[DaveR]

I'm still using Apple Aperture for my DAM and editing of 6 image libraries of around 100,000 images that includes most genres of photography including my professional work (weddings, functions, families etc.).

I think I need to start looking to move to other software to keep up to date and before I have to upgrade my OS (I'm still using El Capitan on a 2015 27" iMac) and loose the ability to use Aperture.

I would like an editor that is a Digital Asset Manager, to keep it all in one place.

I'd like to hear from anyone who was using Aperture and moved on to something else.
What was / is good about the software you chose?
What were some of the issues?
What would you do differently?
What have been the positives?

Some notes:
I shoot exclusively with a K1 and K1 ii
I'm not particularly interested in Lightroom due to it being subscription only (I have owned Aperture since 2012 and it has served me well and if the internet crashed tomorrow, I can still use it)
I've been putting off culling my libraries and adding keywords for far too long, would this be good to do now, or after I have moved to other software?

Thanks in advance.

[AnotherVoice]

I'm still using Apple Aperture for my DAM and editing of 6 image libraries of around 100,000 images that includes most genres of photography including my professional work (weddings, functions, families etc.).

I think I need to start looking to move to other software to keep up to date and before I have to upgrade my OS (I'm still using El Capitan on a 2015 27" iMac) and loose the ability to use Aperture.

I would like an editor that is a Digital Asset Manager, to keep it all in one place.

I'd like to hear from anyone who was using Aperture and moved on to something else.
What was / is good about the software you chose?
What were some of the issues?
What would you do differently?
What have been the positives?

Some notes:
I shoot exclusively with a K1 and K1 ii
I'm not particularly interested in Lightroom due to it being subscription only (I have owned Aperture since 2012 and it has served me well and if the internet crashed tomorrow, I can still use it)
I've been putting off culling my libraries and adding keywords for far too long, would this be good to do now, or after I have moved to other software?

Thanks in advance.

I never used Aperture. Having said that, Capture One for me. Capture One photo editing software

Works great for me. Available in either a subscription model or one time pay. Powerful, works well with DNG files, and does all the stuff I want (and lots more).

[rpjallan]

I think Lightroom would be the closest software to Aperture you could get. I have never really used Lightroom much as I was using Adobe Bridge & Photoshop before it came out & have just continued with that. I have never really been a fan of subscription software but I think Adobe’s photography package is very good value. The only other thing I could recommend is DXO Photolab.

[GUB]

Digikam is a comprehensive image manager.
My experiences limited to Linux.
It is free - crazy not to try Digikam.
https://www.digikam.org/download/

[DeKay]

Digikam is a comprehensive image manager.
My experiences limited to Linux.
It is free - crazy not to try Digikam.
https://www.digikam.org/download/

Good suggestion, only problem is that the current version of Digikam is not compatible with El Cap that the OP is currently using.
Although, he could load it up into a Linux virtual machine and test it out from there.

[acoufap]

Apple Aperture 3 was a good software. I used it for years. When it was depricated I chose Capture One Pro. I liked the flexibility of the user interface much more than that of lightroom and the implemented functions worked great. But you may miss some Aperture functionality. The DAM of C1P for most will be easily good enough these days.

My suggestion would be use trial versions of software so you will discover what software you like the most. The way to go if you want to enjoy post processing.

[Paul the Sunman]

I can still run Aperture on Big Sur using Retroactive. It's a little flakey, but works. Handy for checking old edits.

[Class A]

Another Capture One user here.

Without any attempt at making this a comprehensive response:

What was / is good about the software you chose?

• Flexible UI, including user-definable keyboard shortcuts (one cannot adjust the font size, though, meaning for some it is too big and for others it is too small, depending on the monitor pixel density).
• Non-modal UI, one is not locked into some "library" or "develop" module; shortcuts and tools work the same everywhere, anytime.
• Great tools for colour manipulation, in particular the "Color Balance" tool and the "Skin Tone" (which can be used for other colour homogenisation applications as well) tool are awesome.
• Almost every adjustment can be performed locally (via brushing or one of the parametric mask tools). There are only very, very few exceptions (like B&W treatment, noise reduction) which I'd never want to apply locally anyhow.
• (Still) offer a permanent license.

What were some of the issues?

