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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Mac News > Apple kills work on Aperture, shifts efforts to Yosemite's Photos app

Apple kills work on Aperture, shifts efforts to Yosemite's Photos app
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Jun 27, 2014, 01:39 PM
 
Development of Aperture has halted, and is instead shifting to the editing tools in OS X Yosemite's Photos app, Apple has announced. Photos -- which will actually miss the launch of Yosemite, and ship in early 2015 -- will include an option to import Aperture libraries. Compatibility updates should let Aperture run in Yosemite, but no further support is planned. Apple and Adobe are cooperating to help some users migrate to Lightroom.

Aperture is Apple's current entry into professional photo workflow software, but it has struggled to compete with Lightroom. The last major upgrade of Aperture in fact came in 2010, whereas Adobe has been updating Lightroom almost continually.

Even iPhoto, aimed at casual users, has been relatively neglected, and will be likewise replaced by Photos. Its last significant update was released in 2011. The software gained 64-bit support, and sorting by location or facial recognition.

OS X Yosemite's Photos app
OS X Yosemite's Photos app

     
Charles Martin
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Jun 27, 2014, 02:39 PM
 
Well that's a damn shame. Nothing against Lightroom, it's a fine product, but I preferred the Apple aesthetic of Aperture. Now I'm interested to see what Photos is going to be like -- if it ends up (on the Mac) as a sort of cross between iPhoto and Aperture, I could see that working for me very well. I own Lightroom and will keep using it for my RAW and serious photography, but wanted something a bit lighter for managing the personal/casual photos.
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nemesys
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Jun 27, 2014, 03:07 PM
 
Dang! Apple did it again! I had no interest of getting Lightroom but I now guess I won't have any choice. Unless "Photos" tilts more toward Aperture than iPhoto. I still need RAW processing. What a shame. Apple is again abandoning its pro users...
     
rexray
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Jun 27, 2014, 03:22 PM
 
This is very disappointing. I've been using Aperture for years, and held out hope that Apple would expand its functionality so that I could eventually replace Photoshop as my sole, non-subscription photo production application. Now I'm not sure what I'll use. I really don't want to pay Adobe a monthly fee, in perpetuity, for software that I am less than thrilled with.
Earth is Heaven in Drag.
     
jwdsail
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Jun 27, 2014, 03:46 PM
 
apple.com/feedback
     
jdonahoe
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Jun 27, 2014, 03:53 PM
 
This sucks. Now that Adobe has gone completely subscription based, Lightroom is now an expensive alternative. If you could just buy it once and use it in perpetuity, the cost would be much lower in the long run.

I guess it's time to buy Adobe stock....
     
reciprocity
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Jun 27, 2014, 03:55 PM
 
Oh come on, Apple. This is a stupid decision. Do you not value your professional customers anymore? As a heavy user of Aperture since day one, this isn't surprising to me, but is very, very disappointing. I've patiently waited for upgrades to software I thought was better than Lightroom (particularly from a UI standpoint). That Apple is working with Adobe to make the transition to Lightroom more straightforward is nice, but I sure hope they encourage Adobe to support features like Faces and continue support for Aperture longer than one OS version! This announcement really makes me wonder how long Final Cut and Motion have to live. If I already have a Creative Cloud subscription for Photoshop, InDesign (and now Lightroom), why not switch video editing platforms while I'm at it?
     
bobolicious
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Jun 27, 2014, 06:16 PM
 
...just one more reason to stick with snow...

...but seriously is this why the majority 75% (50% w7/25% STILL xp) chooses to stick with stable - was just a few months ago sold on aperture via Apple's own store - guess they wanted to clear old stock (?) - thank GOODness I have not had time to reinvent my workflow, nor could I buy/install it off the app store, trolling for a retro cd for snow - at least I am only out that cost...

Betting on apple workflow seems inherently risky when there (ie) is no announcement of what features might replace aperture - I love the software (and still happily use iweb) but this seems just another nail in the commitment coffin from my perspective - an ADD one night stand - I ask if Apple could marry the other 75% of the software world (1,500% ? growth), if they only thought more of breakup/downstream pain - let the futurist flames begin...
( Last edited by bobolicious; Jun 27, 2014 at 06:42 PM. )
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jun 27, 2014, 06:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by bobolicious View Post
...just one more reason to stick with snow...
"Apple discontinues Aperture!? That's it — I'm sticking with corded phones!"

What does one have to do with the other?
     
bobolicious
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Jun 27, 2014, 06:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
"Apple discontinues Aperture!? That's it — I'm sticking with corded phones!"

