Should I switch to Lightroom from Aperture?

12. Jan, 2010 Comments

I’ll start right off and say that when I first decided to use Aperture rather than Lightroom (version 2 of both had been recently launched), Aperture’s workflow, organisation and modeless way of working won me over. Sure, Lightroom allowed for more manipulation of images, but I didn’t do a lot of that beyond traditional darkroom-style tweaking of exposure/contrast, but the workflow was very clunky, to the extent that it hindered my productivity.

Fast-forward to the present day, and although I have been using Snow Leopard for months, Apple still haven’t fixed the strange performance issues that Aperture has on this version of OS X. Everything can be fine, then all of a sudden it’s like wading through mud. I am not the only one who is experiencing this – Apple’s own support forums are full of people in a similar situation, but, as is Apple’s way, there is never any official comment. Apple could be nearly finished on Aperture 3, with astounding features and performance. Or they could have abandoned it, due to the pressures of developing this year’s iPhone/Tablet/OS X. The point is, all we are left with is rumour and gossip.

Adobe, on the other hand, are masters (compared with Apple) at generating buzz around the next version of Lightroom, with public betas and lots of interaction with the community.

While I am typing away, I am importing my 11,000 images into Lightroom 3 Beta. I shall “have a play” with Lightroom, and see how it copes performance-wise in comparison to Aperture. One thing I need to suss out pretty quickly is how to organise my photos in Lightroom, and how to tag them as efficiently as possible. If anyone has any tips on that, please let me know.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Twitter Digg Delicious Stumbleupon Technorati Facebook
Software
, ,
  • Thanks Thomas,

    It really is a big time investment to make, but I feel it's something I need to do. It's difficult to compare ease-of-use between something I know well, and something I am unfamiliar with, so I will reserve final judgement until I have put in the time to really understand the way Lightroom works.

    The amount of 3rd party support Lightroom has, both with plugins and tutorials should make it easier.

    I must say, Adobe get 10/10 for their engagement with their users.
  • Yeah, I know, 11,000 images are a massive task? Perhaps some of your tagging can be maintained and imported into Lightroom? Could be worth looking into, although that's when it gets a little technical for me.

    I do think you will find Lightroom very easy to use once you have used it for a week or two if even that. It really is quite intuitive and, I think, great for organising your images with the added benefit of some pretty powerful development tools that allows you to shortcut Photoshop if you're just looking to get some images ready for the web.

    Of course, for some, the possibility to export and create a pretty cool web gallery is also a big bonus and time saver. I have also done some prints out of Lightroom which were great and it has some powerful ways of organising print areas etc. I wish I had enough time and money to just play with this more often.

    Anyway, good luck if you decide to migrate to LR :-)

    P.S. Great article as others might be in the very same boat as you on this!
  • P.S. You're even advertising Lightroom on your site! :-)
  • Hi Mike,

    That doesn't sound great with the intermittent hick-ups with Aperture. I haven't got much experience with Aperture but I'm surprised to note that you found Lightroom's workflow 'clunky' considering this is (also) a program that has been built from the ground up for photographers.

    I think Adobe is one of few companies that go to THAT extent to reach out to their customers (photographers) and get feedback from all walks of photography and then consolidate that feedback into the development of the program. I think the development of Lightroom has been quite the role model for how good software gets developed with success. Of course it goes without saying that Lightroom clearly have had some very talented software engineers on board as well (some of whom have been photographers themselves).

    Traditionally speaking I should think Apple are the masters of creating buzz (certainly around their hardware products) but I agree the beta testing helped create buzz with regards to Lightroom.

    To me, it has indeed resulted in a very intuitive program with what I consider a very logic and smooth workflow. I think it's an outstanding piece of software which is well worth its money.

    If you are looking for details on tagging/organising your images in Lightroom I can recommend Luminous Landscape's tutorials on Lightroom if you like to learn through video. I haven't seen the more recent one with Seth Resnick, but Reichmann advertises that as really going 'under the hood' of Lightroom.
  • Thanks for your advice, Patty.

    The prospect of re-tagging/organising my photos after having put so much time into Aperture is a daunting one, but something I have to consider. I'll have a look at your blog and see what other useful tips I can pick up.
  • One way to tag your photos easily in Lightroom is while in the Library Module. If you look down just above the photo bin that runs across the bottom, you will find a paint can icon. Click on it and a box will appear for you to enter a keyword you would like to associate and then spray the can on each image. Thank you. You've just inspired me for a new tutorial on my blog. And if you have any more Lightroom questions, let me know. I recently finished a 10 week course on Lightroom.
blog comments powered by Disqus