Apple Aperture 3.x User Guide 3.5 3 Manual

2013-10-23

User Manual: Apple Aperture 3.x Aperture 3.5 - User Guide

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Aperture 3.5
User Guide
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KApple Inc.
© 2013 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying
software license agreement. The owner or authorized user of a
valid copy of Aperture software may reproduce this publication
for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part
of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for
commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication
or for providing paid for support services.
The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in
the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple
logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the
prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark
infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and
state laws.
Every eort has been made to ensure that the information in
this manual is accurate. Apple is not responsible for printing
and clerical errors.
Apple
1 Innite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-1010
www.apple.com
Apple, the Apple logo, Aperture, AppleScript, Apple TV,
ColorSync, Finder, FireWire, GarageBand, iLife, iPad, iPhone,
iPhoto, iPod, iTunes, iWork, Keychain, Mac, Mac OS, OS X,
QuickTime, and Safari are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered
in the U.S. and other countries.
Multi-Touch is a trademark of Apple Inc.
iCloud is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and
other countries.
Adobe and Photoshop are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or
other countries.
IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S.
and other countries and is used under license.
UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.
The YouTube logo is a trademark of Google Inc.
Other company and product names mentioned herein
are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of
third-party products is for informational purposes only and
constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.
Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the
performance or use of these products.
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Contents
12 Chapter 1: Aperture basics
12 What is Aperture?
13 Aperture workow overview
15 Aperture interface overview
19 Basic components of Aperture
19 Basic components overview
20 What are originals?
20 What are versions?
21 What are projects?
21 What are albums?
23 What are folders?
23 What is the library?
24 What are managed images and referenced images?
25 What is the Aperture Trash?
25 What is a vault?
26 Open Aperture for the rst time
27 Chapter 2: Import photos
27 Importing photos overview
29 File formats you can import into the library
29 Plan your import strategy
30 Import from a camera, card reader, or device
36 Add import options
36 Import options overview
36 View le information
37 Automatically name imported photos
40 Adjust time zone data at import
40 Add metadata at import
41 Apply eects at import
41 Filter les by type at import
42 Import RAW + JPEG image pairs
43 Use AppleScript actions at import
44 Automatically back up les at import
44 Reset import options
45 Import folders of les from the Finder
46 Import originals for referenced images into folders
47 Capture photos as you work
48 Add audio attachments to image les
49 Where Aperture stores your managed les in the library
49 Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture
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51 Chapter 3: Work with projects and the library
51 Organize items in the Library inspector
51 Library inspector overview
53 Create and name items
54 Open and close items in the Library inspector
55 Arrange items in the Library inspector
56 Create and show favorite items
56 Work with the Aperture Trash
58 Work with library les
58 Create new libraries
58 View other libraries
59 Merge libraries
61 Open your library in iPhoto
61 Work with projects
61 View projects
64 Create and delete projects
64 Organize and sort projects in Projects view
66 Import photos into projects
66 Merge projects
67 Duplicate a project structure
67 Work with referenced images
72 Back up the library
72 Plan your backup system
73 Create and update vaults
75 Disconnect and reconnect vaults
76 Restore your Aperture library
76 Repair and rebuild your Aperture library
78 Chapter 4: Organize and sort photos
78 Browser overview
80 Navigate through and select photos
80 Navigate through photos in the Browser
81 Select photos
82 Navigate through photos in Quick Preview mode
83 Change the Browser view
83 Work with photos in lmstrip view
84 Work with photos in grid view
85 Work with photos in list view
87 Work with two Browsers open
88 Set up and arrange photos
88 Rearrange and sort photos in the Browser
89 Rotate photos
89 Create versions of a photo
90 Delete photos from the Browser
91 Rename original image les
91 Drag photos into dierent projects and albums
92 Stack photos and make picks
92 Stacking photos overview
93 Create stacks
95 Open and close stacks
95 Set a pick photo for a stack
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96 Work with stacked photos
97 Compare photos in stacks
98 Work with stacks in list view
98 Rate photos
98 Rating photos overview
100 Rating workow
101 Rate and compare photos
104 Sort photos by rating
105 Add keywords to photos
105 Keywords overview
108 View a photo’s keywords
110 Apply keywords using the Keywords HUD
114 Apply keywords using keyword controls and keyword presets
118 Apply keywords using the Lift & Stamp HUD
121 Apply keywords using the Info inspector
122 Apply keywords to photos in the Light Table
122 Remove keywords from a photo
123 Export and import keyword lists
123 Organize photos by people using Faces
123 Faces overview
125 Add names to faces in your photos
127 View photos in Faces view
130 Search for photos by face
131 Organize photos by location using Places
131 Places overview
133 View photo locations
138 Change the map view
139 Add locations to photos
142 Change photo locations
143 Remove locations
143 Import and work with GPS Track le data
144 Assign location information to projects
146 Work with location information using the Info inspector
150 Search for and display photos
150 Searching overview
151 Perform quick searches using the Search Field pop-up menu
152 Search using a combination of criteria
154 Save your search results
155 Group photos with Smart Albums
155 Smart Albums overview
156 Collect photos in a new Smart Album
159 Search within a Smart Album
159 Revise the contents of a Smart Album
160 Transfer Smart Album photos to an album
160 Delete a Smart Album
160 Work with library albums
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162 Chapter 5: View and compare photos
162 View photos in the Viewer
162 Viewer overview
164 Change the number of photos in the Viewer
164 Compare photos
166 View photos at full resolution
167 View original photos
168 Work with audio and video in the Viewer
170 View photos on multiple displays
171 Show hot and cold areas in your photos
172 Set up the Viewer for onscreen proong
172 View photos in full-screen view
172 Full-screen view overview
174 Enter and exit full-screen view
175 Work in Viewer mode in full-screen view
177 Work in Browser mode in full-screen view
178 Work in Projects mode in full-screen view
179 Use HUDs in full-screen view
180 Change the display of metadata in full-screen view
181 View photos with the Loupe
181 Loupe overview
182 Magnify photos using the Loupe
184 Use the alternate Loupe
185 Arrange photos in the Light Table
185 Light Table overview
186 Create and delete Light Table albums
188 Place and view photos in the Light Table
190 Move, resize, and align photos in the Light Table
193 Chapter 6: Work with metadata
193 Working with metadata overview
196 View and change metadata in the Info inspector or Info HUD
196 Show the Info inspector and modify views
198 Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector HUD
201 Display metadata with your photos
201 Metadata overlays overview
202 Turn the display of metadata on or o
203 Specify the type of metadata to display in the Viewer and Browser
206 Work with the AutoFill Editor
206 Work with metadata views
206 Metadata views overview
208 Create, modify, and manage metadata views
210 Work with metadata presets
210 Create metadata presets
211 Share metadata presets
212 Batch change metadata
213 About IPTC metadata
214 Understanding badge overlays
214 Badge overlays overview
215 Display photos with badge overlays
216 Adjust the photo date and time
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217 Chapter 7: Make image adjustments
217 Adjustments in Aperture
219 About making adjustments onscreen
220 Use the adjustment controls
220 Use the Adjustments inspector and Inspector HUD
223 Use sliders
223 Work with adjustment tools in the tool strip
224 Use the brush controls
225 Ways to perform adjustments
225 Apply standard adjustments
228 Apply brushed adjustments
231 Apply Quick Brush adjustments
232 Work with brush strokes
235 Work with brushed adjustment overlays
237 Limit the tonal range of brushed adjustments
238 Remove adjustments
238 Perform adjustments in full-screen view
239 Adjust images from within Aperture editors
239 Use an external editor
240 Apply iPhoto eects to images
241 Apply specic standard adjustments
241 Enhance an image automatically
242 Retouch an image
245 Remove red-eye
250 Spot and patch an image
258 Straighten an image’s horizon
259 Crop an image
262 Flip the composition of an image
263 Remove chromatic aberration
264 Remove a vignette
265 Reduce digital noise
266 White balance an image
270 Correct exposure, highlight detail, shadow detail, and brightness
273 Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation
276 Remove unwanted tints from an image
282 Adjust the tonal curve of an image
292 Preserve highlight and shadow details in an image
295 Adjust the levels of an image
303 Selectively adjust the color values in an image
308 Manually convert an image to black and white
309 Convert a color image to black and white with a color tint
310 Apply a sepia tint
311 Sharpen an image
313 Apply a vignette to an image
315 Apply specic Quick Brush adjustments
315 Brush the Skin Smoothing adjustment on an image
316 Brush the Dodge adjustment on an image
317 Brush the Burn adjustment on an image
318 Brush the Polarize adjustment on an image
319 Brush the Intensify Contrast adjustment on an image
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320 Brush the Tint adjustment on an image
321 Brush the Contrast adjustment on an image
322 Brush the Saturation adjustment on an image
323 Brush the Denition adjustment on an image
324 Brush the Vibrancy adjustment on an image
325 Brush the Blur adjustment on an image
326 Brush the Sharpen adjustment on an image
327 Brush the Halo Reduction adjustment on an image
327 Brush the Noise Reduction adjustment on an image
328 Create and apply eects
334 Adjust how Aperture decodes RAW images
334 RAW Fine Tuning controls overview
335 Use the Boost controls
335 Use the Sharpening controls
336 Use the Moire controls
337 Use the De-noise control
338 Work with DNG les
338 Set the camera default
339 Sample color values and display camera information
342 Use modier keys to identify color clipping
344 Understanding how to read histograms
344 Histograms overview
345 About evaluating exposure
346 About evaluating tonality and contrast
348 Chapter 8: Print photos
348 Printing overview
350 Print individual photos
353 Print contact sheets
354 Print books
355 Print Light Table arrangements
356 Create and modify print presets
357 Proof images and manage color
358 Chapter 9: Export photos
358 Exporting photos overview
358 Export tips
359 Export by dragging
359 Export using the Export command
364 Choose export settings
364 Work with export presets
367 Set image resolution when exporting
369 Adjust images at export
370 Add a watermark at export
370 Apply IPTC metadata and keywords to your photos
371 Rename photos at export
374 Export photos into named or numbered folders
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376 Chapter 10: Create slideshows
376 Slideshows overview
376 Create slideshows quickly using presets
376 Slideshow presets overview
377 Play a slideshow using a preset
379 Create and modify slideshow presets
381 Create full-featured slideshows
381 Full-featured slideshow overview
383 Create a slideshow and choose a theme
385 Change slideshow settings
386 Set the slideshow aspect ratio and crop
387 Add a title or text to the slideshow
390 Set the length of time slides play
391 Apply transitions and eects to slides
393 Apply a Ken Burns eect to a slide
395 Adjust the volume of video slides
395 Add music and audio to slideshows
401 Loop the slideshow and the main audio track
402 View your slideshows in Aperture
402 Share your slideshow movies
404 Chapter 11: Create books
404 Creating books overview
405 Plan your book
406 Create a book album
407 View pages
409 Place photos in a book
411 Add and remove pages
411 Add individual pages to a book
413 Automatically create new pages
414 Add a photo index to a book
415 Remove pages from a book
415 Work with pages
417 Work with photos
417 Add photo boxes to a book page
418 Modify photo boxes
419 Copy, paste, cut, and remove photos in photo boxes
420 Stack photo boxes in a specic order
420 Change the look of photos with lters
421 Add map boxes to a book page
425 Work with text
425 Place text on the page
426 Add metadata boxes to a page
427 Hide or show photo plate numbers in books
427 Modify the appearance of text in books
428 Work with the Layout Options inspector
429 Work with master pages
429 Master pages overview
429 Create and modify master pages
430 Unify and split master pages
431 Update book pages with master page changes
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431 Create and share custom themes
432 Copy a book album
432 Order books from third-party print vendors using plug-ins
434 Chapter 12: Share photos online
434 Sharing photos overview
434 Use iCloud to keep photos up to date across your devices
434 My Photo Stream overview
436 Set up your iCloud account
437 Turn on My Photo Stream for an Aperture library
438 Automatically transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream
439 Manually transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream
439 About turning on My Photo Stream on more than one Mac
440 About uploading RAW les to My Photo Stream
441 Use iCloud to share photos with others
441 iCloud Photo Sharing overview
441 Turn on iCloud Photo Sharing in Aperture
442 Create shared photo streams
443 Add, remove, and edit items in a shared photo stream
444 Manage subscribers to your shared photo streams in Aperture
445 Subscribe to shared photo streams in Aperture
448 Email photos
449 Publish photos to Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug
449 Sharing photos with Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug overview
450 Set up a Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account in Aperture
456 Create and delete Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums
458 View Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums
460 Update your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums
461 Manage your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts
463 Create webpages
463 Creating webpages overview
463 Create web galleries and web journals
466 View and navigate through webpages
467 Choose and modify themes
468 Work with web gallery pages
468 Work with web journal pages
470 Export webpages as HTML les
471 Work with web export presets
473 Add watermarks to webpage photos
474 Chapter 13: Customize the Aperture workspace
474 Change the main window layout
476 Set Aperture preferences
476 Aperture preferences overview
477 Open Aperture preferences
478 General preferences
479 Appearance preferences
480 Import preferences
481 Export preferences
482 Labels preferences
482 Previews preferences
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483 iCloud preferences
483 Accounts preferences
484 Advanced preferences
485 Customize the toolbar
487 Use gestures with Aperture
488 Customize keyboard shortcuts
488 Customizing keyboard shortcuts overview
490 Search for commands and keyboard shortcuts
492 Modify keyboard shortcuts and command sets
494 Work with preview images
494 Preview images overview
495 How Aperture displays photos in the Viewer
495 Set preview preferences
495 Automatically manage previews
496 Manually manage previews
496 Reschedule JPEG preview maintenance
497 Render preview images
497 Suppress preview generation
498 Sample workows for using previews eectively
501 Glossary
Contents 11
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12
What is Aperture?
Aperture is a powerful, easy-to-use digital photo management system for organizing, adjusting,
archiving, and presenting high-quality photographic images.
In Aperture, you can:
•Work directly with your iPhoto library without having to import your iPhoto photos.
Important: To ensure library compatibility, make sure you upgrade both iPhoto and Aperture
to the latest versions.
•Import digital photos, audio les, and HD video les from cameras, card readers, and hard disk
drives in high-quality formats such as JPEG, TIFF, and RAW.
•Edit and adjust digital photos using intuitive image-processing tools for retouching, skin
smoothing, red-eye removal, color balance, exposure correction, and more.
•Work with your photos in RAW format, from capture through adjustment to nal output,
preserving the highest-quality images throughout your workow.
•Store photos, audio les, and video les wherever you want—in the Aperture library, on
multiple hard disks, or on other storage media.
•Work with multiple Aperture libraries, with the ability to switch from library to library without
closing Aperture.
•Catalog and manage thousands of photos and video les using exible organizational tools,
comprehensive metadata support, and powerful search tools that let you nd les instantly in
multiple locations, including hard disks, oine volumes, CDs, and DVDs.
•Export any part of your library, make changes to it on a second system running Aperture, and
then merge it back into the library of your primary Aperture system.
Aperture basics
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 13
•Process your photos nondestructively. Aperture protects your original image les and uses
built-in safeguards to help ensure that you don’t accidentally overwrite or modify originals.
•Automatically back up copies of your image les to designated storage areas, called vaults,
located on external hard disks.
•Print or publish your photos and albums in any of numerous formats and to multiple locations.
Working directly with RAW photos, you can create color-accurate prints, custom contact
sheets, and unique bound books.
•Share your photos electronically, publishing them to Facebook, Flickr, and SmugMug. If you
have an iCloud account, you can make your new photos available on all your Mac and iOS
devices using My Photo Stream, and you can share photos with friends using iCloud Photo
Sharing. You can also create slideshow presentations for clients and friends, attach photos to
email, and create webpages to display your photos.
Aperture workow overview
The basic process of managing photos in Aperture is described below. You don’t have to do
every step, and you might do other tasks that aren’t listed here.
Use your iPhoto library with Aperture
The rst time you open Aperture, the Welcome to Aperture screen invites you to open your
iPhoto library. You can also switch to your iPhoto library by choosing File > Switch to Library.
Important: To ensure library compatibility, make sure you upgrade both iPhoto and Aperture to
the latest versions.
For more information about switching libraries in Aperture, see View other libraries on page 58.
Import photos into Aperture
To use Aperture, you rst import your photos. You can import digital photos directly from your
camera or a card reader and from hard disks or other storage devices where you’ve archived
digital les.
Aperture automatically imports any audio attachments associated with your image les,
provided that the image les and their audio attachments have the same lename. In addition
to importing photos into Aperture, you can also import QuickTime-compatible audio and
video les.
Create projects
As you work with Aperture, you create projects to hold your photos. Projects are simliar to events
in iPhoto. A project can hold dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of photos. When you need
to further subdivide and organize photos in a project, you can create albums. As your portfolio
increases and you create more and more projects, you can organize your work into hierarchies of
folders, projects, and albums.
View and organize your photos
To work with your photos, you select a project in the Library inspector, and the project’s photos
appear in the Browser. You use the Browser to review, organize, and select photos. When you
select a thumbnail image in the Browser, the photo appears in the Viewer. If you want to work
with your photos in detail, you can view them in full-screen view.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 14
Aperture also provides several tools to help you organize a large portfolio of photos. You can
compare high-resolution photos side by side, group similar photos in stacks, rate photos, identify
people in your photos using Faces, and apply location information to your photos using Places.
You can also apply keywords and other metadata to your photos to make them easier to nd.
Adjust your images
You can enhance your photos using a set of powerful, nondestructive adjustments such as Crop,
Straighten, Exposure, White Balance, Levels, Curves, Highlights & Shadows, Vignette, and more. In
addition, you can use brushes to apply or remove adjustments selectively, aecting only certain
parts of an image.
To streamline your workow, you can save adjustment settings as presets (collections of saved
settings) and apply a combination of image adjustments to one or more photos in a single step.
Share your photos
When it’s time to show your work to others, Aperture provides many options for distributing and
sharing your photos:
•Send your photos to Flickr and Facebook.
•Present your photos in multimedia slideshows.
•Create premium-quality photo books.
•Print high-resolution photos.
•Export your photos in a variety of le formats.
•Email your photos directly from Aperture.
•Publish your photos in web galleries and web journals as HTML that you can upload to a
web server.
•Use My Photo Stream to make your photos available on all your devices—including iOS
devices, Mac computers, PCs, and Apple TV—and use iCloud Photo Sharing to share photos
with friends and family members who have iCloud accounts.
Back up your work
After you import photos from your camera and erase memory cards in preparation for the next
shoot, Aperture stores a single copy of each photo on your hard disk. It’s important to make
backup copies of these photos to safeguard your portfolio. You can set Aperture to back up your
managed images (images that are stored in the Aperture library) and all information associated
with them, such as keywords and image adjustment settings, on vaults located on hard disk
drives. You can also set Aperture to automatically back up your photos during import.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 15
Aperture interface overview
Here are the main areas of the Aperture window:
Toolbar: Perform common tasks
and select a workspace view.
Inspectors: Access the library,
view photo information, and
adjust photos.
Browser: View thumbnails
of photos in the item selected
in the Library inspector.
Viewer: View the photo
or photos selected in
the Browser.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 16
Organize photos using the Library inspector
All your imported photos are available in the Library inspector, one of three inspectors in the
Inspector pane on the left side of the Aperture main window. The Library inspector holds
containers—projects, folders, and albums—you can use to organize your photos.
Albums
Folders
Projects
The Library inspector also provides a number of ways to view items in the library. For example,
you can select Projects at the top of the Library inspector to view your photos organized by
project, or Places to view the locations of all the photos in the library. For more information, see
Library inspector overview on page 51.
When you select a folder, a project, or an album in the Library inspector, the images appear in
the Browser and Viewer to the right.
Display photos in the Browser and Viewer
You can arrange the Browser and Viewer to suit your work style, showing either one by itself
or both at once. To change the main window layout, click a layout button at the right side of
the toolbar.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 17
The Browser layout displays a grid of thumbnail images.
Browser layout: The Browser
fills the workspace and displays
a grid of thumbnail images.
Layout buttons: Click
a button to select a
main window layout.
When you double-click a thumbnail image in the Browser (or click the Viewer button in the
toolbar), Aperture switches to the Viewer layout, displaying the selected photo in a larger format.
You can use the Viewer to examine a photo at full size or compare multiple photos side by side.
Viewer layout: The Viewer
fills the workspace and
displays your photo selection.
Tool strip: Use these
tools to adjust and work
with your photos.
You can use the tools in the tool strip below the Viewer to adjust and manipulate your photos.
For more information, see Work with adjustment tools in the tool strip on page 223.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 18
To display the Viewer and Browser at the same time, click the Split View button at the right side
of the toolbar.
Split View layout: The Viewer
and Browser appear together.
For more information about changing the conguration of Aperture windows, see Change the
main window layout on page 474.
Display photos in full-screen view
You can also view your photos in full-screen view, dramatically projecting them onto a solid
background for detailed adjustments and comparisons. Full-screen view oers dierent display
layouts that let you view large-format versions of selected photos, view thumbnails, or view
photos by project. For more information, see Full-screen view overview on page 172 .
Display metadata associated with photos
To help identify your photos as you work with them, you can set Aperture to display the
metadata associated with photos in the Viewer. You can display keywords, ratings, EXIF
information, IPTC information, and more. You can specify whether the information appears
below the photos or over the lower portion of the photo.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 19
You can also specify up to two views of information to be displayed with photos in the Viewer—
basic or expanded. For example, one view might be congured to show ratings only, and another
view to show all the IPTC information associated with a photo. You can then switch between
views to change the information that appears with your photos.
The caption and keywords
are displayed here.
For more information about working with metadata views in the Viewer, see Metadata overlays
overview on page 201.
Basic components of Aperture
Basic components overview
Aperture uses the following basic components in your photo management system:
•Originals: The original image, video, and audio les imported from your digital camera,
memory card, computer, or external storage media.
•Versions: Files derived from the originals and used to display your photos with any changes
you’ve made, including image adjustments or changes to metadata.
•Projects: The basic containers used in Aperture to organize photos. Projects can hold versions,
folders, and albums.
•Albums: Containers that hold versions. You can create albums to organize photos within
projects or outside of them.
•Folders: Containers used to organize projects and albums.
•Library: The Aperture database that records and tracks your original image, video, and audio
les and all of their corresponding versions. You can also create multiple Aperture library les
in dierent locations. The library tracks all the information about the projects, folders, and
albums you create to organize your media.
•Managed and referenced images: Originals stored in the Aperture library are called managed
images because Aperture manages the location of the image les in its database. Managed
image les are physically located in the Aperture Library le. You can also import photos into
Aperture without storing the original image les in the library. Image les that are not stored
in the library are called referenced images. Aperture links to referenced image les in their
current locations on your hard disk, without placing them in the Aperture Library le.
•Aperture Trash: Container that holds items you delete in Aperture. You can retrieve items from
the Aperture Trash until it is emptied.
•Vaults: Containers that each hold a backup of the library and all its photos and information.
The next sections describe each of these elements and how you work with them in Aperture.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 20
What are originals?
Originals are the original digital RAW, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, DNG, PNG, audio, or video les that are
imported into Aperture from digital cameras, memory cards, computers, CDs, DVDs, or storage
devices such as external hard disk drives. Aperture never changes the original, so you always
have originals to work from.
Important: Originals—especially RAW les—tend to be quite large. Projects consisting of several
thousand originals require high-capacity hard disks.
For information about importing originals, see Importing photos overview on page 27.
What are versions?
After you import originals to your hard disk, you can review and make adjustments to your
images. For example, you can change the exposure, contrast, or saturation, or add information to
an image, such as the photographer’s name, the project, and the location. To work with photos,
Aperture creates a version of each original that includes your adjustments and embedded
information, leaving the original unchanged. A version is linked to the original on your hard
disk, but it is not the original itself. Versions store only the thumbnail image, adjustments, and
embedded information. A full image le is not created until you are ready to print or export,
saving valuable hard disk storage.
In many cases, your workow may call for dierent renderings of the same photo. For example,
a client may request a color as well as a black-and-white version of the same head shot. You can
create multiple versions of the same photo in Aperture.
Versions
from
Original 1
Original
Versions
from
Original 2
Original
Versions
from
Original 3
Original
1A
1B
1C
1D
Aperture
Library file
Pictures
folder
Computer 3A
3C
3B
1
2
3
2A
2B
When you create a version, Aperture reads the original image le on disk and displays it on the
screen. As you make adjustments or add information to the image, Aperture displays the version
with your changes, but the original image le is never changed.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 21
What are projects?
You organize your originals and versions using projects, which are similar to events in iPhoto.
When you import photos into Aperture, you assign them to a project. You can create as many
projects as you like, up to the limitations of your disk space. For example, you can create a new
project for each of your shoots. Or, if you do several shoots of the same subject, you can create
a project that encompasses all of the shoots.
Project opened
to show its contents
You can have multiple projects open at the same time, each represented by its own icon in the
Library inspector.
What are albums?
An album is a container in the Aperture library used to group photo versions. You can create
albums at the library level or within a project.
You use albums created at the library level to organize versions from multiple projects. For
example, you can create an album to consolidate your favorite photos, or selects, from multiple
projects. You can then publish this collection of selects on your website or export the album’s
contents for review by a prospective client.
You can also create albums within projects to help you organize your photos into relevant
groups. For example, you can organize photos in a project by:
•Occasion: Break a project into a series of albums according to specic occasions. For example,
a wedding project can be divided into albums for the preparation, ceremony, and reception, or
a soccer project can be divided up in albums for each game.
•Day: Break a project that spans multiple days into albums for individual days. For example,
a project consisting of a two-week trip to Japan can be divided into 14 individual albums
corresponding to each day.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 22
•Subject: Break a project consisting of multiple photographed subjects into individual albums
dedicated to each subject. For example, a studio photographer may shoot three models for
a single project. The photographer can create an album for each model. Or you might create
albums to hold specic photo types, such as candid shots or close-ups.
Three albums created
within one project
You can also place versions from other projects into an album that resides within a project.
In addition to a standard album that you drag photos into, you can create Smart Albums whose
contents are controlled by criteria you specify. When you change a Smart Album’s search criteria,
the contents of the Smart Album change automatically. For more information, see Group photos
with Smart Albums on page 155.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 23
What are folders?
In Aperture, you use folders to organize projects and albums. For example, you can import
photos into projects and then place the projects in folders based on photo type or location.
If you shoot multiple projects for the same client, you can create a folder that holds the
client’s projects.
These folders organize
projects based on type.
Folders contain only albums, projects, and other folders. They don’t contain originals or versions.
What is the library?
The Aperture library tracks every project, album, folder, original, and version, no matter whether
the photos, video les, and audio les are stored in the Aperture Library le or in other hard disk
locations. Aperture automatically creates a library le in the Pictures folder the rst time you
open Aperture. You can import media into the library or have Aperture access the les in other
locations. When you back up your originals to vaults on external hard disks, those actions are
tracked by the Aperture library as well. For more information about backing up your library, see
Plan your backup system on page 72.
In Aperture you can:
•Work with multiple libraries: You can work with as many libraries as necessary—including
iPhoto libraries—and switch between them without having to quit and reopen Aperture. If
your workow calls for several unique libraries, you can switch between them on the y. You
can also check the contents of a library prior to importing it into the library that’s currently
open. For more information, see Create new libraries on page 58 and View other libraries on
page 58.
•Merge libraries: You can also transfer libraries from other systems running Aperture and merge
them with the library on your local Aperture system. All links between versions and their
original photos are maintained when projects are transferred. This is particularly useful if you
use a portable computer when on location or away from your studio, and a workstation at
your studio. For more information, see Merge libraries on page 59.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 24
•Move a library to another location: When the library le becomes large and requires more disk
space than is available in its current location, you can move it to a hard disk with greater
storage capacity. To change the location of the library, you move the library le to a new
location and then double-click it to open it in Aperture. You specify where the library is located
using the Preferences window. For information about working with multiple library les in
Aperture, see General preferences on page 478 and View other libraries on page 58.
Tip: To maximize performance, place the library le on an internal hard disk.
What are managed images and referenced images?
Aperture lets you choose how you organize your photos on disk. You can store your photos
in the Aperture library, or you can import photos by simply linking to the image les in their
current locations, without placing them in the library.
Images whose originals are stored in the Aperture library are called managed images. Managed
images are always accessible and are easily backed up to vaults, to name just two benets.
Imported photos whose originals haven’t been placed in the library are called referenced images.
Using referenced images provides a number of substantial benets to your photography
workow. For example, you can incorporate your existing portfolio of photos into Aperture
without changing the current location of the les. Importing images by reference does not result
in a duplication of your image les in the Aperture library, thus saving hard disk space. You can
also connect and disconnect hard disks holding your referenced images’ originals as you need
them. This allows you to keep originals for less-used photos oine or to make specic types of
photos available for editing or adjustments as needed. Using referenced images lets you build a
exible image management system customized to your work style.
You specify whether a photo will be a managed image or a referenced image when you import
it. When importing photos, you can:
•Specify that originals be stored in the Aperture library.
•Import photos as referenced images, so that their originals remain in their current locations.
•Move or copy image les to a new location. For example, you might decide to have a certain
group of referenced image les, such as photos from 2011, placed in one hard disk location,
and another group, such as photos from 2012, placed in a dierent hard disk location.
You can work with referenced images—creating versions, making adjustments, cropping, and
adding metadata—just as you can with managed images. Versions that you create from a
referenced image are stored in the library. To make adjustments to a version from a referenced
image, the referenced image’s original must be available on your hard disk or other storage
device. For example, if you delete a referenced image’s original in the Finder, Aperture no
longer has access to the original and so no longer allows you to change your versions or create
new ones.
To help you identify referenced images, Aperture marks them with a badge overlay that you
can display or hide. When a referenced image’s original is missing or oine, its badge changes
to show that the image is not accessible. For example, if you disconnect a hard disk that holds
originals for many referenced images, Aperture automatically marks the referenced images
in the Browser and Viewer as oine. If you reconnect the hard disk or other storage device
later, Aperture accesses the originals automatically and you can work with and change their
versions again.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 25
You can also relocate originals, moving them out of the library or moving referenced originals to
dierent hard disk locations. If needed, you can also move referenced originals into the Aperture
library by choosing the Consolidate Originals command in the File menu.
You can search for photos based on whether they are managed images, referenced images, or
online or oine images. Aperture also provides robust le management tools that let you quickly
determine which images are oine and easily reconnect images that have been moved to
dierent volumes.
What is the Aperture Trash?
All items deleted in Aperture, including projects, albums, folders, versions, and originals, are
placed in the Aperture Trash in the Library inspector. You can retrieve any item from the Aperture
Trash until you empty it. For more information, see Work with the Aperture Trash on page 56.
What is a vault?
To ensure that you have backup copies of your photos, you create a vault to hold the backup
les. A vault is a container that holds an exact copy of the library. This includes projects, originals,
and any versions you’ve created. You can easily create and update a vault to back up the library.
It’s a good idea to create multiple vaults on multiple external hard disk drives to safeguard
copies of the library.
You can have as many vaults as you deem necessary. Creating more than one vault is useful if
you work at dierent locations; you can always keep one vault on an external drive onsite and
another one osite. All vaults and backup les are tracked by the library so that even if you
disconnect the external hard drive that contains a vault, Aperture can access it the next time
you reconnect the drive and update the vault.
All the originals and versions for managed images are backed up, as well as all metadata,
previews, and adjustment information associated with managed images. The versions, previews,
metadata, and adjustment information associated with referenced originals are also backed up
in the vault. Referenced originals are not backed up in the vault with the library.
Important: Because the originals for referenced images are stored outside of the library, you
must manage the backup and archiving of them yourself.
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Chapter 1 Aperture basics 26
Open Aperture for the rst time
The rst time you open Aperture, a Welcome to Aperture screen presents you with two options,
provided you have an iPhoto library:
•Update and begin using your existing iPhoto library.
•Start with a new, empty Aperture library and begin importing photos.
Important: Aperture can only open iPhoto libraries upgraded to iPhoto 9.3 or later. To upgrade
your iPhoto library, open it in iPhoto 9.3 or later.
Open Aperture for the rst time
1 In the Applications folder in the Finder, double-click the Aperture icon.
The Welcome to Aperture screen appears.
2 Do one of the following:
•To update your iPhoto library and begin working with it in Aperture: Click the Update
iPhoto button.
After iPhoto is updated to the latest version, open your iPhoto library so that it is upgraded
to the latest version as well. When the upgrade is complete, close iPhoto and open Aperture.
The contents of your iPhoto library appear in the Library inspector in Aperture. For more
information, see Library inspector overview on page 51.
•To open a new, empty Aperture library: Click the Create New button.
Aperture opens a new, empty Aperture library, and you can begin importing photos
immediately. For more information, see Importing photos overview on page 27.
Tip: To set Aperture to use the keyboard shortcuts you’re familiar with using in iPhoto, choose
Aperture > Commands > iPhoto, and choose your language. For more information, see
Customizing keyboard shortcuts overview on page 488.
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27
Importing photos overview
Aperture provides tools and workow options that make it easy to import your photos. You can
import photos directly from your digital camera or card reader, and import photos stored on
your computer hard disk or other storage devices. You can also import audio and video les.
In Aperture you can open, view, and work with iPhoto libraries the same way you work with
multiple Aperture library les. For more information about opening your iPhoto library in
Aperture, see View other libraries on page 58.
When you import from a digital camera or card reader, Aperture places the photos in a project. If
you don’t select an existing project, a new one is created automatically.
As Aperture imports photos, video les, and audio les, it generates a version le, preview, and
thumbnail corresponding to each original.
Aperture library
(system disk)
Importing
to Aperture
Import
Back up
Originals
Versions
Project
Vault
RAW
& JPEG
Import photos
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2
Chapter 2 Import photos 28
You can import originals directly from a digital camera or card reader and from your hard
disk drives.
Grid View and
List View buttons
“Do not import
duplicates” checkbox
Viewer button Thumbnail Resize slider
When you connect a digital camera or select an item in the Import pane, the Import
browser appears.
You use the options in the Import browser to specify how and where photos are imported. The
Import browser shows thumbnails of your photos that you can enlarge or reduce in size using
the Thumbnail Resize slider. You can select individual photos to import or import all the photos
at once. You can also set the Import browser to display photos in a list by clicking the List View
button. In list view, you can click a column heading to sort photos by category. If you are unsure
whether a specic photo should be imported, you can click the Viewer button to inspect a high-
resolution version of the photo.
When you import photos, Aperture automatically checks to see if any of the photos are
duplicates of previously imported photos. Aperture checks the lename of the original to
determine if a photo is a duplicate of one in the library. Select the “Do not import duplicates”
checkbox to prevent Aperture from importing duplicates. If this checkbox is unselected, Aperture
imports all photos, even if they are duplicates, and creates a new original with a dierent
name for each duplicate. Aperture never overwrites or replaces an original that has already
been imported.
As you import photos, you can set Aperture to automatically name and record information about
them. Aperture can assign lenames using custom naming conventions; record metadata such
as captions, keywords, dates, copyright and credit information, and IPTC information; and adjust
the time when the photo was shot to the correct time zone. If the photo has an XMP sidecar
le, Aperture imports it as well and adds the metadata to the image version. You can even set
Aperture to automatically back up your photos as they are imported. For more information, see
Plan your backup system on page 72.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 29
When you import photos, you can choose whether to have the originals stored in the Aperture
library or on a hard disk outside of the library, where they can be accessed as referenced images.
For more information about referenced images, see What are managed images and referenced
images? on page 24.
Important: Audio les, audio attachments, and PDFs imported into your Aperture library are not
visible when you open your Aperture library in iPhoto. To view and work with these items, open
your Aperture library in Aperture.
