[joachim]

I was toying with getting an Nikon P330 and was excited that Apple released the RAW support yesterday.  Playing with a few downloaded NRW files I realised that does not support the essential distortion correction - Images form the wide end of this look like fish-eye.

 

I since learned that Apple doesn't correct RX100 files either and read comments that the 16-50 on NEX is also not well supported. 

 

That left we thinking: What is Apple doing here?  I am actually pretty angry with them.  Do they still have a real interest in this?  Should I just cut my losses and move somewhere else?

 

Since the photoshop licnesing story earlier this year, I am not so fond of Adobe either.  So if I were to move away from aperture what would people recommend?

[Studor13]

Forget Aperture. I have it and haven't used it for over a year. (I've cut my losses)

 

It's not a bad product as such but for serious editing - especially for highlight recovery, Lightroom 4 is much better.

 

Also, there are no licensing issues with Lightroom. I'm gonna skip LR5 and wait for LR6. You can't do this with Photoshop CC.

[JJ_SO]

Highlight recovery with Aperture is still pretty good, given the right camera and settings, so I'm disagreeing with you on that, Studor13. I get all my highlights in a good correction with AA.


But I can't say, I'm happy with Apple in each aspect. No, that was not the full truth. I feel they are abandoning it, they let it die silent and put all of their manpower in the phone development. I would like to keep it, for my workflow it's one of the best DAM. Adobe is no option to me at home, they make too much of a mess with all their preference and other files all over the HD.


Capture One is my choice for more complex postedits in files from a camera my version of Aperture doesn't support anymore. There's also a lens correction tool. But Joachim, I don't get why you expected lens profiles from Apple in Aperture - they never had that feature, like Lightroom never had the feature of face recognition. In C1 I miss a lot of things I'm used to from Aperture but I must admit, for skin tones, perspective correction and masking it's outstanding. It's more complex than AA, so one need to take more time to learn it, but PhaseOne has some good videos for that, contrary to Apple.


2 years ago, I was still convinced Apple would bring a new version 4. Today, I don't believe anymore this will happen.

[joachim]

Forget Aperture. I have it and haven't used it for over a year. (I've cut my losses)

 

It's not a bad product as such but for serious editing - especially for highlight recovery, Lightroom 4 is much better.

 

Also, there are no licensing issues with Lightroom. I'm gonna skip LR5 and wait for LR6. You can't do this with Photoshop CC.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks.  The problem is to readjust old files and rebuild the data base.  But at some point one has to cut one's losses - I am close to this point.

 

Considering the licensing, I am aware that they still have the old licensing model for LR, but if they have done this once, they might do it twice.  Adobe lost a lot of my trust.

 

Joachim

[joachim]

Highlight recovery with Aperture is still pretty good, given the right camera and settings, so I'm disagreeing with you on that, Studor13. I get all my highlights in a good correction with AA.


But I can't say, I'm happy with Apple in each aspect. No, that was not the full truth. I feel they are abandoning it, they let it die silent and put all of their manpower in the phone development. I would like to keep it, for my workflow it's one of the best DAM. Adobe is no option to me at home, they make too much of a mess with all their preference and other files all over the HD.


Capture One is my choice for more complex postedits in files from a camera my version of Aperture doesn't support anymore. There's also a lens correction tool. But Joachim, I don't get why you expected lens profiles from Apple in Aperture - they never had that feature, like Lightroom never had the feature of face recognition. In C1 I miss a lot of things I'm used to from Aperture but I must admit, for skin tones, perspective correction and masking it's outstanding. It's more complex than AA, so one need to take more time to learn it, but PhaseOne has some good videos for that, contrary to Apple.


2 years ago, I was still convinced Apple would bring a new version 4. Today, I don't believe anymore this will happen.

 

Hi

 

Thanks - the off-shot is Apple is not to be trusted when it comes to software products that need long term support, like an image data base or an OS eco system.  If they just feel they can abandon customers at a flick of a moment.  I feel the company is just loosing it again ...

 

Considering distorition correction, for many current fixed lens cameras this essential.  For these I am expecting automatic correction like aperture does for µFT cameras - but in aperture it is not even possible to correct this manually, like their CA correction.  Update your OSX for P330 raw support, download the raw-files from the "lens test image" section of http://www.ephotozine.com/article/nikon-...view-21566 and load into aperture.  It is plain useless, even when prepared to invest effort.

 

It is the same story for a Sony RX100.  And I have the latest version of aperture.

 

I will have a look for capture 1.  I had a limited license a long time ago and then really liked it.

[JJ_SO]

There's also a freeware, dark-table, I remember. Or DxO (they have lens profiles as well) but if it comes to advanced converter with library structures, possible slideshows, books or other output, there's not much choice around, especially for us who are used to the Aperture comfort. I had to learn, it's no basic feature if one can edit pictures in every aspect, be it the ones in albums, smart albums, calendars, folders... Apple once did a great job. Since Steve died they appear to be paralysed.


On the other side: I would not blame software manufacturers, if a lens already has distortions which have to be handled by software. That always goes at the cost of resolution.

[joachim]

Uncorrected distortion from raw shooting compacts seems a wide spread issue.

I played with some more sample files (e.g. dng from Pentax MX1). It is also not corrected though that camera is not as bad as a P330 or RX100 with out of the box distortion.


Is there no meta data in the RAW files, in particular the dng standard about this? If every person writing a RAW converter would have to profile distortion, this is a lot of work.

[JJ_SO]

The inbuilt raw to JPG converter has this data, maybe you give it a go?


And for 3rd party converters, the model's name, focal length and shooting distance supplies enough information. At Adobe, you can send in the lens's distortion profile so others could benefit. At C1, you can create your own profile, but to my surprise, the pro version already had profiles for a Canon G11/12 inbuilt. Helped me a lot with some shots of Liverpool which were not only distorted but needed also perspective correction. I was extremely pleased what C1 could do with those RAWs! So, after that, I never was shy again to travel light with only the small G11


I've a PlugIn PTLens for Aperture, but that means, the raw file should be okay before transferring the TIF in the PlugIn. I'm a big fan of non-destructive editing, so this is always only second best.

[joachim]

I've a PlugIn PTLens for Aperture, but that means, the raw file should be okay before transferring the TIF in the PlugIn. I'm a big fan of non-destructive editing, so this is always only second best.

That is sort of my point. These days distortion correction needs to be an integral part of the package and not a kludge you do before (e.g. use camera maker's converter and import a jpeg or tiff into aperture) or after adjusting in aperture, like you do.

[mst]

The problem with Apple is that you never know what they're working on until it is announced. Personally, I'm sure an upgraded version is not too far away and I'm definitely willing to wait, since AA is still the DAM of my choice.

On the other hand, Apple has always been a bit behind the competition in many regards (with Aperture), so I don't expect too much for the next version. Took them ages to add CA correction, for example.

And following the Final Cut X disaster, there's also the opportunity that a next version of Aperture is not exactly what we expected...

For now, I'll continue to work as I have for the past years: most work is done in aperture, occasionally I use C1 instead. For anything that I can't do in Aperture, I use PS (still on version CS5). However, I don't have a compact with heavy distortion that needs to be corrected.

-- Markus