Thoughts on Aperture 4

I’ve mentioned here and there for quite some time that I’m an Apple Aperture user. As a RAW image catalog and conversion piece of software, it’s great. I didn’t get the chance to use Aperture 1.0 but have been using the software since just after version 2.0 and have been extremely happy. There are other programs, such as Lightroom and Capture One Pro, that I’ve used to a decent degree that also work extremely well but personally, Aperture fits me and my photography the best.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any inside info about the next version of Aperture, but seeing that the chatter has recently picked up with Derrick Story and Scott Bourne making a few comments about when they’re thinking the software may be available, along with the usual waves of tech-obsessed users that have already been drooling for something new for the last 6 months, I thought it would be a good moment for me to mention when I assume it’s coming along with what I hope some of the new or improved features may be.

As is stated on numerous other places online, you can usually get a really decent idea of when Apple is going to release a new or updated product based on their prior release history. That said, Aperture has been on a general 2 year cycle with the last major update (3.0) being released in February of 2010. Also, Aperture and Lightroom release dates have been loosely intertwined as they are competing bits of software. Adobe has started the Lightroom 4 release already with a pre-release beta version available to the public. Given the above, I assume we will see Aperture 4 sometime between February and April of this year.

There have been some rumors, which have been around since the early days of aperture, that Apple is planning on phasing out the software. While it’s always a possibility, I doubt it would ever happen. What we may see however, is the same trend of Apple attempting to open their pro line of software to more than just pros. In the case of Final Cut X, this left many professionals extremely unhappy and scrambling to find other options. Although just yesterday, Apple released an update to Final Cut X which brought back most (if not all) of the features that many professionals were missing. It will be interesting to see if Apple builds on that lesson and continues with Aperture as the professional imaging software that it is, or if it becomes a pro version of iPhoto. Time will tell. And if I had to guess, I would bet that Apple may include some more consumer-oriented features, but will continue to evolve and serve their professional users as well.

Here are a few brief thoughts before I mention what I am really hoping for in Aperture 4. First off, there are features that Aperture has or does well, that lightroom does not and vice versa. It’s not my intention for this post to become a battle ground for the Aperture vs Lightroom argument. There are things Aperture does better. There are things Lightroom does better. They are both tools. Nothing more, nothing less.

Here are a few of the features that I am crossing my fingers for in Aperture 4.0

• Gradient Adjustment Masking
• Better Sharpening with an option for Output sharpening (specifically for internet use)
• Lens correction
• Multiple Exposure Bricks with masking
• Ability to have a single library seamlessly accessed and used by multiple computers.
• Ability to open multiple photos as layers in photoshop
• Ability to purge RAW files while converting project RAW images to jpgs
• A little more control over the Vault/Backup system
• *Crosses Fingers* A Companion app for the iPad would be incredible

If I sat and thought about it while using the program, I’m sure I could come up with a longer list. Bottom line is, my entire studio runs very smoothly on the current version of Aperture. Every photo I take lives inside Aperture and it works just fine for me. If a new version doesn’t come soon, or it doesn’t have the above features, I’ll be just fine.

Any thoughts? What are the features that ya’ll are looking for in Aperture 4?