File formats you can import into the library
Aperture supports most image, audio, and video le formats captured by digital cameras. File
types and formats that can be imported into your Aperture library include:
•GIF
•JPEG
•JPEG2000
•PDF
•PNG
•PSD (8- and 16-bit)
•TIFF (8- and 16-bit)
•BMP
•DNG
•RAW les from a variety of supported digital cameras
•AIF
•WAV
•MOV
•AVCHD
Important: Aperture does not support 1080p AVCHD footage recorded at 60 frames per
second (fps) or 50 fps.
Note: For a list of supported digital cameras, go to http://www.apple.com/aperture/specs.
Plan your import strategy
Before you import photos into Aperture, plan the organization of your photos. Eventually your
photo library may contain thousands of photos that you’ll want organized in a exible and easy-
to-manage system.
You may already have a large digital portfolio that you eventually want to import into the
Aperture library. As an import strategy, it’s best to try out importing photos in a series of steps:
•If you have an iPhoto library, you can open your iPhoto library and work with its contents
directly in Aperture. For more information about opening iPhoto libraries in Aperture, see View
other libraries on page 58.
•Make trial imports of a small group of photos directly from your digital camera or card reader.
Learn about import features, such as automatic lenaming and the application of metadata
presets. For information about importing from your digital camera or card reader, see Import
from a camera, card reader, or device on page 30.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 30
•Plan how you want to import your legacy digital photos. Because you may have thousands
of image les already stored on disk, you need to decide whether you’ll store newly imported
photos in the Aperture library or store them as referenced images, leaving them in their
current hard disk locations. You can also copy or move image les to a dierent hard disk
location when importing them. Also, plan the project organization you’ll need to hold the
photos. For general information about importing les, see Importing photos overview on
page 27.
•Try out the dierent methods for importing individual les into your system. You can
import individual les, import les stored in folders, and drag les or folders from the
Finder into Aperture.
Import from a camera, card reader, or device
Using the Import browser, you can import photos from a digital camera, card reader, or other
device. You can import all photos on the camera or storage device or you can import a selection
of photos.
Note: When connecting your camera directly to the computer, make sure that you turn the
camera on and set it to the mode for transferring photos (PC, PTP, Normal, or another mode,
depending on the type of camera). Some cameras automatically select the correct transfer mode
when connected to a computer. See your camera’s manual for specic instructions. If you have a
card reader, it’s preferable to transfer photos using the card reader rather than the camera. Using
a card reader saves you time and doesn’t require the use of your camera’s battery.
Import photos from a camera or card reader
1 Connect your camera or card reader to your computer.
The Import browser appears, showing the photos on the camera or card.
Note: If iPhoto opens when you connect your camera or card reader, quit iPhoto. Then, in
Aperture, choose Aperture > Preferences and click Import. Choose Aperture from the “When
a camera is connected, open” pop-up menu. Disconnect and reconnect your camera to have
Aperture open the Import browser.
Import pane Import browser
Import Checked button
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Chapter 2 Import photos 31
2 Do one of the following:
•If you want to import the photos into a new, empty project: Choose New Project from the
Destination pop-up menu to create a new project, and enter a name for the project in the
Project Name eld.
Project Name field
•If you want to import the photos into an existing project: Select the project in the
Library inspector.
The project selected in
the Library inspector
appears here.
Selected project in
the Library inspector
The selected project appears in the Destination pop-up menu.
3 Choose a location to store the original image les by doing one of the following:
•To store imported originals in the Aperture library: Choose “In the Aperture Library” from the
Store Files pop-up menu.
•To store imported originals as referenced images in the Pictures folder on your hard disk: Choose
Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu, then choose whether you want the image les
moved or copied to the Pictures folder by clicking the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
•To store imported originals as referenced images in a location other than the Pictures folder:
Choose “Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select a folder. In the dialog that
appears, choose a location to store the imported originals, then click Open. Choose Project
Name from the Subfolders pop-up menu to specify that the les be stored in a folder with the
same name as the project. Choose whether you want the image les moved or copied to the
new location by clicking the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
4 To add controls for additional import settings, choose an option from the Import Settings
pop-up menu.
For more information about Import Settings, see Import options overview on page 36.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 32
5 Do one of the following:
Uncheck All button
Check All button
•To import all photos from the camera or card reader: Click the Check All button.
The checkboxes for all the photos in the Import browser are selected.
•To import a subset of photos from the camera or card reader: Click the Uncheck All button to
clear the checkboxes for all photos, then select the checkboxes for the photos you want
to import.
You can also Shift-click adjacent photos and Command-click nonadjacent photos, and then
select the checkbox for one of the photos. Selecting a single checkbox selects the checkboxes
for all of the selected photos.
Note: Depending on your camera type, you may be able to double-click a thumbnail image
to see a larger version of the photo, if you want to verify its contents before importing it.
Double-click the photo again to return to the thumbnail image view.
6 Click the Import Checked button.
The import process begins and an indicator appears next to the project’s name, showing the
progress of the import. When the photos are imported, a dialog appears.
7 Click Eject Card, Erase Imported Items and Eject Card, or Done.
Note: The options oered in this dialog depend on the way your camera is made available when
it is connected. Some cameras connect as mass storage devices. When you import from these
cameras, the Erase and Eject options appear. Other cameras simply connect as cameras, and you
will not see either Erase or Eject after the import is completed. In that case, you can erase the
photos directly in the camera.
As the photos appear in the Browser, you can begin working with them. Photos may temporarily
appear as gray boxes until the loading process is complete.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 33
Import les from a storage device
You can import image, audio, and video les stored on your computer and other storage devices.
You have a choice of storing the imported les in the Aperture library, or importing the les as
referenced image, audio, and video les and then moving or copying them to a dierent location.
Note: If you have folders of photos to import, you can import them using the Import Folders as
Projects command in the File menu. For more information, see Import folders of les from the
Finder on page 45.
You can import image les in many common image formats, including images scanned from
nondigital sources such as lm and photographic prints. You can also import any QuickTime-
compatible audio or video le. Adding these les to your Aperture database is as simple as
navigating to the folder where they reside on your hard disk using the Import browser.
1 Click the Import button in the toolbar (or press Command-I).
The Import browser appears.
2 Select your computer.
Select the source where
the photos you want
to import are located.
3 At the bottom of the browser, navigate to the folder containing the les you want to import.
Your computer, connected servers, and connected storage devices are listed in the column on
the left.
Tip: To quickly select the desktop, press Command-D.
Select the folder
of photos you
want to import.
When you select the folder containing the les you want to import, thumbnail images appear in
the Import browser representing the image, audio, and video les within the folder.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 34
4 Do one of the following:
•If you want to import the les into a new, empty project: Choose New Project from the
Destination pop-up menu to create a new project, then enter a name for the project
in the Project Name eld.
Project Name field
•If you want to import les into an existing project: Select the project in the Library inspector.
The project selected in
the Library inspector
appears here.
Selected project in
the Library inspector
The selected project appears in the Destination pop-up menu.
5 Do one of the following:
Uncheck All button
Check All button
•To import all the les in the selected folder: Click the Check All button.
The checkboxes for all the les in the Import browser are selected.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 35
•To import a subset of les from the selected folder: Click the Uncheck All button to clear the
checkboxes for all photos, then select the checkboxes for the photos you want to import.
Note: Depending on your camera type, you may be able to double-click a thumbnail image
to see a larger version of the photo if you want to verify its contents before importing it.
Double-click the photo again to return to the thumbnail image view.
6 Choose a location for the imported les by doing one of the following:
•To store imported originals in the Aperture library: Choose “In the Aperture Library” from the
Store Files pop-up menu.
•To store imported originals as referenced image les, audio les, or video les in their current
location: Choose “In their current location” from the Store Files pop-up menu.
•To store imported originals as referenced image les, audio les, or video les in the Pictures folder on
your hard disk: Choose Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu, then choose whether you want
the les moved or copied to the Pictures folder by clicking the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
•To store imported originals as referenced image les, audio les, or video les in a location other
than the Pictures folder: Choose “Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select a folder.
In the dialog that appears, choose a location to store the imported originals, then click Open.
Choose Project Name from the Subfolders pop-up menu to specify that the les be stored in a
folder with the same name as the project. Choose whether you want the image les moved or
copied to the new location by clicking the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
7 To add controls for additional import settings, choose an option from the Import Settings
pop-up menu.
For more information about Import Settings, see Import options overview on page 36.
8 Click the Import Checked button in the lower-right corner of the Import browser.
The import process begins and an indicator appears next to the project’s name, showing the
progress of the import. When the import process is complete, a dialog appears.
Tip: If you want to immediately import additional image, audio, or video les, Option-click the
Import Checked button. The Import browser remains open, and you can immediately start
importing additional items.
As the les appear in the Browser, you can begin working with them.
Important: You can import and export XMP sidecar les in Aperture. However, Aperture displays
only metadata that adheres to the XMP 1.0 specication. Ratings, label values, and custom
metadata created by third-party applications are not supported.
Import les from the Finder quickly
You can drag image, video, and audio les from the Finder or desktop directly into the Library
inspector, Viewer, and Browser. This is useful if you receive image les from a source other than
your camera and you want to use them in Aperture. You can also use this technique if you have
image, audio, and video les scattered on your desktop or throughout folders on your computer
and you want to consolidate them in one place in the library.
1 Select an item in the Library inspector, such as a project or an album, in which to import
the photos.
2 Locate the image, audio, or video les in the Finder.
3 Drag the les to either the selected item in the Library inspector or anywhere in the Browser
or Viewer.
The import process begins and an indicator appears next to the project’s name, showing the
progress of the import.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 36
Add import options
Import options overview
You can use import options to:
•Store imported photos in the Aperture library or select a dierent location on your hard disk
and import the photos as referenced images
•Have Aperture automatically delete the image les on your memory card after the photos
are imported
•Have Aperture automatically split the photos into multiple projects based on the length of
time between shots
•Have Aperture automatically back up photos as they are imported
•Display photos in the Import browser as a grid of thumbnails or as a list that you can sort
•Apply a naming convention to standardize the names of the image les in the library
•Apply metadata to the image les, such as keywords, captions, copyright information, and the
photographer’s name. You can also keep or replace existing metadata associated with a photo
when you import the image.
•Adjust the shoot time of photos that were shot in a dierent time zone
In the Import browser, you add import options to rene how les are brought into Aperture.
You add controls for additional import settings by choosing an option from the Import Settings
pop-up menu. After you modify the import settings, you can remove them from view by
deselecting the option in the Import Settings pop-up menu.
File Info option
View le information
By default, basic le information about the photos you are about to import into Aperture is not
shown in the Import browser. However, you can set Aperture to show this information.
Show basic le information about the les displayed in the Import browser
mIn the Import browser, choose File Info from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
Basic metadata about the le selection appears above the Aperture Library controls in the
Import browser.
Note: If the selection is a movie or audio le, the duration is shown as well. When a photo with an
attachment (such as an audio annotation) is selected, the duration of that attachment is displayed.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 37
Automatically name imported photos
The lenames given to photos by the camera are often dicult to distinguish. When you import
photos, you can have Aperture use the original name assigned by the camera or use a lenaming
convention that you choose or create. For example, you can use a name format that includes
a name that you specify, plus the date, the time, and an index number. Aperture provides a
number of preset name formats, and you can also create your own naming conventions to suit
the dierent types of shoots you do.
You can apply names to your image les when you import them and when you export them. You
can specify names to apply to the versions and to the originals. For example, when you import
photos from your camera, you can specify that a name format be applied to each image version
that Aperture creates. You can also specify that Aperture apply names to the originals as they are
stored in the library or on a hard disk.
When you import originals as referenced images, you can’t rename the originals if you leave
them in their original locations. However, when you import originals as referenced images and
move them to a new hard disk location, you can rename them at that time.
Note: If you back up your les on import, the copied les are also renamed. For more
information, see Automatically back up les at import on page 44.
Proper lenaming is one of the most critical aspects of media and project management. When
you capture your originals, consider how and where your les may be used in the future. Naming
your les simply and consistently makes it easier to share media among multiple photographers,
transfer projects to other Aperture systems, move les across a network, and properly restore
archived projects.
The most conservative lenaming conventions provide the most cross-platform compatibility.
This means that your lenames will work in dierent operating systems, such as OS X and other
UNIX-based operating systems, and Windows. You also need to consider lenaming when you
transfer les over the Internet, where you can never be certain what computer platform your les
may be stored on, even if temporarily.
Avoid Example characters Reasons
File separators / (slash)
\ (backslash)
Some applications may not allow
lenames with slashes, which are
directory separators for OS X and
DOS (Windows), respectively.
Special characters not included in
your native alphabet
¢™ These characters may not be
supported or may be dicult
to work with when exported to
other applications.
Punctuation marks, parentheses,
quotation marks, brackets,
and operators
. , [ ] { } ( ) ! ; “ ` * ? < > | These characters are often used
in scripting and programming
languages.
White space characters such
as spaces, tabs, new lines, and
carriage returns (the last two
are uncommon)
White space is handled dierently
in dierent programming
languages and operating systems.
The most conservative lenames
avoid all use of white space
characters and use the underscore
(_) character instead.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 38
Name les during import automatically
1 In the Import browser, choose Rename Files from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The Rename Files controls appear in the Import browser.
2 Do one of the following:
•To apply a preset name format to your les as they are imported: Choose a preset name format
from the Version Name pop-up menu.
•To use the existing lenames: Choose None from the Version Name pop-up menu.
•To create a new name format: Choose Edit from the Version Name pop-up menu, and create a
custom name format in the File Naming dialog.
3 If you choose a name format with a custom name, the Name Text eld appears below the Version
Name pop-up menu. Enter a name for the photos in the Name Text eld.
4 Select the Rename Original File checkbox if you want to change the lenames of the originals on
disk to match the version names.
Aperture provides the following preset name formats in the Version Name pop-up menu
by default.
Preset name format Example
Custom Name with Index Thailand 1, Thailand 2, and so on
Custom Name with Index (no spaces) Thailand1, Thailand2, and so on
Version Name IMG001
Version Name and Date/Time IMG001 - 2008-10-14 09.03.25 PM
Version Name with Sequence IMG001 (1 of 2), IMG002 (2 of 2), and so on
Version Name with Index IMG001 1, IMG002 2, and so on
Image Date/Time 2008-10-14 09.03.25 PM
Custom Name with Counter Thailand 001, Thailand 002, and so on
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Chapter 2 Import photos 39
Create a custom name format
In addition to the preset name formats, you can create custom name formats. To create a name
format, you select the name elements you want in the File Naming dialog.
1 In the Import browser, choose Rename Files from the Import Settings pop-up menu, then choose
Edit from the Version Name pop-up menu.
The File Naming dialog appears.
2 Click the Add button (+) to create a new name format, or select the preset name format you
want to change.
3 Drag the name elements you want into the Format eld in the order you want them. You can
also add valid characters or spaces between the name elements.
4 Enter a custom name in the Custom Name eld, if you like.
5 Click OK.
Your new name format now appears in the Version Name pop-up menu.
Reset the starting number of a counter in a name format
When using a counter in your name format, you can specify the starting number and the
number of digits, from one to six, that appear in the counter. When you use a preset name format
with a counter, make sure to reset the initial starting number, if necessary. Otherwise, on the next
import, Aperture will continue numbering the imported les starting from the last number of the
previous import.
Do one of the following:
mIn the File Naming dialog, type “0” (zero) in the “Incrementing counter starting at” eld.
mIn the File Naming dialog, select the preset whose counter you want to reset to zero, then click
the Reset Preset button.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 40
Adjust time zone data at import
On a trip, it’s easy to forget to update your camera’s clock to match the local time zone. If you
didn’t synchronize your camera time to the new location, Aperture lets you correct the time
assigned to the image le by whole hours when importing.
Adjust time zone data during import
1 In the Import browser, choose Time Zone from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The Time Zone controls appear in the Import browser.
2 Choose the time zone that matches the camera’s time setting from the Camera Time
pop-up menu.
3 Choose the time zone of the shoot location from the Actual Time pop-up menu.
Aperture updates the capture time of your image les according to the Time Zone settings.
After you’ve imported photos, you can adjust the date and time of any versions you’ve created
by choosing Metadata > Adjust Date and Time. For more information, see Adjust the photo date
and time on page 216.
Add metadata at import
You can add metadata to your photos as they are imported into Aperture. Adding metadata
during the import process helps you keep track of your photos and quickly locate them using
the Smart Settings HUD and Filter HUD. For example, you can add IPTC keywords and other
metadata to the photos.
Add metadata to photos during import
1 In the Import browser, choose Metadata Presets from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The Metadata Presets controls appear in the Import browser.
2 Do one of the following:
•To show the metadata elds for a metadata preset: Choose a metadata preset from the Metadata
pop-up menu.
•If you don’t want to modify the metadata of the les during import: Choose None from the
Metadata pop-up menu.
•To create a new metadata preset: Choose Edit from the Metadata pop-up menu, then create a
new metadata preset using the Metadata dialog.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 41
3 Do one of the following:
•To add metadata to the photo while maintaining any associated metadata: Click Append.
•To add metadata and overwrite any associated metadata: Click Replace.
When you choose a metadata preset, Aperture displays the list of metadata elds and metadata
for that preset. You can edit the metadata preset to store any metadata that you want to apply
frequently to your photos using the Info inspector. For more information, see Create metadata
presets on page 210.
Apply eects at import
You can apply image eects and basic image adjustments, such as an exposure adjustment,
to your photos as they are imported. You apply eects and image adjustments by choosing
an eect preset from the Eects pop-up menu. The eect preset is applied uniformly to every
imported photo until it is turned o.
You can edit eect presets that you want to apply frequently to your photos. For more
information, see Create and apply eects on page 328.
Apply eects to photos during import
1 In the Import browser, choose Eect Presets from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The Eect Presets control appears in the Import browser.
2 Choose an eect preset option to apply to the imported photos from the Eect Presets
pop-up menu.
Turn o eects during import
mIn the Eect Presets control area, choose None from the Eect pop-up menu.
Filter les by type at import
Some digital cameras allow you to add audio attachments to your photos. For example, some
cameras allow you to record audio annotations for a photo after you shoot it. The camera
attaches the audio le to the image le so that you can review the audio when you download
the photo. When you connect a digital camera or card reader or point to a folder with photos
on your computer, Aperture recognizes any photo that has an audio attachment. You can also
import standalone QuickTime-compatible audio and video les.
Filter les by type during import
1 In the Import browser, choose File Types from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The File Types controls appear in the Import browser.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 42
2 Do any of the following:
•To exclude image les, leaving only audio and video les available for import: Select the “Exclude
photos” checkbox.
•To exclude video les during import: Select the “Exclude videos” checkbox.
•To exclude audio les during import: Select the “Exclude audio les” checkbox.
•To exclude all audio les attached to the photos: Select the “Exclude audio attachments” checkbox.
•To include only les that were agged or locked using the camera: Select the “Only include les
agged/locked in camera” checkbox.
All photos matching the selected criteria appear in the Import browser. To make all the photos
reappear, deselect the checkboxes above.
Important: An audio le is imported into Aperture as an attachment when the audio le’s name
matches the image le’s name. For example, when you import “le.nef” and “le.wav,” Aperture
imports the .wav le attached to the .nef raw image le. Audio les are automatically attached
during all types of import: from a connected camera or card reader, from internal and external
hard disk drives, as well as by dragging. If the audio lename is not the same as the image
lename, it will not be attached to the photo even if imported directly from a camera or a card
reader. However, there is one exception: some Canon cameras, including the G9 and G10, prex
the audio lename with “SND” and the image lename with “IMG”; these audio les are imported
as attachments.
Import RAW + JPEG image pairs
Many digital cameras have a setting for creating a RAW le plus a JPEG le for each photo as you
shoot. Many photographers use the RAW + JPEG workow for the convenience of publishing
the JPEG images quickly while saving the RAW les for high-resolution prints. Aperture provides
several options for importing the RAW + JPEG image pairs.
Note: The RAW + JPEG Pairs import setting remains in eect from one import session to the next.
Filter RAW + JPEG pairs during import
1 In the Import browser, choose RAW + JPEG Pairs from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The RAW + JPEG Pairs control appears in the Import browser.
2 Choose an option from the Import pop-up menu:
•To import both the RAW and the JPEG image les and set the JPEG le in each pair as the original:
Choose “Both (JPEG as Original).”
•To import both the RAW and the JPEG image les and set the RAW le in each pair as the original:
Choose “Both (RAW as Original).”
•To import the RAW and JPEG image les as separate originals: Choose “Both (Separate Originals).”
•To import the JPEG les only: Choose “JPEG les only.”
•To import the RAW les only: Choose “RAW les only.”
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Chapter 2 Import photos 43
Import the RAW les that match the JPEG les already in your Aperture library
If you imported the JPEG image les only, you can go back and import the corresponding
RAW les later.
1 Choose “Matching RAW les” from the Import pop-up menu.
The Include pop-up menu appears below the Import pop-up menu.
2 Choose an option from the Include pop-up menu:
•To import all matching RAW les regardless of rating: Choose “All matching les.”
•To import all RAW les matching JPEG les that are unrated or better: Choose “Unrated or better.”
•To import all RAW les that match the current rating: Choose “Current lter.”
For information about rating photos, see Rating photos overview on page 98.
Use AppleScript actions at import
The Aperture community provides many AppleScript actions online to automate repetitive tasks
in Aperture. Additionally, you can create your own AppleScript actions to help automate your
workow. You can use AppleScript actions from within Aperture immediately after an import
operation is complete.
For more information about AppleScript actions for use with Aperture, go to
http://www.apple.com/aperture/resources.
Important: All scripts must use the import event handler: on importActionForVersions
(input).
Use AppleScript actions after import
1 Choose Actions from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The Actions controls appear in the Import browser.
2 If no AppleScript action is selected, click the Choose button and locate a script from the dialog
that appears.
The selected AppleScript action appears in the AppleScript eld and is set to begin as soon as
the import operation is complete.
Note: The AppleScript action is applied only to the current import operation.
Stop AppleScript actions from automatically starting after import
mClick the Clear button.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 44
Automatically back up les at import
Creating copies of your photos from the moment you take them is essential to the preservation
of your work. In Aperture, you can back up your original les as they are imported, using the Back
Up Files import option. Backing up your image, video, and audio les at import ensures that if
something catastrophic happens to your computer system, copies of your original les are stored
somewhere safe. If you back up your les during import, Aperture makes a copy of each le and
places the copied les in the location you specify.
Back up your original les during import
1 In the Import browser, choose Backup Location from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
The Backup Location controls appear in the Import browser.
2 Do one of the following:
•To back up your les to the Documents folder: Choose Documents from the Backup To
pop-up menu.
•To back up your les to a new location: Choose “Choose” from the Backup To pop-up menu, then
select a location from the dialog that appears.
Note: It’s a good idea to back up your original les to a location other than your computer. This
is the only way to ensure that your original les are safe if something catastrophic happens to
your computer.
Turn o automatic backup during import
mChoose None from the Backup To pop-up menu.
Reset import options
The import settings you set in the Import browser remain in eect from import session to
import session, regardless of whether they are shown. However, you can quickly reset the import
settings to their defaults.
Reset all import settings to their defaults
mIn the Import browser, choose Reset to Defaults from the Import Settings pop-up menu.
Remove an import option from view
1 In the Import browser, click the background of the import option you want to remove from view.
The import option becomes highlighted, indicating it is selected.
2 Press Delete.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 45
Import folders of les from the Finder
If you’ve spent time organizing your image, video, and audio les into a meaningful hierarchy
on your computer and you want to keep that organization, you can import a folder of les as
a project or drag it directly into the Library inspector. When you import a folder of les or drag
it into the Library inspector, the top folder becomes a folder in the Library inspector and any
subfolders become projects within the folder.
Import a folder of les from the Finder using the Import command
1 Choose File > Import > Folders as Projects.
2 Select the folder of photos that you want to import.
You can select multiple folders to import by Shift-clicking them.
3 Do one of the following:
•To import the top-level folder as a folder in the Aperture library and all of its subfolders as individual
projects: Choose Folders and Projects from the Import Folders As pop-up menu.
•To import the top-level folder as a project and all its subfolders as albums: Choose Projects and
Albums from the Import Folders As pop-up menu.
4 Choose a location for the imported photos by doing one of the following:
•To store imported originals in the Aperture library: Choose “In the Aperture Library” from the
Store Files pop-up menu.
•To import the les as referenced images stored in their current location on your hard disk: Choose
“In their current location” from the Store Files pop-up menu.
•To store imported originals as referenced images in the Pictures folder on your hard disk: Choose
Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu, then choose whether you want the les moved or
copied to the Pictures folder by clicking the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
•To store imported originals as referenced images in a location other than the Pictures folder: Choose
“Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select a folder. Choose “None” from the Subfolders
pop-up menu to specify that the les be stored as separate, individual les in the selected folder.
You can also specify that Aperture create a hierarchy of subfolders with specic folder names to
hold your les. For more information about creating folders to hold your imported photos, see
Import originals for referenced images into folders on page 46. Choose whether you want the
image les moved or copied to the new location by clicking the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
5 Choose a naming convention from the Version Name pop-up menu to specify how you want the
photos named.
For example, choose Original File Name from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your les
stored using the original lenames from your camera or card. Choose a name format from the
Version Name pop-up menu to have your photos stored using a specied name. If you choose a
custom name format, enter a name in the Name Text eld. Choose Edit from the Version Name
pop-up menu to dene a new naming scheme. For more information about naming les, see
Automatically name imported photos on page 37.
Click the “Apply to Original lenames” checkbox to rename the original les as well.
6 Choose how you want Aperture to import RAW + JPEG pairs from the RAW + JPEG pop-up menu.
For more information about importing RAW + JPEG pairs, see Import RAW + JPEG image pairs on
page 42.
7 Click Import.
The top-level folder in the selection either appears as a folder or is converted to a project based
on the option you chose from the Import Folders As pop-up menu. If the folder you imported
contains a hierarchy of subfolders and photos, the subfolders appear as albums.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 46
Drag folders into Aperture
When you drag folders into the Library inspector, Aperture uses the last import settings you
specied to determine how the folders are imported and where they are stored.
1 In the Finder, locate the folder containing the folders, video les, and audio les you want
to import.
2 Drag the folder to the Library inspector.
Import originals for referenced images into folders
When you import photos as referenced images, you can have Aperture place their originals
individually into a selected folder or create subfolders to hold the les. For example, you might
have the imported image les placed in subfolders identied by date. You can create folder name
format presets that you can quickly choose to select the folder name format you prefer.
To create a folder name format, you select the name elements in the Folder Naming Presets
dialog. You can specify a combination of name elements to create custom folder names.
Create a custom folder name format
1 In the Import browser, choose Pictures or another folder from the Store Files pop-up menu, then
choose Edit from the Subfolder pop-up menu that appears.
The Folder Naming dialog appears.
2 Click the Add button (+) to create a new name format, or select the preset name format you
want to change.
3 Drag name elements into the Format eld in the order you want them to appear.
You can also create a hierarchy of folders within folders. For example, you can specify that
Aperture place your referenced images in a subfolder named Date, and within that folder you
can create subfolders identied by the time the photo was taken.
4 Drag a slash between the elements where you want subfolders created.
5 Enter a custom name in the Custom Name eld, if you like.
6 Click OK.
Your new folder name format now appears in the Subfolders pop-up menu.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 47
Reset the starting number of a counter in a folder name format
When using a counter in your folder name format, you can specify the starting number and the
number of digits, from one to six, that appear in the counter. When you use a folder name format
with a counter, reset the initial starting number. Otherwise, on the next import, Aperture will
continue numbering the image folders starting from the last number of the previous import.
mIn the Folder Naming Presets dialog, type “0” (zero) in the “Incrementing counter starting at” eld.
Capture photos as you work
For certain kinds of shoots, such as product shoots done within your oce studio, you may want
to immediately see test shots on your computer to check on lighting and other production
factors. You can connect your camera directly to your computer and have each shot immediately
appear in an Aperture project as you shoot. You can review a photo in detail, make production
changes, and then shoot and immediately see the results again. This process is called tethered
shooting, and it’s ideal for checking the details of a shot while setting up the nal shot.
Note: For a list of cameras that Aperture supports for tethered shooting, go to
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4176. See your camera’s manual for information about
setting up your camera for tethered shooting.
After starting a session, you can use Aperture to view and capture photos. You use the Aperture
Tether HUD to control your camera and take photos as you work.
Set up Aperture for tethered shooting
1 Connect your camera to your computer using a USB or FireWire cable.
2 In the Library Inspector, select the project you want the photos captured to.
3 Choose File > Tether > Start Session.
4 Specify import settings in the Tether Settings dialog.
For information, see Import from a camera, card reader, or device on page 30.
5 Click Start Session.
The Tether HUD appears.
6 Do one of the following:
•To begin the capture session: Click Capture.
•To stop the capture session: Click Stop Session.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 48
Add audio attachments to image les
Although the audio les of photos with audio attachments are automatically imported into
Aperture when the lenames match, you can also manually attach an audio le to a photo after
it has been imported into Aperture. There are two ways to attach an audio le to a photo. If the
project selected in the Library inspector contains an original audio le, you can attach the audio
le to a photo in the project using the Info inspector. If the audio le is outside of the Aperture
library, you can drag the audio le from the Finder to the photo in the Viewer.
Note: For a list of le formats that can be used for audio attachments in Aperture, go to
http://www.apple.com/aperture/specs.
Add an audio attachment using the Info inspector
1 In the Library inspector, select a project containing the audio le you want to attach.
2 In the Browser, select the photo you want to attach the audio le to.
3 In the Info inspector, choose Attach Audio File from the Metadata Action pop-up menu .
4 In the dialog that appears, select the audio le you want to attach, then click Attach.
You can preview the selected audio le by clicking the Play button.
Audio file
Attach button
Play button
The audio attachment is added to the photo, and the audio le’s thumbnail disappears from the
Browser. A badge appears on the lower-right portion of the photo, indicating that an audio le
is attached. For more information about playing audio attachments, see Modify metadata in the
Info inspector and Inspector HUD on page 198.
Add an audio attachment to a photo by dragging
1 If necessary, click the Split View button in the toolbar, and then select the photo you want to
attach the audio le to in the Browser.
2 In the Finder, select the audio le you want to attach.
3 Drag the audio le to the photo you want to attach it to in the Viewer.
The photo is surrounded with a green outline, indicating that the le is about to be attached.
The audio attachment is added to the photo in Aperture. A badge appears on the lower-right
portion of the photo, indicating that an audio le is attached. For more information about
playing audio attachments, see Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector HUD on
page 198.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 49
Remove an attachment from a photo
1 In the Browser, select the photo whose attachment you want to remove.
2 In the Info inspector, choose Detach Audio File from the Metadata Action pop-up menu.
The audio le is detached and placed in the same project as the photo it was attached to.
Where Aperture stores your managed les in the library
You can always view and work with your photos within the Aperture application. However, you
may wonder where your managed image les physically reside in the Aperture library on the
computer’s hard disk. By default, your photos are stored in the Aperture Library le within the
Pictures folder. For more information about managed image les, see What are managed images
and referenced images? on page 24.
You can open and see the contents of the Aperture Library le in the Finder by Control-
clicking the le and choosing Show Package Contents from the shortcut menu. However, it’s
not recommended that you access or work with your originals in this way because you risk
interfering with the Aperture library.
WARNING: You should always back up and work with your managed images and projects
from within the Aperture application. If you move or accidentally change the les stored in
the Aperture Library le, Aperture may not be able to locate your projects and the media they
contain. Making a change to a managed le in the Finder, such as renaming it, creates changes
that Aperture cannot track.
Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture
Aperture provides image processing algorithms that deliver improved image quality. With
improved default rendering of RAW images from supported cameras, Aperture 3.5 provides
signicantly enhanced image quality with improvements in noise reduction, sharpening, and
highlights recovery.
To maintain the image integrity of the existing photos in your Aperture library, Aperture
allows you to retain the original processing of your photos from previous versions, selectively
process images using the most current RAW image processing, or create duplicate versions of
each original image le with the most current RAW image processing applied. However, some
adjustments and brushed adjustments are not available unless the selected photo uses the most
current RAW image processing.
When you start using Aperture 3.5, all of your existing photos continue to use the previous
version’s image processing, in order to preserve their appearance. Any of these photos can
be individually reprocessed to use the most current image processing. You can also use the
Reprocess Originals command in the Photos menu to reprocess selected photos, projects,
books, slideshows, webpages, web journals, Light Table albums, albums, and Smart Albums.
If you want to reprocess photos while retaining versions with the original processing, you
can create duplicate versions of each original image le with the most current RAW image
processing applied.
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Chapter 2 Import photos 50
Because reprocessing a large number of photos can be a time-consuming process, you may nd
it easier to reprocess photos on an as-needed basis. For example, if you have ve-star selects, you
may decide to initially reprocess only those photos. Photos are not aected by being reprocessed
more than once; if a photo already uses the most current image processing, reprocessing it has
no eect.
Note: Some adjustments and brushed adjustments are not available unless the selected photo
uses the most current RAW image processing.
Reprocess a photo selection
1 Do one of the following:
•To reprocess selected photos: Select a photo or group of photos.
•To reprocess a project or an album: Select a project, a book, a slideshow, an album, a webpage
album, a web journal album, a Light Table album, or a Smart Album.
•To reprocess all photos in the library: Select the Photos item in the Library inspector.
Photos item
Important: Reprocessing thousands of image les can be a lengthy operation. Make sure to set
aside a signicant amount of time for Aperture to process the image les—preferably when you
don’t need to use your Aperture system.
2 Choose Photos > Reprocess Originals.
3 In the dialog that appears, select reprocessing options, and click Reprocess Photos.
You can choose whether to reprocess all photos in the selection or just those with or without
adjustments. You can also choose whether to reprocess the existing image versions or a
duplicate set.
Reprocess an individual photo
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose RAW Fine
Tuning from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
3 In the RAW Fine Tuning controls, click the Reprocess button.
Note: If the Reprocess button does not appear in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments
pane of the Inspector HUD, the photo has already been reprocessed using Aperture 3.5
image processing.
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Organize items in the Library inspector
Library inspector overview
The Library inspector provides access to items tracked by the Aperture library, such as projects
and albums, and dierent views of the contents of the library. For example, you can select Faces
in the Library inspector to view your photos grouped by the people in them, or Places to view
your photos grouped by where they were taken.
There are several controls you use to work with items in the Library inspector.
Disclosure triangle
Library Action
pop-up menu
Library search field
•Library search eld: Enter text to search for items located in the Library inspector.
•Disclosure triangle: Click to see all items within a project, a folder, or the Trash.
•Library Action pop-up menu: Add the selected item to a list of favorites or remove it from the
favorites list. You can also choose to export items selected in the Library inspector or maintain
previews. For more information about previews, see Preview images overview on page 494.
The main space of the Library inspector displays several categories that let you view your photos
organized in dierent ways.
Work with projects and the library
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 52
Library category
The Library category contains icons that, when selected, display your photos organized in any of
four dierent ways:
•Projects: Select the Projects icon to have all the projects in the library appear in Projects view
in place of the Browser and Viewer. Each project is represented by a single thumbnail. You
can position the pointer over a project thumbnail and drag to quickly skim the photos in
the project. When you hold down the Control key and click a project’s thumbnail, a shortcut
menu appears that allows you to create a new project, display information about the project,
delete the project, import les into the project, export the project as a library, set the currently
displayed image as the key photo that represents the project, empty the Aperture Trash, or
play each photo in the project in a slideshow. Double-click the project’s thumbnail to see the
photos in the Browser.
For more information, see View projects on page 61.
•Photos: Select this item to see all photos, video clips, and audio clips in the library. All media in
the library is displayed in the Browser as thumbnails. Select a thumbnail in the Browser to view
it or listen to it in the Viewer.