• Someone at Capture One does not understand basic UI ergonomics. Time and again, they make basic mistakes regarding usability, including making things worse that were fine before.
• C1 "image variants" are not the equivalent of LR's "virtual copies". One cannot separate them (e.g., into different albums) without workarounds.
• They don't care much about Pentax. Lens names are not read into the metadata. You cannot tether a Pentax camera. No PixelShift support. No Pentax K-3 III support yet (you can use its DNG files, though). No "ProStandard profiles" for Pentax cameras. K-1 (II) profiles are nothing to write home about. I do not believe their marketing claim that they handcraft every profile in a laborious process; I'm sure they do it for some cameras, but not for Pentax cameras. Just create your own profiles, or find one from another camera that works for you.
• They don't fix bugs they consider not important enough. Respective user feedback can remain unaddressed for multiple years.
• I have a long laundry list of small and bigger improvements that, if addressed, would significantly help productivity and enjoyment of working with C1. Some of them very recently were addressed which was awesome, but a long list remains and if they are going to be addressed at all, it will take a long, long time.
• They are currently putting in a lot of effort into an iPad version (currently in the beta testing phase). This could be just fine, but there is a danger that this indicates a shift in direction from targeting certain professionals to catering to a different demographic which has different priorities (simplicity is more important than control, "auto" is better than "manual", etc.). Just recently, they tried to simplify exporting, causing a huge upset among the user base. Luckily, the old functionality/usability was brought back, but I'm sure this wouldn't have happened, if it hadn't been for the large the number of complaints. In other words, if only a few had pointed out the disadvantages of the simplified approach, they would not have been listened to, despite 100% valid arguments. Also, the iPad version will not be available via a permanent license (partly understandable, partly not).
• C1 is much more expensive than any comparable software. The expense may still be justifiable if C1 is just right for you and you can imagine having a permanent license and not upgrade for a long time. Note that skipping a version won't necessarily give you the savings you might expect, since whenever you'll want a new license, it will matter how old your most recent license is.

What would you do differently?

Not sure what you are asking for.

I don't consider my decision for C1 to be a mistake.

I have skipped versions in the past that did not add anything of interest to me. In particular, I haven't upgraded to the latest version because the features (HDR, Panorama stitching, auto-keystone) don't interest me and better implementations are available for free.

I'm still hopeful that I'll find reasons to upgrade in the future, but I'm no longer actively recommending C1 like I did in the past, because of recent trends (slowness or even complete lack of responding to user requests, worsening of the UI, lack of addressing core issues, apparent new focus on a new type of user).

What have been the positives?

Although there are some somewhat worrying bugs (image counts can be wrong, including negative), overall, the software has been very stable and reasonably efficient for me.

Although there are a number of downsides compared to LR (which I've used for ~3 years before C1), overall, I'm happier with C1 than I've been with LR.

You might want to give the free "Darktable" a good look.

[Wheatfield]

I'm still using Apple Aperture for my DAM and editing of 6 image libraries of around 100,000 images that includes most genres of photography including my professional work (weddings, functions, families etc.).

I think I need to start looking to move to other software to keep up to date and before I have to upgrade my OS (I'm still using El Capitan on a 2015 27" iMac) and loose the ability to use Aperture.

I would like an editor that is a Digital Asset Manager, to keep it all in one place.

I'd like to hear from anyone who was using Aperture and moved on to something else.
What was / is good about the software you chose?
What were some of the issues?
What would you do differently?
What have been the positives?

Some notes:
I shoot exclusively with a K1 and K1 ii
I'm not particularly interested in Lightroom due to it being subscription only (I have owned Aperture since 2012 and it has served me well and if the internet crashed tomorrow, I can still use it)
I've been putting off culling my libraries and adding keywords for far too long, would this be good to do now, or after I have moved to other software?

Thanks in advance.

To be blunt, if you are not interested in Adobe because it is a subscription software, you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. The Lightroom/Photoshop package is something like US$10.00/month, is both feature rich (far more so than most people need), and is upgraded without having to buy new software.

When I was using the stand alone versions, I was paying far more over the long haul for editing software than I am now. I'm not overly worried about the internet crashing tomorrow regarding Lightroom/Photoshop, as if that happens I, and the rest of the planet, will have far more to worry about than what is happening to digital photography.

[DaveR]

Thanks for your thoughts and experiences guys. Especially you Class A, I appreciate the time and effort you've gone to in such a comprehensive reply, that's very helpful and what I was after.

Wheatfield, where I am the internet connection is very average and sometimes disrupted after storms etc.

I initially looked at Capture 1 some years ago after reading a blog etc. by Jay Goodrich and initial impressions then were good. When I can free up some time I'll make some more serious appraisals of Capture and the other suggestions hear.

Thanks again guys.