[boriscleto]

Photos is apparently going to be released in the "Spring". Meaning sometime before the 4th of July...

The previewer mentions the lack of brushable adjustments, but doesn't mention third party extensions. She admits that she isn't much of a photo editor

First Look: Apple?s Sleeker, Simpler Photos App for Mac OS X | Re/code

More in-depth preview here.

Apple is finally killing iPhoto ? and this is the replacement | The Verge

Is this better than iPhoto or Aperture?
It really depends on how you were using those two apps. This is imminently more lightweight than either of those two, and more familiar to iOS. You basically get the same set of filters, controls, and effects you’ll find on iOS, and everything gets synced up the second it's done. Also, the photos you have stored in iCloud Drive no longer feel tacked on the way Photostream did in iPhoto and Aperture.

THIS ISN'T AN APERTURE REPLACEMENT

Now, if you were one of the people who loved Aperture because you like adjusting every possible little setting, and having things like a loupe for pixel-peeping, adjustment brushes for fixing dust spots or blown highlights, and plug-ins to add extra features, here’s some bad news: none of these things are present in Photos. Dedicated iPhoto users should find plenty to like about the new OS X Photos app, though.

Though the new editing tools are much better and easier to use than before, it's clear that Apple is targeting them mostly at novice users, not the advanced photographers that might have used Aperture in the past. Pros will find many of the editing tools too simple, and Photos' way of automatically organizing photos will likely break many photographers' workflows. Photos does still support RAW files, and those files can be stored in iCloud and synced across devices, but at this point it's not as powerful of an editor or organization tool as Aperture or Adobe's Lightroom. There's room for Apple to improve upon this from what we saw, but it appears that the company's goal with this app is to make it easier for everyone to manage and tweak their photos, not to satisfy the particular needs of pro photographers.

AT THIS POINT, PHOTOS IS GEARED TOWARD THE NOVICE, NOT THE TYPICAL PRO

To that end, Apple is still offering the Projects section in Photos, which lets you build and order photobooks, calendars, panoramic prints, and more from the photos in your library. The interface and tools have been refreshed and updated and are easier to use than they have been before, again to appeal to the novice user or someone who just doesn't have the time to micromanage their photo library.

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Last edited by boriscleto; 02-05-2015 at 03:15 PM.

[Paul the Sunman]

Worst fears realized.

[6BQ5]

It seems that Apple Photos for OS X is a beefed up version of iPhotos (or a dumbed down version of Aperture depending on perspective). I did not see any indication that there are level, curve, or brush tools available. This does not bode well for Aperture users. We were lucky to have what we had with Aperture. Maybe there is an "advanced user" interface that can be enabled in a menu that hasn't been shown.

I can understand this from a market perspective. There are more people photographing with their iPhones and creating JPGs than pros and enthusiasts combined photographing with their camera and creating RAW files. If you had to follow the money then where would you go?

It looks like it may be time to move on to another software platform for image processing.

[gmans]

They would have to be a year or two's grace with aperture you would think, I only purchased it about 18 months ago.

[boriscleto]

I did not see any indication that there are level, curve, or brush tools available. This does not bode well for Aperture users. We were lucky to have what we had with Aperture. Maybe there is an "advanced user" interface that can be enabled in a menu that hasn't been shown.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/photos-for-the-mac-is-clean-fast-connected-and-110170322774.html

Power hounds will be happy to note that there are many more photo parameters you can adjust here. The Add button lets you install even more controls to the Adjustment panel, at your whim:

No brushes apparently, but Apple has said this is not a replacement for Aperture. Aperture is just going to have to soldier on for a while till I find something else...

[Paul the Sunman]

They would have to be a year or two's grace with aperture you would think, I only purchased it about 18 months ago.

Well, they don't "turn it off", they just fail to support it beyond Yosemite. It may or may not work in the next OS update -- random. If you just stick with Yosemite, you can presumably keep using Aperture as long as you like, or your computer dies. However, it will fall further and further behind Lightroom in capability. If you are happy with what it does now though, just stick with it.

