Apple has today released an update to Aperture.
Aperture 1.1 addresses several issues and has also had a price change, Aperture is now priced at $299 (£349) as opposed to the previous $499. Users who bought Aperture for $499 can receive a coupon for $200.
Apple has released the following notes regarding the update;
- New RAW adjustment controls in the Adjustments Inspector and Adjustments HUD: Improve the quality of RAW decodes via custom tuning of parameters.
- New Color Meter tool: Quickly and easily sample any area of an image for RGB, CMYK, or Lab color values.
- New image resolution controls: Specify a resolution in dots per inch (dpi) when exporting images or sending images to an external editor, such as Adobe Photoshop.
- Universal support (Aperture 1.1 runs natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macintosh computers).
- RAW image decoding
- Image export
- Metadata handling
- Onscreen proofing
- Histogram
- Cropping
- Query HUD
- Book Layout Editor
- Importing from iPhoto Library
- Light Table
- Slideshows
- Printing
- Web galleries and journals
- AppleScript support
The update also addresses issues related to overall reliability and performance in all areas of the application, including:
In an official press release Apple quoted the following;
“Since Aperture launched just over four months ago, we’ve been incredibly focused on improving image quality and performance, working closely with pro photographers to get it right in 1.1,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “With the RAW quality and overall speed of Aperture 1.1 and its new low price, there’s never been a better time for pros and hobbyists alike to take the art and craft of photography to the next level.”
“I love the fact that you can save RAW adjustments in Aperture 1.1 and use those settings on future jobs,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent Laforet who recently used Aperture to capture Olympic images from Torino for The New York Times. “In the past, sending a selection of photos to clients for approval could take hours to import, edit down, resize, tone and deliver. With Aperture, I can do all of this in five minutes. Aperture has become the core application for me.”
“The controls for working with black and white film in Aperture 1.1 are staggering—much more powerful than a wet darkroom,” said John Stanmeyer, co-founding member of the VII Photo Agency and a contract photographer with Time Magazine. “There are times when I’m working with Aperture that I’m about to burst through my skin with excitement at its potential. There’s no doubt Aperture will become the key tool for photographers.”