[mattmiles]

Can anyone please help me? I would like to know the difference between Aperture and Photoshop.

Can you add layers and masks with Aperture/Adobe Lightroom/Adobe Elements. I am in the market for some new post processing software to go with my brand new Mac.

Can anyone suggest anything? I am currently using GIMP as it is free but is also limited. I would like to try and keep the cost down but would also like the option of adding layers and being able to create masks.

[boriscleto]

The main difference is Aperture is a workflow manager while Photoshop is an editor.

Aperture competes with Lightroom, not Photoshop.

[tybeck]

Aperture and Lightroom do not have layer masking. In general Aperture and Lightroom are excellent for maintaining and sorting your library and making changes to the whole image (white balance, exposure, color curves, etc). So, they are like catalogs that can do some editing. That said, the newest versions of both do have some area or brush-oriented tools, but if you want layers and masks your going to need some version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. There are also programs like LightZone and the the newest Bibble 5 (currently in active beta development) that take some new approaches to editing mechanisms. All of these programs have different design philosophies that appeal to varying user preferences. The same can be said for the pictures they output.

All of these programs have fully functioning demo versions that you can legally download from the publishers for free (usually you just have to register with them, but you can opt out of any junk email you don't want) and try out for 2-4 weeks on your computer at your pace. All of these programs are so feature rich that the only way to really decide which one you want to spend money on in is to try it out with some of your own images and edit them to your satisfaction. See what the programs can do for you and your photography and then make a decision.

[DavoMrMac]

Which of these applications support the RAW files produced by the Pentax Kx?

And do they support the 'original' or 'DNG' RAW file that the Kx produces?

[Ailish]

Aperture 2, Lightroom 3 beta, and ACR 4.x (the one that works with Photoshop CS3) all work fine with K-x raw files written in DNG format. PEF format raw files from the K-x aren't currently supported by Aperture 2, nor ACR 4.x. I believe ACR 5.x supports K-x PEF raw files, but that version requires CS4.

[normhead]

I use both Photoshop and Aperture. If you're a mac guy, that's just what you do. Aperture's basic functions are similar to and equal to photoshops. Some functions are easier that theri counterparts in Photoshop and just as effective. If you hit the three auto functions, auto exposure auto color and auto levels you achieve the same thing as dong a Apple Shift L in photoshop. The level controls etc. are easier to use, it will handle any image that doesn't need much tweeking. 90% of what I do I do in Aperture. Photoshop gives you the ability to mask off the sky and darken it to bring back those clouds you saw before you lightened it to bring up the shadows. Or to select part of the picture and apply adjustments just to that part, or to combine more than one photo into one picture. Those are all things you can't do in Aperture. And if you're going to print an image. I print from photoshop. Just personal experience, but Photoshop does a better job. Every print I've done has required some additional work in Photoshop after I'd done as much as i could in Aperture. Aperture is great for web photos and as my catalogue, but I have a separate file on my HD for printed images that I may need to reproduce. The PEF files from my K-20D are supported seemlessly in Aperture, but you need to keep your software up to date by setting your Software Update to once a week. Updates to Aperture and iPhoto raw import information are free downloads from Apple and are automatically downloaded by software update when available, so the statement that PEF files from K-x surprises me. You might want to look a little deeper in to that.

[patrickw]

You can download demos of both Aperture and Lightroom (and Photoshop as well, I believe). As I recall, both the Aperture and Lightroom 2 demos are good for 15 days. I would advise you to try them both out and go from there. When I did, I had a strong preference for Lightroom... it was faster to use (both ergonomically and in terms of computer performance) and just clicked with me. Unless you try them both out yourself, though, there's no way to know which one would click for you.

[indytax]

A few obervations that might help. First, neither Adobe nor Apple currently support K-x or K-7 PEF files (they both will eventually, but since PEF is a Pentax proprietary format it takes time for the programmers to make each new camera's files work right with the software), but I think the DNG files are fully supported by both companies' programs.

Second, as mentioned above, Lightroom and Aperture are competitors and neither replaces a dedicated editing program like Photoshop, PS Elements, or GIMP. Both programs do have excellent editing capabilities, but they are limited. They are primarily image management programs. Think iPhoto or Picasa on steroids. Both Apple and Adobe are expected to release version 3 of their programs later this year (within a couple of months). They are best if you shoot a lot and need to handle batch edits and efficient workflow for a large number of images. That said, they have benefits for all photographers, too. Another option is Bibble 5 and PhotoMechanic (although PM doesn't edit at all IIRC).

Third, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (along with GIMP, Pixelmator, and others) are primarily editing programs. Elements for Mac comes with Adobe Bridge, which is a file browser/manager for images that also comes in Photoshop. Photoshop is very similar to GIMP is the user-friendliness department, but Elements is more user friendly while retaining most of the power of the full PS program. I own Elements 6 and the only drawback for me has been that it doesn't work in 16-bit images (8-bits only), which is only really important if you convert to B&W where 8-bit images have only 256 shades of gray (no other editor works in 16-bit other than Photoshop). There are other limitations, but even many pros find Elements good for nearly all of their uses. The current version on PSE 8 runs under $100, while Photoshop is $699.

Fourth, if you are an "average" shooter and want to take time figuring out what system to invest it, I suggest picking up Elements and learn to use it. Manage your images in iPhoto until you have a feel about what you want your workflow to feel like. Then invest in Lightroom or Aperture. Many people use Lightroom or Aperture and do layers edits in Elements, so don't sweat it. At the very least wait until later in the year when both Adobe and Apple are expected to release version 3 of their respective programs. No reason to waste money on LR 2.5 or Aperture 2 now.

That's my 2 cents, for what its worth.

[Eigengrau]

Depends on what you want to do, really.

If you want to take a bunch of pictures, and do some small adjustments to bring the best out of them, then Aperture is the way to go.

If you want to take fewer pictures and maybe tweak the heck out of them, take people out, put people in, get really "artsy" with your processing, or whatever, then you'll need photoshop.

Personally, I don't much care for excessively processed photos, so I only use Aperture and I've been nothing but pleased with it.

[Fries]

It's worth mentioning that there are plug ins available for Aperture that give the program some extra editing power. Applying changes within Aperture means that the original photo (master file) isn't touched (non destructive) but once you go through a plug in a extra copy of that master file in Tiff-format is created.

Equipped with some additional plug ins you might not even feel the need for in external editor like Photoshop. I don't, but I never worked with Photoshop so I might not know what I'm missing.

[noahpurdy]

For what it's worth, with the new brushes in Aperture 3, I haven't touched Photoshop yet.