•Faces: Select this item to view people identied in photos and tracked by Aperture in the
library. Click the Info button on a snapshot to show the Info HUD. The Info HUD provides
the name of the person, how many photos in the library contain the person, when the photos
were shot, and the person’s full name and email address (if you entered them). Click the View
Photos button in the HUD to view all the photos the person appears in and any photos the
person might appear in.
For more information, see Faces overview on page 123 and Add names to faces in your
photos on page 125.
•Places: Select this item to view a map that shows the locations where photos in the library
were shot.
For more information, see Places overview on page 131 and View photo locations on page 133.
Recent category
You can select icons in the Recent area of the Library inspector to view photos you’ve imported
recently, agged photos, rejected photos, or photos you’ve placed in the Aperture Trash.
•Last 12 Months: Select this item to see all photos, video clips, and audio clips imported into
Aperture during the last 12 months. Select a thumbnail in the Browser to view it or listen to it
in the Viewer.
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•Last Import: Select this item to see all photos, video clips, and audio clips imported into
Aperture during the last import session. Select a thumbnail in the Browser to view it or listen
to it in the Viewer.
•Flagged: Select this item to see all the photos, video clips, and audio clips in the library that
have been agged. The thumbnails for all agged media appear in the Browser. Select a
thumbnail in the Browser to view it or listen to it in the Viewer.
•Trash: Select this item to see all the photos, video clips, and audio clips in the library that have
been deleted. The thumbnails for all deleted media appear in the Browser. Select a thumbnail
in the Browser to view it or listen to it in the Viewer. Click the disclosure triangle next to the
Trash to view any items that have been deleted in the Library inspector. Select an item in the
Trash to view its contents.
Note: If there is no disclosure triangle next to the Aperture Trash, no items in the Library
inspector have been deleted since the last time the Trash was emptied.
For more information, see Work with the Aperture Trash on page 56.
Projects and album categories
Below the Library and Recent categories, other categories appear when specic types of content
are present in your library. The Projects category (not to be confused with the Projects icon in the
Library category) lists each project in your library. When you add albums to your library (book
albums, Light Table albums, slideshow albums, and so on), those categories appear in the Library
inspector (unless you add an album to a specic project, in which case the album appears below
that project in the Projects category).
Create and name items
You can create new items in the Library inspector to organize your photos. When you create a
new item, such as an album, the item is empty. You add photos to the new item by dragging
photos to it. Newly created Smart Albums and Smart Web Page Albums do not contain photos.
You add photos to them by setting the Smart Album’s search criteria.
Note: You cannot put photos in folders. Folders are designed to help you organize projects,
albums, and other folders in the Library inspector.
Create a new item in the Library inspector
Do one of the following:
mChoose File > New, and choose an item from the submenu.
mChoose an item from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
Choose an item from
the New pop-up menu.
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Aperture prompts you to name new projects, albums, and Light Table albums before adding
them to the Library inspector. Aperture immediately adds new folders, Smart Albums, and Smart
Web Page Albums to the Library inspector with the item’s “Untitled” name highlighted so that
you can rename them as you create them. When you create a new book, slideshow, web journal,
or webpage, Aperture prompts you to choose a theme in addition to a name before adding the
item to the Library inspector.
For more information about creating projects and certain types of albums, see the
following topics:
•Create and delete projects on page 64
•What are albums? on page 21
•Light Table overview on page 185
•Collect photos in a new Smart Album on page 15 6
•Creating books overview on page 404
•Slideshows overview on page 376
•Creating webpages overview on page 463
Open and close items in the Library inspector
To work with photos in Aperture, you rst select an item in the Library inspector to open it in
the Browser. You can open and work on more than one item at a time. When you open multiple
items from the Library inspector, you can have each item appear in the Browser with its own tab
or have the contents of all items appear in a single Browser. You can click an item’s Browser tab
to bring it to the front. You can also open an item in its own pane to view the contents of two
items in the Browser side by side. When you quit and reopen Aperture, all items that were open
at the end of your last session open automatically.
Open an item in the Library inspector
mSelect the item in the Library inspector.
All photos in the project
appear in the Browser.
Select a project to view
its photos in the Browser.
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Open additional items in the Browser, each with its own tab
mOption-Command-click an item in the Library inspector.
The newly opened item appears in the Browser with its own tab, in front of any other
open items.
Open another item in its own pane
mOption-click an item in the Library inspector.
Library items are
identified by their tabs.
The newly opened item appears in the Browser with its own tab and in its own pane.
Switch among several open items
mIn the Browser, click a project’s tab.
Open multiple items in the same Browser
mCommand-click multiple items in the Library inspector.
The contents of each item selected in the Library inspector appear in the same Browser.
Close an item in the Browser
1 Click the item’s tab to bring it to the front.
2 Click the tab’s close button.
Close button in a tab
Arrange items in the Library inspector
Typically, you create a new Aperture project for each photography project or job that you work
on, regardless of its duration. For example, if you’re working on a documentary in Thailand, you
would create a project for it. If you’re also shooting the temples in the interior of the country, that
could be a second, separate project. Both projects could conceivably refer to some of the same
photos, but they are completely independent structures, each with its own versions and albums.
Very large photography projects, such as documentaries and sporting events, often consist of
large numbers of photos. You can always break one project into several should the need arise.
As your library grows, you may need to reorganize your library’s structure to t your workow.
You can rearrange projects, folders, albums, and other items in the Library inspector.
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Move an item in the Library inspector
mSelect an item in the Library inspector, and drag it to a new location.
The black box indicates
where the item will
be placed.
A black bar indicates where the item will be placed.
Move multiple items in the Library inspector
Do one of the following:
mShift-click adjacent items, and drag them to a new location.
mCommand-click nonadjacent items, and drag them to a new location.
Automatically arrange items in the Library inspector
mTo group similar items together: Control-click in the Library inspector, and choose Keep Arranged
By > Kind from the shortcut menu.
mTo sort items alphabetically: Control-click in the Library inspector, and choose Keep Arranged By >
Name from the shortcut menu.
Create and show favorite items
If you have certain projects, folders, or albums that you work on most often or that you work on
at the same time, you can make them favorites to quickly view them all simultaneously.
Make a project, a folder, or an album a favorite
mIn the Library inspector, select a project, a folder, or an album, and choose Add to Favorites from
the Library Action pop-up menu .
View a favorite project, folder, or album
mIn the Library inspector, choose Favorite Items from the search eld pop-up menu at the
top-left corner.
Only the items in the library that have been chosen as favorites are shown. All other items in the
Library inspector are removed from view.
Remove a project, a folder, or an album as a favorite
mIn the Library inspector, select a project, a folder, or an album, and choose Remove From
Favorites from the Library Action pop-up menu .
View recently selected items in the Library inspector
mIn the Library inspector, choose Recent Items from the search eld pop-up menu at the
top-left corner.
View all items in the Library inspector again
mIn the Library inspector, choose All Items from the search eld pop-up menu.
Work with the Aperture Trash
All items deleted in Aperture, including projects, albums, folders, versions, and originals, are
placed in the Aperture Trash in the Library inspector. You can retrieve any item from the Trash
until you empty it.
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Delete a version from a project
mSelect a photo, a video clip, or an audio clip, and choose File > Delete Version.
The version is moved to the Trash, along with the original if you deleted its last version.
Delete an original and all its versions from a project
mSelect a photo, a video clip, or an audio clip, and choose File > Delete Original Image and
All Versions.
The original and all versions are moved to the Trash.
Delete only a version from an album
mSelect a photo, a video clip, or an audio clip, and choose Photos > Remove From Album (or
press Delete).
The version is deleted. The original and its other versions are not deleted.
Delete projects and folders
When you delete an item from the Library inspector, the contents of the item are deleted with it.
Note: If you delete a project, the originals contained in the project are also deleted.
1 Select a project or folder.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Delete [item] (or press Command-Delete).
•Drag the item to the Aperture Trash.
The selected item is moved to the Trash in the Library inspector.
Move an item out of the Aperture Trash
If you delete an item in the Library inspector by mistake, it’s easy to x.
Do one of the following:
mDrag the item out of the Aperture Trash.
mControl-click the item in the Aperture Trash, and choose Put Back from the shortcut menu.
The selected item is moved back to its original position in the Library inspector.
Empty the Aperture Trash
After you’ve reviewed the contents of the Aperture Trash and are condent that you no longer
need the items within it, you can empty the Trash. When you empty the Aperture Trash, all of its
photos and videos are placed in the Finder Trash.
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Empty Aperture Trash (or press Shift-Command-Delete).
•Control-click the Aperture Trash, and choose Empty Aperture Trash from the shortcut menu.
A dialog appears, warning you that the items will be removed from the Aperture
Trash permanently.
2 Click Delete.
WARNING: This action cannot be undone, but you can retrieve the originals from the Finder
Trash until you empty it.
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Work with library les
Create new libraries
If the Aperture library becomes large, you can create additional, separate library les to hold
more photos. You can create additional library les in dierent locations on your internal hard
disk or on dierent hard disks. You can also rename library les as needed. Thus, you might have
multiple library les with dierent names in the same location, with Aperture set to access the
library le you want.
Create a new, empty library le in a new location
1 Choose File > Switch to Library > Other/New.
2 In the dialog that appears, click Create New.
3 In the next dialog, enter a name for the library in the Save As eld, choose a location, and
click Create.
View other libraries
When you have multiple Aperture and iPhoto library les accessible to your Aperture system, you
can switch between them and view their contents. You can also choose which library le to use
when you open Aperture.
Important: Aperture can only open and view iPhoto libraries upgraded to iPhoto 9.3 or later.
To upgrade your iPhoto library, open it in iPhoto 9.3 or later. iPhoto upgrades the library
automatically. All cards, books, calendars, and Smart Albums in your iPhoto library can be viewed
but not edited in Aperture. To work with your iPhoto cards, books, calendars, and Smart Albums,
close Aperture and open your iPhoto library in iPhoto.
Access a dierent Aperture or iPhoto library
1 Choose File > Switch to Library > [library lename].
2 If the library you’re looking for doesn’t appear in the Switch to Library submenu, choose
Other/New.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 59
3 In the dialog that appears, select the library you want to open from the list, and click Choose.
Note: You must close iPhoto before opening your iPhoto library in Aperture.
Aperture opens the library you selected.
Choose which library to use while opening Aperture
1 Hold down the Option key while opening Aperture.
A dialog appears, with options for selecting an existing library or creating a new one.
2 Do one of the following:
•To open an Aperture library le shown in the dialog: Select the library le, and click Choose.
•To open an Aperture library le not shown in the dialog: Click the Other Library button, locate the
library le in the dialog that appears, and click Select.
•To open a new, empty library: Click the Create New button, give the library a name in the Save
As eld, select a location for the library, and click Create.
Aperture creates a new, empty library le and opens it.
Merge libraries
If you work with several computers, or work on projects with other people, you may nd it
necessary to transfer projects and albums from one Aperture system to another. Transferring
folders, projects, and albums is a simple export and import process. The items you export are
consolidated into a library le. When you import the library into the second Aperture system,
you can add les, delete les, modify metadata, and make adjustments. When you’re ready to
return the contents of the modied library to the original computer, Aperture merges the two
libraries together.
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Transfer folders, projects, and albums from one computer to another
1 In the Library inspector, select the items you want to transfer, and choose File > Export > Items as
New Library.
Note: Items in the Export menu change depending on what is selected. If you have a single item,
such as an album, selected in the Library inspector, choose File > Export > Album as New Library.
2 Enter a name and choose a location for the exported library.
3 Do any of the following:
•If your project contains referenced images and you want the original les to be available to the new
Aperture system: Select the “Consolidate originals into exported library” checkbox to copy the
original image les into the new library le.
•If you want to copy the previews into the new library so that you don’t have to rebuild them on the
new Aperture system: Select the “Include Previews in exported library” checkbox.
•If you want Aperture to alert you when it nishes building the new library: Select the “Show alert
when nished” checkbox.
4 Click Export Library.
Aperture consolidates the selected items into a library, and the library le is exported to the
location you chose.
5 Connect or network the two computers together, and copy the exported library le to the
second computer.
For more information, see the documentation that came with the computers.
6 Open Aperture on the second computer, and choose File > Switch to Library > [library lename].
You can now work with the exported library from the rst computer on the second computer.
Merge the modied library from the second computer into the library of the rst computer
When you’re ready to merge the modied library on the second computer into the library on the
rst computer, import it into the open library on the rst computer.
1 Follow the steps in the previous task to transfer the modied library on the second computer to
the rst computer.
2 On the rst computer, choose File > Import > Library/Project, locate the modied library le from
the second computer, and click Import.
A dialog appears, giving you the option to merge the imported library with the current library or
add the contents of the imported library to the current library.
3 Click Merge.
A dialog appears, asking you to choose which library to use to resolve potential conicts caused
by the dierences between the libraries.
4 To import the changes in the modied library, choose the library from the second computer.
Aperture imports the modied library from the second computer, merging the changes made
to the projects and albums on the second computer into the same projects and albums on the
rst computer. Any les that were deleted on the second computer, or for some other reason no
longer exist in the library le of the second computer, are moved to the Aperture Trash in the
library of the rst computer.
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Add the contents of the library from the second computer without overwriting the contents
of the library on the rst computer
If you don’t want to overwrite the original projects and albums you exported from the rst
computer with the projects and albums you modied on the second computer, you can add the
modied projects and albums to the library on the rst computer as unique items.
1 Transfer the modied library from the second computer to the rst computer.
2 On the rst computer, choose File > Import > Library/Project, locate the modied library le from
the second computer, and click Import.
A dialog appears, asking you to choose which library to use to resolve potential conicts caused
by the dierences between the libraries.
3 Click Add.
Aperture imports the contents of the modied library from the second computer into the library
of the rst computer. Instead of overwriting the les that changed, Aperture adds the changed
les as additional items. If imported items have the same names as existing items in the Library
inspector, the names of the imported items are appended with “(1).”
Open your library in iPhoto
You can open your library in iPhoto from within Aperture.
Open your library in iPhoto
mChoose File > Open Library in iPhoto.
Aperture closes and iPhoto opens the library you were working with in Aperture.
Work with projects
View projects
You organize your photos in containers called projects. You can view all of your projects in the
Library inspector (as a list under the Projects heading) or in Projects view. Projects view displays
a thumbnail of each project in your library or libraries. Double-clicking a thumbnail opens a
project, displaying all of its photos in the Browser. In Projects view, you can conveniently view,
organize, and sort your projects.
Switch to Projects view
mIn the Library inspector, select the Projects icon.
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Preview the photos in a project quickly
In Projects view, do one of the following:
mSlowly drag the pointer horizontally across the project’s thumbnail.
mSelect the project’s thumbnail, and use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to navigate through
the photos in the project.
Set the key photo for a project
You can set any photo within a project as the key photo displayed in Projects view.
1 Do one of the following:
•Move the pointer slowly over the project’s thumbnail to skim to the photo you want to set as
the key photo.
•Select the project’s thumbnail, and use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to navigate to the
photo you want to set as the key photo.
2 When you locate the photo you’re looking for, press the Space bar.
The selected photo is set as the key photo to represent the project.
Play a slideshow of a project’s photos
You can select a project and play a slideshow to review the photos within it.
1 Do one of the following:
•Select a project’s thumbnail, and choose File > Play Slideshow (or press Shift-S).
•Control-click a project, and choose Play Slideshow from the shortcut menu.
2 In the Play Slideshow dialog, choose a preset from the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu, and
click Start.
A slideshow of the photos in the selected project plays. Press the Space bar to pause and play
the slideshow, and the Escape key to stop the slideshow. For more information about slideshows,
see Slideshows overview on page 376.
View a project’s photos in the Browser
When you locate the project you want to work with in Projects view, you can display the project’s
photos in the Browser.
mIn Projects view, double-click the project.
The Browser replaces Projects view and displays the selected project’s thumbnail images.
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View and change project information in the Info HUD
In Projects view, you can use the Info HUD to add descriptive information about a project and
change the project’s key photo (the thumbnail image that represents the project).
1 If the Aperture main window is not in Projects view, select Projects at the top of the
Library inspector.
2 To open the Info HUD for a project, click the Info button on a project’s thumbnail.
Info button
3 In the Info HUD, do either or both of the following:
•To add descriptive information about the project: Type a description in the text eld to the right
of the project thumbnail.
•To change the key photo for the project: Skim the project thumbnail to locate the photo you
want to set as the key photo, and click the “Click to make key photo” button.
Click to set this photo
as the key photo.
The photo you selected appears as the thumbnail image for the project.
To view or change information for another project, navigate to the project by clicking the
arrow buttons in the bottom-left corner of the Info HUD. To open a project, click the Go to
Project button. To assign location information to a photo, see Places overview.
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Create and delete projects
You can create new projects and delete projects in Projects view.
Create a new project
1 In Projects view, do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Project (or press Command-N).
•Control-click a project, and choose New > Project from the shortcut menu.
•Choose Project from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
2 In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the project in the Project Name eld.
3 Click OK.
The new, empty project opens in the Browser.
Delete a project
In Projects view, do one of the following:
mSelect a project’s thumbnail, and choose File > Delete Project (or press Command-Delete).
mControl-click a project, and choose Delete Project from the shortcut menu.
The selected project is moved to the Aperture Trash. For more information, see Work with the
Aperture Trash on page 56.
Organize and sort projects in Projects view
You can organize your projects by the year the photos were created. If you organize your
projects in folders in the Library inspector, you can group your projects by the folders they reside
in. You can sort projects by name, in ascending and descending order, and in the order in which
the projects appear from top to bottom in the Library inspector. If you have a large number of
projects in your library, you can search for a specic project, removing the others from view.
If you have more than one project documenting the same subject and you want to consolidate
the projects into a single project, you can merge the projects.
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Group projects by year or by folder
mTo group projects by year: Click the Group by Year button at the top of Projects view.
mTo group projects by folder: Click the Group by Folder button at the top of Projects view.
When you group projects by year or by folder, the number of projects and photos for each year
or folder is displayed in the top-right corner of each group’s row. Click the adjacent arrow button
to display projects for a single year or folder only.
Arrow button
To return to full display of projects for all years or folders, click the Projects button at the top of
the main window in Projects view.
Projects button
Sort projects automatically in Projects view
mTo sort projects by name: Choose Name from the Sorting pop-up menu in the top-left corner of
Projects view.
mTo sort projects in ascending order by the date the photos were captured: Choose Date – Newest First
from the Sorting pop-up menu.
mTo sort projects in descending order by the date the photos were captured: Choose Date – Oldest First
from the Sorting pop-up menu.
mTo sort projects by the order in which they appear in the Library inspector: Choose Library from the
Sorting pop-up menu.
Sort projects manually in Projects view
1 Choose Manual from the Sorting pop-up menu in the top-left corner of Projects view.
2 In the Browser, select a project and drag it to a new position.
A green line indicates the project’s new position.
Search for projects
mIn Projects view, enter the name of the project you want to locate in the search eld.
All projects are removed from view except for the project or projects matching the name in the
search eld. To display all projects again, click the Reset button (with an X) in the search eld.
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Import photos into projects
You can import les, as well as Aperture projects and libraries, into a project selected in
Projects view.
Import les into a project
In Projects view, do one of the following:
mSelect a project’s thumbnail, and choose File > Import > Files (or press Command-I).
mControl-click a project, and choose Import > Files from the shortcut menu.
The Import browser appears with the project selected in the Destination pop-up menu. For more
information about importing les, see Importing photos overview on page 27.
Import another project or an Aperture library into a project
1 In Projects view, Control-click a project, and choose Import > Library or Import > Folders as
Projects from the shortcut menu.
2 In the dialog that appears, select the project or library that you want to merge into the project
selected in Projects view, and click Import.
The project or library is merged into the project selected in Projects view. For more information,
see Merge libraries on page 59.
Merge projects
If you create multiple projects and then later decide that the content spread among the projects
belongs in a single project, you can select the projects in the Library inspector or in Projects view
and merge them into one project.
Merge projects in the Library inspector
1 In the Library inspector, select the projects you want to merge by Shift-clicking adjacent projects
or Command-clicking nonadjacent projects.
2 Choose File > Merge Projects.
A dialog appears, indicating which project the selected projects will be merged into.
3 Click Merge.
The content in the selected projects is merged into the topmost selected project in the
Library inspector.
Merge projects in Projects view
In Projects view, do one of the following:
mSelect a project or projects, drag them into the project that you want to contain the other
project or projects, and click Merge in the dialog that appears.
mSelect the projects you want to merge, choose File > Merge Projects, and click Merge in the
dialog that appears.
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Duplicate a project structure
If you routinely use the same project structure populated with the same types of albums and
folders, you can duplicate the structure of an existing project and create a new, empty project
with the same arrangement of albums and folders. If the project you’re duplicating has Smart
Albums, the settings for those Smart Albums are duplicated as well. For more information about
Smart Albums, see Collect photos in a new Smart Album on page 15 6 .
Duplicate a project structure
1 In the Library inspector, select the project whose structure you want to copy.
2 Choose File > Duplicate Project Structure.
The project and all of its subordinate items, such as albums, folders, and Smart Albums, are
duplicated along with their names. However, the duplicated project contains no photos, audio
clips, or video clips.
3 Double-click the name of each duplicated item in the new project to give it a new name.
Double-click the item’s
name to rename it.
Work with referenced images
A referenced image is a photo whose original isn’t stored in the Aperture library. You create a
referenced image by specifying a location outside of the library when you import the image.
Aperture tracks the locations of referenced images and works with them in the same way as
with images in the library, except that referenced originals are not backed up when you back
up your library. You can identify referenced images in Aperture by turning on referenced image
badge overlays.
A referenced image is online if Aperture can access its original. Referenced images remain
online even if you rename them or move their originals to another location on the same hard
disk or volume. If you disconnect the disk that holds a referenced original, move the original to
the Finder Trash, or move the original to a dierent hard disk or volume, the referenced image
becomes oine (unavailable). When an original is oine, Aperture draws the thumbnail image
rst, and then the preview if it exists. Because the preview is high quality, you can zoom and
even use the Loupe. However, you can’t make adjustments until you either reconnect the disk
that holds the original or use Aperture to reconnect to the original in its new location.
You can copy, move, delete, and search for referenced images in your Aperture projects using the
same procedures you use for other Aperture versions and originals. When you copy a version of
a referenced image in Aperture, a new version is created and tracked in the Aperture library. No
new les are recorded on the hard disk in the location of the referenced image’s original. When
you move a referenced image between projects on your Aperture system, the referenced original
remains in its original location on your hard disk.
If you decide that it would be more convenient to store referenced originals in the Aperture
library (for example, so that you can back them up to vaults), you can have Aperture move or
copy the les to the library.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 68
When you delete a referenced original from Aperture, you can specify whether the photo’s
version is placed in the Aperture Trash. When you empty the Aperture Trash, the link to the
original is deleted, but the original remains in its current location in the Finder.
Identify referenced images
After you import referenced images, you can identify them in the Browser by turning on
referenced image badge overlays. Referenced images appear with badges that show whether
their originals are currently online (available) or oine (unavailable).
These badge overlays
indicate the photos are
referenced images.
This badge overlay
indicates the photo is an
offline referenced image.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
2 In the Preferences window, click Appearance and select the “Badge referenced items” checkbox.
See a list of referenced images in a selection
When working with a selection of photos in the Browser, you may need to determine which
photos have originals that reside in the Aperture library and which are referenced images whose
originals are located elsewhere on your hard disks. You can select a group of photos in the
Browser and show a list of the referenced images within the selection, along with their locations.
1 In the Browser, select a group of photos.
2 Choose File > Locate Referenced Files.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 69
The Referenced Files In Selection dialog appears.
This column shows
the names of hard
disks where referenced
originals are located.
This column
identifies the hard
disk location of the
referenced originals.
The specific photo
and metadata to help
you identify the file
are displayed here.
These columns identify how
many originals for referenced
images are on the hard disk,
and how many are not found.
Locate a referenced image’s original in the Finder
At times, you may need to quickly nd a referenced image’s original on your hard disk to copy
or move it, attach it to an email, or otherwise work with it outside of Aperture. You can select a
photo in the Browser and display the location of the photo’s original in the Finder.
1 Select a referenced image in the Browser.
2 Choose File > Show in Finder.
A Finder window appears, displaying the le path for the referenced original.
Note: If you open a referenced image’s original from the Finder in another application, you won’t
see the changes or adjustments you’ve made to the image in Aperture. Your changes appear
in versions stored in the Aperture library, and the referenced image’s original is always left
unchanged. To see the adjusted photo, you need to export a version of it.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 70
Reconnect oine referenced images
If you disconnected a hard disk drive that holds referenced image’s originals, you can reconnect
the drive to your computer, and Aperture automatically reconnects the originals.
If a photo is oine or modied in some way that makes it unrecognizable as the original
referenced image, you can still select it and have Aperture reconnect the original.
1 Reconnect the hard disk drive holding the referenced originals, or otherwise locate or make the
les available to Aperture for reconnecting.
2 Select the project that contains the oine photos you want to reconnect, or select the oine
photos in the Browser.
3 Choose File > Locate Referenced Files.
4 If necessary, click the Show Reconnect Options button.
Select the volume you want here,
and navigate to the location of the
file on the hard disk.
5 At the top of the dialog, select the le path for the original that you want to reconnect.
A thumbnail of the photo and some identifying metadata appear.
6 In the bottom half of the dialog, navigate to the location of the referenced image’s original on
the hard disk and select the original.
You can follow the le path listed for a selected photo in the top of the dialog.
When you select the le, a thumbnail of the photo and metadata appear, allowing you to
compare them to the thumbnail and metadata in the upper part of the dialog to make sure
you’ve selected the correct le.
7 Click Reconnect to reconnect a specic photo, or click Reconnect All to reconnect all
selected photos.
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Move originals for referenced images to a new location
You can easily move referenced originals to new locations on the same hard disk or a dierent
hard disk.
1 In the Browser, select the referenced images whose originals you want to move.
2 Choose File > Relocate Originals.
3 Select a folder location in the dialog that appears.
4 To specify that the les be stored as separate, individual les in the selected folder, choose None
from the Subfolders pop-up menu.
You can also specify that Aperture create a hierarchy of subfolders with specic folder names to
store your les. For more information about creating folders to hold your imported image les,
see Import originals for referenced images into folders on page 46.
5 To specify how you want the originals named, choose a naming convention from the Name
Format pop-up menu.
For example, choose Original File Name from the Name Format pop-up menu to have your les
stored using the original lenames from your camera or card. Choose a custom name format to
have your originals stored using a specied name. If you choose a custom name format, enter
the name you want in the Custom Name eld. For more information about naming les, see
Automatically name imported photos on page 37.
6 Click Relocate Originals.
Move referenced originals to the Aperture library
If you have originals stored in dierent hard disk locations but want to work with them all stored
in the Aperture library, you can select the referenced images in the Browser and move their
originals to the library. Aperture manages all aspects of originals stored in the library, keeping
them always available and allowing you to back them up in your vaults.
1 In the Browser, select the referenced images whose originals you want to move to the library.
2 Choose File > Consolidate Originals.
3 Choose whether you want the image les moved or copied into the Aperture library by clicking
the “Move les” or “Copy les” button.
4 Click Continue.
Search for photos by le status
You can search for photos using their le status. For example, you can search for photos that are
referenced images, managed images, and online or oine images.
1 In the Library inspector, select an item you want to search.
2 Show the Filter HUD by doing one of the following:
•Choose Edit > Find (or press Command-F).
•Click the Filter HUD button beside the search eld in the Browser.
3 In the Filter HUD, choose File Status from the Add Rule pop-up menu in the top-right corner, and
select the “File status” checkbox.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 72
4 Deselect any checkboxes that aren’t part of your query, and choose a le status from the “File
status” pop-up menu.
Select the “File status” checkbox
and choose the file status you
want to search for.
5 Choose Any from the pop-up menu in the top-left corner.
The photos that match the search criteria appear in the Browser.
Back up the library
Plan your backup system
As you begin working with Aperture, it’s important to perform regular backups of your photos.
Using the Aperture backup system, you can create backups and update them whenever you
wish. Aperture tracks your backups and indicates how up to date your most recent backup is.
In the rare event of equipment failure or an unforeseen catastrophe such as a re or weather-
related damage, you can easily restore the entire Aperture library onto your computer or a
new computer.
You set Aperture to back up a copy of the library to a designated storage area called a vault. For
safety and redundancy, use external hard disks to hold your vaults. You can create as many vaults
as you deem necessary.
When you back up your photos, Aperture makes a complete copy of the library in its current
state. If you remove items from the library, those items are removed from the backup when it is
next updated.
All originals for managed images, all versions, and all metadata, previews, and adjustment
information associated with your photos are backed up. The versions, previews, and metadata
associated with referenced images are also backed up in the vault.
Important: Referenced images’ originals are not backed up in the vault with the library. Because
the originals for referenced images are stored outside of the library, you must manage the
backup and archiving of them yourself.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 73
A typical backup system used with Aperture might look like the following:
Office Remote location
Aperture library
(internal disk)
Vault
(external disk)
Vault
(kept offsite and
updated regularly)
This system backs up the Aperture library to two vaults stored on external hard disks. You
routinely back up the library on one external hard disk. You use the second hard disk as a backup
that you keep osite. You can then rotate your onsite external hard disk with the osite hard disk
to keep all your vaults updated.
To set up your Aperture backup system, you need to do the following:
•Determine the number of vaults you need. For example, do you need one for routine backups,
one for weekly backups, and one for osite storage?
•Determine the number of hard disks you need for routine backups.
•Determine the number of hard disks you’ll use for storing backups osite.
•Connect your hard disk drives to your computer.
•Open Aperture and create the vaults you need, assigning a hard disk to each vault.
•Update the new, empty vaults with copies of the Aperture library.
•Disconnect one of the vault hard disks and take it to an osite location for safekeeping.
When planning the amount of storage space you’ll need, estimate the amount of disk space
needed to hold your existing digital images (photos you plan to import into Aperture) and the
amount of space you might need for new projects. For example, RAW images typically require 8
to 25 or more megabytes (MB) of disk space per le. Estimating the number of photos in a typical
project and the number of projects you usually create in a year, you can make a rough estimate
of what might represent a year’s storage space.
Create and update vaults
Before you can back up your les, you must create a vault and assign a hard disk to it. After
you assign a disk to the vault, Aperture uses the vault to back up the entire library. You can
create additional vaults and assign hard disks to them, and each additional vault also records a
complete backup of the library.
Show the Vault pane
Do one of the following:
mChoose Window > Show Vaults (or press Shift-R).
mClick the Show Vaults button below the Library inspector.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 74
Create a new vault
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Vault > Add Vault.
•Choose Add Vault from the Vault Action pop-up menu below the Library inspector.
Vault Action pop-up menu
A dialog appears, listing the number of managed les that will be backed up to the vault and
the number of referenced les that will not be included.
2 Click Continue.
3 In the Add Vault dialog, enter a name for the vault, choose a location to save it, and click Add.
The new, empty vault appears in the Vault pane.
Important: To ensure preservation of your photos, make sure to assign a separate external hard
disk drive to each vault.
Update a new, empty vault
When you create a new vault, it’s empty. As soon as you create a new vault, you should update it.
mIn the Vault pane, click the Vault Status button to the right of the vault’s name.
See the hard disk assigned to a vault
mIn the Vault pane, click the disclosure triangle beside the vault name.
Disclosure triangle
You can easily see the amount of free space your vault has available next to the vault name.
Make sure to assign enough disk space to the vault to ensure a complete backup of the library
and to allow the library to grow as you import new photos over time.
Update all connected vaults
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Vault > Update All Vaults.
•In the Vault pane, click the Update All Vaults button.
2 In the dialog that appears, click Update.
Update an existing vault
1 In the Vault pane, select the vault you want to update.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose Update Vault from the Vault Action pop-up menu .
•Click the Vault Status button beside the vault name.
3 In the dialog that appears, click Update.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 75
Permanently remove a vault and delete its information
You can delete an entire vault and all the photos on it when you need to recongure your
backup system. This is useful when you have moved your backup vault to a larger-capacity hard
disk and you want to delete the vault information from the current hard disk drive to use it for
other purposes.
1 In the Vault pane, select the vault you want to remove.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Vault > Remove Vault.
•Choose Remove Vault from the Vault Action pop-up menu .
A dialog appears, asking if you want to remove the vault.
3 Click one of the following buttons:
•Remove and Delete: When you click this button, Aperture no longer tracks the vault, and the
vault’s les are deleted from your hard disk.
•Remove: When you click this button, Aperture no longer tracks the vault, but the vault’s les
remain on the hard disk.
Disconnect and reconnect vaults
You may routinely disconnect a backup hard disk drive from your Aperture system and take it to
a safe osite location. When you disconnect a backup hard disk from your computer, Aperture
takes the associated vault oine. When you reconnect the hard disk, Aperture automatically
detects the hard disk and connects it to the corresponding vault.
Disconnect a vault’s hard disk drive from your Aperture system
1 In the Finder, drag the icon for the hard disk drive to the Trash, or select the disk in the sidebar
of a Finder window and click the Eject button.
2 Disconnect the hard disk drive from your computer.
Specify a vault’s new location or path
1 Connect the hard disk drive to your computer.
2 To show the Vault pane, do one of the following:
•Choose Window > Show Vaults (or press Shift-R).
•Click the Show Vaults button below the Library inspector.
3 Select the vault to be updated to a new path.
4 Choose Update Vault Path from the Vault Action pop-up menu .
5 Navigate to the location of the vault on the hard disk drive, select it, and click Update Path.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 76
Restore your Aperture library
If you experience equipment failure or other unexpected events, such as re or weather-related
damage to your computer, you can easily restore your Aperture library from a vault stored on a
backup disk. You can also use the backup disk to transfer your library to another computer that
has Aperture installed.
Restore the entire library from an external backup disk
1 Connect the hard disk drive that contains the most up-to-date vault to your computer, and
open Aperture.
2 Choose File > Vault > Restore Library.
The Restore Library dialog appears.
3 Choose the vault you want to use to restore your library from the Source Vault pop-up menu.
If the vault doesn’t appear in the Source Vault pop-up menu, choose Select Source Vault from the
Source Vault pop-up menu, navigate to the vault’s location in the Select Source Vault dialog, and
click Select.
4 Click Restore, and then click Restore again.
Repair and rebuild your Aperture library
In the rare event that your Aperture database becomes corrupted or the les within it have
permissions issues, Aperture provides a few methods for reconstituting your Aperture library and
the le relationships within it.
Repair or rebuild your Aperture library
1 Close Aperture, if it’s open.
2 Locate the Aperture library you want to x, and then hold down the Command and Option keys
while double-clicking the Aperture library.
The Photo Library First Aid dialog appears.
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Chapter 3 Work with projects and the library 77
3 Do one of the following:
•To repair the permissions of the les within your Aperture library: Select Repair Permissions.
This option should be used when Aperture can’t access some of the image les within the
database or is unable to open the library. The Repair Permissions option reviews each le
in your Aperture library and sets the read-and-write access of each le where appropriate,
allowing Aperture to access the les again.
Note: This option does not relocate referenced images whose original image les are oine.
For more information about reconnecting oine images, see Work with referenced images on
page 67.
•To repair your Aperture library le: Select Repair Database.
This is the rst option you should use if you believe there is something wrong with the
Aperture library other than image le access issues.
•To rebuild your database from scratch: Select Rebuild Database.
Rebuilding large libraries can be time-consuming; use this option if you’ve tried repairing
your database and the issues with your library persist. Aperture examines the library’s entire
database and rebuilds each component until it reconstitutes your original Aperture library.
4 Depending on your selection, click Repair or Rebuild.
Aperture either xes le permissions within the library or repairs or rebuilds the library, and then
opens the application workspace.
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78
Browser overview
After a shoot, you may need to sort through hundreds or even thousands of photos in a project.
