Lightroom Leaving Beta – Will Aperture Sales Increase?

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is about to get a bunch more expensive. In other words, it will no longer be free. The retail price before April 30 will be $199. After April 30, it will be $299. That matches what Apple is charging for Aperture.

Since Lightroom has been free of charge up until this point, I believe that Aperture sales have been slower than would be expected. As of April 30th, when the two programs cost the same amount to purchase, I expect Aperture sales to increase, since the playing field will be leveled.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Lightroom won’t sell well, I am just saying Aperture will sell better than it has been, since it will no longer be competing against a free application.

iStockphoto Updates Aperture Plugin

The new version of Apple’s Aperture iStockphoto plugin is here. You need the latest version of Aperture (1.5.2), then download the iStockphoto plug-in.

Store, process, and organize your images in Aperture, and then batch-upload them to iStockphoto directly with the new plug-in.

Aperture Training Video Sale

UPDATE: There are only two copies of the Beyond the Basics title left at this special price. I also have one copy of the original Aperture training video that Derrick and I created covering the basics. It’s longer, is on DVD and originally cost $149 from lynda.com. I will sell this one for $50 including shipping to US residents only. Thanks.

CD-ROM now available. Regularly $99.95 plus shipping from lynda.com – I have a very limited quantity of these CDs available for $50, including USPS Priority Mail to anywhere in the USA – sorry USA residents only please.

Send $50 via PayPal to omsp@mac.com and be sure to include your postal mailing address. First come, first served.

Hot off the press with nearly four hours of tips and tricks, Aperture 1.5 Beyond the Basics is now available from lynda.com. I team up with Derrick Story to cover Aperture workflow, importing images, using image previews, wrangling with metadata, output, and plenty of new features including edge sharpening, centered loupe, referenced libraries, and more.

Happy Birthday To Me

Today, the ApertureTricks blog is one year old. ApertureTricks is now part of the O’Reilly Inside Aperture site.

Thanks for reading and participating in the blog. The Aperture landscape has changed a great deal in the last year. I’ll be writing about that on Tuesday on the O’Reilly blog.

One year down, another to go. And they said it wouldn’t last.

Happy holidays.

Aperture Wins Macworld Award

Aperture 1.5 received a Macworld 2006 Editor’s Choice Award. The Magazine said the software gave the imaging world a “jolt.”

As someone who was on board with Aperture from day one, I can say it’s well-deserved recognition.

Aperture 1.5.2 Released

Apple has released an update to Aperture. Aperture 1.5.2 addresses issues related to overall reliability and performance in a number of areas, including:
• Contact sheet printing
• Smart Albums
• Watermarks
• Lift and stamp
• Image export
• Versions created using an external editor

This update is recommended for all Aperture users.

FlickrExport for Aperture 1.0 Released

Connected Flow is pleased to announce the availability of the final version of FlickrExport for Aperture.

FlickrExport for Aperture is an export plugin for Aperture which provides a direct export interface to Flickr.com

Pricing

FlickrExport for Aperture 1.0 is priced at GBP 14.00. Licenses are available now through the Connected Flow Store.

Aperture Feedback Page

Apple has set up a feedback page called “Share Your Experiences.” This is a place to talk about how you’re using Aperture, and what you’ve been able to accomplish using the software.

New Aperture Training Coming

Derrick Story and Scott Bourne have just finished recording “Aperture – Beyond The Basics” at lynda.com in Ojai, CA. The four hours of video training will be available by subscription on the lynda.com site or on a CD/DVD from the lynda.com store. Look for it right around Christmas.

Also, Derrick and Scott are again returning to MacWorld 2007. One year after their debut as the trainers at the world’s first public Aperture training course, they will again be teaching the Power Tools conference session. Visit the MacWorld site for more information.

Apple Updates Digital Camera Raw

Apple has updated its Digital Camera Raw to 1.01 (Universal).

This update improves RAW file format compatibility for the following digital SLR cameras:

-Canon Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss X Digital
-Nikon D80
-Pentax *ist DS

Other issues addressed:

-Handling of large Canon RAW files (.CRW)
-DNG compatibility on Intel-based Macs
-Lines sometimes appearing in images exported from Aperture

For more information go to the Apple Aperture website.