[toni-a]

I understand your frustration as I have already been through that, after years of use of windows phone Microsoft just dropped us, no more hardware or software updates and had to move all my database to Android that was a painful process however some apps helped a lot with automation of the process like copying SMS messages or whatsapp photos and chats.
Just found one for aperture that allows you to automatically migrate your database hope it works

https://apertureexporter.com

[JJ_SO]

I wholeheartedly agree with Markus. No file system tagging can ever do what a specialised and sophisticated database can do in less time, with fewer clicks. Tagging pictures is one of the most boring and therefore error-prone thing to do for me - and with "whatever keywords" is just the same as "with how many typos, systematic errors, wrong terminology you like", again for me. This yours solution thxbb12, is not working for everyone - maybe especially not of those who worked with Aperture. Aperture is maximum organisation with minimum effort - great for lazy bones like me. Everything else is only a sample for imperfect programming.

I'm using a graphic tablet instead a mouse as it's the fastest way to edit for me. It's also the fastest way to move files accidentally - and there's only one "undo" action possible in the finder. So my chances to create a file mess increased some 100% just by being forced to organize files. For what did I buy a computer if I have to do that manually? For the old "negatives in shoeboxes" feeling?

In Capture One the search text box can only find filenames. No albums, no projects, no people whose faces were recognized. And once it finds them, it's incapable to show me in which project or album the picture is organised. And searching for 2620 also finds DST3030.ARW Any explanation?

There's no substitute around. Giving up Aperture felt much like an amputation or a tooth extraction - but the teeth I already forgot and missing Aperture still causes phantom pain. It's not a bit of fun and it had a massive impact about how I take photographs. To the worse and the better: I hate the organisation curse, but I love the edit possibilities.

Markus, I think that's the reason we're not seeing the step up to D850, as it's not supported by Apple's RAW machine?

[stoppingdown]

The database is honestly the part that I liked the most about Aperture and kept me tied to an already obsolete product. No other DAM, past or current, comes close to what Aperture could do.

This is a problem. For the DAM part I'm still using an obsolete version of LR, so being subject to the o.s. upgrade risks that we were discussing yesterday.

Fortunately LR, in addition to the database, also adds tags to the .XMP files, so they can be imported in other applications. CO reads them, but - apart from the fact that it has poor search tools - also misinterprets them (I'm using hierarchical tags).

I'm still slowly developing my own application for indexing tags - I had one in the past, it's not really hard for basic functions, it's that I'm becoming lazier and lazier about programming... .

Anyway I'm puzzled that there are no good DAM apps around (I mean, for prosumers).

[thxbb12]

The database is honestly the part that I liked the most about Aperture and kept me tied to an already obsolete product. No other DAM, past or current, comes close to what Aperture could do.

This is a problem. For the DAM part I'm still using an obsolete version of LR, so being subject to the o.s. upgrade risks that we were discussing yesterday.

Fortunately LR, in addition to the database, also adds tags to the .XMP files, so they can be imported in other applications. CO reads them, but - apart from the fact that it has poor search tools - also misinterprets them (I'm using hierarchical tags).

I'm still slowly developing my own application for indexing tags - I had one in the past, it's not really hard for basic functions, it's that I'm becoming lazier and lazier about programming... .

Anyway I'm puzzled that there are no good DAM apps around (I mean, for prosumers).

If you're interested, one of my students' bachelor project was to design and implement a file tagging engine in Rust (a modern, very robust and safe systems language vastly superior to C/C++ and similarly fast).
The source code can be found here: https://github.com/stevenliatti/tagfs
Please note that it's meant to run on Linux only using a filesystem that supports extended attributes (most modern filesystems such as ext4, xfs, zfs, etc. do).

[stoppingdown]

thxbb12, thanks. I'll have a look. The limitation to Linux, indeed, is a problem.

[Brightcolours]

Hi Markus, have you taken a glance at Picktorial? It seems an ok Aperture alternative (although how will long term support be, and how expensive will it get with future updates?)

[mst]

Thanks, BC. I haven't checked it out, honestly didn't even know it existed. I'll have a look at it, but I don't feel great moving to an app of a relatively small and unknown developer.

I have used Aperture from the very first beginning (almost 14 years now) and would like to move to a software where there is at least some chance that it will be around for many years to come. I don't want to move my library more often than absolutely necessary.

For that reason, I have already ruled out ON1, Luminar and also DxO Photolab. And also Apple Photos,... I tried it, again, they added a lot since the first version, but to me it still feels less capable than even iPhotos, let alone Aperture.

In the end, I will have to decide between LR and C1. I happen to have both, actually... have a Creative Cloud subscription (for PS, but LR is included, too) and use C1 in parallel for years already, but just for a very limited set of tasks (all sample images in my reviews for example, all converted by C1).

[JJ_SO]

The database has close to non-existing organisation features (albums and folders, but no projects), intelligent albums impossible to create, editing is rather extensive (although for some features one needs to buy a "premium version" and a nice detail is the view of used focus points. Interface a mixture of English and German.

Depending on what's ok... I don't find ok, when they add support for Nikon Z in February 2019, 5 months after the cameras went on sale.

[toni-a]

Even if you move to another ecosystem, just keep your old database, nothing is prefect and you will discover the bug at the worst moment, si better have the original database. I moved to Android, but I kept my old windows phone, with all my data on it, just in case.

[mike]

The worst part is just getting used to new software. Doesn't matter if it's in the office or home. Once the learning curve is done you end up finding some things you still miss (phantom pain, HA!). OTOH, there's usually a few tricks that eventually you'd hate to be without.

For example, with all the love and hate of Android and iPhone, and having had both, they both have their "nuances" that when you're used to one the other will drive you nuts. Well, at least for a while;-)