Aperture provides ecient methods for increasing your productivity when working with large
numbers of photos.
When you select a project, a folder, or an album in the Library inspector, thumbnails of its photos
appear in the Browser. You select photos in the Browser to work with them. You can move and
rearrange photos, rotate photos, make new versions, and delete photos from a project.
Sorting
pop-up menu Search field
Thumbnail Resize slider
Grid View and
List View buttons
Tool strip
Aperture provides fast and ecient ways of selecting photos in the Browser. You can use the
arrow keys to quickly select a photo or multiple photos to work on. You can also select photos
by clicking, dragging a selection rectangle, and using keyboard shortcuts. If using Aperture with
a trackpad, you can use the swipe gesture to select photos. For more information about using
gestures with Aperture, see Use gestures with Aperture on page 487.
Organize and sort photos
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Chapter 4 Organize and sort photos 79
In the Browser, you can display thumbnails in any of three views:
•Filmstrip view: Displays a single row of photos that you can select and navigate through.
Viewer
Browser in
filmstrip view
•Grid view: Displays thumbnails of your photos in a grid pattern. Use grid view when it’s easiest
to identify your photos by sight and work with thumbnails as you organize, stack, or assign
keywords to photos.
•List view: Displays a list of your photos with associated le information. Use list view when you
need to see or sort your photos by corresponding le properties such as image date, le size,
or rating.
Photos displayed in list
view in the Browser
List view is a great way to quickly see information about your les. You can also use list view to
sort your photos by any of the column categories. Click a column heading to sort your photos
by that category.
You can also customize the information that appears with your photos in the Browser. For
example, you can set your photos to appear with the lename as well as the IPTC data and
EXIF data. You can change what information appears in the Browser in grid view, list view, and
lmstrip view by customizing the Metadata options in the Browser & Viewer Metadata window.
For more information, see Metadata overlays overview on page 201.
For information about changing the conguration of Aperture window layouts, see Change the
main window layout on page 474.
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Chapter 4 Organize and sort photos 80
Navigate through and select photos
Navigate through photos in the Browser
You can select one or more thumbnail-size photos in the Browser, and then modify them
in the Browser or see them in a larger format in the Viewer. Photos selected in the Browser
are highlighted with a white border. When you select a group of photos, the most recently
selected photo, called the primary selection, appears with a thicker white border than the
other selected photos.
All selected photos
display a white border.
A thick white border
surrounds the
primary selection.
Navigate through photos
Do one of the following:
mPress an arrow key to move left, right, up, or down in the Browser.
mUse the scroll bar to scroll through the photos in the Browser, then click the photo you want
to view.
mChoose Window > Show Control Bar to display the control bar. In the control bar, click the Move
Selection Left or Move Selection Right button.
Move Selection Left
Move Selection Right
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Chapter 4 Organize and sort photos 81
Select photos
Selecting photos in the Browser is a fundamental task in Aperture. Knowing the many ways
you can select photos can help increase your productivity and satisfaction while working with
your photos.
You can select photos in the following ways.
Task Action
Select a single photo •Click the photo.
•Press the arrow keys to navigate to the photo.
Select a range of photos •Select the rst photo, then choose Edit > Select to
End (or press Shift-End) to extend the selection to
the last photo in the Browser.
•Select the last photo in a range, then choose Edit >
Select to Beginning (or press Shift-Home) to extend
the selection to the rst photo in the Browser.
•Click the rst photo in a range, then Shift-click the
last photo.
•Press the arrow keys to select the rst photo, then
press Shift and an arrow key to select the last
photo in the range.
•Drag a selection rectangle to select all the photos
that fall within the rectangle.
Select a photo among selected photos •Press Semicolon (;) or press Option–Command–
Left Arrow to select the previous photo in the
selection. Press Apostrophe (’) or press Option–
Command–Right Arrow to select the next photo
in the selection.
Select a photo in a stack •Press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key.
Select nonadjacent photos •Command-click the photos you want to select.
Command-click the photos again to deselect them.
Slide a selection •Press Command–Left Arrow or Command–Right
Arrow to slide the current selection over by one
photo. For example, you can move a three-photo
selection left or right by one photo at a time.
Select the next stack •With a stack selected, press Option–Page Up or
Option–Page Down.
Select or set a compare photo •Select the photo, then press Option-O.
Deselect the compare photo •Press Command-Return.
Select a dierent compare photo •Select the photo you want as a compare photo,
then press Return.
Select all photos in the Browser •Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).
Select only the primary photo, deselecting all others •Choose Edit > Reduce Selection (or press Shift-E).
Deselect all photos in the Browser •Choose Edit > Deselect All (or press
Shift-Command-A).
•Click the gray background of the Browser.
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Chapter 4 Organize and sort photos 82
Navigate through photos in Quick Preview mode
As you work with photos in the Browser and Viewer, you can set Aperture to display JPEG
representations of the photos called previews. Because the preview’s le size is smaller than that
of the original photo, Aperture can display the photo more quickly. For example, the thumbnails
in the Browser are preview representations of the originals, reduced to thumbnail size.
Likewise, when you select a photo in the Viewer, Aperture rst displays a preview photo as it
reads the larger original on disk. It then displays the full original after the image is decoded.
This process of displaying the previews and then the originals can be nearly instantaneous, or,
depending on the size of your originals, there can be a short delay in the nal display.
For more information about creating and working with previews, see Preview images
overview on page 494.
To speed up the access and display of photos, you can turn on Quick Preview mode. In Quick
Preview mode, Aperture displays preview photos only, without reading the larger originals. You
can use Quick Preview mode to rapidly move to and select dierent photos. For example, you
might use Quick Preview mode to quickly select and stack photos, add keywords, or change
other metadata. When using Quick Preview mode, however, there are some things you can’t do,
such as make adjustments to photos. In Quick Preview mode, tools and functions that aren’t
available appear dimmed. Depending on your task, you may nd switching to Quick Preview
mode a great way to gain speedy access to photos.
Turn on Quick Preview mode
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Quick Preview (or press P).
mClick the Quick Preview button in the tool strip.
The Quick Preview button in the tool strip turns yellow, and the border around the photo
selection in the Browser changes from white to yellow.
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Chapter 4 Organize and sort photos 83
Change the Browser view
Work with photos in lmstrip view
Filmstrip view, the default view for the Browser, displays the photos in your selection in the
Library inspector as a strip of thumbnails under the Viewer. You can use lmstrip view in
combination with the Viewer to quickly scroll from photo to photo, making changes and
comparing photos. For example, you can select several photos in a row, group them in a stack,
apply ratings, and compare them side by side in the Viewer. You can use the Right Arrow and Left
Arrow keys to quickly move from photo to photo, and you can use the scroll bar and the Shuttle
control to scroll through photos. You can resize the thumbnails in the lmstrip by dragging the
top of the lmstrip to enlarge its area.
Viewer
Browser in
filmstrip view
Switch to lmstrip view
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Browser > Filmstrip (or press Control-F).
mClick the Filmstrip View button in the Browser.
Note: The main window must be set to the Split View layout in order to access the lmstrip in
the Browser. When the main window is set to Browser, the Filmstrip View button disappears.
Shuttle continuously through the photos in lmstrip view
mPress J to shuttle left, press K to stop shuttling, or press L to shuttle right.
Note: Pressing J or L multiple times increases the shuttle speed.
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Chapter 4 Organize and sort photos 84
Work with photos in grid view
Grid view displays the photos in your selection in the Library inspector as a grid of thumbnails
in the Browser. You can use grid view when you want to review large thumbnail photos quickly.
Setting the Aperture main window to show the Browser by itself provides the maximum amount
of space to dedicate to viewing thumbnails. You may want to adjust the size of the thumbnails to
a size convenient for selecting and working with them. If your selection in the Library inspector
has many photos, you can also use the Shuttle control or the scroll bar to scroll through
the photos.
For more information about setting the Aperture main window to show the Browser by itself, see
Change the main window layout on page 474.
Thumbnail Resize slider
Scroll bar
Switch to grid view
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Browser > Grid (or press Control-G).
mClick the Grid View button in the Browser.
Adjust the thumbnail size
mDrag the Thumbnail Resize slider to increase or decrease the size of the thumbnails.
Shuttle continuously through the photos in grid view
mPress J to shuttle left, press K to stop shuttling, or press L to shuttle right.
Note: Pressing J or L multiple times increases the shuttle speed.
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Lighten or darken the background of the Browser
Depending on your work preferences, you may want to lighten or darken the background that
your thumbnails appear against in the Browser. The darker the background, the less it interferes
with the colors in your photo. It’s a good idea to set the background to a dark color when
performing color adjustments to your photo. You can darken the background from shades of
gray all the way to black, or lighten it from gray to white.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
2 In the Preferences window, click Appearance and drag the Browser Background Brightness slider
to lighten or darken the background, then close the window.
Work with photos in list view
Instead of displaying thumbnails, list view displays photos by name and icon with accompanying
information such as rating, image dimensions, le size, and date.
Switch to list view
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Browser > List (or press Control-L).
mClick the List View button in the Browser.
Choose what type of information is displayed in list view
1 Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
2 In the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, choose a list view option from the View pop-up menu.
Disclosure triangle
3 In the Metadata Fields column, click the disclosure triangles next to the main groups of metadata
to reveal the options within them.
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4 Specify the type of metadata that appears in list view by selecting the checkboxes
corresponding to each type (and deselecting the checkboxes for metadata items you
want to remove).
Each metadata item selected in the Metadata Fields column in the Browser & Viewer Metadata
dialog appears as a column in list view.
5 If necessary, rearrange the order in which the metadata columns are displayed by dragging the
metadata items up or down in the Display Order column.
The order of metadata selections in the Display Order column from top to bottom corresponds
to the order of columns in the Browser in list view from left to right. Moving an item up in the
Display Order column moves the metadata column to the left in list view.
“Badges” is moved
and will appear
after “Keywords.”
6 When you’re satised with your metadata selections and the order in which they will be
displayed in list view, click OK.
Rearrange the metadata columns in list view
You can rearrange the metadata columns to keep the most important information in view.
mSelect the column’s header and drag the column to a new position.
The Date column
is being dragged.
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Sort photos in list view by a category
One of the main advantages of list view is that you can quickly sort photos based on a category
of information. When you click a column heading in list view, Aperture reorders the photos,
sorting them by that category. For example, you might sort your photos by date.
mClick the category column heading in the Browser.
Photos in list view
sorted by date
Enlarge the thumbnail icons in list view
When you work in list view, it may sometimes be dicult to determine the content of a photo
based on the le information. You can enlarge the thumbnail icons that appear in list view to
give you a better look at the photos.
mDrag the Thumbnail Resize slider to increase or decrease the size of the icons.
Rename a photo version in list view
You can easily rename les after importing them. When you rename a le, you are renaming the
photo version, not the original. The lename of the original does not change.
mSelect a photo, then double-click the photo’s version name and enter a new name.
Work with two Browsers open
You can work with two items in the Library inspector open at once, splitting the Browser into a
separate pane for each item.
Project tab
Split the Browser into two panes
mSelect one item in the Library inspector, and Option-click a second item in the Library inspector.
The Browser splits into two panes and shows thumbnail images for both items.
You can also set dierent display options for each pane. For example, one pane may show photos
in grid view and the other in list view. You may nd that working with multiple Browser panes
open allows you to easily copy or transfer the contents of one item in the Library inspector to
another. You can also open multiple items in the Library inspector and display their contents in a
single Browser. For more information about opening and closing multiple projects, see Open and
close items in the Library inspector on page 54.
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Set up and arrange photos
Rearrange and sort photos in the Browser
As you work with photos in the Browser, you can move and rearrange them into any order or
grouping you like. For example, you might want to keep all related photos of a wedding project,
such as the cake cutting, in close proximity to allow you to easily sort through the best ones and
then adjust them.
You can drag photos to new locations in the Browser. When you drag photos to new locations,
you create a custom arrangement of your photos, and the Sorting pop-up menu changes to
show the Manual option. Aperture records the order of your photos, and whenever you choose
Manual from the Sorting pop-up menu, your photos reappear in that order.
You can also change the order of photos in the Browser based on photo properties such as
lename, le size, date, color label, rating, and more. For example, when displaying photos by
lename, Aperture places the photos in alphabetical order. You might also order the photos by
date or time. You choose the sort property from the Sorting pop-up menu in grid view, list view,
and lmstrip view.
Choose the sort property
and direction from the
Sorting pop-up menu.
Rearrange photos in the Browser
mIn grid view: Drag the photos you want to rearrange to a new location; when the green bar
appears, release the mouse button.
mIn list view: Drag the photos you want to rearrange to a new location; when the blue bar appears,
release the mouse button.
Restore a manual arrangement of your photos in the Browser
mChoose Manual from the Sorting pop-up menu.
Aperture remembers the last time you moved photos and restores that arrangement.
Change the displayed order of photos in the Browser
mChoose a sort property from the Sorting pop-up menu. Choose Ascending or Descending to
specify an ascending or descending sort order.
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Rotate photos
When photos are imported into a project, some may be displayed in an incorrect orientation,
requiring you to rotate them. The tool strip provides a Rotate tool for rotating selected photos
counterclockwise. You can rotate photos individually or select a group and rotate them all at
once. You can also select photos and quickly rotate them using keyboard shortcuts.
Rotate photos individually
Do one of the following:
mSelect the photo you want to rotate, then choose Photos > Rotate Counterclockwise (or press [),
or choose Photos > Rotate Clockwise (or press ]).
mSelect a photo and click the Rotate tool in the tool strip to rotate the photo counterclockwise, or
Option-click the Rotate tool to rotate the photo clockwise.
mMake sure no photos are selected, then select the Rotate tool in the tool strip, and click a photo
to rotate it counterclockwise, or Option-click a photo to rotate it clockwise.
Rotate a group of selected photos
Do one of the following:
mSelect a group of photos, then choose Photos > Rotate Counterclockwise (or press [), or choose
Photos > Rotate Clockwise (or press ]).
mSelect a group of photos, then click the Rotate tool in the tool strip to rotate the photos
counterclockwise, or Option-click the Rotate tool to rotate the photos clockwise.
Create versions of a photo
Occasionally, you may want to make a second version of a photo. For example, you might want
to create another version of a photo and apply dierent exposure settings or other adjustments,
or change it for a specic use, such as for placement in a webpage or book.
You create a new photo version by duplicating either the original image or the currently selected
version. When you duplicate a version, all of the changes you’ve made to the rst version are
carried over to the new version. If you’ve made a series of adjustments to a photo and now
you want to start from the original photo and make dierent adjustments, you can duplicate
the original and start with a fresh, unchanged photo. In contrast, if you plan to use the same
adjustments in multiple versions, you can make those adjustments rst and then duplicate the
version with the adjustments applied.
Create a new version from an original
1 Select the photo you want to duplicate.
2 Choose Photos > New Version From Original (or press Option-G).
Duplicate the selected photo version
1 Select the photo you want to duplicate.
2 Choose Photos > Duplicate Version (or press Option-V).
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Delete photos from the Browser
If necessary, you can delete versions and even originals.
When deleting photos, you can:
•Remove a version of the photo from an album, leaving any other versions in their original
locations in the library
•Delete versions from within a stack
•Delete a version from a project
•Delete originals
Remove a version from an album
mSelect the version and choose Photos > Remove From Album (or press Delete).
Delete an original
When a photo is represented in the Browser by a single version, you can select the version and
delete it, and the corresponding original is deleted as well.
1 Select a version.
2 Choose File > Delete Version (or press Command-Delete).
The original and its version are moved to the Aperture Trash. For more information, see Work
with the Aperture Trash on page 56.
Delete a version from a stack
When you create new versions of a photo, you can set Aperture to group the versions in a
stack—a set of related photos that can be shown side by side in the Browser for comparison
purposes. You can delete a version from such a version stack. For more information, see Create
stacks on page 93.
1 Click the Stack button to open the stack, and select the version you want to delete.
2 Choose File > Delete Version (or press Command-Delete).
The deleted version is moved to the Aperture Trash. For more information, see Work with the
Aperture Trash on page 56.
Delete a version from a project
mSelect a photo, a video clip, or an audio clip, and choose File > Delete Version.
The version is moved to the Trash, along with the original if you deleted its last version.
Delete a version stack and its original
You can select a stack containing versions of the same image and delete all the image versions in
the stack as well as the original.
1 Select the stack you want to delete.
2 Choose File > Delete Original Image and All Versions.
The original and all its versions are moved to the Aperture Trash. For more information, see Work
with the Aperture Trash on page 56.
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Recover a deleted photo
If you accidentally delete a photo you meant to keep, and you can’t recover it by choosing Undo,
you may be able to recover it from the Aperture Trash.
1 In the Library inspector, select Trash.
All photos currently in the Aperture Trash are displayed in the Browser.
2 Do one of the following:
•Drag the photo you accidentally deleted back to its original project.
•Control-click the accidentally deleted photo and choose Put Back from the submenu.
If you’ve already emptied the Aperture Trash, you may be able to recover the photo from the
Finder Trash. If you’ve already emptied the Finder Trash, but you backed up your library before
deleting the photo, you may be able to restore the project containing the deleted photo from
the vault. If you updated your vault after emptying the Aperture Trash, the vault won’t contain
the deleted photo.
Rename original image les
At times, you may want to rename original image les to match the names you’ve assigned to
the photo versions in Aperture. Although Aperture keeps track of your originals regardless of
what they are named, it’s often useful for your image lenames to match inside and outside of
Aperture—especially when the originals are referenced images. For more information about
working with referenced images, see Work with referenced images on page 67.
Rename originals
1 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos.
2 Choose Metadata > Batch Change (or press Shift-Command-B).
3 In the Batch Change dialog, choose a naming convention from the Version Name Format pop-up
menu to specify how you want the originals named.
For example, choose Version Name from the Version Name Format pop-up menu to have your
original lenames changed to match the names of the corresponding versions in Aperture. If
you choose a custom name format, enter the name you want in the Custom Name text eld. For
more information about naming les, see Automatically name imported photos on page 37.
4 Select the Apply to Original Files checkbox, then click OK.
The original les corresponding to the selected photos are renamed. For more information about
working with the Batch Change dialog, see Batch change metadata on page 212 .
Drag photos into dierent projects and albums
You can drag photos into dierent projects and albums. Depending on where you drag a photo,
Aperture either moves or copies the photo to the new location.
As a general rule, when you drag a photo into a dierent project, Aperture moves the photo into
the new project.
When you drag a photo into a dierent album, Aperture creates a duplicate version of the photo
and places it in the album. A photo can be copied into any album in the same project or into
albums in dierent projects. The destination album can be an album, book album, Light Table
album, slideshow, or web journal or webpage album.
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Copy a photo into a dierent album
mDrag the photo into another album in the Library inspector.
Move a photo into a dierent project
mDrag the photo into another project in the Library inspector.
Copy a photo into a dierent project
mOption-drag the photo into another project in the Library inspector.
You can also drag photos out of Smart Albums. If you drag a photo from a Smart Album into
another album, the version is copied to the new location. If you drag a photo into a project
dierent from the project that contains the Smart Album, Aperture moves the photo to the
destination project. All links to versions in other albums are maintained. For more information
about working with Smart Albums, see Collect photos in a new Smart Album on page 15 6 .
Stack photos and make picks
Stacking photos overview
To capture a specic moment in time, such as a bride and groom kissing or a student soccer
player kicking the winning goal, a photographer may shoot multiple photos, using both
bracketing and continuous shooting, to increase the odds of capturing a usable photo. After
shooting the series, the photographer reviews the images and picks the best photo of the group.
Reviewing and making picks from many related photos can be time-consuming and
dicult. Aperture makes it simple to choose the best photo out of a series by allowing you to
group related photos into sets, called stacks, that are easy to review, work with, and select nal
picks from.
Aperture can automatically create stacks by grouping photos that were shot in quick succession,
or by grouping multiple versions of the same photo. You can also select photos and create
stacks manually.
A stack appears in the Browser as a group of thumbnail images. The photo that represents the
stack, called the pick, is selected and displayed on the left. You can select any photo in the stack
as the pick, and it moves to the leftmost position in the stack. You can rearrange the order of
photos in a stack. For example, you might choose an alternate photo and position it next to the
pick. A Stack button appears in the upper-left corner of the pick photo in the stack, indicating
the number of photos in the stack.
The Stack button
indicates the number
of photos in the stack.
A stack with three photos
is shown expanded.
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After creating a stack and selecting the pick, you can close the stack by clicking the Stack button
on the pick photo. When a stack is closed, only the stack’s pick photo appears in the Browser.
Clicking the Stack button again expands the stack.
Only the pick photo is
shown when the stack
is closed.
By closing stacks, you quickly reduce the number of photos you have to visually sort through
when selecting photos in the nal photo edit.
After creating stacks, you can organize and change them as needed. You can add photos to
a stack and remove those that don’t belong. You can also split a stack into multiple stacks
if necessary.
Important: When you open an Aperture library in iPhoto, only stack picks are shown. The photos
within stacks are not shown or accessible, but they are not discarded. To work with your photos
within stacks, open the Aperture library in Aperture.
Create stacks
You can create stacks in two ways: specify that Aperture create stacks automatically, or you can
create stacks manually. For example, if you shoot a series of photos in quick succession (such
as at a sports event) or if you bracket photos to allow for dierences in lighting or exposure,
you most likely will want to view those photos together. Aperture can stack those photos
automatically based on metadata recorded by the camera as the series of pictures is taken.
A series of photos taken
in quick succession.
You can also have Aperture automatically group new versions of the same photo as you
create them.
Stack photos automatically
1 In the Library inspector, select a project or an album that contains the photos you want to stack.
2 Choose Stacks > Auto-Stack (or press Option-Command-A).
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3 In the Auto-Stack Images HUD, drag the slider to specify the maximum interval for successive
shots in a stack.
Move the slider to indicate
the maximum interval for
successive shots.
As you drag the slider, the photos in the Browser are stacked according to the interval of time
specied. For example, if you typically shoot a series of related photos in 15-second intervals, set
the slider to 15 seconds.
4 Inspect the stacks to determine if the time interval should be shortened or lengthened.
Note: You can also manually select photos in the Import browser and stack and unstack them
using the same commands and procedures you use to stack photos in the Browser.
Create new version stacks automatically
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
The Aperture Preferences window appears.
2 Click the General button, then select the “Automatically stack new versions” checkbox.
Create a stack manually
After importing photos, you may want to quickly review them and delete those that you
immediately see have technical or content aws. You may then want to group the remaining
photos into stacks before rating them. Stacking photos manually can help provide an initial
organization and an overview of your shots, which you can then put through a more rened or
discriminating rating pass later.
1 In the Browser, select the photos you want to stack.
You can Shift-click adjacent photos and Command-click nonadjacent photos to select them.
Tip: To quickly select a series of photos, select a photo at one end of the series, hold down the
Shift key and press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key to select additional photos.
2 Choose Stacks > Stack (or press Command-K).
The selected photos are
now stacked and have a
dark gray box around them.
The Stack button
appears on the
current pick photo.
The selected photos are now stacked and appear linked in gray. The Stack button appears as an
overlay on the top-left portion of the current pick photo in the Browser. You can change the pick
photo and rearrange the order of the photos in the stack as you wish.
Unstack a selection of photos
mAfter creating a stack, choose Edit > Undo, or select a photo in the stack and choose Stacks >
Unstack (or press Shift-Command-K).
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Open and close stacks
You can close a stack and open it again whenever you wish. You may want to do this to free up
space in the Browser. You can also close stacks to quickly reduce the number of photos you must
sort through visually when selecting photos for a nal photo edit. When a stack is closed, only
the stack’s pick photo appears in the Browser.
Close or open a stack
mTo close a stack: Select an open stack, then choose Stacks > Close Stack (or press Shift-K).
mTo open a stack: Select a closed stack, then choose Stacks > Open Stack (or press Shift-K).
You can also close or open a stack by clicking the Stack button on the pick photo.
Only the pick photo is
shown when the stack
is closed.
Close or open all stacks
mTo close all stacks: Choose Stacks > Close All Stacks, or press Option-Semicolon (;).
mTo open all stacks: Choose Stacks > Open All Stacks, or press Option-Apostrophe (’).
Set a pick photo for a stack
The pick photo represents the stack. You can set the photo you like best as the pick, or Aperture
can set the pick automatically. When you select and stack photos manually in the Browser, the
leftmost photo becomes the pick. You can change the pick whenever you wish.
If the same stack appears in several albums, you can assign a dierent pick photo for the stack in
each album. For example, a stack in a webpage album may have one pick photo, and the same
stack in a book album may have a dierent pick photo adjusted for printing. An album pick
appears with the Album Pick badge at the top of the image’s thumbnail in the Browser.
Set a photo as the stack pick
Do one of the following:
mSelect a photo in the stack, then choose Stacks > Pick, or press Command-Backslash (\).
mDrag the photo you want into the pick (or leftmost) position in the stack. When you see a green
bar appear, release the mouse button.
Select an album pick for a stack that appears in multiple albums
mSelect a photo in the stack, then choose Stacks > Set Album Pick, or press Shift-Command-
Backslash (\).
To clear an album pick from a stack, choose Stacks > Clear Album Pick, or press Shift-Command-
Backslash (\) again.
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Work with stacked photos
You can change the order of photos in a stack, add or remove photos in a stack, split a stack into
multiple stacks, and drag a stack (or photos within a stack) to a new location.
Promote a photo in a stack
You can change the order of photos within a stack to help you choose the pick and alternates.
Moving a photo to the left promotes it; moving it to the right demotes it.
mTo promote a photo: Select a photo, then choose Stacks > Promote, or press Command–Left
Bracket ([).
mTo demote a photo: Select a photo, then choose Stacks > Demote, or press Command–Right
Bracket (]).
You can also drag a photo to a new location in a stack. When you see a green bar appear, then
release the mouse button.
Add or remove photos in stacks
You can add photos to and remove photos from stacks at any time. You can drag photos into or
out of a stack, and you can also drag photos from one stack to another.
mTo add a photo: Select the photos in a stack and the photo you want to add to the stack, then
choose Stacks > Stack (or press Command-K).
mTo remove a photo: Select the photo, then choose Stacks > Extract Item (or press Option-Shift-K).
You can also drag photos into or out of expanded stacks.
Split a stack
You can split a stack into multiple stacks to rene the organization of your photos. All photos
remain stacked, but they are now part of new stacks. The photo selected as the splitting point
becomes the pick for the new stack.
1 In an expanded stack, select the photo that you want as the rst photo in a new stack.
Select the photo you
want as the first image
in the new stack.
2 Choose Stacks > Split Stack (or press Option-K).
The selected image becomes
the pick in the new stack, which
is marked with a white outline.
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Drag a stack to a new location
mWith the stack closed, drag the stack to a new location in the browser.
The entire stack is relocated.
You can also drag photos into or out of a stack. However, if you drag a photo within a stack into
a new project, the entire stack moves to the new location.
When you drag a stack into a webpage album, web journal album, book album, or slideshow
album, the entire stack appears in the Browser, but only the stack picks can be used for
publication in webpages, web journals, books, and slideshows.
Compare photos in stacks
You can see a side-by-side comparison of the pick and any any other photo in a stack using the
stack-viewing feature. When you enable this feature, clicking a stack in the Browser opens the
stack and displays its pick in the Viewer alongside the next leftmost photo in the stack. You can
change the comparison photo by clicking any other photo in the stack.
This stack-viewing feature also works in full-screen view.
Set the Viewer to open and compare two photos in a stack
mChoose View > Main Viewer > Stack (or press Option-T).
The pick photo and the photo to its immediate right in the stack open in the Viewer. The pick
photo is surrounded by a green border, and the alternate photo is surrounded by a white border.
Tip: When the Viewer is in Stack mode, you can press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to
move from stack to stack.
Select another alternate photo
Do one of the following:
mPress the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys.
mSelect any photo in the stack.
Promote or demote the alternate photo in the stack
mTo promote the alternate photo: Press Command–Left Bracket ([).
mTo demote the alternate photo: Press Command–Right Bracket (]).
The alternate photo moves one position left or right in the Browser.
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Set the alternate photo as the stack pick photo
mPress Command–Backslash (\).
The photo moves to the far left of the stack, becoming the pick photo.
Stop comparing photos in a stack
Do one of the following:
mPress Command-Return.
mChoose another option from the View > Main Viewer menu.
mSelect a photo in the Browser that is not in a stack.
Work with stacks in list view
If you prefer, you can create and work with stacks in list view. You can select photos to stack,
select a pick, add and remove photos, and split stacks, just as you can in lmstrip view and
grid view.
Click the disclosure triangle to
the left of the pick photo to view
the photos within the stack.
In list view, a stack is identied by a disclosure triangle beside the name of the pick photo.
Open and close stacks in list view
mClick the disclosure triangle beside the name of the pick photo.
You can work with the photos in a stack in list view by dragging, pressing keyboard shortcuts, or
choosing commands from the Stacks menu.
Rate photos
Rating photos overview
Rating photos is a quick and easy way to narrow down the number of photos you intend to work
with. It can also help you locate your best photos later.
After nishing a shoot, photographers typically review their photos and determine which
ones are worth working with. Although a “yes or no” appraisal of a photo can work with a
small selection of photos, with a larger collection of similar photos that show small variations,
photographers need an organized method of noting which photos are superior shots, which
deserve further review, and which are poor quality or rejects. A simple and eective rating
system can help you narrow the number of photos to focus on during the selection process.
Rating is a simple process with powerful results. If you can easily identify 100 out of 500 photos
that aren’t going to work, removing these photos reduces your workload by 20 percent.
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Aperture provides a system for rating photos from Select to Reject. The easily decipherable
photo ratings appear on the photos themselves as overlays. Positive ratings appear as stars; you
can rate photos from one to ve stars, with ve being the highest, or Select, rating. A negative, or
Reject, rating appears as an X.
An X indicates a
negative rating (Reject).
Stars indicate
a positive rating.
Five stars indicate
the highest rating
(Select).
The process of rating a photo can be as easy as selecting a photo and clicking a rating button in
the Info inspector.
Click a rating button
to assign and change
photo ratings.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts to quickly assign or change ratings.
You can select and rate multiple photos at once. You can review and rate photos in the Viewer,
Browser, and Light Table, as well as in full-screen view. When you’ve nished rating photos,
Aperture allows you to sort photos according to their ratings.
You can use the Filter HUD to hide or show photos of a certain rating. For example, after an initial
rating pass, you can set the Filter HUD to show only those photos that are rated one star. You can
then closely inspect and further rene your selection or begin an adjustment pass. Aperture is
preset to hide photos that are rated Reject, so you may need to change the Filter HUD settings to
see rejected photos.
Make sure this checkbox
is selected, then choose an
option from the pop-up menu.
Set the slider to a rating.
Rejected photos appear with a white X overlay. Positive ratings appear with white star overlays. If
no overlays are displayed on the photo, the photo is considered neutral or is not rated.
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Rating workow
You can use photo rating as part of your workow to help reduce a large group of photos to a
smaller group of preferred photos. Sometimes you can accomplish the selection process in one
pass, especially if the group of photos is small. If the group is large, additional rating and culling
passes may be necessary.
Rating photos with multiple passes can allow you to take a measured approach to the photo
editing process. You can systematically rate photos and then remove levels of rated photos from
view to work with your best photos.
Here is a suggested workow for rating photos in multiple passes.
Rate photos in multiple passes
1 Begin by assigning a Reject rating to all photos that are clearly unacceptable.
If the Filter HUD is set to show unrated photos or better (the default setting), the rejected photos
immediately disappear.
2 In the next rating pass, assign positive ratings to any photos that deserve a rating of one star or
better. Leave photos you’re uncertain about unrated.
3 To hide all unrated photos, show the Filter HUD and specify a rating that is greater than or equal
to one star as search criteria.
Only photos with a rating of one star or better remain visible in the Browser.
4 In the next rating pass, assign a rating of two stars to any photos that are better than one star.
5 Change the search criteria in the Filter HUD to show only those photos that are rated two stars
or better.
6 In the next rating pass, assign a rating of three stars to your photos that are better than two stars.
7 Change the search criteria in the Filter HUD to show only those photos that are rated three stars
or better.
8 In the next rating pass, assign a rating of four stars to your photos that are better than
three stars.
9 Change the search criteria in the Filter HUD to show only those photos that are rated four stars
or better.
10 In the next pass, assign a rating of ve stars, or Select, to your best photos.
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11 Specify a rating that is equal to ve stars in the Filter HUD.
Only the photos rated Select remain visible in the Browser. Now you can focus on those photos
that deserve your attention.
You can also set up a series of Smart Albums in a project, where each Smart Album represents
a rating from Reject to Select. As you rate your photos in the project, the Smart Albums gather
the photos with matching ratings. You can then review the photos in each Smart Album to verify
they belong in the Smart Album’s rating category. As you progressively change the ratings on
your photos, the contents within the Smart Albums you set up change dynamically to gather the
photos that correspond to their rating setting.
For more information about working with Smart Albums, see Collect photos in a new Smart
Album on page 156 .
Rate and compare photos
You can quickly rate a selected photo using the rating buttons in the Info inspector or in the
control bar.
For quick and ecient rating, you use the arrow keys to select photos and then use the
appropriate keyboard shortcuts to apply ratings. For more information about keyboard shortcuts
used to apply ratings to photos, choose Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.
You can also apply a rating to several photos at once. If the photos are already assigned various
ratings, you can increase and decrease their ratings by equivalent amounts, such as one star.
For those really tough decisions, Aperture allows you to compare and rate a Select photo against
close alternates. This is particularly useful when you are trying to choose a photo from a small
group of similarly composed photos.
For example, choosing the best photo from a series of head shots can be dicult. Even in head
shots captured within a short time span, the facial expressions of the subject can change ever so
slightly. By comparing photos side by side and rating them, you can more easily choose among
like photos.
Rate an individual photo using the rating buttons in the Info inspector
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, click a rating button.
Click a rating button
to assign and change
photo ratings.
Note: As long as the photo is selected, you can change its rating.
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Rate an individual photo using the rating buttons in the control bar
1 Select a photo.
2 To show the control bar, choose Window > Show Control Bar (or press D).
3 Click the rating buttons in the control bar to assign a rating.
Reject
Decrease
Rating
Select
Increase Rating
•To assign the highest rating to the photo: Click the Select button.
•To assign a rating of Reject: Click the Reject button.
•To increase or decrease the photo rating: Click the Increase Rating or Decrease Rating button.
Note: As long as the photo is selected, you can change its rating.
4 To select the next photo, press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key, or click the left arrow or right
arrow button in the control bar.
Apply the same rating to multiple photos at once
1 Select the photos you want to rate.
For more information, see Select photos on page 81.
2 Click a rating button in the control bar, or press the keyboard shortcut for a rating.
For more information about keyboard shortcuts used to apply ratings to photos, open Aperture
and choose Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.
The rating you assign
is displayed on all the
selected photos.
Compare and rate photos
1 Make sure the Browser and Viewer are showing by clicking the Split View button in
the toolbar.
2 In the Browser, select the photo that appears to be the best.
3 To set this photo as the “compare” photo, choose View > Main Viewer > Compare (or press
Option-O).
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The compare photo appears in the Viewer and the Browser with a green border. The next
selected photo appears with a white border immediately to the right of the compare photo. If
you want to view another photo against the compare photo, simply select it. The alternate photo
you selected appears to the right of the compare photo in the Viewer.
The compare photo
has a green border.
The alternate
photo has a
white border.
If you have a second display and want to view each photo on a dierent display, choose
View > Secondary Viewer > Span (or press Option-S).
4 Rate your compare photo by doing one of the following:
•To assign the Select rating: Press Option-Backslash (\).
•To increase the compare photo’s rating: Press Option–Equal Sign (=).
•To decrease the compare photo’s rating: Press Option-Hyphen (-).
The rating appears as an overlay on the compare photo.
