Photographers have different styles of photography and this carries over to their use of applications and editing styles. Most photographers will define their work and which applications they use dependant on a particular area of focus in photography. Each editing application has benefits and uses that make the product an excellent editor for particular types of work.
This review is more a comparison between the applications and not a recommendation of one application over the other. All applications are useful and the purpose of this review is to match the right application to the style of the photographer.
Main Window
Aperture's main window opens with three panels. To switch between the modules, it is necessary to click on the tabs in the left panel. Changing the View settings is also done using a drop down menu as compared with Lightroom's icon panel at the bottom of the main view panel. The look is simple, clean and uncluttered. The user chooses the mode to work in without the clutter of unwanted panels open. The Browser can be viewed in List view, Thumbnail or Filmstrip.The overall look of both applications is basically similar in style and function. The Viewer window and Browser have similar looks and function along the same lines. Importing from the desktop or from a CF card reader is done from main window or opens automatically if the application is open.
Organizing and Selecting
Organizing images is done by selecting rated images (or images designated in a particular manner) and then can be selected according to metadata, rating or any other parameter designated. Images can be selected and rated individually or in groups. Metadata can be input by changing the left panel tab. Another feature with Aperture is stacks. By using stacks you can organize groups of images that are related to each other. This is a great function for organizing different groups of images. Multiple images can be compared in the Viewer by selecting the images in the Filmstrip. Keyboard commands or drop-down menus control many of the functions. Drop down menus tend to be slower than using icons.
Aperture works to be a stand-alone product allowing digital image editing and creative developing with various tools available in the application. Images can be saved in different formats and as master images, but not as digital negatives.