What does one have to do with the other?
snow runs aperture, iweb and a few other brilliantly designed softwares like qtvr and the incredibly integrated if aesthetically dated appleworks - I'm guessing there may be some musicware that qualifies too...? corded phones may be out of reach of the nsa - I hear the kremlin is reverting to typewriters...

BBC News - Kremlin security agency to buy typewriters 'to avoid leaks'

...but will the new iPhoto integrate with iWatch to offer up a few photo-biometrics for UNSA contemplation...?
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jun 27, 2014, 06:57 PM
 
iWeb runs just fine in Mavericks. So does Aperture.

AppleWorks… uh-huh.

I had a synth editor (SoundDiver) that only ran in Rosetta, but ironically, that has been superseded by…the iPad. Which was cheaper, including the editors, than the software used to be.
     
Charles Martin
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Jun 27, 2014, 07:13 PM
 
jdonahoe: while I am not a fan of subscription software generally either, at its current price ($10/month, Photoshop included free), it is in fact about the same price as the old model of buying it once and paying for every significant update. For people who use both PS and LR, the subscription model is -- at least for the time being -- way cheaper than staying current used to be. PS was $800, LR was $200. At my present subscription rate, it would take 8.5 years just to "pay off" the initial investment, never mind the annual upgrades ...

PS. Lightroom is still available as a standalone purchase, according to Adobe.https://www.adobe.com/cart.html?marketSegment=COM&#addedSkus=65215101
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Stuke
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Jun 27, 2014, 07:20 PM
 
THIS SUCKS! (sorry, but I'm very displeased.)
--
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Jun 27, 2014, 08:13 PM
 
All indications are that the new Photos app will by some sort of semi-pro hybrid of iPhoto and Aperture functionality. It could work out ok in the end. The proof of the pudding will be in the tasting.
     
revco
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Jun 27, 2014, 09:20 PM
 
"Even iPhoto, aimed at casual users, has been relatively neglected, and will be likewise replaced by Photos"

...which will inevitably be neglected in 2-3 years. My advise would be to go with a company whose livelihood depends on keeping these type of apps alive and updated.
     
coffeetime
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Jun 27, 2014, 11:01 PM
 
This is the reason I stop using Final Cut Pro and Motion completely and committed to Adobe products which are their core business. Apple's core business are iDevices, Mac, and OS... period. Adobe can't fail Photoshop, Premiere and many other software or else Adobe is done. Apple had been playing this kind of game for a while and to the point you just can't trust Apple in handling Pro Applications anymore. Apple is constantly switching gears and very unpredictable. It wasted my time (and money) in retraining myself over and over again. Not Adobe. Photoshop will always be Photoshop.
     
Charles Martin
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Jun 27, 2014, 11:22 PM
 
coffeetime: speaking as someone who started with word processors on a TRS-80, and made a living using Pagemaker and Quark -- if you think sticking with Adobe means you will never have to learn something new, you must be a very young person indeed. "Photoshop will always be Photoshop"? Have you ever fired up version 1.0?? lol
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coffeetime
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Jun 28, 2014, 12:20 AM
 
chas_m. I may not started as early as you did but I started using Photoshop at version 2.5 before layers are invented. I also used PageMaker and Quark 3.1 before. Majority of the features from Photoshop 2.5 are at least still here today on version CC 2014 and there are no UI revamp like Final Cut Pro did. If you know Photoshop then you should have no issue picking up the new Photoshop now. The rest of the new features are just add-ons. The same goes with After Effects, Premiere and Illustrator. These are the bread winner software and their core user interfaces don't change as time gone by. I agree with you on PageMaker but that's a minor since back then everyone used Quark. Now InDesign is taking a lead and I doubt Adobe will ever want revamp inDesign's interface just because whatever self-awakening pills Apple is taking. Final Cut Pro 7 had huge followers (including myself) and Apple suddenly decided to file for a divorce and marry to the new Final Cut Pro X (a name in disguise). What was that about? Adobe dares not going that routes on their core software especially Photoshop. Just by observing Apple's past software history, non of them last more than a few to several years. QTVR, Shake, iWeb....etc these are really great software unfortunately they don't exist anymore. The only software originated from Apple that last until these days is FileMaker Pro and this is all because it's a spin-off company.
     
Charles Martin
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Jun 28, 2014, 01:33 AM
 
coffeetime: I'm not disagreeing with you per se, but I have to point out four things:

1) however gradually, Photoshop has changed A LOT and there's been a lot of "new" stuff to learn, including the incorporated web technologies and 3D and video tech that's been bolted onto it, to say nothing of the (admittedly mostly gradual) UI changes. I remember the hullabaloo when PS 7 forced Mac users to change their workflow to match the PC version ... that didn't go over very well ...