5 Rate the alternate photo by doing one of the following:
•To assign the Select rating: Press Backslash (\).
•To increase the photo’s rating: Press Equal Sign (=).
•To decrease the photo’s rating: Press Hyphen (-).
•To assign the Reject rating: Press 9.
The rating appears as an overlay on the alternate photo.
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6 Navigate to the next alternate by pressing the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key or by clicking the
left arrow or right arrow button in the control bar.
The new alternate
appears in the
Browser with
a white border.
If you discover that the new selection is a better choice or has the best rating, you can make
it the compare photo by pressing Return or choosing Edit > Set Compare Item. You can then
review and compare your alternates against this photo to conrm it as the best photo.
7 Press Command-Return to turn o the comparison feature.
Sort photos by rating
After you’ve rated your photos, you can sort photos according to a specic rating. For example,
after an initial rating pass, you can choose to show only those photos rated Select, with ve
stars. You can then closely inspect and further rene your selection or begin making image
adjustments. You can sort photos by rating using either the pop-up menu in the Browser’s search
eld or the Rating controls in the Filter HUD.
Note: Original image les are not deleted when sorted by rating. They are only temporarily
removed from view.
For more information on using the Browser’s search eld to sort photos by rating, see Search for
and display photos on page 15 0 .
Sort photos by rating using the Filter HUD
1 Show the Filter HUD by doing one of the following:
•Choose Edit > Find (or press Command-F).
•In the Browser, click the Filter HUD button next to the search eld.
Filter HUD button
in the Browser
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2 Select the Rating checkbox.
Set the slider to a rating.
Make sure this checkbox
is selected, then choose an
option from the pop-up menu.
3 Choose an option from the Rating pop-up menu.
•To show photos with a specic rating only: Choose “is.”
•To show photos with a specic rating or better: Choose “is greater than or equal to.”
•To show photos with a specic rating or worse: Choose “is less than or equal to.”
4 Drag the Rating slider to specify a rating.
The Browser instantly displays only photos that meet the specied rating criteria.
View all photos again
Do one of the following:
mDeselect the Rating checkbox in the Filter HUD.
mPress Control-6.
View all photos that are unrated or better
mPress Control–Grave Accent (`).
View rejected photos only
mPress Control-8.
Add keywords to photos
Keywords overview
Keywords are descriptive words assigned to photo versions and saved as metadata. For example,
a family portrait may include such keywords as Portrait, Family, Father, Mother, Daughter, Husband,
Wife, Park, Client, Select, Purchased, and more.
Adding keywords to your photos helps you organize your photos and quickly locate
specic photos.
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After you’ve applied keywords to your photos, you can have Aperture display a photo’s keywords
in the Viewer and Browser. You can also view keywords for selected photos in the Info inspector.
Keywords assigned
to a photo
You can use the Smart Settings HUD to quickly locate photos by their keywords, and you can use
Smart Albums to automatically group photos that have specic keywords assigned. For example,
you can create a Smart Album at the library level named Purchased, which automatically groups
all photos with the keyword Purchased. If you want to quickly review the photos your clients
bought over time, all you have to do is open the Smart Album named Purchased.
You can also apply keywords to photos based on your future intentions. For example, you can
create a Smart Web Page Album that gathers photos that have a For Web keyword applied. As
you’re reviewing your photos, apply the keyword For Web to any photo you think is worthy of
being published on your website. All photos with the keyword For Web are now collected in
the Smart Web Page Album. If you later change your mind about publishing a photo on your
website, you can always remove the keyword. As soon as you remove the keyword, the photo is
removed from the Smart Web Page Album.
If you sell your photos to image libraries, you can export the keywords assigned to your photos
as IPTC data. During export, Aperture embeds your keywords individually in the image le as
IPTC-compliant keyword elds. The more keywords you apply to your photos, the more likely it
is that your photos will be located by potential customers. For more information, see Apply IPTC
metadata and keywords to your photos on page 370.
Important: If you’re planning to export your keywords as IPTC data, make sure your keyword
phrases are no more than 64 characters in length. Longer keyword phrases may not be displayed
properly in other IPTC editors or operating systems.
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There are several ways to apply keywords:
•Using the Keywords HUD
Close button
Search field
Keyword group
Keyword list
Remove Keyword button
Lock button
Add Keyword button
Add Subordinate Keyword button
•Using keyword controls, presets, and the keyword eld in the control bar
Keyword controls
•Using the Lift and Stamp tools via the Lift & Stamp HUD
Lift tool
in the tool strip
Stamp tool
in the tool strip
•Using the Info inspector
Add keywords here.
Metadata View pop-up menu
You can turn on the display of photo keywords in the Viewer and Browser using metadata
overlay views. Your keywords are displayed in overlays that appear across the bottom of the
photo or below the photo. However, you must choose a metadata view that includes keywords,
such as General or Caption & Keywords.
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For more information about turning on metadata overlays in the Viewer and Browser, see
Metadata overlays overview on page 201.
You can also view a photo’s keywords using metadata tooltips—oating info windows that
appear when you position the pointer over a photo in the Browser or Viewer. You turn metadata
tooltips on and o by pressing Control-T.
Metadata tooltip
View a photo’s keywords
You can view a photo’s keywords in the Info inspector, in the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, or
in the Browser when it’s set to list view.
View a photo’s keywords in the Info inspector
1 Show the Info inspector by doing one of the following:
•Choose Window > Show Inspector (or press I), then click the Info tab.
•Click the Inspector button in the toolbar, then click the Info tab.
2 Choose a metadata view that includes keywords, such as General or Caption & Keywords, from
the Metadata View pop-up menu.
3 In the Browser, select a photo to see its keywords.
Any keywords applied to the selected photo appear in the Keywords eld of the Info inspector.
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View a photo’s keywords using the Info pane of the Inspector HUD
1 Show the Info pane of the Inspector HUD by choosing Window > Show Inspector HUD (or
pressing H), then click the Info button.
2 Choose a metadata view that includes keywords, such as General or Caption & Keywords, from
the Metadata View pop-up menu.
Choose a metadata
view from the Metadata
View pop-up menu.
Keywords field
3 Select a photo to see its keywords.
Any keywords applied to the selected photo appear in the Keywords eld of the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD.
View keywords in the Keywords column of the Browser
When the Browser is set to list view, Aperture can display a column that shows the keywords
assigned to photos.
1 To set the Browser to list view, click the List View button (or press Control-L).
The Browser switches to list view.
2 Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
3 Select a list view option from the View pop-up menu.
4 Make sure the Keywords checkbox is selected in the Metadata Fields column by clicking the IPTC
and Content disclosure triangles.
The Keywords checkbox can be found in the Content category.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Browser, you can resize the Keywords column by dragging the edge of the column
heading to view all the keywords assigned to the photo.
The keywords for each photo appear in the Keywords column.
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Apply keywords using the Keywords HUD
The Keywords HUD provides an ecient way to apply keywords to photos. You simply drag
keywords to any photo or selection of photos in the Viewer or Browser.
Keyword group
Keyword list
The Keywords HUD contains a predened library of keywords that you can browse and search.
You can also add new keywords, remove keywords, and create keyword groups. For example,
if you added the keyword Fish to your list, you might want to add Angelsh, Dolphin, Tuna, and
Shark under the Fish keyword to further dene your photos.
The Keywords HUD is automatically updated with any keywords you add. For example, when
you enter a new keyword in the Info inspector, that keyword also appears in the Keywords HUD.
When you change a keyword—by changing its spelling or capitalization, for example—the
keyword is updated on all photos that have that keyword assigned.
When entering a large group of keywords in the Keywords HUD, it’s not uncommon to make
spelling mistakes. It’s easy to modify existing keywords to x the mistakes.
Assign keywords using the Keywords HUD
1 To show the Keywords HUD, do one of the following:
•Choose Window > Show Keywords HUD (or press Shift-H).
•Click the Keywords button in the toolbar.
The Keywords HUD appears.
2 Do one of the following:
•To browse for a keyword: Scroll up and down to review the keywords, and click the disclosure
triangles to reveal the keywords in each keyword group.
Click the disclosure triangle
next to a keyword group to
display all the keywords in it.
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•To search for a keyword: Type the keyword you’re looking for in the Keywords HUD search eld.
Enter a keyword
in the search field.
3 To select the keyword or multiple keywords you want to apply, do one of the following:
•Click to select a single keyword in the list.
•Hold down the Shift key while pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to select
several keywords.
•Shift-click a group of adjacent keywords.
•Command-click nonadjacent keywords.
The selected keywords are highlighted in the keyword list.
4 To apply a keyword or keywords, do one of the following:
•If the Browser is in lmstrip view or grid view: Drag a keyword or selected keywords from the
Keywords HUD to a photo or selected photos in the Viewer or Browser.
...to a photo.Drag a keyword from
the Keywords HUD...
•If the Browser is in list view: Drag a keyword or selected keywords from the Keywords HUD to
a photo selection in the Browser list. The keyword appears in the Keywords column for the
photo or photos.
Note: Depending on the metadata options you have set, the Keywords column may not
appear. For more information, see View a photo’s keywords on page 108.
•If Aperture is set to full-screen view: Drag a keyword, selected keywords, or keyword group from
the Keywords HUD to a photo or selected photos displayed onscreen or in the lmstrip.
The keyword or keywords are applied to the photo or selection of photos. To view keywords
applied to photos, see View a photo’s keywords on page 108.
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Add new keywords to the keyword library
1 To show the Keywords HUD, do one of the following:
•Choose Window > Show Keywords HUD (or press Shift-H).
•Click the Keywords button in the toolbar.
The Keywords HUD appears.
2 Click the Add Keyword button.
A new, untitled keyword appears in the keyword list.
Click the Add
Keyword button to
add a new keyword.
A new, untitled
keyword appears
in the keyword list.
3 Type a name for the new keyword, then press Return.
The new keyword is added to the keyword library.
The new keyword is
added to the keyword
library and is sorted
alphabetically.
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Add keywords to a keyword group
1 In the Keywords HUD, select the keyword group to which you want to add a keyword.
2 Do one of the following:
•Click the Add Subordinate Keyword button, type the new keyword, then press Return.
A new, untitled keyword
appears in this list within
the keyword group.
Click the Add Subordinate Keyword
button to add a keyword within
a keyword group.
•Drag an existing keyword into the keyword group.
The new keyword appears in the keyword group you selected, sorted alphabetically within
the group.
Create a new keyword group with keywords in it
1 In the Keywords HUD, click the Add Keyword button, then type a name for the new
keyword group.
2 With the new keyword group name selected, click the Add Subordinate Keyword button, type
a keyword, then press Return.
The keyword you just added becomes the rst keyword in the new group.
3 To add another keyword to the new group, click the Add Subordinate Keyword button, type
a keyword, then press Return.
Remove a keyword or keyword group from the keyword library
1 In the Keywords HUD, select the keyword or keyword group you want to remove.
The selected keyword
is highlighted.
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2 Do one of the following:
•Click the Remove Keyword button.
•Press the Delete key.
The selected keyword
is removed. The next
keyword in the list is
automatically selected.
Click the Remove
Keyword button to
remove a keyword.
If the keyword you are attempting to remove is assigned to any photo in your library, a dialog
appears, indicating the number of times it’s being used. If you still want to remove the keyword,
click “Remove from all versions.”
Important: Removing a keyword from the keyword library removes it from any photos to which
it’s already assigned.
Modify an existing keyword in the Keywords HUD
When entering a large group of keywords in the Keywords HUD, it’s not uncommon to make
spelling mistakes. It’s easy to modify existing keywords to x the mistakes.
1 In the Keywords HUD, double-click the keyword you want to change.
The selected keyword is highlighted, and you can edit it.
2 Enter the correction, then press Return.
If the keyword you are attempting to modify is assigned to any photo in your library, a dialog
appears, indicating the number of times it’s being used. If you still want to change the keyword,
click “Rename in all versions.”
Note: If you’re planning to enter a large group of keywords, it may be easier to enter them in
a tab-delimited text (.txt) le, using an application such as TextEdit, and then import the list of
keywords into Aperture. For more information, see Export and import keyword lists on page 123.
Apply keywords using keyword controls and keyword presets
One way to apply and remove keywords is to use the keyword controls located at the left side of
the control bar. The keyword controls are not shown by default.
Keyword controls
You can add new keywords to photos or apply preset keywords that are part of a keyword preset
group (a group of related keywords). Aperture provides keyword preset groups, and you can
create your own keyword preset groups that include keywords you frequently use.
When you choose a keyword preset group, Aperture assigns the specic keywords to
keyword buttons in the control bar. This allows you to set the control bar to show the most
useful keywords.
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Show the keyword controls in the control bar
mChoose Window > Show Keyword Controls (or press Shift-D).
Keyword Preset Group
pop-up menu
Add Keyword field
Keyword buttons showing
individual keywords assigned
to Option-1 through Option-8
The following keyword controls appear:
•Keyword buttons: These buttons display the preset keywords in the selected keyword preset
group. The rst eight keywords are assigned to the keyboard shortcut key combination of
Option and a number key (1 through 8) on the keyboard. Press Option and a number key on
the keyboard (not the numeric keypad) to add the preset keyword to a selected photo, or click
a keyword button. The control bar can hold up to 20 keyword buttons. To remove a keyword
applied by clicking a button, press Option-Shift and the button’s corresponding number key.
To remove all keywords, press Option-Shift-9.
•Add Keyword eld: Type a new keyword in this eld and press Return to add it to a selected
photo. If the keyword has been used before, Aperture automatically completes the word as
you type it. If the Keywords HUD is locked, you are asked whether you want to unlock the
Keywords HUD and add the keyword to the keyword library, or not add the keyword to the
photo. To remove a keyword you’ve just applied, type the keyword again and press Shift-
Return. Keywords removed using the keyword eld are not removed from the Keywords HUD.
•Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to choose the keyword preset
group you want displayed. You can also use the Comma (,) key and Period (.) key to quickly
cycle forward and backward through the keyword preset groups. The rst eight keywords in
the group are assigned to the keyboard shortcut key combination of Option and a number
key from 1 through 8.
Choose a keyword preset group
1 Select a photo or group of photos in the Browser.
2 In the control bar, choose a keyword preset group from the Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu.
Choose the keyword
preset group you want
to use.
The keyword buttons in the control bar update according to the keyword preset group
you chose.
The Keyword Preset
Group pop-up menu
displays your choice.
The keyword buttons now
appear with keywords from
the group you chose.
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Add a preset keyword to a photo
1 Select the photo to which you want to assign a keyword.
2 In the control bar, choose a keyword preset group from the Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu.
3 Do one of the following:
•Choose Metadata > Add Keyword, then choose the keyword you want from the submenu.
•Press Option and a number key from 1 to 8 to assign one of the rst eight keywords.
•Click a keyword button in the control bar.
Remove a preset keyword from a photo
1 Select the photo with the preset keyword you want to remove.
2 In the control bar, select a keyword preset group from the Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu.
3 Do one of the following:
•Choose Metadata > Remove Keyword, then choose the keyword you want to remove from
the submenu.
•Press Option-Shift and a number key from 1 to 8 to remove one of the rst eight keywords.
•Shift-click the keyword button in the control bar.
Apply a new keyword using the keyword controls
1 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos.
2 In the control bar, type the new keyword in the Add Keyword eld, then press Return.
Enter your keyword
in this field, then
press Return.
Select the photo
to which you want
to apply a new keyword.
The keyword you entered is now applied to the photo or group of photos.
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Create a keyword preset group and assign keywords to it
1 In the control bar, choose Edit Buttons from the Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu.
Choose Edit Buttons
to add a new keyword
preset group.
The Edit Button Sets dialog appears.
The Name column on the left lists the keyword preset groups that already exist. When you select
a keyword preset group in this column, the keywords included in the group appear in the center
Contents column. You add or remove keywords by adding them to or removing them from the
Contents column. The Keywords Library column provides a list of the existing keywords in your
keyword library. You can drag keywords from this list into the Contents column. You can also add
keywords and keyword groups to your keyword library using the controls below the Keywords
Library column.
2 To create a new keyword preset group, click the Add button (+).
An untitled keyword preset group appears in the Name column.
Click the Add button
to add a keyword
preset group.
A new, untitled preset
group appears in this list.
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3 Type a name for the new keyword preset group, then press Return.
4 Drag keywords from the Keywords Library column to the Contents column.
Add Keyword button
If you wish, you can select multiple keywords and drag them to the Contents column at
the same time. Hold down the Shift key while pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to
select several keywords, Shift-click to select adjacent keywords, or Command-click to select
nonadjacent keywords. If you have a large list of keywords, you can quickly locate the one
you’re looking for by typing the keyword in the search eld. You can also add new keywords to
the Keywords Library column by clicking the Add Keyword button. You can then drag the new
keywords into the Contents column.
5 If you want to rearrange the order of the keywords in the Contents column, drag them into the
order you prefer.
The rst eight keywords are assigned to the keyboard shortcut key combination of Option and a
number key (1 through 8) on the keyboard. To remove a keyword from the column, select it and
press Delete, or click the Remove button (–) below the column.
6 After arranging the keywords in order, click OK.
Apply keywords using the Lift & Stamp HUD
You can use the Lift and Stamp tools to quickly apply all or some of the keywords from one
photo to other photos. Using the Lift and Stamp tools is an ecient way to apply keywords and
other types of metadata, such as ratings, to large numbers of photos. The Lift and Stamp tools
can also apply adjustments made to photos, such as cropping, straightening, exposure changes,
and other adjustments. For more information about using the Lift and Stamp tools to apply
adjustments, see Apply standard adjustments on page 225.
The Lift and Stamp tools have a corresponding HUD you can use to view and remove items
you’ve lifted (copied) from one photo before you stamp (paste) them onto another photo.
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Lift all the keywords from a photo and stamp them onto another photo or group of photos
1 Select a photo.
2 Select the Lift tool (or press O).
Lift tool
in the tool strip
Stamp tool
in the tool strip
The Lift & Stamp HUD appears.
All information for
the selected image
appears here.
All the photo’s metadata, such as applied adjustments, rating, and keywords, appears in the Lift &
Stamp HUD.
3 Deselect all checkboxes except for Keywords, or select items in the HUD and press Delete to
remove them.
Make sure the Keywords
checkbox is the only
one selected.
4 To apply the keywords from the Lift & Stamp HUD, do one of the following:
•Use the Stamp tool to select the photos to which you want to assign the keywords.
•Use the Selection tool to select a group of photos in the Browser, then click the Stamp
Selected Images button in the Lift & Stamp HUD.
The keywords from the rst photo are applied to all of the photos you stamped them on.
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Stamp a reduced selection of keywords onto a photo
In many cases, you do not want to copy all keywords from one photo and paste them onto
another. For this reason, you can select specic keywords that apply to the photo you want to
stamp them on.
1 Select a photo.
2 Select the Lift tool (or press O).
Lift tool
in the tool strip
Stamp tool
in the tool strip
The Lift & Stamp HUD appears.
3 In the Lift & Stamp HUD, deselect all image information checkboxes except for Keywords.
4 Click the Keywords disclosure triangle to reveal the keywords from the selected photo.
5 Remove any keywords you don’t want to stamp onto a photo or group of photos by selecting
each unwanted keyword in the list and pressing the Delete key.
Select the keywords
you don’t want to stamp,
then press Delete.
6 To apply the keywords from the Lift & Stamp HUD, do one of the following:
•Use the Stamp tool to select the photos to which you want to assign the keywords.
•Use the Selection tool to select a group of photos in the Browser, and then click the Stamp
Selected Images button in the Lift & Stamp HUD.
The reduced selection of keywords is applied to the selected photo.
Quickly lift and stamp photo metadata and adjustments
You can quickly lift and stamp the keywords and all other metadata and adjustments from one
photo to another using keyboard shortcuts.
1 Select a photo, then press Shift-Command-C to lift the metadata from the photo.
2 Select a photo or group of photos, then press Shift-Command-V to stamp the metadata onto the
selected photos.
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You can also lift RAW Fine Tuning parameter values from one RAW image and stamp them onto
another. RAW Fine Tuning adjustments are included in lift and stamp operations by default. If you
don’t want to lift and stamp RAW Fine Tuning adjustments, you must deselect them in the Lift &
Stamp HUD. For more information about lifting and stamping adjustments, see Apply standard
adjustments on page 225. For more information about the RAW Fine Tuning adjustments, see
RAW Fine Tuning controls overview on page 334.
Deselect the RAW
Fine Tuning checkbox.
Exclude everything but metadata from lift and stamp operations
You can use the Lift & Stamp HUD to lift and stamp metadata only.
1 Select the photo with the metadata or keywords you want to copy.
2 Choose Metadata > Lift Metadata.
The Lift & Stamp HUD appears, showing the metadata and keyword information only.
3 Select a photo or group of photos, then click the Stamp Selected Images button.
Only the selected metadata and keywords are applied to the photo selection.
Apply keywords using the Info inspector
When you select a photo, you can use the Info inspector to see the photo’s keywords and add
new keywords, if needed.
Apply keywords using the Info inspector
1 Select a photo.
2 Choose Window > Show Inspector (or press I), then click Info.
3 Choose Caption & Keywords from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
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All keywords assigned to the photo appear in the Keywords eld.
Metadata View pop-up menu
4 To add a keyword, type a keyword in the Keywords eld.
Note: All keywords must be separated by commas (,).
Apply keywords to photos in the Light Table
You can use the Light Table to arrange your photo selection in a freeform manner. After
arranging your photos into groups, you can apply keywords to a group of photos at once. For
example, if you make a Light Table album consisting of the selects from your wedding shoot,
you can group the photos according to the part of the wedding event they show. After you’ve
arranged them, you can apply keywords, such as Getting Ready, Wedding, Ceremony, Formal Shots,
and Reception, as appropriate.
Apply keywords to groups of photos in the Light Table
1 Select a Light Table album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Keywords button in the toolbar (or press Shift-H).
The Keywords HUD appears.
3 In the Light Table or the Browser, select a group of photos to which you want to assign keywords.
4 Drag the appropriate keywords from the Keywords HUD to the selected photos.
The keywords are immediately applied to the selected photos.
For more information about using the Light Table, see Light Table overview on page 185.
Remove keywords from a photo
You can remove keywords that you applied to a photo.
Remove all keywords from a photo
1 Select the photo.
2 Choose Metadata > Remove Keyword > Remove All Keywords (or press Option-Shift-9).
Remove specic keywords using the Info inspector
1 If the Info inspector isn’t shown, click the Inspector button in the toolbar, then click Info.
2 Choose Caption & Keywords from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
3 In the Keywords eld, select and delete any keywords you want removed from the photo.
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Remove an individual keyword from a group of photos using keyword controls in the
control bar
1 Select the group of photos.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the control bar, type the keyword you want to remove in the Add Keyword eld, then press
Shift-Return.
•If the keyword is a keyword preset, Shift-click the keyword button in the control bar.
The keyword is removed from the selected photos.
For more information about using the control bar, see Apply keywords using keyword controls
and keyword presets on page 114 .
Export and import keyword lists
You can export and import keyword lists to share with other Aperture users and transfer to
other Aperture systems. You can also create keyword lists for specic projects and then import
them as needed. When you export a keyword list, all your keywords are placed in a simple tab-
delimited text (.txt) le. The tab-delimited list is set up in a hierarchical structure that matches
the hierarchical structure of the Keywords HUD.
Export a keyword list
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Keywords HUD, click the Export button.
•In the Edit Buttons Sets dialog, click the Export button.
2 In the dialog that appears, give the keyword list a name, choose a location, and click Save.
The keyword list is saved as a text (.txt) le to the location you chose.
Import a keyword list
After you have exported a keyword list, you can transfer the le to another Aperture system and
import it. You can also manually create or edit keyword lists using other applications such as
TextEdit, and you can import the lists into Aperture as long as they follow a tab-delimited text
le structure.
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Keywords HUD, click the Import button.
•In the Edit Buttons Sets dialog, click the Import button.
2 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the keyword list le and click Open.
The Keywords HUD is updated to include all the new keywords from the imported keyword list.
Organize photos by people using Faces
Faces overview
As image libraries grow, locating photos of specic people becomes increasingly challenging.
Typically, this painstaking process involves combing through your entire image library and
adding keywords to each photo to identify all the people in it. Aperture helps automate this
process using powerful face detection and face recognition technology, called Faces.
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The Faces technology identies all the photos in your library that contain faces. You then
complete the identication process by assigning names to faces—you select a photo with a face
in it and click the Name button to assign a name to the subject in the photo.
An “unnamed” face label appears below the subject’s face, and you enter the person’s name in
the face label.
Now that you’ve identied a person in one of your photos, you can use Faces view to help
you assign that person’s name to other photos. Faces view shows snapshots of all the people
you’ve named.
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When you double-click a person’s snapshot, Aperture opens the Faces browser and shows the
named snapshot and other suggested photos that might contain the same face.
You can then conrm or reject the suggested matches. As you add photos to the library,
Aperture continues to analyze your photos and suggest matches for named faces.
After your photos are named, you can easily review all pictures of a specic person. You can
also use Smart Albums to gather all images of specic people. For more information, see Collect
photos in a new Smart Album on page 15 6 .
Add names to faces in your photos
To begin using Faces in Aperture, you must rst identify the people in your photos by assigning
names to their faces.
Positioning box
Face labelName button
Name Faces HUD
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Assign names to faces in your photos
1 In the Browser, select a photo with people in it.
2 Click the Name button in the toolbar.
Face labels appear below the faces of the people in the photo in the Viewer.
3 Click the face label below a person’s face and enter the person’s name in the text eld.
As you enter the person’s name, names that have already been assigned to faces, as well as
names in your Contacts, are suggested in the face label.
Note: If you want to limit the suggestions to faces you’ve already named in the project, select
the “Limit suggestions to project” checkbox.
4 When you’re satised with the person’s name in the face label, press Return.
The person’s name appears in the face label.
5 Enter a name in the face label for each person in the photo, then click Done.
Add missing faces
If there are faces in a photo that Aperture doesn’t detect, you can still add face labels to the faces
and assign them names.
1 If necessary, click the Name button in the toolbar.
2 In the Name Faces HUD, click the Add Missing Face button.
A positioning box appears with a face label below it.
3 Drag the positioning box over the face you want to name, and resize the box so that it contains
just the face.
4 Enter a name in the face label and press Return.
5 Repeat steps 2 through 4 until all faces lacking face labels in the photo have been named.
6 After identifying all the faces in the photo, click Done.
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Rename a person in a photo
1 Select a photo containing the face of a person you want to rename.
2 Click the Name button in the toolbar.
3 Select the face label for the person whose name you want to change, and enter a new name in
the text eld.
4 After renaming the face in the photo, click Done.
Delete a face label
1 Select a photo containing a face label you want to remove.
2 Click the Name button in the toolbar.
3 Position the pointer over the person’s face, then click the Remove button at the top-left corner of
the positioning box.
The positioning box and face label are removed.
View photos in Faces view
After you’ve assigned names to the people in a few of your photos, you can review suggested
photos of the same people.
Enter Faces view
Do one of the following:
mIn the Library inspector, select Faces.
The main window switches to Faces view, displaying snapshots of each named person in the
entire library.
mIn the Library inspector, select an item, then click the Faces button in the toolbar.
The main window switches to Faces view, displaying snapshots of each named person in the
currently selected item in the Library inspector.
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Set a photo as the key photo for a snapshot
When you enter Faces view, a snapshot of each person you named in the Aperture library
appears. You can quickly view the conrmed photos of a person by skimming over the snapshot
with the pointer. You can also choose your favorite photo of the person to represent the
snapshot, also known as the key photo.
1 Skim over the snapshot with the pointer.
2 When you nd your favorite photo of that person, do one of the following:
•Press the Space bar.
•Control-click the photo, then choose Make Key Photo from the shortcut menu.
View all the photos of a specic person
Do one of the following:
mIn Faces view, double-click the person’s snapshot.
mClick the Name button in the toolbar, then click the Show Faces View button in the face label
below the person’s face in the Viewer.
Show Faces
View button
The Faces browser appears, showing all the conrmed photos of the person.
Conrm photos of a person
When you rst open the Faces browser after assigning a name to a new face, Aperture displays
all the suggested photos for that person in the bottom half of the Faces browser.
1 At the bottom of the Faces browser, click the Conrm Faces button.
A “click to conrm” overlay appears at the bottom of each suggested photo.
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2 To conrm a face as a match, do one of the following:
•To conrm the face in a single photo: Click the photo.
The person’s name appears below the photo.
•To conrm the face in multiple suggested photos: Shift-click the photos.
The person’s name appears below each photo.
3 To reject a photo as a match, do one of the following:
•Click the photo, then click it again to reject it.
•Option-click the photo.
“Not [name of face]” appears below the photo.
4 When you’ve nished conrming photos, click Done.
Conrmed photos move to the top of the Faces browser.
Note: As you conrm or reject the face of the person appearing in each photo, you can have
Aperture suggest additional photos by pressing the Option key and clicking the Update button.
When you press the Option key, the Done button changes to the Update button. Clicking the
Update button also saves any conrm and reject decisions you’ve already made.
Customize the Faces browser
As the number of conrmed photos of a person grows, it can be dicult to identify a person’s
face in a small thumbnail image. To make it easier to identify a person’s face in a photo, you can
either make the thumbnail images larger or switch from showing whole photos to showing
only faces.
mTo show whole photos: In the Faces browser, click the Photos button.
The thumbnail images in the Faces browser return to displaying whole photos.
mTo show faces only: In the Faces browser, click the Faces button.
Each thumbnail image in the Faces browser is cropped to show only the person’s face.
mTo make the thumbnail images larger: In the Faces browser, drag the Thumbnail Resize slider to
the right.
mTo return to Faces view: Click the All Faces button at the top of the Faces browser.
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Search for photos by face
As you name the people that appear in the photos in the library, the number of named faces
quickly grows. Locating photos of a particular person is a simple process.
Search for photos of a particular person
1 In the Library inspector, select Faces.
2 In Faces view, enter the name of the person you are looking for in the search eld.
Faces view
search field
Aperture displays the snapshot of the person whose name you entered in the search eld,
removing all others from view.
Show all faces again
mIn Faces view, click the Reset button (with an X) on the right side of the search eld.
Snapshots for all the people identied in the library reappear in Faces view.
You can use the Filter HUD in the Browser to perform more complex searches for people in your
photos. For more information, see Search using a combination of criteria on page 152 .
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Organize photos by location using Places
Places overview
In Aperture, you can organize and explore your photos by location using the Places feature.
If you have a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device, Aperture categorizes your photos by location
and converts the GPS location tags to place names such as Vancouver, Canada. Aperture can
also convert photo location information from GPS trackers (including those generated by iPhone
apps) and from iPhoto photos. You can explore where your photos were shot using Places view.
If you don’t have a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device, you can still make the most of Places. You
can assign locations to your photos by:
•Dragging photos from the Browser to the appropriate spot on the map in Places view
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•Typing the name of a place or entering an address in the Places view search eld, and then
clicking the Assign Location button
•Entering the name of a place or an address in the Location eld in the Map pane of the
Info inspector
Show/Hide Map button
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View photo locations
Aperture saves every location that has been assigned to a photo.
Important: To use Places, you must be connected to the Internet.
If you shot your photos with a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device, Aperture automatically plots
the location of each photo on the map in Places view. There are many ways to view a photo’s
location and the photos associated with a location using Places view.
View all photos in the Aperture library that have location assignments
1 In the Library inspector, select Places.
Places view appears, with red pins representing photos that have location assignments.
2 Zoom in to a specic location by doing one of the following:
•Choose a location from one of the Places Path Navigator pop-up menus at the top of
Places view.
Aperture repositions the map to display the selected location.
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•In Places view, use the Zoom slider and buttons to zoom in to the location of a photo group.
Zoom out
Zoom in
As you zoom in to the map, photo locations grouped together in a single pin begin to be
marked by their own pins.
•Position the pointer over a pin that represents the location of a group of photos, then use the
pinch gesture to zoom in or out on the map.
As you zoom in to the map, photo locations grouped together in a single pin begin to be
marked by their own pins. As you zoom out of the map, photo locations marked by individual
pins are consolidated into fewer pins as they get closer together.
View the location information for a photo or group of photos
1 Do one of the following:
•To view the photo locations for photos throughout the library: In the Library inspector,
select Places.
•To view the photo locations for photos in an item selected in the Library inspector: Select an item
in the Library inspector containing photos that already have location information assigned to
them, then click the Places button in the toolbar.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view. Red location pins mark the locations where
photos or groups of photos were shot.
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2 In the Browser, select a photo.
A location label appears above a pin in Places view, indicating the location where the photo was
shot. The location label indicates the name of the location and the number of photos that were
captured there.
Location label
Selected photo
View the photos associated with a location
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Library inspector, select Places.
•Select an item in the Library inspector containing photos that already have location
information assigned to them, then click the Places button in the toolbar.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view. Red location pins mark the locations where
photos or groups of photos were shot.
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2 Select a red pin.
The photo or photos marked by the pin appear selected in the Browser.
Photos shot in the
selected location
Location pin
Find locations quickly
As you assign locations to the photos in the Aperture library, the list of locations quickly grows.
Although you may have shot photos all over the world, you can quickly nd the locations where
photos were shot using the search eld in Places view.
1 In the Library inspector, select Places.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view.
2 Enter the location you want to nd in the Places view search eld.
Locations you’ve assigned whose names match the text entered in the search eld appear at the
top of the search results list.
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3 Select the correct location in the list that appears below the search eld.
The location pin for the location you selected appears in Places view.
Note: You can also remove location information from photos using the Map pane of the Info
inspector. For more information, see Work with location information using the Info inspector on
page 146.
View the precise location of photos represented by the same location pin
Depending on the zoom setting in Places view, Aperture might use a single pin to represent a
group of photos shot in close proximity. However, you can view the precise location where each
photo in the group was shot.
Do one of the following:
mIn Places view, click a pin and then click the location arrow on the location label.
Click the location arrow
to view the precise
locations of photos
represented by this pin.
Places view zooms in to the location of the photo group, marking the location of each photo
with a pin. Some photos may remain grouped together in a single location pin if shot in close
proximity. Click the location arrow on the location label to zoom in further.
mIn Places view, use the Zoom slider and buttons to zoom in to the location of the photo group.
Zoom out
Zoom in
As you zoom in to the map, locations grouped together in a single pin begin to be marked by
their own pins.
mUse the pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
As you zoom in to the map, locations grouped together in a single pin begin to be marked by
their own pins.
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mCommand-drag a specic area of the map.
The map zooms in to the area indicated by the selection rectangle.
Command-drag a
rectangle over the map
to zoom in to that area.
Reposition the map in Places view
As you zoom in to the map, you may need to reposition it. You can also click the Overview Map
Pane button to open or close the Overview Map pane.
Do one of the following:
mMove the map by dragging it.
mDrag the red box in the Overview Map pane, which appears in the bottom-right corner of
Places view.
Click this button to
open and close the
Overview Map pane.
Change the map view
There are three dierent map views you can use within Places view:
•Standard view: This view shows the map with a traditional depiction of roads, parks, borders,
bodies of water, and more.
Map view buttons
•Hybrid view: This view shows the map with a traditional depiction of roads and place names
overlaid on a satellite image.
•Satellite view: This view shows the map as satellite imagery.
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Change the map view within Places view
mTo switch to the Standard view: Click the Standard button.
mTo switch to the Hybrid view: Click the Hybrid button.
mTo switch to the Satellite view: Click the Satellite button.
Add locations to photos
You don’t need a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device to use Places. Adding location information
in Places view is as simple as dragging photos from the Browser to the area on the Places view
map where they were shot. Another option is to enter a specic location in the search eld in
Places view, select a location from the Results list that appears below the search eld, and then
click the Assign Location button. You can also designate a large geographical area, such as a city
or national park, as a location and assign this general location to photos.
