Wednesday, 22 April 2015

software - Apple Aperture or Adobe Lightroom: which is better for post processing RAW photos?


This is probably an old chestnut, but I'm trying to decide between purchasing Adobe Lightroom or Aperture for Mac, and would appreciate any pointers that would help me decide.


I think I've outgrown iPhoto, and would like to spend a little more time post processing my RAW files to get the best out of them. I guess in the future, I'd like to try some HDR stuff too (if that has any relevance).



Answer



Personally I much prefer Lightroom, though I suspect you'll find this argument goes on as long as the Mac vs PC or Canon vs Nikon debates.


Lightroom is more expensive but has far more features, and (surprisingly) seems easier to use, but that may just be because I'm more used to it. The main advantage of Aperture is that it integrates with your other iLife apps, and has (I believe) built-in print ordering options, much like iPhoto does.


Aperture doesn't have as many image adjustment tools as Lightroom, like split-toning (where you colour the highlights and shadows different tints), and graduated filter, and the noise reduction in the latest version of Lightroom is mind-blowingly good. Neither of them supports HDR images as far as I know, but Lightroom integrates more tightly with Photoshop (as you'd expect) which is where you may be doing most of your HDR work.


You can download trial versions of both so it's worth giving them a try and seeing what you prefer working with.


(One other consideration - Aperture requires an Intel processor, not sure what you have but if it's G5 or earlier then you can't use Aperture)


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