Hand on: Two packages to manage image libraries

Workflow
Aperture 1.0 provided only one way to store images - in its Library package file, which was a turn-off for many who felt more comfortable having their images accessible from the Finder.

Now with the option of working with ‘managed’ or ‘referenced’ files, you can do it either way. Aperture’s database can import your photos into its library or reference them from their existing location. Lightroom works the second way.

Both applications work with virtual images (called versions in Aperture and virtual copies in Lightroom), applying an XML edit list to a master image to create a new version on the fly.

Because the XML file is a fraction of the size that a copy of the original image would be, you can create multiple versions with different adjustments and editing applied, without filling up your hard disk. The only time a ‘real’ image file is created is when you export the file.

Raw conversion
Most Aperture and Lightroom users work primarily with Raw images. Raw conversion is at the heart of both these applications and how they interpret Raw image data to produce RGB images is largely what determines the quality.

Aperture 1.0 came in for a lot of stick over the quality of its Raw converter, but addressed most of the criticisms with the 1.1 update. The 2.0 converter in the latest release produces excellent results. Lightroom 1.4 uses Adobe’s Camera Raw 4.4 converter.

I’ve used ACR since it was introduced in 2002 and, until Aperture appeared on the scene, there wasn’t anything to match it for its ease of use and quality of results.

Both converters support Raw formats from most professional and consumer digital SLR cameras. Click here for a list of supported cameras in Lightroom, or here for a list of supported cameras in Aperture.