Assign locations to photos in the Browser manually
1 Select an item in the Library inspector containing photos to which you want to assign
location information.
2 Click the Places button in the toolbar.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view. Red pins mark the locations where photos
that already have location information were shot.
3 Position the map in Places view to display the location you want to assign to the photos by
dragging and zooming in to the map.
4 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos, then drag the photo selection to the
appropriate location on the map in Places view.
A pin with a location label appears, marking the location where the photo or photo group was
shot. The location label indicates the name of the location and the number of photos that were
captured there.
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A dialog also appears at the bottom of Places view, informing you that you can move the pin to
change the location assigned to all photos associated with the pin.
Selected photo
A red pin with a location label
marks the location where the
photo selection was shot.
5 Click Done.
The pin indicates that the location you specied has been assigned to the selected photos, and a
location badge (a red pin) appears over the thumbnail images in the Browser.
Location badge
Search for a location and assign it to a photo selection
1 Select an item in the Library inspector containing photos to which you want to assign
location information.
2 If the main window is not in Places view, click the Places button in the toolbar.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view. Red pins mark the locations where photos
that already have location information were shot.
3 In the Browser, select the photos to which you want to assign a location.
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4 Choose Metadata > Assign Location.
5 In the dialog that appears, enter the location you want to search for in the search eld. For
example, you can enter a city name or an address.
Locations whose names match the text you entered are listed below the search eld.
6 Select the appropriate location in the search results list.
A location is plotted on the map with a purple circle surrounding it. The purple circle is used to
determine the geographical area encompassed by the location.
7 If you wish, enter a custom name for the location, such as “Our backyard,” in the Place Name eld.
8 Drag the resize handles on the right side of the purple circle to change the area assigned to
the location.
Resize
handles
Purple circle indicating the
area assigned to the location
9 When you are satised with the area assigned to the location, click the Assign button.
A red pin appears on the map in Places view, with a location label indicating the name of the
location and the number of photos it’s assigned to. A purple circle indicates the area the location
covers. A red location badge appears over the selected thumbnail images in the Browser,
indicating that a location has been assigned.
Assign location information to photos shot with a GPS-enabled iOS device
If you have photos imported from a GPS-enabled iOS device, you can use the GPS data from the
photos to automatically assign location information to them.
1 In the Library inspector, select a project containing photos captured with a GPS-enabled
iOS device.
2 In Places view, choose “Import GPS from iPhone Photos” from the GPS pop-up menu.
Choose “Import GPS from
iPhone Photos” from the
GPS pop-up menu.
3 In the dialog that appears, select the photos to which you want to assign location information,
then click OK.
Aperture displays waypoints for the photos in Places view.
4 In the Browser, drag a photo to a waypoint in Places view to assign location information to it.
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Change photo locations
If you’ve assigned incorrect locations to photos, it’s easy to change their location information.
There are three methods for reassigning photo locations:
•Change the location assignment for all photos associated with a location: You can move the
location pin in Places view.
•Change the location assignment for a subset of photos associated with a location: You can
reassign the location for the photo subset using the Assign Location dialog.
•Change the location assignment for a single photo: You can reassign the location for the photo
using the Map pane of the Info inspector. For more information, see Work with location
information using the Info inspector on page 146.
Move a pin, changing the location for all photos with that location assignment
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Library inspector, select Places.
•Select the item in the Library inspector containing the photos whose location you want to
change, then click the Places button in the toolbar.
2 In Places view, click the Move Pins button.
The location pins on the Places view map turn purple, indicating that they can be moved.
3 Drag the incorrectly placed pin to the correct location, then click Done in the dialog that appears
at the bottom of Places view.
The location pin is moved to its new location, and the location information is changed for all
photos associated with the original location.
Change the location assignment for a photo selection
1 In the Browser, select the photos whose location information you want to change.
2 Choose Metadata > Assign Location.
3 In the dialog that appears, enter the new location you want to assign in the search eld.
Locations whose names match the text you entered are listed below the search eld.
4 Select the appropriate location in the search results list.
A location is plotted on the map with a purple circle surrounding it. The purple circle is used to
determine the geographical area encompassed by the location.
5 Adjust the area covered by the location as necessary by dragging the resize handles on the right
side of the purple circle.
6 When you are satised with the location and the area assigned to it, click the Assign button.
The location assignment for the selected photos changes to the new location. A red pin appears
on the map in Places view, with a location label indicating the location name and the number of
photos it’s assigned to. A purple circle indicates the area the location covers.
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Remove locations
If you have assigned a location to a photo or group of photos by mistake, you can remove it.
Remove location information from a photo or group of photos
1 Do one of the following:
•To remove a location assignment from all photos associated with a location: In Places view, select
the location pin.
•To remove a location assignment from a subset of photos associated with a location: In the
Browser, select the photos whose location information you want to remove.
2 In Places view, choose Remove Locations from the Places Action pop-up menu .
If you selected a location pin, the location is removed from all photos associated with the
pin. If you selected photos in the Browser, the location information is removed from the
selected photos.
You can also remove location information from photos using the Map pane of the Info inspector.
For more information, see Work with location information using the Info inspector on page 146.
Import and work with GPS Track le data
To begin working with a GPS track le in Places view, you must rst import the GPS track le
into Aperture.
GPS track points are digital bread crumbs that are used to dene a path or route (“track”) using
precise coordinates saved by a GPS device or GPS tracking iPhone app. If you have a GPS-
enabled camera or iOS device or another GPS device that you use to create track les and save
waypoints, you can import the track les into Aperture and work with them in Places view.
Each leg and waypoint (digital bread crumb) is displayed in Places view, and you can assign
the legs and waypoints to photos. Photos taken with a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device are
automatically assigned locations corresponding to waypoints in the track le.
Import a GPS track le
1 In the Library inspector, select the project into which you want to import the track le, then click
the Places button in the toolbar.
2 In Places view, choose Import GPS Track from the GPS pop-up menu.
3 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location of the GPS track le, select it, then click
Choose Track File.
The track le is imported into the selected project. The track le appears as a purple line on the
map in Places view.
Create a new location based on a waypoint in a GPS track le
After you have imported the GPS track le into your Aperture project, you can begin working
with the GPS track data to create new locations, assign locations to photos, and move
location pins.
1 In the Library inspector, select a project with an imported GPS track le.
2 In the Browser, select a photo and drag it to a waypoint in Places view.
A small dialog appears at the bottom of Places view asking if you would like to assign location
information to other photos in the project based on time.
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3 Do one of the following:
•To assign photo location information to other photos in the project based on time in the GPS track
le: Click Assign Locations.
•If you don’t want to assign photo location information to other photos in the project: Click Done.
Assign location information from a GPS waypoint to a photo selection
1 In the Browser, select the photo or photos to which you want to assign location information.
2 In Places view, Control-click the waypoint whose location information you want to assign to the
selected photos, then choose Assign Photos from the shortcut menu.
The waypoint’s location information is assigned to the photo selection, and a location badge
(a red pin) appears at the top of each selected photo in the Browser.
Moving location pins that correspond to waypoints in a GPS track le works the same way as
moving other location pins. For more information about moving location pins, see Change photo
locations on page 142 .
Delete a GPS track le
You can delete a GPS track le at any time. For example, if you have several GPS track les
on your computer and you aren’t sure which locations they track, you can import the les
individually to see if the track data corresponds to locations in your project. If a GPS track le
contains track data that doesn’t match locations in your project, you can delete it.
mIn Places view, choose Delete Selected Track from the GPS pop-up menu.
Assign location information to projects
If all the photos in a project were shot in the same location, you can save time by assigning
location information to the project in Projects view. Rather than selecting photos in the Browser
and assigning them a location, you can assign the location to the project. Assigning a location to
a project assigns the location to all versions in the project.
Assign a location to all versions in a project quickly
1 In the Library inspector, select Projects.
The Aperture main window switches to Projects view.
2 Click the Info button for the project to which you want to assign the location.
Info button
The Info HUD appears.
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3 In the Info HUD, click Assign Location.
Assign Location button
4 In the dialog that appears, enter a specic address or the name of a place, a city or town, or
a signicant geographical location such as a national park in the search eld.
Aperture searches for the location you entered in the search eld and displays a list of search
results. Place names that match the text you entered are displayed at the top of the search
results list.
5 Select the search result that matches the location you are looking for.
Search result
Location of the selected
search result on the map
Assign button
6 If you would like to give the location a custom name, enter a name in the Place Name eld.
7 Click Assign.
The selected location is assigned to every photo in the project.
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Work with location information using the Info inspector
In addition to working with location information in Places view and Projects view, you can also
work with location information in the Map pane of the Info inspector. The Map pane of the Info
inspector provides a convenient means of modifying a photo’s location information without
having to switch to Places view.
There are three map views you can use within the Map pane of the Info inspector:
•Standard view: This view shows the map with a traditional depiction of roads, parks, borders,
bodies of water, and more.
•Hybrid: This view shows the map as satellite imagery with street names and other information.
•Satellite: This view shows the map as satellite imagery.
View a photo’s location information using the Map pane of the Info inspector
1 In the Browser, select a photo whose location information you want to view.
2 In the Info inspector, click the Show Map button.
The Map pane appears, with a red pin in the center of the map indicating where the photo
was shot.
Show/Hide Map button
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3 In the Map pane of the Info inspector, do one of the following:
•Use the Zoom buttons to zoom in to or out of the location where the photo was captured.
•Use the pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
•Double-click the location pin to zoom in to the area where the photo was captured. Double-
click the location pin again to zoom in further.
Zoom button
Double-click the
location pin to zoom
in to the map.
Switch views within the Map pane of the Info inspector
1 In the Browser, select a photo to which you want to assign a location.
2 In the Info inspector, click the Show Map button to open the Map pane.
3 Choose a map view from the Map Pane Action pop-up menu .
Map Pane Action
pop-up menu
Assign location information using the Map pane of the Info inspector
1 In the Browser, select a photo to which you want to assign a location.
2 In the Info inspector, click the Show Map button to open the Map pane.
The Map pane appears.
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3 Enter the name of the location you want to assign to the photo in the Location eld, then select
the location in the search results list that appears.
The map view changes to show the new location, with a purple location pin and a location label
at its center.
4 Click the Assign Location button in the location label.
Cancel button
Assign Location button
The location information is assigned to the photo.
Change a photo’s location information using the Map pane of the Info inspector
1 In the Browser, select a photo whose location information you want to change.
2 In the Info inspector, click the Show Map button to open the Map pane.
The Map pane appears, with a red pin in the center of the map indicating where the photo
was shot.
3 Choose Move Pin from the Map Pane Action pop-up menu.
Map Pane Action
pop-up menu
The red pin turns purple.
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4 Enter the name of a new location to assign to the photo in the Location eld, then select the
location in the search results list that appears.
The map view changes to show the new location.
5 Do one of the following:
•To assign the location to the photo: Click the Assign Location button in the location label.
•To cancel the location change: Click the Cancel button in the location label.
Cancel button
Assign Location button
Remove location information using the Map pane of the Info inspector
1 In the Browser, select a photo whose location information you want to remove.
2 In the Info inspector, click the Show Map button to open the Map pane.
3 Choose Remove Location from the Map Pane Action pop-up menu.
Map Pane Action
pop-up menu
The location information is removed from the photo.
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Search for and display photos
Searching overview
In Aperture, you can search for photos in multiple ways. You can use the search eld and pop-up
menu in the Browser to quickly locate photos by name or display photos by rating, ag status,
and color label. To perform more complex searches, you can open the Filter HUD by clicking the
button to the left of the Browser search eld.
Filter HUD button Search field
In the Filter HUD you can search for photos by a wide variety of criteria, including photo name,
subject, keyword, photographer, caption or text, date, location, EXIF and IPTC information, and
applied adjustments. You can also search by a combination of criteria.
Specify your search criteria.
To add additional search
options, choose them
from this pop-up menu.
Select the checkboxes for the
items you want to search by.
You can search for photos across the entire library or within a particular project, album, or folder.
Your search doesn’t change the contents of the library or the selected project, album, or folder; it
only temporarily changes the photos you view in the Browser. If you cancel the search criteria in
the Filter HUD, all of your photos appear in the Browser again. The Filter HUD is preset to show
photos that are unrated or better, hiding rejected photos, but you can change the Filter HUD
criteria to show rejected photos if you wish.
Important: Search criteria set in the Aperture Browser lters photos only within Aperture. If you
open your Aperture library in iPhoto, all photos are shown.
If you want to save your search results, you can create a new album containing the photos from
your search, or you can create a Smart Album that automatically gathers photos based on your
search criteria.
For more information about searching, see:
•Library inspector overview on page 51
•Search for photos by face on page 130
•Organize photos by location using Places on page 131
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Perform quick searches using the Search Field pop-up menu
The search eld pop-up menu in the Browser provides a set of options that let you quickly
remove photos from view in the Browser so that you can focus on the photos with which you
want to work. You can either enter the name of a photo in the search eld or choose a rating,
ag status, or color label from the search eld pop-up menu to lter photos in the Browser.
Although photos that don’t match your search string or search eld pop-up menu choice are
removed from view, they are not deleted. To view all photos in the Browser again, you simply
click the Reset button in the search eld.
Note: By default, the Browser is set to show photos that are unrated or better, hiding rejected
photos from view.
Search field
pop-up menu
Filter photos using the Browser search eld and search eld pop-up menu.
1 In the Library inspector, select the item you want to search.
To search all the photos in the library, select Photos.
2 In the Browser, do one of the following:
•To show photos based on text (such as a keyword) or a numerical value (such as width or height in
pixels): Enter text or a number in the search eld, then press Return.
•To show photos that have been assigned a specic star rating or better: Choose a star rating
option from the search eld pop-up menu (or press the keyboard shortcut for the option,
shown in the menu).
•To show all photos, including rejects: Choose Show All from the search eld pop-up menu (or
press Control-6).
•To show unrated photos only: Choose Unrated from the search eld pop-up menu (or press
Control-7).
•To show rejected photos only: Choose Rejected from the search eld pop-up menu (or press
Control-8).
•To show agged photos only: Choose Flagged from the search eld pop-up menu (or press
Control-Slash (/)).
•To show photos that have a color label assigned to them: Choose a colored label from the search
eld pop-up menu, or press the keyboard shortcut for the label (to see teh keyboard shortcut
for the label, move the pointer over it).
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•To reset the search eld pop-up menu to the default setting of Unrated or Better: Click the Reset
button on the right sisde of the search eld, or delete the text in the search eld.
Reset button
For more information about rating photos, see Rating photos overview on page 98. For more
information about agging photos, see Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector
HUD on page 198.
Search using a combination of criteria
You can use the Filter HUD to see all photos that match a certain search criteria. For example,
you can search for all the photos in a project that have a rating of ve stars. You can show
photos with a specic keyword assigned, photos that are agged or color labelled, or photos
taken in a specic location or on a specic date. The Filter HUD allows you do searches based
on a wide variety of the metadata assigned to your photos. You can also nd photos that match
a combination of criteria, which allows you do to complex searches. You can search for photos
within a specic project, album, or folder, as well as search your entire library in a broad search.
Search for photos
1 In the Library inspector, select the item you want to search.
To search across the entire library, select Photos. The main window switches to Photos view,
displaying all of the photos in the Aperture library. In Photos view, you can use the Browser and
Viewer to locate, sort, and adjust photos as necessary.
2 Make sure the Browser is showing by doing one of the following:
•To show the Browser by itself: Choose View > Browser.
•To show the Browser and Viewer together: Choose View > Split View.
3 Click the Filter HUD button beside the search eld in the Browser (or press Command-F).
4 In the Filter HUD, choose search criteria or rules from the Add Rule pop-up menu.
Specify your search criteria.
To add additional search
options, choose them
from this pop-up menu.
Select the checkboxes for the
items you want to search by.
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When you choose an item from the Add Rule pop-up menu, additional controls become
available in the Filter HUD. The Add Rule pop-up menu contains the following items:
•Adjustments: Search for photos based on the type of adjustment that has been applied to
them in Aperture, as well as which RAW decoding version was used to render the image. You
can also search for photos that do not have a specic type of adjustment applied to them.
•Aperture Metadata: Search for photos with Aperture-specic metadata applied to them, such
as version name and project name.
•Attachment: Search for photos based on whether they have audio attachments.
•Calendar: Search for photos by the date they were taken as registered in the EXIF data.You
can select a date or several dates in the calendar to search for photos taken on those dates,
as well as specify a range of dates. In addition, you can search for photos taken outside of
a range of dates. Use the Calendar navigation buttons to navigate through the monthly
calendars. Shift-click to select a range of continuous dates; Command-click to select multiple
noncontinuous dates.
•Color Label: Search for photos that have color labels assigned to them. You can search for more
than one color label at a time. You can also search for photos that do not have a specic color
label assigned to them.
•Date: Search for photos based on their creation date. Images that you import from sources
other than digital cameras and card readers, such as JPEG or TIFF les, may not have EXIF
information associated with them. However, they typically have a creation date assigned to the
le. You can use this creation date to locate images using the Date search options.
•EXIF: Search for photos using any EXIF information recorded by the camera.
•Face: Search for photos based on the faces that have been assigned names. You can search for
photos that only contain a single named face, as well as photos that have multiple people in
them, including the face you’re looking for.
•File Status: Search for photos based on whether they are managed images, referenced images,
or online or oine images. You can use the File Status search category to show the photos
whose originals Aperture considers missing.
•File Type: Search for les of a specic type, such as RAW or video. You can also search
for RAW + JPEG image pairs, movie and audio le attachments, and images edited with
external applications.
•Flagged: Search for photos that you have agged in Aperture.
•Import Session: Search for photos that were imported at a specic time or on a specic date.
Aperture keeps track of your import sessions and can identify photos that were imported at
the same time. You can also search for photos that were not imported during a specic import
session or range of sessions.
•IPTC: Search for photos based on any IPTC information assigned to them.
•Keywords: Search for photos by any of the keywords that you’ve assigned to them. You can
select one or more keywords to search for. You can also specify which keywords a photo must
have to qualify as a match.
•Photo Usage: Search for photos that have been employed for a specic purpose in Aperture,
such as photos currently used in a book, emailed photos, and prints ordered via the Apple
print service.
•Place: Search for photos by the location information assigned to them. If you have photos that
were shot with a GPS-enabled digital camera or if you’ve identied where photos were shot
using Places, you can search for photos by location.
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•Rating: Search for photos based on the ratings assigned to them in Aperture.
•Text: Search for photos based on any text associated with a photo. For example, you might
search for photos based on text in a photo’s caption or keywords, or in any other text entry.
You can also search by multiple text entries.
5 Do one of the following:
•To specify that a photo must match at least one of the criteria or keywords: Choose Any from the
Any/All pop-up menu and “match” from the Match pop-up menu.
•To specify that a photo must match all the criteria and keywords: Choose All from the Any/All
pop-up menu and “match” from the Match pop-up menu.
•To specify that a photo must not match any of the criteria and keywords: Choose Any from the
Any/All pop-up menu and “do not match” from the Match pop-up menu.
•To specify that a photo must not match all of the criteria and keywords: Choose All from the Any/
All pop-up menu and “do not match” from the Match pop-up menu.
Save your search results
When you perform a search using the Filter HUD, you can save your results in several ways. You
can create a new Smart Album that locates photos that match the search criteria. You can also
save the search results themselves in a new album, book album, Light Table album, slideshow
album, Flickr album, Facebook album, Smart Web Page Album, webpage album, or web
journal album.
Create a Smart Album based on the search criteria
1 Use the Filter HUD to search for photos based on specied criteria.
2 In the Filter HUD, click the New Smart Album button.
A new, untitled Smart Album appears in the Library inspector.
3 In the Library inspector, enter a name for the Smart Album, then press Return.
When you add photos to a project or the library that match the search criteria, they are
automatically added to the Smart Album.
For more information, see Group photos with Smart Albums.
Save your search results in an album
1 Use the Filter HUD to search for photos based on specied criteria.
2 In the Filter HUD, do one of the following:
•To create a new album: Click the New Album With Current Images button, enter a name for the
album that appears in the Library inspector, then press Return.
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•To create a new book album, Light Table album, slideshow album, Flickr album, Facebook album,
Smart Web Page Album, webpage album, or web journal album: Choose the appropriate item
from the Filter HUD Action pop-up menu , enter a name for the album, then press Return.
Filter HUD Action
pop-up menu
All photos that match the search criteria are placed in the new album you created.
Group photos with Smart Albums
Smart Albums overview
When you need to group certain types of photos, either temporarily or permanently, you can
use a Smart Album to gather the photos automatically based on the search criteria you specify.
For example, suppose you want to see the best photos you took of a particular sports event.
You select the project containing shots of the sports event, create a Smart Album, show the
Smart Settings HUD, and search for photos rated Select (ve stars). All photos with that rating
immediately appear in the Smart Album. Whenever a photo meets the search criteria later, it’s
automatically added to the Smart Album.
Aperture comes with a Smart Album set up in the library for you that contains all photos
imported into Aperture over the last 12 months. Select a Smart Album to see its contents in
the Browser.
Select this Smart
Album to see all
the photos taken
in the last year.
You can also choose where to search for photos—across the entire library or within a specic
project or folder. For example, when you select the Projects item in the Library inspector and
create a Smart Album, the Smart Album searches across the entire library. When you select
a project or folder and create a Smart Album, the Smart Album searches within that project
or folder.
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You can create Smart Albums that:
•Collect photos of certain poses or subjects, such as head shots, photos of particular models, or
photos of sports scenes
•Collect photos suitable for a specic purpose, such as distribution on the web or submission to
stock photography houses
•Gather the best photos of your collection into a portfolio of poster photos that you use to
present or introduce your work
•Gather a project’s select photos
•Gather specic types of media, such as audio and video clips
•Collect photos with a specic type of adjustment applied, such as a vignette.
You might also use Smart Albums to explore dierent aspects of your photography portfolio. For
example, you can create temporary collections of photos based on technical data such as camera
model, exposure, or lens type as you investigate technical inuences on your photos.
You can quickly create a Smart Album to review photos and then delete it. Or, you can create
Smart Albums that hold permanent and expanding collections of photos. Using Smart Albums
can become an ecient way to relieve yourself of slow reviews of photos that you are required
to track periodically.
Important: Aperture Smart Albums cannot be edited in iPhoto. To modify the search criteria of
an Aperture Smart Album, you must open the Aperture Library in Aperture and then revise the
Smart Album’s search criteria. For more information, see Revise the contents of a Smart Album on
page 159.
Collect photos in a new Smart Album
You can collect photos based on any of the information you can search for using the Smart
Settings HUD. For example, you can create a Smart Album that gathers photos based on a
specic keyword or a combination of keywords, ratings, dates, or other metadata. You can narrow
or broaden the Smart Album search criteria in the Smart Settings HUD at any time.
Create a Smart Album that searches only within one project
1 Select a project in the Library inspector.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Smart Album (or press Shift-Command-L).
•In the Library inspector, Control-click the project, then choose New > Smart Album from the
shortcut menu.
•Choose Smart Album from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
A new, untitled Smart Album appears within the project, and the Smart Settings HUD appears to
its right.
3 Rename the Smart Album by entering a new name.
Enter a new name
for the Smart Album.
Smart Settings
HUD button
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4 In the Smart Settings HUD that appears, specify search criteria.
Close button
Specify the search
criteria for photos
you want in the
Smart Album.
The controls in the Smart Settings HUD are nearly identical to those in the Filter HUD. For more
information about using the Filter HUD and specifying search criteria, see Searching overview on
page 150 .
5 Click the Smart Settings HUD’s close button.
Aperture nds the photos within the project that match the specied search criteria and displays
them in the Browser. You can now work with these versions of your photos in the same way you
work with photos in any project or album.
Create a Smart Album that searches across the entire library
1 In the Library inspector, select Projects.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Smart Album (or press Shift-Command-L).
•Choose Smart Album from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
A new, untitled Smart Album appears in the Albums section of the Library inspector.
3 Rename the Smart Album by entering a new name.
4 In the Smart Settings HUD, specify search criteria.
For more information about using the Smart Settings HUD and specifying search criteria, see
Searching overview on page 15 0 .
5 Click the Smart Settings HUD’s close button.
Aperture nds the photos in the library that match the specied search criteria and displays
them in the Browser. You can now work with these versions of your photos in the same way you
work with photos in any project or album.
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Congure a Smart Album to collect photos of particular people
You can create a Smart Album and specify a person or a group of people as search criteria. For
example, you can create a Smart Album that is set to collect photos of your family members. First
you create the Smart Album, and then you use the Smart Album’s Smart Settings HUD to specify
that it collect photos of each individual in your family.
1 In the Library inspector, select Projects.
2 Choose File > New > Smart Album (or press Shift-Command-L).
A new, untitled Smart Album appears in the Albums section of the Library inspector.
3 Give the Smart Album a name.
4 In the Smart Album’s Smart Settings HUD, choose Face from the Add Rule pop-up menu.
5 Select the Face checkbox, choose “includes” from the Face pop-up menu, then enter the name
of the person you want to include in the Smart Album in the text eld to the right of the
pop-up menu.
Add Rule pop-up menu
Face checkbox Face text field
6 Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each additional person you want added to the Smart Album.
7 When you have nished, close the Smart Settings HUD.
Tip: In Faces view, you can quickly create a Smart Album that gathers photos of a particular
person by dragging the person’s snapshot to the Library inspector. For more information about
Faces, see Faces overview on page 123.
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Search within a Smart Album
After creating a Smart Album, you can search for specic photos within the contents of the
Smart Album.
Search within the contents of a Smart Album
1 In the Library inspector, select the Smart Album whose contents you want to search, then click
the Filter HUD button in the Browser.
Select the Smart Album
you want to search within.
Show the Browser’s Filter HUD
and specify search criteria.
2 When the Filter HUD appears, specify secondary search criteria to show specic photos within
the Smart Album.
To see the entire contents of the Smart Album again, delete the search criteria in the Filter HUD.
Revise the contents of a Smart Album
To change the contents of a Smart Album, you change the search criteria for the Smart Album.
You can manually select individual photos and delete them, but the deletion removes both the
version and the original wherever it exists in the original project. Similarly, you cannot simply
drag photos into a Smart Album to add them.
If you decide that certain photos should not be in a Smart Album, you can narrow the search
criteria to exclude photos. Aperture performs a new search and revises the Smart Album’s
contents. To remove a photo from a Smart Album, you can also change the photo so that it no
longer matches the Smart Album’s search criteria. For example, if a Smart Album gathers photos
rated ve stars, changing a photo’s rating to four stars removes it from the Smart Album.
Change the contents of a Smart Album by changing the search criteria
1 In the Library inspector, click the Smart Settings HUD button to the right of the Smart Album
to show the Smart Settings HUD.
2 Revise the search criteria in the Smart Settings HUD to eliminate or add the photos you want.
3 Click the Smart Settings HUD’s close button.
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Transfer Smart Album photos to an album
You can transfer photos from a Smart Album to another album, such as a slideshow album or a
book album. You transfer photos by selecting the photos in the Smart Album and dragging or
copying them into another album. You can also select the photos in the Smart Album and have
Aperture create a new album to hold them.
Transfer photos from a Smart Album to a new album that Aperture creates
1 In the Library inspector, select the Smart Album containing the photos you want to transfer, then
click the Filter HUD button in the Browser.
2 In the Filter HUD, specify search criteria for the photos you want to transfer.
3 Click the New Album With Current Images button to create an album, or choose the type of
album you want from the Filter HUD Action pop-up menu in the bottom-right corner of the
Filter HUD.
Click the New Album
With Current Images
button, or choose a
type of album from
the Filter HUD Action
pop-up menu.
A new album is created, containing the photos you selected using the search criteria.
Delete a Smart Album
You can delete a Smart Album at any time, and none of the photos gathered from the library are
deleted. If you’ve transferred photos from a Smart Album to another album, the photos in the
other album are also not deleted when you delete the Smart Album.
Delete a Smart Album
1 Select the Smart Album in the Library inspector.
2 Choose File > Delete Smart Album (or press Command-Delete).
Work with library albums
If you created a library in a previous version of Aperture, a selection of Smart Albums was set
up in the Library inspector for you automatically. When you click the disclosure triangle beside
Library Albums in the Library inspector, you see the following Smart Albums:
•Five Stars: Select this Smart Album to see all photos in the library that are rated ve stars.
•One Star or Better: Select this Smart Album to see all photos that are rated one star or better.
•Rejected: Select this Smart Album to see all photos that are rated Reject.
•Videos: Select this Smart Album to see all video clips in the library.
•In the Last Week: Select this Smart Album to see all photos taken in the last week.
•In the Last Month: Select this Smart Album to see all photos taken in the last month.
Important: Library albums appear in the Library inspector only if your Aperture library was
created in Aperture 3.2 or earlier.
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Work with library albums
mOpen an Aperture library created in a previous version of Aperture.
The library albums appear in the Albums section of the Library inspector. For information about
switching libraries, see View other libraries on page 58.
Remove the library albums from the Library inspector
If you’re working with an Aperture library created in a previous version of Aperture and you no
longer want to see the library albums, you can remove them.
mIn the Library inspector, select Library Albums, then choose File > Delete Folder (or press
Command-Delete).
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162
View photos in the Viewer
Viewer overview
The Viewer displays a detailed view of the photo or photos selected in the Browser. You can view
one photo in incredible detail or view several photos at a time.
Selected photo
in the Browser
A detailed view
of the selected
photo appears
in the Viewer.
You use the Viewer to make adjustments, closely compare similar photos, and inspect photos at
full resolution. If you use a dual-display system, you can set the Viewer to show your photos on
both screens to provide stunning, full-detail views. You can also use the Viewer to preview and
edit audio attachments and video clips.
View and compare photos
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Chapter 5 View and compare photos 163
When rating or adjusting photos, you can set the Viewer to compare two photos at once. You
select a photo to compare against and then display other similar or related photos next to it
for inspection. You might use the Aperture comparison feature to select photos from a series or
compare versions of adjusted images to see which is best.
You can use the Viewer
to compare two photos.
Depending on the size of your display and Viewer, photos may be displayed at a reduced size to
t in the Viewer. Aperture can display your photos at full resolution, which allows you to examine
a photo exactly as it was recorded and see the precise eects of your adjustments and changes.
If a full-resolution photo doesn’t t in the Viewer, you can pan across the photo to inspect
dierent parts of the image. You can also zoom in to check details, such as sharpness.
Full-resolution view of
a photo that is larger than
the Viewer’s screen size
You can also display photos in the Viewer with keywords and other information, such as IPTC or
EXIF metadata. For more information, see Working with metadata overview on page 193.
You can work with the Viewer and Browser together, or you can change the main window layout
to show just the Viewer, providing more space to view your images. For more information, see
Change the main window layout on page 474.
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Change the number of photos in the Viewer
You can specify whether the Viewer displays one photo, three photos, or multiple photos at a
time. If your system uses multiple displays, you can congure your main and secondary displays
to show single photos, three photos, or multiple photos simultaneously. The display settings you
choose also control the display of photos in full-screen view.
Change the number of photos displayed in the Viewer
mTo display multiple photos: Choose View > Main Viewer > Show Multiple (or press Option-U).
This is the default setting. When Show Multiple is chosen, the Viewer can display anywhere from
one photo up to twelve at a time, depending on the number of photos selected in the Browser.
mTo display a single photo: Choose View > Main Viewer > Show One (or press Option-R).
When the Viewer is set to Show One, the Viewer displays one photo at a time regardless of the
number of photos selected in the Browser. This setting allows you to make a multiple photo
selection in the Browser and then view each photo by itself within the selection.
mTo display three photos: Choose View > Main Viewer > Three Up (or press Option-H).
When the Viewer is set to show three photos at a time, Aperture displays the selected photo in
the center of the three photos that appear in the Viewer.
Compare photos
You can select a photo against which to compare other photos in your project or in the library.
The selected photo remains on the screen as you select and display other photos (alternates)
to compare against it. The comparison feature is useful for making nal selections of the best
photos in a series or comparing two versions of a photo for correct exposure or highlights.
When comparing photos, you can apply ratings and keywords and make adjustments to
selected photos.
Set the Viewer to compare photos
1 Select a photo.
2 Choose View > Main Viewer > Compare (or press Option-O).
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The compare photo appears on the left with a green border, and an alternate photo appears on
the right.
The compare photo is displayed
with a green border, visible in the
Viewer and Browser.
The photo you want to
examine against the compare
photo is shown to the right.
3 Do any of the following:
•To view a photo against the compare photo: In the Browser, select another photo, or navigate to
another photo using the arrow keys.
•To set the alternate photo as the compare photo and navigate to the next photo: Press Return.
•To turn o the comparison feature and select the compare photo: Choose Edit > Select Compare
Item (or press Option-Return).
•To turn o the comparison feature and select the alternate photo: Choose Edit > Clear Compare
Item (or press Command-Return).
You can also use these procedures to compare photos in full-screen view. For information about
full-screen view, see Full-screen view overview on page 172 .
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View photos at full resolution
A full-resolution view of a photo shows every pixel in the photo. You can set Aperture to display
a photo at full resolution even though the photo may not t within the Viewer. Viewing photos
at full resolution allows you to inspect your photo using the nest level of detail possible.
Selected photo
in the Browser
A detailed view
of the selected
photo appears
in the Viewer.
When a photo doesn’t t within the area of the Viewer, a small gray navigation box appears on
the right side of the photo. You can drag the white rectangle within the navigation box to see
other parts of the photo, also known as panning. You can also incrementally zoom in to and out
of the photo at values from 25 to 1000 percent using the Zoom value slider at the bottom of the
navigation box.
Drag the rectangle
to change your
view of the photo.
Zoom value slider
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Display a selected photo at full resolution
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Zoom to Actual Size (or press Z).
mClick the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip.
To turn o the full-resolution display, click the button again.
mDouble-tap with two ngers.
To turn o the full-resolution display, double-tap with two ngers again.
Note: Smart zoom must be turned on in the Trackpad pane of System Preferences. For
information about turning on smart zoom, see Help Center.
Pan a full-resolution photo in the Viewer
Do one of the following:
mDrag the white rectangle that appears in the navigation box.
mDrag the photo in the Viewer.
Zoom in to and out of a photo incrementally
mTo zoom in or out by single percentage increments: Click the right or left arrow in the Zoom
value slider.
mTo quickly zoom in or out: Drag right or left in the Zoom value slider.
mTo zoom in or out using keyboard shortcuts: Press Command–Plus Sign (+) to zoom in, and
Command–Minus Sign (–) to zoom out.
View original photos
When working with adjusted images, or versions, you may at times want to check what the
original photo looks like. Aperture can quickly display the original photo on which a selected
version is based.
Display the original photo for a selected version
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Show Original Image (or press M).
mClick the Show Original button in the tool strip.
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Work with audio and video in the Viewer
If you have imported audio and video les into Aperture, you can use the Viewer to review and
edit them. You can edit the length of video and audio clips using the video and audio controls
in the Viewer. You can also set the poster frame for a video clip (the frame that appears as
the video’s thumbnail in the Browser), as well as create a JPEG image from any frame in the
video clip.
Note: If you have a camera that can record audio annotations or if you have manually attached
an audio le to a photo, you use the Info inspector to listen to and edit audio attachments. For
more information, see Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector HUD on page 198.
Listen to audio clips or view video clips
1 In the Library inspector, select an item that contains audio or video clips.
The audio and video clips appear in the Browser as thumbnails.
2 In the Browser, select an audio clip or a video clip.
This icon indicates
a video clip.
3 In the Viewer, do one of the following:
•If you selected an audio clip: Audio controls with the audio clip’s lename appear in the Viewer.
Click the Play button to listen to the audio clip, and use the playhead to navigate forward
and backward.