2. The industry has, after a short awkward period, embraced FCPX pretty well. Most of its competitors have altered their look and feel to work more like it.

3. As for "great software that has lasted" from the days iWeb ... I think you're forgetting iTunes, among other things. OS X itself is now 14 years old and shows no signs of being abandoned, but as we're talking about that ...

4. This is what Apple does: it tears stuff and starts over, it orphans good ideas, it stops making things before the last user is ready to give it up. I would argue that iWork is ultimately better than AppleWorks, Intel is better than PowerPC, iMovie is better now than iMovie 6 HD was, 64-bit is better than 32-bit, and so forth. This is a company that doesn't stay still, and sometimes that's frustrating (I'd love to see the enhanced podcast features restored to Garageband, for example), and I miss iDVD (well actually it still works in Mavericks, but you know what I mean) ... but this is nothing new. In nearly every case, the argument can be made that ultimately we got better, more modern and more capable stuff out of the deal, but sometimes Apple decides its done all it can or it thinks third parties are going to do a better job (as it appears to have done in this case).

I'm not saying people shouldn't be upset if they used and liked Aperture -- I never got around to trying it out! -- I'm just saying that we shouldn't be all that surprised when it does happen. In the same sense that Windows users shouldn't act surprised that the new version of Windows doesn't fix all the stuff that's wrong with Windows.
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jdonahoe
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Jun 28, 2014, 03:45 AM
 
@chas_M
You are right, the subscription path can can be cheaper if you are constantly paying for upgrades as they come. I tend to stick with what works unless I find that a new feature is worth the upgrade. Even that can be expensive if you skip a couple upgrades and then they go from 5.0 to 6.0 and you have to pay the full price again.

I'm in academics and we get lower prices to begin with and our computer labs will keep a version a long time (money is always tight). Our university has gone to site licensing Adobe Cloud and that has really lowered the cost for faculty and staff, plus for a ridiculous cost (~$8/year), any faculty or staff member can have the suite on a home computer.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jun 28, 2014, 04:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by revco View Post
"Even iPhoto, aimed at casual users, has been relatively neglected, and will be likewise replaced by Photos"

...which will inevitably be neglected in 2-3 years. My advise would be to go with a company whose livelihood depends on keeping these type of apps alive and updated.
Well, iPhoto had a run of over a decade...
     
panjandrum
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Jun 28, 2014, 12:17 PM
 
It's kind of sad that at the same time Apple is doing well on the financial and sales fronts, they are simultaneously becoming their own worst enemy. This is another example of how much Apple actually cares about their customers (no more than any other big company). I never liked Aperture, and have no investment in it, but I have professional photographer's as clients, and most of them rely on Aperture for their daily work. Unless Apple rolls every single Aperture function into "Photos" I expect they will have a LOT of unhappy clients. The iPhoto thing, however, will directly my educational clients. Apple seems to have begun assuming that the Education sector has limitless funds. Because this is not true, schools are now stuck with computers unable to run the current version of the Mac OS (and thus current versions of iPhoto, iWork, etc. etc.) and computers unable to run older versions of the Mac OS, on the same network, with the same networked open directory (networked home-folders) environment. Guess what happens when a user logs into a system using Mavericks and launches iPhoto... It updates their iPhoto library. Now what happens when they go back to a system stuck on Lion or ML? Yep, now they can't access their Photos. What happens when Apple doesn't drops iPhoto altogether? I suppose Apple thinks the end result with be that these schools will walk out to their money-trees and update all their systems, but the reality-distortion field doesn't actually stretch that far... Instead, these institutions are simply moving away from Apple software altogether in order to maintain compatibility across all the systems. That's already been happening. Now what I'm hearing is "we think we want to just go with chrome books", and "let's just get some budget laptops". Why? Because Apple has literally driven them away from their products in droves, and now they are using Gimp and Libre Office and online resources such as the (icky, IHMO) Google Docs. They can't get compatibility on their networks anymore by sticking to Apple hardware and software. Since Apple can't (well, WON'T) provide the historic "Apple experience" any more, they have zero interest in sticking with Apple products... And what products might these students and teachers and staff members be more likely to purchase for themselves, once the schools move away from Apple? Yeah, exactly. Apple needs to start supporting their long-time clients and users, and they need to do it NOW, before it is too late...
     
   
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