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Apple Aperture 3.3

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Aperture is a well-designed, powerful photo workflow app. It's a close call, but Lightroom has it beat in a few significant ways.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Start Aperture

Now you can start using your iPhoto library in Aperture without the need for a lenghty import.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Subtler Interface

The once-colorful interface buttons along the top now blend into the light gray window border, letting you concentrate on your photos.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Import

You can get a larger view of images on your camera media and even start editing before an import has finished, including camera raw files.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Photo Stream

Aperture is the only pro-level photo workflow software that supports Apple iCloud's Photo Stream.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Full Screen and HUD

Aperture's full-screen view, accessible with a simple hitting of the F key, is much more immersive and enjoyable to work in than the standard ligth-gray interface. You can either use the heads-up display (HUD) shown here, or a side Inspector panel (next slide).

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Full Screen with Side Panel

This version of full screen shares more in common with the standard interface, putting the full Inspector tab options, including Library, Info, and Adjustments, at your disposal.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Filter Search

You can limit the library display to photos with certain tags, ratings, color labels, or EXIF info like camera make, using this search box.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Faces

Aperture is the only pro-level workflow app that incorporates Face detection and recognition. It learns whose face is who after you name a face a few times.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Maps

Aperture supports geo-tagged photos, placing them on a map like this, and letting you limit the view to photos taken in a spot on the map you click.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Brush Effects

You can use a brush to apply just about any photo effect or adjustment the app offers. As seen here, you can colorize the area you've brushed to show where the effect will be applied, and edge detection lets you, for example limit the effect to a sky.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Auto Correct

Apple has worked on the program's auto correction, adding an Auto Enhance button in version 3.3, but Lightroom still produced better results.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : White Balance

White balance has been simplified with two default options--natural gray, and skin tone. It applies the latter when faces are detected. You can also choose white balance presets, and even see a small preview window. Note here how the small preview window shows the optimized skin tones.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Shadows

Aperture also boasts improved shadow and highlight correctors, but notice here how Lightroom does a much better job at bringing out dark areas: In both apps, the Shadows slider was cranked up to the maximum.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : New Project

Aperture offers a wealth of output options, including printing, slideshows, online, and web. Not shown here is the Share dropdown button, which offers Flickr, Facebook, email, and Photo Stream.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Slideshows

The program offers a wealth of slideshow options, with themes and the ability to time each image's display separately.

Apple Aperture 3.3 : Web Builder

The program can build attractive photo websites.