Apple's top two photo apps, Aperture and iPhoto, have recently been updated to work together. Both apps make it easy to organize and edit your photos; until the recent update, most budding photographers chose the app that worked best for them. If you are serious about photography, you'll want to invest $79.99 in the Aperture app. Still, there are benefits to also buying the iPhoto app for $14.99.
Why would you want both Aperture and iPhoto
Both iPhoto and Aperture can import, adjust and enhance photos, and organize them into projects and libraries. Still, there are times that one app fills your needs better than the other. The simplicity of iPhoto and its elegantly clean user interface (app window) make it easy to quickly organize your photos. Creating projects, ordering prints or sharing photos can be done with a few guided clicks. Aperture's robust fine-tuning adjustments allow editing to fit your vision of the final photo. Aperture also features customizable imports to help organize large libraries, and exports can be adjusted to suit the final use of a photo from websites to flyers.
Adding iPhoto to Aperture
If you have Aperture, add iPhoto to quickly share photos, create instant books, calendars and cool emails without a lot of dialog or customization.
When to use iPhoto:
- to create simple projects automatically—from slideshows to books, to calendars—or to quickly share photos online,
- to create emails with themes like collages or postcards instead of the dull email with attachments,
- to make basic adjustments or add effects to a photo,
- to scroll through photos and quickly zoom in and out using iPhoto's uncluttered menus (user interface).
Adding Aperture to iPhoto
It is a bigger investment to add Aperture when you have iPhoto than vice versa. Still, if you want to have more control of the look of your photos, or if your photos libraries are getting too big, consider the powerful Aperture app. Aperture is a more advanced app; if you are easily intimidated, it can be confusing. Aperture protects your originals by allowing you to create a "new version from original." Adjustments to photo versions don't affect the original, so you have the freedom to play around with effects and adjustments without worrying that you have ruined a photo.
When to use Aperture:
- to customize the name of photos as you import them
- to add keywords and other info to photos as you import them
- to organize photos—merge or create new projects, export projects as a new library,
- to fine-tune adjustments to further improve and enhance a photo,
- to fine-tune or make adjustments to RAW formatted photos,
- to import photos that have been shot with both RAW and JPEG versions (cannot be done in iPhoto),
- to create another version of an original photo (i.e., create a black-and-white version or try out new adjustments),
- to customize the photos size and file format when you export the photos for a specific use —websites, flyers, posters,
- to create a custom slideshow that changes music, adjusts volumes and effects (once edited in Aperture, future adjustments must be made in Aperture).
The recent upgrade makes it possible for Aperture to open an iPhoto library and for iPhoto to open an Aperture library. Previously, having both apps meant a duplication of photo files. Find out more benefits of the recent upgrade to further help you decide if you want both apps.