Play button
Trim button
Playhead
•If you selected a video clip: The video clip appears in the Viewer. Move the pointer over the
Viewer, and the video controls appear. Click the Play button to view the video clip, and use the
playhead to navigate forward and backward.
Play button
Action pop-up menu
Playhead
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Trim an audio clip
1 Select the audio clip in the Browser.
The audio controls appear in the Viewer with the selected audio clip’s lename displayed at
the top.
Play button
Trim button
Playhead
2 In the Viewer, click the Trim button.
The Trim controls appear.
3 Click the Play button to listen to the audio clip and determine which parts of the audio you want
to keep.
4 Drag the Start point to the beginning of the audio you plan to use, and drag the End point to the
position where you want the audio to end.
The Trim button turns yellow, indicating that the length of the audio clip has changed.
Drag the Start and End
points to trim the audio.
5 When you’re satised with the length of the audio clip, click the Trim button.
Tip: If you want to use more than one part of the audio clip, choose Photos > New Version from
Original (or press Option-G) for each additional part of the clip you plan to use, and repeat the
steps above.
Trim a video clip
You adjust the length of a video clip by choosing Trim from the Action pop-up menu.
Play button
Action pop-up menu
Playhead
1 Select the video clip in the Browser.
2 Move the pointer over the video image in the Viewer.
The video controls appear.
3 Choose Trim from the Action pop-up menu in the video controls.
The Trim controls appear.
4 Click the Play button to view the video clip and determine which parts of the video you want
to keep.
Note: If you move the pointer away from the Trim controls, they disappear. Move the pointer
over the Viewer to show them again.
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5 Drag the Start point to the beginning of the video you plan to use, and drag the End point to the
position where you want the video to end.
The Trim button turns yellow, indicating that the length of the video clip has changed.
Drag the Start and End
points to trim the video.
6 When you’re satised with the length of the video clip, click the Trim button.
Tip: If you want to use more than one part of the video clip, choose Photos > New Version from
Original (or press Option-G) for each additional part of the clip you plan to use, and repeat the
steps above.
Set the poster frame for the video clip’s thumbnail in the Browser
1 Select the video clip in the Browser.
2 Move the pointer over the video in the Viewer to show the video controls, and drag the playhead
to the frame of video you want to set as the poster frame.
3 Choose “Set as poster frame” from the Action pop-up menu in the video controls.
Create a JPEG image from a video frame
1 Select the video clip in the Browser.
2 Move the pointer over the lower portion of the video in the Viewer to show the video controls,
and drag the playhead to the video frame you want to create a JPEG image from.
3 Choose “New JPEG from frame” from the Action pop-up menu in the video controls.
A JPEG image of the video frame is created, and the thumbnail image appears in a stack with
the video clip in the Browser. For information about working with stacks, see Stacking photos
overview on page 92.
View photos on multiple displays
Using the additional screen space of a second display provides an excellent platform for viewing
and performing image adjustments, playing slideshows, and presenting your full-color, full-size
photos to clients. When your system uses two displays, Aperture provides two Viewers in which
you can view multiple photos. These Viewers are called the Main Viewer and the Secondary
Viewer. The Main Viewer is used for displaying the Aperture application, and the Secondary
Viewer for viewing photos. You can choose whether Aperture displays the same photos in the
Main Viewer and Secondary Viewer, displays only the currently selected photo in the Secondary
Viewer, or splits the display of photos between the Main Viewer and the Secondary Viewer.
Set how photos are displayed in the Secondary Viewer
mTo display the same photos in the Main Viewer and the Secondary Viewer: Choose View > Secondary
Viewer > Mirror (or press Option-M).
mTo display the currently selected photo in the Secondary Viewer: Choose View > Secondary Viewer >
Alternate (or press Option-A).
When you choose this option, the Secondary Viewer shows only one photo, even when you have
the Main Viewer set to display multiple photos.
mTo display a selection of photos across both the Main Viewer and the Secondary Viewer: Choose View
> Secondary Viewer > Span (or press Option-S).
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This option splits the display of the currently selected photos between the Main Viewer and the
Secondary Viewer. For example, if you select seven photos to view, the Main Viewer shows as
many as t its screen size, and the remaining photos appear in the Secondary Viewer. Thus, one
Viewer might show four photos, and the other Viewer might show the remaining three of the
seven. You can also use the Span option to select two photos and compare them, showing one
photo per display.
mTo turn o the display of photos in the Secondary Viewer, making the screen black: Choose View >
Secondary Viewer > Black (or press Option-B).
This option sets the Secondary Viewer to be a blank screen.
mTo turn o the dual-display function: Choose View > Secondary Viewer > O (or press Option-X).
Show hot and cold areas in your photos
Photos may occasionally have overly bright areas where color information is beyond the
standard limits of the Aperture working color space. For example, white areas in a photo brightly
lit with direct sunlight, or bright ashes o a water surface, may be so bright that their color is
outside the working color space. Similarly, photos may occasionally have black areas where color
information is below the standard limits of the working color space.
Aperture can display these “hot” and “cold” areas of an image with tints on the photo to help
you identify where they’re located. You may be able to adjust the areas identied by the hot and
cold area overlays and recover highlight and shadow detail by changing the image’s exposure,
recovery, black point, or gamma setting.
Show the hot and cold areas in your photos
mChoose View > Highlight Hot & Cold Areas (or press Option-Shift-H).
You can also monitor color clipping per color channel when performing specic adjustments
using modier keys. For more information, see Identify color channel clipping on page 342.
Change the hot and cold area threshold and clipping overlay color
You can adjust the threshold, or sensitivity, of hot and cold area overlays. By default, the hot
area threshold is set to 100%, and the cold area threshold is set to 0%. You can set Aperture to
ag pixels that are near 100% or 0% by lowering the hot area threshold or increasing the cold
area threshold.
You can also choose to view the hot and cold area overlays in color or monochrome.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
2 In the Preferences window, click Advanced.
3 Do any of the following:
•To adjust the hot area display threshold: Drag the “Hot Area threshold” slider to the left to
increase the sensitivity to highlight pixels, and to the right to decrease it.
•To adjust the cold area display threshold: Drag the “Cold Area threshold” slider to the right to
increase the sensitivity to shadow pixels, and to the left to decrease it.
•To change the clipping overlay color: Choose either Color or Monochrome from the “Clipping
overlay” pop-up menu.
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Set up the Viewer for onscreen proong
Photos displayed on your computer screen may look dierent when displayed on computer
screens that use dierent color technologies. Your photos may also reproduce dierently in print
depending on the type of printer, the paper used, and the color prole of the printing device.
To see what a photo will look like when you print it or view it on a dierent display, you can
have Aperture adjust your display so that your photos resemble the nal results. To adjust
your computer display, you choose a proong prole that matches, as closely as possible, the
characteristics of the nal output device. For example, if your photo will be printed on sheet-
fed coated paper, you can choose a proong prole for sheet-fed coated paper to see a close
approximation of what the printed photo might look like. Aperture provides several dozen
proles that match the characteristics of many printers, display devices, and color spaces.
After choosing a proong prole that matches the nal output of the photo, you turn on the
onscreen proong feature, and the photo changes to show the expected results.
Onscreen proong alters the look of photos in the Viewer and in full-screen view.
Choose a proong prole
mChoose View > Proong Prole, and choose the prole you want from the submenu.
Turn onscreen proong on or o
mChoose View > Onscreen Proong (or press Option-Shift-P).
View photos in full-screen view
Full-screen view overview
Full-screen view shows your photos against a black background for detailed viewing using every
inch of the display. Using a dual-display system in full-screen view gives you an enlarged space in
which to compare and adjust images.
You can view, compare, and stack your photos in full-screen view. You can also apply adjustments
and keywords. When you’ve nished working with your photos, you can use this view to preview
and proof your photos.
You can use any of the Aperture HUDs in full-screen view. You can open the Inspector HUD or
Keywords HUD by pressing its keyboard shortcut. In fact, you’ll nd it convenient to use keyboard
shortcuts for most features you use in full-screen view. For more information about keyboard
shortcuts you can use, see the Aperture 3 Keyboard Shortcuts PDF available in the Help menu.
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Full-screen view has three modes that you can access by pressing the V key:
•Viewer mode is similar to the Split View layout in the Aperture main window. Use the lmstrip
to navigate through, organize, and rate your photos. Photos selected in the lmstrip appear
above the lmstrip in high resolution, lling the screen.
Toolbar available
in Full Screen view
Filmstrip available
in Full Screen view
The displayed photo
fills the screen.
You can dock the lmstrip on the left, right, or bottom of the screen—wherever it best suits
your work habits. You can also hide or show the lmstrip.
Use the toolbar buttons and tools to modify your photos. The toolbar includes buttons for
creating versions and working with stacks, as well as a full set of image adjustment tools.
For more information, see Work in Viewer mode in full-screen view on page 175.
•Browser mode is similar to the working layout you see when the Browser is set to grid view
in the Aperture main window. The search eld and Filter HUD are accessible for ltering
photos, and the Library Path Navigator pop-up menus provide access to all the items in the
Library inspector.
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For more information, see Work in Browser mode in full-screen view on page 177.
•Projects mode is similar to the Projects view in the Aperture main window. Each project is
displayed as a thumbnail image. You can group projects by the year the photos were created
or by the folders in which they reside in the Library inspector.
For more information, see Work in Projects mode in full-screen view on page 178.
Enter and exit full-screen view
You can quickly switch between full-screen view and your workspace layout in the Aperture
main window.
Enter full-screen view
mClick the Full Screen button at the top-right corner of the Aperture main window (or press F).
The Aperture main window disappears, and your photos appear in full-screen view.
Exit full-screen view
Do one of the following:
mClick the Exit Full Screen button in the full-screen view toolbar (or press F).
mPress Esc (Escape).
The workspace view you were working in before entering full-screen view reappears.
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Note: When you quit Aperture while working in full-screen view, Aperture returns to full-screen
view the next time you open the application. You can bypass full-screen view and return to the
main Aperture workspace by pressing Option-Shift while opening Aperture.
Work in Viewer mode in full-screen view
When you rst enter full-screen view, Viewer mode is shown. Viewer mode is similar to the Split
View layout in the Aperture main window; however, the photos are displayed in high resolution
against a solid background. You navigate through your photos using the lmstrip.
View a photo in the lmstrip
1 If necessary, position the pointer over the area of the window where the lmstrip is docked
(bottom, left, or right side) to display the lmstrip.
2 Select a photo displayed in the lmstrip by pressing the arrow keys or clicking the photo you
want to see.
View more than one photo at the same time
1 Choose Show Multiple from the Viewer Mode pop-up menu in the toolbar.
2 Position the pointer over area of the window where the lmstrip is docked (bottom, left, or right
side) to display the lmstrip and do one of the following:
•Command-click nonadjacent photos to select them.
•Shift-click images to select a range of photos.
Show and move the lmstrip
You can choose to always show the lmstrip, so that Aperture automatically ts the photos and
lmstrip on your screen without overlapping, or you can hide it, so that it appears only when you
place the pointer over the area where it’s docked.
You can also move the lmstrip to the left, bottom, or right side of your main display.
mTo always show the lmstrip: Move the Always Show Filmstrip control to the locked position.
Always Show
Filmstrip control
mTo show the lmstrip only when you move the pointer over its docked position: Move the Always
Show Filmstrip control to the unlocked position.
mTo move the lmstrip to a dierent location: Drag the lmstrip to the left, right, or bottom of the
Aperture window.
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Search for a photo in the lmstrip
When you have more photos than the lmstrip can display at once, you can use the search eld
in the lmstrip to quickly locate photos. The search is conned to the selection in the Library
pane of the Inspector HUD.
mEnter text associated with that photo in the lmstrip’s search eld.
Aperture nds the relevant photo or photos for you, removing others from view. To see all your
photos again, click the search eld’s Reset button (with an X) or delete the text in the search eld.
Important: You can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly implement a search that displays
photos with specic ratings or photos that have a specic keyword. It’s possible, while working
with photos, to accidentally press such a keyboard shortcut and see photos on your screen
unexpectedly change or even disappear. If this happens, you can display your photos by clicking
the Reset button in the search eld to reset the search criteria in the Filter HUD.
Set the lmstrip to lter photos
By default, the lmstrip is set to show photos that are unrated or better. Any photos that have
been assigned the Reject rating are automatically removed from view. To view rejected photos,
you must set the lmstrip to show all photos.
You can also lter the photos shown in the lmstrip by criteria other than ratings. For example,
you can lter photos by whether they’ve been agged or assigned a color label.
mTo set the lmstrip to show all photos: In the lmstrip, choose Show All from the search eld
pop-up menu.
All photos, including rejects, appear in the lmstrip, and Showing All appears in the lmstrip’s
search eld.
mTo set the lmstrip to show only rejected photos: In the lmstrip, choose Rejected from the search
eld pop-up menu.
Only photos with the Reject rating appear in the lmstrip, and X appears in the lmstrip’s
search eld.
mTo set the lmstrip to show only agged photos: In the lmstrip, choose Flagged from the search
eld pop-up menu.
mTo set the lmstrip to show only photos assigned a specic color label: In the lmstrip, choose a color
label from the search eld pop-up menu.
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View the full-screen view toolbar
The toolbar displayed in full-screen view is similar to the toolbar in the Aperture main window.
You use the toolbar’s buttons and tools to make image adjustments and to control your displays.
mIn full-screen view, move the pointer to the top of the screen on the main display.
You can have the toolbar always appear on the screen by clicking the Always Show Toolbar
control in the toolbar.
Work in Browser mode in full-screen view
You can set full-screen view to switch between Viewer mode and Browser mode. Browser mode
displays thumbnail images in a grid over a black background with minimal color interference. As
in the Browser in the main Aperture workspace, the search eld and Filter HUD are accessible for
ltering photos. When full-screen view is set to Browser mode, the toolbar remains accessible at
the top of the screen but the lmstrip disappears.
Set full-screen view to Browser mode
1 If Aperture is not already in full-screen view, enter it by pressing F.
2 To switch from Viewer mode to Browser mode, press V.
To switch back to Viewer mode, press V or double-click a thumbnail image.
Navigate through photos
Do one of the following:
mPress an arrow key to move left, right, up, or down.
mUse the swipe gesture to scroll through the photos, and click the photo you want to work with.
You select and search for photos in Browser mode in the same way you select and search for
them when the Browser is set to grid view in the main Aperture window. For more information,
see Select photos on page 81 and Searching overview on page 15 0 .
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Work in Projects mode in full-screen view
When you want to view your projects using as much screen space as possible and with a
minimum of color interference, you can set full-screen view to Projects mode.
Set full-screen view to Projects mode
1 If Aperture is not already in full-screen view, enter it by pressing F.
2 To set full-screen view to Browser mode, press V.
3 Click the Projects button in the top-left corner of the screen.
Full-screen view switches from Browser mode to Projects mode. The controls in Projects mode
are the same as the controls in the Projects view in the Aperture main window. For more
information, see Work with projects on page 61 and View projects on page 61.
To switch back to Browser mode, double-click a project’s thumbnail.
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Use HUDs in full-screen view
You can use these HUDs to work with your photos in full-screen view:
•Keywords HUD: Create and organize keywords and add keywords to your photos.
•Inspector HUD: Navigate through the library, modify metadata in your photos, and
perform adjustments.
•Tool HUDS: Use any of the adjustment tools that work in conjunction with HUDs.
HUDs are available for use
in full-screen view and can
make adjusting photos easier.
Show or hide the Keywords HUD
Do one of the following:
mClick the Keywords HUD button in the toolbar.
Use the Keywords HUD
in full-screen view to
quickly add keywords
to your photos.
mPress Shift-H.
For more information, see Apply keywords using the Keywords HUD on page 110 .
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Show or hide the Inspector HUD
mPress H.
Use the Inspector HUD in
full-screen view to open the
Library pane, Info pane, or
Adjustments pane when
working with photos.
Tip: To temporarily hide the Inspector HUD while performing an image adjustment, so that you
have an unobstructed view of your photo, hold down the Shift key while dragging a slider in the
Adjustments pane. When you release the Shift key, the Inspector HUD reappears.
Open any of the adjustment tool HUDs
1 Show the full-screen view toolbar by moving your pointer to the top of the screen on your
main display.
2 Select an adjustment tool in the toolbar, or choose a Quick Brush adjustment from the Quick
Brush pop-up menu .
If the tool you selected has a HUD, that HUD appears.
Crop tool
The Crop HUD appears
when you select the
Crop tool in the toolbar.
To hide the HUD for an adjustment tool, select the Selection tool in the toolbar.
Change the display of metadata in full-screen view
The metadata display settings you choose for the Viewer and Browser also apply to photos
displayed in full-screen view and in its lmstrip. The settings for the Viewer control the display of
metadata for full-screen photos, and the settings for the Browser control the display of metadata
for thumbnails in the lmstrip. For more information about setting the display of metadata, see
Working with metadata overview on page 193.
Although the menus are not available in full-screen view, you can change the display of
metadata using the same keyboard shortcuts used to change the display of metadata in the
Browser and Viewer.
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Turn the display of metadata in full-screen view on or o
mPress Y.
Switch between metadata views for photos in full-screen view
mPress Shift-Y.
Hide or show metadata in the lmstrip and the full-screen view Browser mode
mPress U.
View photos with the Loupe
Loupe overview
Aperture has a Loupe tool (also called the Centered Loupe) that allows you to check the focus
and details of image thumbnails in the Browser without having to open the photos in the
Viewer, zoom in to check details, and then switch back to scanning through thumbnails in the
Browser. (For information about using the Viewer to zoom in to images, see View photos at full
resolution on page 166.)
Loupe pop-up menu
Loupe
You can position the Loupe over a portion of the photo to see a magnied view of that area.
In addition to checking a photo’s focus, the Loupe is useful for making quick checks for sensor
dust, aws, ngerprints on lm scans, and other issues. You can use the Loupe on any photo or
thumbnail in the Aperture library.
Aperture also provides a second version of the Loupe for your convenience. For more
information, see Use the alternate Loupe on page 184.
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Magnify photos using the Loupe
You can magnify a portion of a photo by placing the Centered Loupe over it. You can also leave
the Loupe stationary and set it to magnify the portion of the photo at the position of the pointer.
Using the pointer to magnify the photo is useful when you don’t want the Loupe to cover part of
the photo.
Pointer position
Loupe pop-up menu
The Loupe shows
a magnified view
of the portion of the
photo at the position
of the pointer.
You can change the size of the Loupe and increase or decrease its magnication level. You can
also have the Loupe display a photo as a grid that shows the actual pixel composition of the
photo, allowing you to see the individual pixel values at high magnication (400 percent or
higher). You can also set the Loupe to display readings of the color values of a photo, showing
the RGB (%), RGB (8-bit), Lab, CMYK, HSB, or HSL values chosen for the Color meter.
Loupe set to display
a pixel grid and
color values
Show or hide the Loupe
mTo show the Loupe: Choose View > Show Loupe, or press the Grave Accent key (`).
mTo hide the Loupe: Choose View > Hide Loupe, or press the Grave Accent key (`).
You can also show or hide the Loupe by clicking the Loupe button in the toolbar.
Move the Loupe
Do one of the following:
mDrag the Loupe’s handle.
mDrag within the Loupe.
A circle appears that targets the area to be magnied.
mHold down the Grave Accent key (`) while clicking a specic place in a photo.
The Loupe moves to the part of the photo you clicked.
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Use the pointer to magnify parts of a photo
mChoose Focus on Cursor from the Loupe pop-up menu.
Choose Focus on Cursor
from the pop-up menu.
To turn o this feature, choose Focus on Loupe from the Loupe pop-up menu.
Change the size and magnication of the Loupe
You can change the size of the Loupe and increase or decrease its magnication level.
mTo increase the size of the Loupe: Choose View > Loupe Options > Increase Diameter, or press
Option–Shift–Plus Sign (+).
You can also drag the resize control on the Loupe’s handle.
mTo decrease the size of the Loupe: Choose View > Loupe Options > Decrease Diameter, or press
Option-Shift-Underscore (_).
You can also drag the resize control on the Loupe’s handle.
mTo change to a specic magncation level: Choose a magnication level from the Loupe
pop-up menu.
Choose a magnification
level here.
mTo increase the Loupe’s magnication incementally: Choose View > Loupe Options > Increase
Zoom, or press Shift–Command–Plus Sign (+).
Press these keys repeatedly to continue increasing the magnication.
mTo decrease the Loupe’s magnication incrementally: Choose View > Loupe Options > Decrease
Zoom, or press Shift-Command-Underscore (_).
Press these keys repeatedly to continue decreasing the magnication.
mTo create smooth changes in magnication: Use the scroll gesture.
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Set the Loupe to show a pixel grid
1 Set the Loupe’s magnication to 400 percent or higher.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Loupe Options > Show Pixel Grid in Loupe.
•Choose Pixel Grid from the Loupe pop-up menu.
To turn o this feature, choose the menu item again.
Turn on the display of color values in the Loupe
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Loupe Options > Show Color Value in Loupe, or press Option-Shift-Tilde (~).
mChoose Color Value from the Loupe pop-up menu.
To turn o this feature, choose the menu item again.
Change the color value option
mIn the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose a color
value option from the Adjustment Action pop-up menu .
For more information, see Sample color values and display camera information on page 339.
Use the alternate Loupe
By default, Aperture displays the Centered Loupe when you show the Loupe to examine parts
of a photo, but you can also use an alternate Loupe. You position the small ring of the alternate
Loupe over the portion of the photo you want to see, and the large ring shows a magnied
view. Depending on the details in the photo, you can change the size of the alternate Loupe and
increase or decrease its magnication level. It’s useful for making quick checks for dust specks,
aws, ngerprints, or other issues. You can use the alternate Loupe on any photo or thumbnail in
the Aperture library.
The alternate Loupe
shows a magnified view
of whatever is beneath it.
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Show the alternate Loupe
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Show Loupe, or press the Grave Accent key (`).
•Click the Loupe button in the toolbar.
2 To turn o the display of the Centered Loupe, choose View > Loupe Options > Use
Centered Loupe.
The checkmark next to the Use Centered Loupe menu item disappears, and the Centered Loupe
changes to the alternate Loupe.
Change the size and magnication of the alternate Loupe
mTo increase the size of the alternate Loupe: Choose View > Loupe Options > Increase Diameter, or
press Option–Shift–Plus Sign (+).
mTo reduce the size of the alternate Loupe: Choose View > Loupe Options > Decrease Diameter, or
press Option-Shift-Underscore (_).
mTo increase the magnication of the alternate Loupe: Press Shift–Command–Plus Sign (+).
Press these keys repeatedly to continue increasing the magnication.
mTo decrease the magnicaiton of the alternate Loupe: Press Shift-Command-Underscore (_).
Press these keys repeatedly to continue decreasing the magnication.
Arrange photos in the Light Table
Light Table overview
The Light Table provides a large, open space where you can freely resize, group, and rearrange
photos. You can work with photos in the Light Table just as you would work with slides on a
physical light table. You can place a selection of photos in the Light Table for review and drag
them to new positions, arranging, grouping, and resizing them in dierent combinations to see
how they might look on webpages or book pages. The Light Table automatically displays yellow
guidelines that show you how the item you’re working with aligns with other items already on
the page. You never run out of space in the Light Table—it grows as you add photos to it, and it’s
easy to adjust the view by zooming in or changing the area of the Light Table that’s shown.
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You can use the Light Table to:
•Color correct many related photos. You can arrange related photos together and carefully
compare the color values between photos.
•Sort photos into related piles. After sorting, you can select groups of photos and assign
keywords to all the photos in a group at once.
•Create editorial layouts, arranging photos onscreen to tell a story. You can put the selects from
a given project in the Light Table and arrange them so that they progress visually, eliminating
repetitive photos. As you group and pair photos of the same subject, you’ll nd the Light Table
ideal for examining the relationships between photos.
After arranging photos in the Light Table, you can print the arrangement. For more information,
see Print Light Table arrangements on page 355.
Create and delete Light Table albums
To view photos in the Light Table, you rst create a Light Table album. You can create a new,
empty album and drag photos into it, or you can select photos in a project and create a Light
Table album to hold them.
If you no longer need a Light Table album, you can delete it. If you’ve transferred photos from
the Light Table album to other projects or albums, the photos in the other projects and albums
remain unchanged, even though the Light Table versions are gone.
Create a new, empty Light Table album
1 In the Library inspector, select the project or folder where you want the new Light Table album
to appear.
If you want the Light Table to appear in the Light Tables section of the Library inspector,
select Projects.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Light Table.
•Control-click the item in the Library inspector, and choose New > Light Table from the
shortcut menu.
•Choose Light Table from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
Choose Light Table
from the New pop-up
menu in the toolbar.
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3 In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the Light Table album, and make sure the “Add
selected items to new light table” checkbox is not selected.
Make sure this checkbox
is not selected.
4 Click OK.
The new, empty Light Table album appears in the Library inspector. You can drag photos into the
new Light Table album from any item in the Library inspector.
Create a Light Table album that holds a selection of photos
1 In the Browser, select the photos you want in the Light Table album.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Light Table.
•Control-click the selected item in the Library inspector, and choose New > Light Table from the
shortcut menu.
•Choose Light Table from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
Choose Light Table
from the New pop-up
menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the Light Table album and select the “Add selected
items to new light table” checkbox.
Make sure this checkbox
is selected.
4 Click OK.
The new Light Table album containing your photo selection appears in the Library inspector.
If you wish, you can drag additional photos from the Browser to the Light Table album in the
Library inspector.
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Delete a Light Table album
1 Select the Light Table album in the Library inspector.
2 Choose File > Delete Light Table (or press Command-Delete).
The deleted Light Table album is placed in the Aperture Trash. For more information, see Work
with the Aperture Trash on page 56.
Place and view photos in the Light Table
After adding photos to the Light Table album, you can select the ones you want to work with
and place them in the Light Table for viewing. You can adjust the Light Table view, which is
particularly useful when the Light Table is larger than your screen size. You can also increase the
area of the Light Table.
Add and remove photos in the Light Table
mTo add photos to the Light Table: Select a Light Table album in the Library inspector, and drag
photos from the Browser to the Light Table.
Simply drag images
from the Browser
to the Light Table.
mTo remove a photo from the Light Table: Select the photo in the Browser, and click the Put Back
Selected button at the top-left corner of the Light Table.
Click the Put Back Selected button
to remove a selected photo.
The photo disappears from the Light Table but remains available in the Browser.
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See only photos in the Browser that remain unplaced
If you have many photos in a Light Table album, it may be dicult to remember which photos
you haven’t yet placed in the Light Table. You can set the Browser to show only unplaced photos.
mClick the Show Unplaced Images button.
Show Unplaced
Images button
Show All
Images button
To see the entire contents of the Light Table album in the Browser again, click the Show All
Images button.
Adjust the Light Table view
mTo zoom in to or out of the Light Table: Drag the Zoom slider.
Scale to Fit button
Drag the Light Table
Zoom slider to zoom
in or out.
mTo t the Light Table to your screen size: Click the Scale to Fit button.
mTo change the Light Table view to 100 percent: Control-click in a blank area of the Light Table, and
choose Zoom to 100% from the shortcut menu.
mTo increase the area of the Light Table: Drag a photo to the border of the grid background so that
the area of the Light Table automatically expands.
Drag a photo to
a border of the
Light Table to
expand the Light
Table area.
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Move, resize, and align photos in the Light Table
You can drag photos to new locations in the Light Table, trying out dierent combinations and
orientations. For example, you might take a group of related photos and arrange them to see
how they’d appear on a print page. You can also enlarge or reduce photos. After resizing a photo,
you can quickly reset the photo back to its original size.
As you drag photos in the Light Table, yellow guidelines appear to mark the vertical, horizontal,
and center points of the stationary, unselected photos in relation to the photos you’re dragging.
Using the guidelines, you can make sure that your selected photos visually align with other
photos in the Light Table.
You can also select a group of photos in the Light Table and automatically align them according
to their top, bottom, or side edges, or by their centers. In addition, you can have Aperture arrange
a selected group with equal space between each photo.
When you drag a photo,
guidelines appear, helping you
align it with the other photos.
Move photos in the Light Table
mIn the Light Table, select the photos you want to move and drag them to a new location.
To add more space for your photos to the Light Table, drag a photo to the border of the Light
Table until the screen begins to scroll.
Change the size of a photo
mPosition the pointer over the photo, and drag a resize handle.
Move the pointer over the
photo to show the resize
handles, then drag to
change the photo’s size.
To reset the photo to its previous size, Control-click it and choose Reset Selected Size from the
shortcut menu.
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Align and arrange photos in the Light Table
mTo manually align photos: In the Light Table, select the photos you want to align, making
sure that the photo or photos you want to align with remain unselected, and then drag the
selected photos.
As you drag, yellow guidelines appear to help you align the selected photos with the unselected
ones. When you quit dragging, the yellow guidelines disappear.
mTo automatically align a photo selection by the photos’ edges or centers: Select a photo or group of
photos, Control-click the photo selection, choose Align from the shortcut menu, and choose an
alignment option from the submenu.
mTo automatically arrange all photos in the Light Table: Control-click beside the photos, and choose
Arrange All Items from the shortcut menu.
Reveal photos in the Light Table that are covered by other photos
If some photos in a group are hidden behind other photos, you can reveal, or uncover, all photos
in the group.
1 Select the top photo in the group.
The top photo
is selected.
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2 Click the Uncover button (or press Shift-X).
Click the Uncover button
to reveal all photos under
the selected photo.
To regroup the photos, select an uncovered photo. The photos are regrouped, with the selected
photo on top.
After arranging photos in the Light Table, you can print the photo arrangement for further
review. For more information, see Print Light Table arrangements on page 355.
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193
Working with metadata overview
Information about your photos, including the types of adjustments applied, information recorded
by the camera, and descriptive information about the photos, is called metadata. In Aperture, you
work with three types of metadata:
•Exchangeable Image File data: information recorded by the camera and stored in the image
le at the time it was shot, such as shutter speed, f-stop, the time the photo was captured, the
camera model, and GPS data (for cameras that support it).
•Aperture-applied data: information you add within Aperture, such as a version name, color
labels, ags, keywords, when the photo was imported, the types of adjustments applied to it,
and how and where it was published.
•International Press Telecommunications Council data: standardized data used by photographers
and media organizations to embed keywords, captions, copyright notices, and other
information in the image les themselves. You can view and modify IPTC metadata
in Aperture.
Note: For more information about working with GPS data in Aperture, see Places overview on
page 131 and View photo locations on page 133.
Work with metadata
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Chapter 6 Work with metadata 194
You can view metadata in any of three places:
•In the Info inspector
Choose a metadata view from
the Metadata View pop-up menu.
Apply and edit metadata presets,
manage custom fields, and attach
audio files to images using the
Metadata Action pop-up menu.
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•In caption-style overlays that appear underneath photos in the Browser and Viewer
A photo in the Viewer
with metadata shown in
the expanded metadata
overlay view
•In metadata tooltips—oating info windows that appear when you position the pointer over a
photo in the Browser or Viewer
Metadata tooltip
You can turn the display of overlays on or o. You can choose to display a basic overlay view
showing a photo’s version name and caption, or you can choose to display an expanded overlay
view showing a photo’s rating, badges, aperture setting, shutter speed, and other information.
Additionally, you can create a custom overlay view to display any combination of metadata.
You can choose dierent metadata overlay views for the Viewer, the Browser in grid view and
lmstrip view, and the Browser in list view. You can also display metadata with labels that help
identify the types of metadata being displayed.
Note: Choosing a metadata view for the Viewer also denes the metadata that appears with
photos in full-screen view. Choosing a metadata view for the Browser in grid view denes
the metadata that appears with thumbnail images in the full-screen view lmstrip, as well as
thumbnail images in the full-screen-view Browser mode.
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View and change metadata in the Info inspector or Info HUD
Show the Info inspector and modify views
You can view the metadata for a selected photo in the Info inspector and the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD. Here you can display dierent sets of metadata (general information, ratings, le
info, EXIF info, and so on) and create custom sets to display the information most useful to you.
You can also modify some types of metadata (ratings, version names, captions, and so on).
Show the Info inspector
Do one of the following:
mChoose Window > Show Inspector (or press I), then click the Info tab.
mClick the Inspector button in the toolbar, then click the Info tab.
Choose a metadata view from
the Metadata View pop-up menu.
Apply and edit metadata presets,
manage custom fields, and attach
audio files to images using the
Metadata Action pop-up menu.
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Show the Info pane of the Inspector HUD
mChoose Window > Show Inspector HUD (or press H), then click Info.
Choose a metadata
view from the Metadata
View pop-up menu.
Apply and edit metadata
presets, manage custom
fields, and attach audio
files to images using
the Metadata Action
pop-up menu.
Switch metadata views in the Info inspector and the Info pane of the Inspector HUD
You can change the metadata elds shown in the Info inspector and the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD by choosing a dierent metadata view from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
1 Do one of the following:
•To show the Info inspector: Click the Inspector button in the toolbar (or press I), then click the
Info tab.
•To show the Info pane of the Inspector HUD: Choose Window > Show Inspector HUD (or press H),
then click Info.
2 Choose a metadata view from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
3 To change the metadata in a text eld that can be edited, click in the text eld to make it active,
then enter the text you want.
Rearrange the metadata elds in a metadata view
mDrag the metadata labels into the arrangement you want.
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Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector HUD
You can view or change the metadata for a selected photo in the Info inspector and the Info
pane of the Inspector HUD. The selected photo’s metadata appears in text elds. You can change
the metadata elds shown in the Info inspector and the Info pane of the Inspector HUD by
choosing a dierent metadata view from the Metadata View pop-up menu. You can also modify
metadata views by adding EXIF elds, IPTC elds, and other miscellaneous metadata that
you specify using the Metadata Views dialog. In addition, you can use controls in the Camera
Info pane to add color labels, ratings, and ags to an image selection. If a photo has an audio
attachment, you use the controls in the Camera Info pane to listen to the audio as well.
Camera Info pane
Info pane of the
Inspector HUD
Metadata Action
pop-up menu
Choose a metadata view
from the Metadata View
pop-up menu.
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The top portion of the Info inspector and the Info pane of the Inspector HUD displays basic
camera information about a photo, if it’s available. This area is called the Camera Info pane. If
a video clip is selected, the Camera Info pane displays the length of the video clip, frame size,
and number of frames per second. If an audio clip is selected, the Camera Info pane displays
the length of the audio clip, the bit rate, and the type of audio le. In addition to displaying
basic camera information, the Camera Info pane also contains controls for applying color labels,
ratings, and ags to photos, and for displaying autofocus point overlays indicating which part of
the image the camera focused on.
Rating buttons
Autofocus Points button
Color Label
pop-up menu
Flag button
Add a color label, rating, or ag to a photo
1 In the Info Inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Show Camera Info from the
Metadata Action pop-up menu .
2 In the Camera Info pane, do any of the following:
•To add a color label to a photo: Choose a color label from the Color Label pop-up menu.
•To assign a rating to a photo: Click the rating button corresponding to the rating you want to
apply to the photo.
The leftmost button assigns a Reject rating, and the rightmost button assigns a rating of ve
stars (or Select).
•To ag a photo: Click the Flag button, or press Slash (/).
Click the Flag button again to remove the ag from the photo.
Show autofocus point overlays
If your camera saves autofocus EXIF metadata that’s compatible with Aperture, you can have
Aperture display the autofocus points over the image. The autofocus points used to focus the
image appear in red.
mIn the Camera Info pane, click the Autofocus Points button (or press Option-F).
Tip: You can temporarily display the autofocus point overlays on an image by placing the
pointer over the Autofocus Points button in the Camera Info pane. The autofocus points overlays
disappear when you move the pointer away from the Autofocus Points button.
Change the metadata for a photo
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Metadata View pop-up menu, choose a metadata view that contains the metadata elds
you want to change.
