article, and easy to follow for a beginner. I learned some very basic things that I needed to understand and until now, did not..thank-you!

[himbo]

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So, every time I publish an article on Macworld about how to use some aspect of Aperture, we're going to debate Lightroom vs Aperture? Really?

This is the internet. What do you think?

[Archaeolojay]

Thanks for the article Derrick. Could you publish an intermediate user version? I think Aperture users are a bit more advanced than those who are just getting their feet wet. Any article about Aperture is most welcome since everything seems to revolve around Adobe.

As far as the Aperture vs. Lightroom debate: when Aperture 4 is eventually released everyone will start complaining about how far behind Lightroom is. I'm sticking with Aperture instead of switching back and forth between whichever one is temporarily the best.

[thomaspin]

Aperture? DOA. You need to write for the 99%.