Aperture vs. Lightroom

[philaphotog]

Hello all -

So I just hit 22,000 images and my iPhoto can't handle it any more! I am considering either Aperture or Lightroom as a replacement. Can anyone share thoughts, pros/cons or recommendations on these two?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Big Mike]

Are you looking for something to help you edit photos and/or make your work flow easier....or are you looking for something to to help with your archive of images?

 

[lifeafter2am]

Both have free trials. Download them and see which one you like better. I personally chose Lightroom, but thats just me.

 

[philaphotog]

Well, both. My first priority is getting them organized and easily accessible. I do very basic editing/manipulating at this stage just with the limited tools available on iPhoto. I thought of maybe getting Photoshop in the future if needed. I really need something that is user friendly because I'm not a way, way technical person...

 

[Big Mike]

The free trial idea is a good one.

While you are at it....have a look at Google's Picasa. It's a free program that makes it quite easy for finding and viewing large numbers of images.

Lightroom (and I assume Aperture as well) is a workflow software. It's meant for editing large numbers of RAW images. This might help you with your workflow, but I don't think it's the best choice for helping you sort and store your database of images.

 

[philaphotog]

The free trial idea is a good one.

While you are at it....have a look at Google's Picasa. It's a free program that makes it quite easy for finding and viewing large numbers of images.

Lightroom (and I assume Aperture as well) is a workflow software. It's meant for editing large numbers of RAW images. This might help you with your workflow, but I don't think it's the best choice for helping you sort and store your database of images.

OK, here's a really dumb question. What is a RAW image?

 

[createnetwork]

I love Picasa as well!

 

[Big Mike]

OK, here's a really dumb question. What is a RAW image?

Higher end cameras can record images in 'RAW' format...while the usual standard for other cameras is JPEG images.

A RAW file is basically the raw data from the camera. A Jpeg on the other hand, is an image that has been processed and compressed by the camera before it's saved to the memory.

RAW images can take more post processing work but they are superior to JPEGS in many ways.

Check THIS out.

If you don't know what a RAW file is...then you probaly don't need Adobe Lightroom.

 

[philaphotog]

If you don't know what a RAW file is...then you probaly don't need Adobe Lightroom.[/QUOTE]

I was afraid someone would say something like that! I use a Nikon D40. What type of images (RAW?) does that produce?

 

[sultan]

I recommend Aperture. It's more mac like and features plenty of useful features that I find more practical than Lightroom (though the differences are small). Both Aperture and Lightroom are great photo organizers but they are also meant to be used as editors (for adjustments) and as RAW developing software.

To be stark:
If you want a program with a sensible UI and simple but powerful features, take Aperture.
If you want a wierd black program full of features that are simple but are complex to the user, take Lightroom.

PS. Actually, Lightroom isn't as bad as I portary it but I still dislike it. It's your choice - try both out and see what you like.

 

[sultan]

I was afraid someone would say something like that! I use a Nikon D40. What type of images (RAW?) does that produce?

The D40 produces NEF RAW files. They will work with both Aperture and Lightroom. They are a MUST-HAVE for every DSLR owner. They have obsoleted photoshop for my kind of work.

 

[nicfargo]

I recommend Aperture. It's more mac like

And thats reason enough for me not to use it...I hate the Mac look. It seems really dumbed down to me for some reason. I'm sure feature wise it's neck and neck, but if it has the mac feel, I'll pass on it every day.

 

[EricBrian]

My pref is Lightroom. Great for editing, sorting and publishing.

 

[sultan]

And thats reason enough for me not to use it...I hate the Mac look. It seems really dumbed down to me for some reason. I'm sure feature wise it's neck and neck, but if it has the mac feel, I'll pass on it every day.

It's all subjective. I like macs, you may not. We all vary

 

[DWS]

Aperture 2 works very well for me in organizing and editing