The only possible redeeming feature yet to become clear is the extent to which Photos will allow 3rd party plugins, which may bring editing features from pro level users. It is disappointing though that Aperture's excellent file handling seems to have been dropped.

[gmans]

Well, they don't "turn it off", they just fail to support it beyond Yosemite. It may or may not work in the next OS update -- random. If you just stick with Yosemite, you can presumably keep using Aperture as long as you like, or your computer dies. However, it will fall further and further behind Lightroom in capability. If you are happy with what it does now though, just stick with it.

The only possible redeeming feature yet to become clear is the extent to which Photos will allow 3rd party plugins, which may bring editing features from pro level users. It is disappointing though that Aperture's excellent file handling seems to have been dropped.

Will stick with it for a while till it is defunct or I see something easier.

[jamarley]

Aperture is just going to have to soldier on for a while till I find something else...

Well, that's it. If Ben (Boriscleto) is throwing in the towel I guess Apple's days being in the pro photo camp are numbered. I was hopeful too. Think of NASCAR - those are Pros driving STOCK CARS. It's the same tool the casual driver uses, just used in a way only a Pro driver would. No features are held back, no tinkering is prohibited (except perhaps by whatever rules the org has). Why do software vendors feel the need to remove features when they are targeting the great unwashed majority? Why not include the features and let the user decide what to use? I have already switched from Aperture to Lightroom and haven't really but scratched the surface. I know there's so much more I can learn, and I will, but for now I'm happy with what I do and also eager to improve as time permits.

[Paul the Sunman]

Will stick with it for a while till it is defunct or I see something easier.

Very sensible.

[6BQ5]

The only possible redeeming feature yet to become clear is the extent to which Photos will allow 3rd party plugins, which may bring editing features from pro level users. It is disappointing though that Aperture's excellent file handling seems to have been dropped.

Apple may be banking on the 3rd party plug-ins. I can already imagine them making a plug-in App Store selling preset and adjustment tools for $3 to $10. Want curves? $2.99. Want a basic set of brushes? $3.99.

[Canuck_west]

I have just migrated all my photos to Lightroom. Not that I'm an Adobe fan, but the writing was on the wall regarding where Apple was going with Photos, and I thought it better to take the plunge sooner than later. I can still use all my Nik apps, Photomatix, and Iridient Developer. Interestingly, Photomatix presents a 'better' interface in Lightroom than Aperture. Also Lightroom works faster, and with far less occurrences of freezing, when working with large files (such as scans of 6x7 colour slides from a Pentax 67).
Keep it up Apple, and I may even have to switch to Windows.

[boriscleto]

This is why AppleInsider is my second favorite web site.

[6BQ5]

I frequent Apple Insider too. That's where I saw the news. I didn't see that comment. It must have trickled in after I viewed their article.

There's plenty available for the Mac and we all know it. I think the Mac platform gets a bit more scrutiny than Windows for this because the Mac platform has traditionally been geared for the professional. That was due in no small part to Apple's work in the past. Now we are seeing the transition to a more amateur/novice user base. Like I said, it's makes sense financially. There's a whole world of iPhone and P&S photographers that probably swamps any other camera user group. Unfortunately, that's not me or anyone else here on the forum.

We'll all use Aperture for a little while before it breaks with some release of OS X - or, OS XI maybe? Then we'll transition.

You can say that the Aperture party is over. Let's finish our drinks, grab our coats, and head home.

[boriscleto]

We'll all use Aperture for a little while before it breaks with some release of OS X - or, OS XI maybe? Then we'll transition.

10.11 will most likely break it. It needed an update for both 10.9 and 10.10. But I'm pretty sure 10.11 won't work with my 2009 mini anyway. I'm lucky it has been supported as long as it has.

I really don't need most of what Photos is being made for. My Apple eco-system doesn't support iCloud Photos, the mini is the only device I have that supports it (1st gen iPad and late-2006 MacBook). And it would cost a fortune to upgrade to as much cloud storage as I would need.

[reeftool]

I just read the Ars Technica review. The kind of liked the App but admitted that they have left advanced users and pros out in the cold.
Editing with Photos for OS X, Apple?s iPhoto (and Aperture) replacement | Ars Technica