3 Click in a text eld to make it active, then enter the text you want.
Note: Not all metadata elds can be edited. Most EXIF metadata elds cannot be changed.
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Show and hide the Large Caption eld
To quickly add caption text to all of your photos, you can set the Info inspector and the Info pane
of the Inspector HUD to show an enlarged version of the Caption eld by itself. Then you apply
the caption text to each selected photo by entering it in this space.
mIn the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Large Caption from the
Metadata View pop-up menu.
Listen to an audio attachment
If the photo selected in the Browser has an audio attachment, you can use the Info inspector or
the Info pane of the Inspector HUD to listen to it.
1 In the Browser, select a photo with an audio attachment.
The audio badge
indicates this photo has
an audio attachment.
2 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, click the Play button.
Play button
Aperture plays the audio attachment. For more information about adding attachments to
photos, see Add audio attachments to image les on page 48.
View the sharing status of a photo
If you’ve shared photos with your Flickr and Facebook accounts, you can view the status of a
photo using the Info inspector. If you downloaded the photo from one of your Flickr or Facebook
accounts, the Info inspector displays which account the photo was downloaded from. If you
published the photo from Aperture to one of your accounts online, the Info inspector displays
the specic Facebook album or Flickr set the photo was published to and when it was published.
1 In the Browser, select a photo.
2 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Sharing from the Metadata
View pop-up menu.
If the photo is shared online, the Info inspector displays either the account it was downloaded
from or the specic account and album or set it was published to, along with when it was
published. The Info inspector also indicates if the photo has not been shared.
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View and reply to comments that friends post about your Facebook photos
If you’ve created Facebook albums in Aperture and shared photos from your Aperture library
with your Facebook account, you can use the Info inspector to view comments posted about
the photos by your friends. Aperture makes it easy to reply to comments that appear in the Info
inspector or add your own by opening the appropriate page in your web browser.
1 In the Browser, select a photo shared with Facebook.
2 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Sharing from the Metadata
View pop-up menu.
Comments posted about the selected photo by your friends on Facebook appear in the
Info inspector.
3 To reply to a comment, click it.
Your Internet browser opens to the Facebook page the photo is posted on. You can post your
reply directly in your Facebook account.
Display metadata with your photos
Metadata overlays overview
Using several basic controls, you can turn metadata overlays on or o, specify the type of
metadata that appears in overlays in the Viewer and Browser, and choose the type of overlay
view to display (caption-style or oating tooltips).
Some metadata overlay views are specically designed for displaying information in the Viewer,
in the Browser in grid view or list view, or in metadata tooltips. The following table lists the
metadata overlay views that you can choose and the information that each view displays.
Metadata overlay view Information displayed
Viewer - Basic Badges, rating, keywords, labels, and ag
Viewer - Expanded Rating, badges, label, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed,
exposure bias, focal length (35mm), focal length, lens,
caption, keywords, version name, date, ISO, le size,
and project path
Grid View – Basic Badges, rating, label, and ag
Grid View – Expanded Badges, rating, version name, label, and ag
List - Basic Version name, badges, rating, label, ag, date, aperture
(f-stop), shutter speed, exposure bias, ISO, focal length
(35mm), focal length, lens, pixel size, orientation,
aspect ratio, le name, le size, camera model, import
session, and project path
List - Expanded Version name, badges, rating, label, ag, date, caption,
keywords, provider, copyright notice, title, lename,
le size, camera model, import session, project path,
aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure bias, ISO,
focal length (35mm), focal length, lens, and pixel size
Metadata Tooltips Version name, lename, date, le size, caption,
keywords, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure
bias, ISO, focal length (35mm), focal length, pixel size,
camera make, camera model, and rating
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Turn the display of metadata on or o
You can turn the display of metadata on and o and switch between metadata overlay views in
the Viewer and Browser independently using menu commands or the Metadata Overlays pop-up
menu in the tool strip.
Metadata Overlays
pop-up menu
Hide or show metadata in the Viewer
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Metadata Display, then choose Show Metadata from the Viewer section of the
submenu (or press Y).
mIn the tool strip, choose Show Metadata from the Viewer section of the Metadata Overlays
pop-up menu.
Switch between basic and expanded metadata views in the Viewer
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Metadata Display, then choose Switch to Expanded View or Switch to Basic View
from the Viewer section of the submenu (or press Shift-Y).
mIn the tool strip, choose Switch to Expanded View or Switch to Basic View from the Viewer
section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Hide or show metadata in the Browser in lmstrip view and grid view
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Metadata Display, then choose Show Metadata from the Browser section of the
submenu (or press U).
mIn the tool strip, choose Show Metadata from the Browser section of the Metadata Overlays
pop-up menu.
Switch between basic and expanded metadata views in the Browser in lmstrip view, grid
view, and list view
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Metadata Display, then choose Switch to Expanded View or Switch to Basic View
from the Browser section of the submenu (or press Shift-U).
mIn the tool strip, choose Switch to Expanded View or Switch to Basic View from the Browser
section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Note: Switching to the expanded view increases the number of columns displayed in list view.
Turn metadata tooltips on or o
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Metadata Display > Image Tooltips (or press Control-T).
mIn the tool strip, choose Show Metadata Tooltips from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
A checkmark appears next to the menu item when metadata tooltips are turned on.
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Specify the type of metadata to display in the Viewer and Browser
You use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify the types of metadata that are shown
in the basic and expanded views for the Viewer, the Browser in grid view and lmstrip view, and
the Browser in list view. You can also specify the types of metadata shown in metadata tooltips.
Note: When you choose a metadata overlay view for the Browser in list view, the metadata
overlay view determines the number of columns that appear. Each metadata item in the
metadata overlay view corresponds to a list view column.
Choose the metadata
overlay view you want
from this pop-up menu.
The item at the top
appears on the left
side of the overlay.
Drag metadata fields
up or down to change
their display order.
Click a disclosure triangle to
change the metadata you want
displayed in a particular group.
Set the metadata elds that are displayed in a specic metadata overlay view
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
•In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
2 Choose the metadata overlay view you want to modify from the View pop-up menu.
3 In the Metadata Fields column, do any of the following:
•To add EXIF information, such as exposure and aperture settings: Click the EXIF disclosure triangle,
then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the metadata
overlay view.
•To add IPTC information, such as copyright information and keywords: Click the IPTC disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata overlay view.
•To add Aperture information, such as version name and color labels: Click the Aperture disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata overlay view.
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•To add audio and video clip information, such as duration, data rate, and frames per second (fps):
Click the Audio/Video disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata
elds you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
•To add information about photo usage, such as whether or not a photo has been printed or
emailed: Click the Photo Usage disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the
metadata elds you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
The selected metadata elds are added to the Display Order column.
4 If you want to change the order in which the metadata elds are displayed in the overlay, drag
the metadata elds in the Display Order column into a new arrangement.
The topmost metadata item in the Display Order column appears on the left side of the overlay.
5 When you are satised with the metadata elds assigned to the selected metadata overlay view
and the arrangement of the metadata elds in that view, click OK.
Remove a metadata eld from a metadata overlay view
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
•In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
2 Choose the metadata overlay view you want to modify from the View pop-up menu.
3 In the Display Order column, click the Remove (–) button next to the metadata eld you want
to remove.
4 When you are satised with the metadata elds assigned to the selected metadata overlay view
and the arrangement of the metadata elds in that view, click OK.
Set the display of metadata in metadata tooltips
You can also customize the way metadata is displayed in tooltips—the oating info windows
that appear when you position the pointer over a photo.
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
•In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
2 Choose Metadata Tooltips from the View pop-up menu.
Choose Metadata
Tooltips from the
View pop-up menu.
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3 In the Metadata Fields column, do any of the following:
•To add EXIF information, such as exposure and aperture settings: Click the EXIF disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata tooltip.
•To add IPTC information, such as copyright information and keywords: Click the IPTC disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata tooltip.
•To add Aperture information, such as version name and color label: Click the Aperture disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata tooltip.
•To add audio and video clip information, such as duration, data rate, and frames per second (fps):
Click the Audio/Video disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata
elds you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
•To add information about photo usage, such as whether or not a photo has been printed or
emailed: Click the Photo Usage disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the
metadata elds you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
The selected metadata elds are added to the Display Order column.
4 If you want to change the order in which the metadata elds are displayed in the tooltip, drag
the metadata elds in the Display Order column into a new arrangement.
5 When you are satised with the metadata elds assigned to Metadata Tooltips view and the
arrangement of the metadata elds in that view, click OK.
Set the position of metadata overlays
You can use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify whether metadata overlays
displayed with photos in the Viewer or in the Browser in grid view or list view appear over the
lower portion of the photo or directly beneath it.
mTo display the metadata overlay over the lower portion of the photo: In the area below the
Display Order column of the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, deselect the “Show metadata
below image” checkbox.
mTo display the metadata overlay directly beneath the photo: In the area below the Display
Order column of the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, select the “Show metadata below
image” checkbox.
Turn the display of metadata labels on or o
You can use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify that a metadata overlay view
show metadata with labels. Labels provide the names of the metadata elds, such as “Lens” or
“Caption,” and help identify the types of metadata being displayed. In some views, metadata
labels are shown by default, but you can turn them o in the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog.
Turning o metadata labels can help save visual space in the selected metadata overlay view,
allowing you to add more metadata elds to it.
mIn the area below the Display Order column of the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, select or
deselect the “Show metadata labels” checkbox.
Metadata labels are turned on or o for the selected metadata overlay view. When metadata
labels are turned on, they are displayed with the metadata elds they identify.
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Work with the AutoFill Editor
As you enter metadata in the Info inspector’s elds, Aperture checks for previous entries, and if it
locates a match, it completes the entry for you. For example, if you used the keyword Landscape
previously, and you type the rst few letters of Landscape again, Aperture automatically
enters Landscape in the eld. You can set up and change the list of metadata that Aperture
automatically enters using the AutoFill Editor. You can enter up to 20 entries for a eld type. If
you’ve made a spelling mistake when typing an entry, you can also use the AutoFill Editor to
correct the mistake so that Aperture suggests the correct spelling.
Set up autoll entries in the AutoFill Editor
1 Choose Metadata > Edit AutoFill List.
Remove button
Add button
2 To edit the list, do one of the following:
•To add an entry: Select the metadata type you want to add, click the Add (+) button, and enter
the text you want.
•To change an entry: Click the disclosure triangle for a metadata type to display its entries, then
double-click the entry you want to change and type the new text.
•To delete an entry: Click the disclosure triangle for a metadata type to display its entries, then
select the entry you want to delete and click the Remove (–) button.
3 Click Save.
Work with metadata views
Metadata views overview
In addition to the basic and expanded overlay views available from the Metadata Overlays
pop-up menu, you can create your own combinations of metadata to display with your photos,
called metadata views. Using controls in the Info inspector and the Metadata Views dialog, you
can either create new metadata views or modify the ones that come with Aperture.
You can also apply combinations of metadata to your photos by recording metadata in a
metadata view and saving it as a metadata preset. For more information about creating and
using metadata presets, see Create metadata presets on page 210.
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The following table lists the metadata views that you can choose and the information that each
view displays.
Metadata view Information displayed
General Version name, caption, keywords, copyright notice,
title, date, pixel size, le size, project path, and badges
Name Only Version name
Caption Only Caption
Name & Ratings Version name, rating, and badges
Name & Caption Version name and caption
Ratings Rating and badges
Caption & Keywords Version name, caption, and keywords
Caption & Credits Version name, creator, provider, caption, and
copyright notice
Contact Sheet Version name, caption, label, ISO, focal length,
exposure bias, aperture, and shutter speed
File Info Version name, lename, le size, pixel size, color
model, date, and badges
Photo Info Version name, date, camera model, lens, ISO, focal
length, focal length (35mm), exposure bias, aperture,
shutter speed, ash, white balance, exposure program,
metering mode, exposure mode, focus mode, prole
name, and pixel size
EXIF Info Version name, date, camera make, camera model,
serial number, lens, ISO, focal length, focal length
(35mm), exposure bias, aperture, shutter speed,
ash, ash exposure compensation, white balance,
exposure program, shooting mode, metering mode,
exposure mode, focus mode, focus distance, le size,
pixel size, original pixel size, prole name, aspect ratio,
orientation, and depth
GPS Latitude, longitude, altitude, and compass direction
(if available)
IPTC Core Contact: Creator, job title, address, city, state/province,
postal code, country, phone, email, and website
Content: Headline, caption, keywords, IPTC subject
code, and caption writer
Image: Date created, intellectual genre, IPTC scene,
location, city, state/province, country, and ISO
country code
Status: Title, job identier, instructions, provider,
source, copyright, and usage terms
Large Caption Caption eld with large text
Custom Fields Custom metadata elds created using the Manage
Custom Metadata elds dialog. Custom elds are for
use only in Aperture.
Sharing Information about whether and where selected
photos have been shared
Comment Comments associated with a shared photo or video
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Create, modify, and manage metadata views
You can create new metadata views that display dierent combinations of metadata. You can
change the combination of metadata that appears in a metadata view. You can also add or
remove metadata elds, create new ones, and rearrange the order in which the metadata elds
are displayed.
Note: You cannot modify the IPTC Core, Large Caption, and Custom Fields metadata views.
Create a new metadata view
1 Do one of the following:
•To show the Info inspector: Click the Inspector button in the toolbar (or press I), then click the
Info tab.
•To show the Info pane of the Inspector HUD: Choose Window > Show Inspector HUD (or press H),
then click Info.
2 Choose Edit from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
The Metadata Views dialog appears.
3 In the Metadata Views dialog, choose New View from the Metadata Views Action pop-up menu.
Metadata Views
Action pop-up menu
A new, untitled metadata view appears in the Metadata Views column of the Metadata
Views dialog.
4 Enter a name for the new metadata view, then press Return.
5 In the Metadata Fields column, do any of the following:
•To add EXIF information, such as exposure and aperture settings: Click the EXIF disclosure triangle,
then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the metadata view.
•To add IPTC information, such as copyright information and keywords: Click the IPTC disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata view.
•To add Aperture information, such as version name and color label: Click the Aperture disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata view.
•To add audio and video clip information, such as duration, data rate, and frames per second (fps):
Click the Audio/Video disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata
elds you want to add to the metadata view.
•To add information about photo usage, such as whether or not a photo has been printed or
emailed: Click the Photo Usage disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the
metadata elds you want to add to the metadata view.
•To remove unwanted metadata elds: Deselect the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you
want removed.
6 When you are satised with the metadata elds assigned to metadata view, click OK.
The new metadata view is added to the Metadata View pop-up menu in the Info inspector and
the Info pane of the Inspector HUD. For more information about switching metadata views, see
Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector HUD on page 198.
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Change the metadata elds that appear in an existing metadata view
1 Choose Edit from the Metadata View pop-up menu in the Info inspector or the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD.
The Metadata Views dialog appears.
2 Select the metadata view you want to change in the Metadata Views column.
3 In the Metadata Fields column, do any of the following:
•To add EXIF information, such as exposure and aperture settings: Click the EXIF disclosure triangle,
then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the metadata view.
•To add IPTC information, such as copyright information and keywords: Click the IPTC disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata view.
•To add Aperture information, such as version name and color label: Click the Aperture disclosure
triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata elds you want to add to the
metadata view.
•To add audio and video clip information, such as duration, data rate, and frames per second (fps):
Click the Audio/Video disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata
elds you want to add to the metadata view.
•To add information about photo usage, such as whether or not a photo has been printed or
emailed: Click the Photo Usage disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the
metadata elds you want to add to the metadata view.
•To remove unwanted metadata elds: Deselect the checkboxes next to metadata elds you
want removed.
4 When you are satised with the metadata elds assigned to the selected metadata view, click OK.
Manage metadata views
1 Choose Edit from the Metadata View pop-up menu in the Info inspector or the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD.
The Metadata Views dialog appears.
2 Do any of the following:
•To rename a metadata view: Double-click a metadata view name in the Metadata Views
column, then enter a new name and press Return.
•To duplicate a metadata view: Select the metadata view you want to duplicate in the Metadata
Views column, then choose Duplicate View from the Metadata Views Action pop-up menu .
The duplicated metadata view appears in the Metadata Views column immediately below the
original metadata view.
•To delete a metadata view: Select the metadata view you want to delete in the Metadata Views
column, then choose Delete View from the Metadata Views Action pop-up menu.
The metadata view is removed from the Metadata Views column of the Metadata Views dialog
and from the Metadata View pop-up menu in the Info inspector and the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD.
Delete a metadata view
1 Choose Edit from the Metadata View pop-up menu in the Info inspector or the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD.
The Metadata Views dialog appears.
2 Select the metadata view you want to delete in the Metadata Views column, then choose Delete
View from the Metadata Views Action pop-up menu .
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Work with metadata presets
Create metadata presets
You can create your own preset combinations of metadata that you can save and then apply to
your photos as needed. You create a preset by selecting a version that has metadata applied to
it and saving the metadata as a preset. You can also select a version with no metadata applied
to it, add the metadata you want to apply to the version, and then save the information as a
metadata preset. Your metadata preset is then available to be chosen when you import photos,
batch change photos, or modify a photo’s metadata in the Info inspector or the Info pane of the
Inspector HUD. Aperture also provides easy methods of managing your presets.
Create a new metadata preset
1 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, enter the metadata you want applied
to your photos in the metadata elds.
You can add metadata to multiple metadata views by choosing dierent views from the
Metadata View pop-up menu.
2 Choose New Preset from Version from the Metadata Action pop-up menu .
3 In the Metadata dialog, enter a name for the new metadata preset, then click OK.
Enter a name for the
new metadata preset.
The new metadata preset now appears in the Append with Preset and Replace with Preset
submenus of the Metadata Action pop-up menu.
Modify an existing metadata preset
1 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Manage Presets from the
Metadata Action pop-up menu .
2 In the Metadata dialog, select the preset you want to modify.
3 Enter the changes you want to make in the metadata elds on the right side of the
Metadata dialog.
4 Click OK.
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The changes to the metadata preset are saved. If you want, you can rearrange the order of
metadata presets in the Append with Preset and Replace with Preset submenus of the Metadata
Action pop-up menu.
Manage metadata presets
1 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Manage Presets from the
Metadata Action pop-up menu .
2 Do any of the following:
•To arrange the metadata preset list: In the Metadata dialog, rearrange the order of metadata
presets by dragging them to new locations in the Preset Name column.
•To rename a metadata preset: In the Metadata dialog, double-click the metadata preset name,
then type a new name in the eld that appears.
•To delete a metadata preset: In the Metadata dialog, select a metadata preset, then press the
Delete key.
Apply a metadata preset when modifying photos with the Info inspector or the Info pane of
the Inspector HUD
You can apply metadata presets to selected photos using the Info inspector, the Info pane of
the Inspector HUD, or the Batch Change command. You can also apply metadata presets when
importing photos using the Import browser. For more information about the Batch Change
command, see Batch change metadata on page 212 . For more information about applying
metadata presets during import, see Add metadata at import on page 40.
1 Select the photos you want to change.
2 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, do one of the following:
•To add metadata to the photos, maintaining any currently associated metadata: Choose Append
with Preset from the Metadata Action pop-up menu , then choose the metadata preset
you want.
•To remove all previously applied metadata to the photos and replace it with a metadata preset:
Choose Replace with Preset from the Metadata Action pop-up menu, then choose the preset
you want to use.
Share metadata presets
When you work with other Aperture users or Aperture systems, you can share your metadata
presets to ensure a consistent application of metadata to all the photos. You can export
metadata presets for others to use and import presets when you need them.
Export a metadata preset
1 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Manage Presets from the
Metadata Action pop-up menu .
2 In the Metadata dialog, select the metadata preset that you want to export, then choose Export
from the Action pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the dialog.
3 Choose a location to store the metadata preset information, then click Export.
The metadata preset is exported to the location you chose and saved as [lename].apmetadata.
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Import a metadata preset
1 In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Manage Presets from the
Metadata Action pop-up menu .
2 In the Metadata dialog, choose Import from the Action pop-up menu in the bottom-left
corner of the dialog.
3 In the dialog that appears, select the metadata preset le that you want to import, then
click Import.
The metadata preset is imported into Aperture and placed at the bottom of the Preset Name
column in the Metadata dialog.
Batch change metadata
You can select a group of photos and make metadata changes to all the photos at once. For
example, if you need to add the same set of keywords to a selection of photos, or change
the version name format, you can select the photos and use the Batch Change dialog to
change them.
Change the metadata associated with a selection of photos
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Metadata > Batch Change (or press Shift-Command-B).
•In the Info inspector or the Info pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Batch Change from the
Metadata Action pop-up menu .
2 In the Batch Change dialog, choose the metadata preset you want from the Add Metadata From
pop-up menu.
Choose the metadata
preset you want from
this pop-up menu.
Click Append or Replace.
3 Click Append to add the preset’s metadata to the photos, maintaining any currently associated
metadata, or click Replace to add the preset’s metadata to the photos and remove any other
associated metadata.
4 Enter any additional metadata you want applied in the metadata elds.
5 Specify any other metadata options you want to change, then click OK.
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About IPTC metadata
In Aperture, you can import and export IPTC metadata for a photo in an XMP sidecar le. XMP
sidecar les are XML les that accompany each photo containing IPTC and other metadata
associated with the photo. Any eld containing information in the IPTC Core metadata view for
a selected photo version can be exported to the XMP sidecar le for that version. The IPTC Core
metadata view is compliant with the IPTC Core specication version 1.0. For more information
about choosing the IPTC Core metadata view, see Modify metadata in the Info inspector and
Inspector HUD on page 198. For more information about exporting XMP sidecar les, see
Exporting photos overview on page 358. For more information about the IPTC Core specication,
go to http://www.iptc.org.
If you intend to export your keywords as IPTC metadata, make sure each keyword entry is no
more than 64 characters long. Keyword entries longer than 64 characters may not be displayed
properly in other IPTC editors or operating systems.
Here are some examples of common character limits for IPTC elds.
IPTC eld and character limit Description and example
Caption (2000 characters) A long-form description of the subject and related
information in a natural-language caption
Example: Mayor Alvarado addresses a crowd at the
rst soccer match of the season.
Keywords (64 characters) A list of words describing the subject in discrete
words or phrases
Example: Politician, Mayor, Futbol, Soccer, News, Game,
Team, San Jose
Provider (32 characters) Photographer’s name and/or agency name
Example: Matthew Birdsell/Sun Times News
Copyright (128 characters) Copyright date, photographer’s name, agency name,
and rights
Example: © 2009 Matthew Birdsell/Sun Times News.
All rights reserved.
Title (64 characters) A unique identier, used by an agency or organization
to catalog images
Example: mt52642j
Date Created (16 characters) Date the photo was created
Example: 05/16/2009
Image City (32 characters) City where the photo was captured
Example: San Jose
Image State/Province (32 characters) Province or state where the photo was captured
Example: California
Image Country (64 characters) Country where the photo was captured
Example: USA
Instructions (256 characters) Applicable restrictions, rights, or embargo information
Example: MAGS OUT, INTERNET OUT, NO THIRD-PARTY
SALES
Creator (64 characters) The photo byline text
Example: © Matthew Birdsell/Sun Times News
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IPTC eld and character limit Description and example
Headline (256 characters) The headline published with the photo
Example: Mayor Alvarado Opens New Soccer Season
in San Jose
Source (32 characters) The source that provided the photo
Example: Mercury News
Understanding badge overlays
Badge overlays overview
When you apply adjustments, keywords, or other changes to a photo, Aperture marks the photo
with a badge overlay. Badges can appear on photos in the Viewer, the Browser, and the Light
Table, in book pages and webpages, and in full-screen view.
Keywords have
been applied
to this photo.
The following table shows badges that appear on photos in Aperture.
Badge Denition
or One or more adjustments have been applied to the photo.
One or more keywords have been applied to the photo.
Photos are contained in a stack. The number indicates the number of
photos in the stack.
The photo has been edited with an external editor, and is therefore
represented by the original created when the le was exported to the
external editor.
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Badge Denition
The photo is an album’s pick photo, the identifying photo for that album,
webpage album, web journal album, Light Table album, slideshow album,
or book album.
Because of low image resolution, the photo’s print quality may be aected.
This badge appears on photos placed in book pages and webpages.
The number indicates the number of times the photo has been used in a
given book, web journal, or Light Table arrangement.
The photo is a referenced image.
The referenced image’s original is oine.
The referenced image’s original has not been found.
The photo was downloaded from My Photo Stream or a shared photo
stream, or imported from a Facebook album, Flickr set, or SmugMug
gallery online.
A location has been assigned to the photo.
The photo has an audio le attached.
The thumbnail image represents a video clip.
The photo is part of a RAW + JPEG image pair, and this photo’s original is
the RAW le.
The photo is part of a RAW + JPEG image pair, and this photo’s original is
the JPEG le.
Display photos with badge overlays
Badge visibility is determined by the metadata overlay view that is displayed. You can control
whether badges are visible by choosing a metadata overlay view that includes badge overlays;
you can also control whether badge overlays are visible by turning metadata overlays on or o.
Important: Badge overlays appear only in the Aperture application; they do not appear on
photos exported or printed from Aperture.
Display badge overlays on photos in the Viewer and Browser
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
•In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
2 Do the following:
•To display badge overlays on photos in the Viewer: Choose a Viewer metadata overlay view from
the View pop-up menu.
•To display badge overlays on photos in the Browser: Choose a Grid View metadata overlay view
from the View pop-up menu.
3 In the Metadata Fields column, click the Aperture disclosure triangle to reveal the metadata elds
below it, then select the Badges checkbox.
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4 Click OK.
5 Make sure both Show Metadata and the metadata overlay view you just modied are selected
for the Viewer and/or Browser in the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu in the tool strip.
Badges are now visible in the Viewer or Browser depending on what you selected.
You can turn o the display of badge overlays in the Viewer or in the Browser by turning o
the display of metadata. For more information, see Turn the display of metadata on or o on
page 202.
Adjust the photo date and time
You can adjust the date and time a photo was taken at any time. Aperture gives you the option
of adjusting the date and time of a photo’s version or the photo’s version and original.
Change the creation date of a photo or group of photos
1 Select a photo or group of photos.
2 Choose Metadata > Adjust Date and Time.
3 Enter a new date and time in the Adjusted eld.
4 If you want to modify the creation date of the original or originals, select the “Also change
original le(s)” checkbox.
5 Click the Adjust button.
The creation date and time of the version or versions changes. If you selected the “Also change
original le” checkbox, the date and time adjustment is applied to the original as well.
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Adjustments in Aperture
Aperture includes a standard set of adjustments you can apply to images using the controls
in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. The standard
adjustments target specic pixels in an image, no matter where they occur. For example, you can
use the Highlights & Shadows adjustment to target just the highlights, shadows, or midtones of
your image.
If you want to adjust a specic area of your image, you can manually brush an adjustment on
the area of the image you want to change. Most of the standard adjustments can be brushed on
images, and Aperture also includes a set of Quick Brush adjustments designed just for brushing
on images.
Note: When you take a photo using an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with iOS 5 or later and then
make adjustments to the image using the iOS device, the image adjustments are retained and
automatically applied when the image is imported into Aperture. For devices using iOS 7 or
later, lters such as Tonal, Noir, and Fade applied to a photo using Camera and Photos are also
preserved in Aperture. However, you can modify the adjustments and lters in Aperture at
any time.
Standard adjustments
You can make the following standard adjustments to images in Aperture. For instructions, see
Apply standard adjustments on page 225 or the topic for a particular standard adjustment.
To learn how to brush standard adjustments on images, see Apply brushed adjustments on
page 228.
Adjustment Function
Retouch Retouches all types of imperfections in an image,
such as skin blemishes, using either the Repair or
Clone brush.
Red Eye Correction Reduces red-eye in the eyes of the subjects in your
images. Used in conjunction with the Red Eye tool.
Spot & Patch In previous Aperture versions, xed imperfections in
an image caused by sensor dust.
In Aperture 3, the Retouch adjustment is
recommended for xing imperfections in an image.
Straighten Levels the image’s horizon. Used in conjunction with
the Straighten tool.
Crop Trims the image. Used in conjunction with the
Crop tool.
Flip Inverts the composition of the image horizontally,
vertically, or both.
Make image adjustments
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 218
Adjustment Function
Chromatic Aberration Corrects chromatic aberration, produced by certain
lenses during shooting.
Devignette Corrects a vignette created when the image was shot.
Noise Reduction Reduces digital noise in an image.
White Balance Sets an image’s white balance by evaluating the
image for natural gray or skin tone in identied faces,
as well as by adjusting the color temperature and tint.
Exposure Adjusts exposure, recovery, black point, and
brightness.
Enhance Adjusts contrast, denition, saturation, and vibrancy,
as well as black, gray, and white tints.
Curves Selectively remaps the tonal range of the image by
applying a curve from input to output.
Highlights & Shadows Selectively adjusts the exposure in the shadows and
highlights of an image.
Levels Selectively adjusts the tonal range of an image.
Color Adjusts hue, saturation, and luminance on a color-by-
color basis, as well as chromatic range.
Black & White Selectively controls the source red, green, and blue
color channels when a color image is converted to
grayscale.
Color Monochrome Desaturates the image and applies a color tint of your
choosing to the midtones.
Sepia Tone Changes a color image to sepia, allowing you to
desaturate the image to the level of sepia coloring
you want.
Edge Sharpen Sharpens the image based on luminance using
multiple sharpening passes.
A separate Sharpen adjustment is also available to
preserve sharpening adjustments made in earlier
versions of Aperture.
Vignette Applies a vignette eect to the image.
Note: You can also modify how OS X decodes RAW les using the RAW Fine Tuning controls, and
you can modify iPhoto eects for images you’re working with in iPhoto. For more information
about decoding RAW les, see RAW Fine Tuning controls overview on page 334. For more
information about working with iPhoto, see Apply iPhoto eects to images on page 240.
Quick Brush adjustments
You can brush the following Quick Brush adjustments on specic areas of an image. For
instructions, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 or the topic for a particular
Quick Brush adjustment.
Quick Brush Function
Skin Smoothing Smoothes people’s skin by subtly blurring wrinkles
and skin pores in brushed areas of an image.
Dodge (Lighten) Dodges (lightens) brushed areas of an image.
Burn (Darken) Burns (darkens) brushed areas of an image.
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Quick Brush Function
Polarize (Multiply) Deepens the colors in brushed areas of an image by
specically darkening the shadows and midtones
while preserving the highlights.
Intensify Contrast (Overlay) Corrects shadows that appear washed out in brushed
areas of an image by intensifying the contrast
between pure black and 50% gray.
Tint Shifts the tint in brushed areas of an image.
Contrast Applies additional contrast in brushed areas of
an image.
Saturation Saturates the colors in brushed areas of an image.
Denition Adds clarity and reduces haze in brushed areas of an
image without adding too much contrast.
Vibrancy Adds saturation to desaturated colors only in brushed
areas of an image. Skin tones aren’t aected.
Blur Blurs (softens) brushed areas of an image.
Sharpen Sharpens brushed areas of an image.
Halo Reduction Removes blue and purple fringes in brushed areas of
an image. Fringing is occasionally produced by certain
lenses when the image is overexposed.
Noise Reduction Removes digital noise in brushed areas of an image.
About making adjustments onscreen
Human eyes perceive color subjectively. It’s dicult to make objective changes to the colors in
an image because the brain is so advanced that it skews the perception of colors to make them
appear as natural as possible. For this reason, it’s essential that you create the best possible work
environment for performing color adjustments. Such an environment excludes extraneous colors
that have the potential to throw o your eye.
Before you begin making color adjustments to your images, it’s important to do the following:
•Set your display to its highest-resolution setting. This will give you the best view of your image.
•Practice good color management by calibrating your displays and printers and making sure
their proles are up to date.
•Reduce the ambient light in the room you’re working in to prevent the light from skewing
your perception of the colors on your screens, and set your displays to their brightest levels.
•If possible, paint the walls in the room in which you perform detailed image adjustments a
neutral gray. Keep bright-colored objects to a minimum to ensure that the colors on your
screens are not altered by the color in the rest of the room.
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Use the adjustment controls
Use the Adjustments inspector and Inspector HUD
You can use menu commands, keyboard shortcuts, or the Inspector button on the left side of the
toolbar to show and hide the Inspector pane containing the adjustment controls. The adjustment
controls in the Adjustments inspector are also found in the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD. You can use menu commands and buttons in the full-screen view toolbar to show or hide
the Inspector HUD.
Show the Adjustments inspector
Do one of the following:
mChoose Window > Show Inspector (or press I), and click the Adjustments tab.
mClick the Inspector button in the toolbar, and click the Adjustments tab.
Add Adjustment
pop-up menu
Histogram
Double-click
the top of an
adjustment to
show and hide
the adjustment’s
controls.
Reset button
Effects
pop-up menu
Adjustments
Auto Enhance
button
Adjustment Action
pop-up menu
Each adjustment contains individual properties, called parameters, for which you can specify
a range of values. You click an adjustment’s disclosure triangle, or double-click the top of the
adjustment, to view the parameters for the adjustment and the controls you use to change
parameter values. For more information about using the adjustment controls to change
parameter values, see Use sliders on page 223.
Show the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD
Do one of the following:
mChoose Window > Show Inspector HUD (or press H), and click the Adjustments button.
mClick the Inspector HUD button in the full-screen view toolbar, and click the Adjustments button.
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For more information, see Perform adjustments in full-screen view on page 238.
Histogram
Double-click
the top of an
adjustment to
show and hide
the adjustment’s
controls.
Reset button
Add Adjustment
pop-up menu
Effects
pop-up menu
Adjustments
Auto Enhance
button
Adjustment Action
pop-up menu
Note: The adjustment controls in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD are dimmed when an audio clip or a video clip is selected.
Choose a histogram view
When you show the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, a
histogram of the selected image’s luminance or color channels appears. The histogram displays a
graph of the brightness values in the image, from the blackest point to the whitest point. You can
adjust the histogram to show luminance; red, green, and blue (RGB) channels displayed together;
or separate red, green, and blue channels.
mChoose a view option from the Histogram Options section of the Adjustment Action pop-up
menu .
Note: The histogram updates in real time for images displayed in the Viewer and in full-screen
view, but is slightly delayed in the Book Layout Editor, the Webpage Editor, and the Light Table.
For information about how to interpret a histogram, see Histograms overview on page 344.
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Add additional adjustments
The rst time you show either the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, only the White Balance, Exposure, Enhance, and Highlights & Shadows
adjustments are available.
Note: A photo must be selected in the Browser for adjustment controls to appear in the
Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
m Choose an adjustment from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu at the top of either the
Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Add Adjustment
pop-up menu
The new adjustment appears highlighted in both the Adjustments inspector and the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown. For more information about
adjustment controls, see Use sliders on page 223.
Add Quick Brushes
mChoose a Quick Brush adjustment from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu at the top of either
the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Quick Brush adjustments
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 223
The adjustment controls for the Quick Brush appear in both the Adjustments inspector and the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown. Also, a oating window containing
the Quick Brush controls appears, and the pointer changes to a brush. For more information, see
Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231.
Use sliders
There are two types of slider controls for changing parameter values—sliders and value sliders.
Slider controls have varying value ranges depending on the parameter.
•Sliders: You can drag the slider left or right to set a value, or click anywhere along the slider’s
range to jump directly to that value.
Slider for the
Exposure parameter
Value slider for the
Brightness parameter
•Value sliders: You can double-click the value and type a number in the value eld, click the
left or right arrow, or drag inside the value eld to set a value. Often, you can type a much
larger number in the value eld than can be achieved by dragging the standard sliders.
When using value sliders, you can use a modier key to make value adjustments in small or
large increments.
Change values in small increments
mOption-drag in the value eld.
Change values in large increments
mShift-drag in the value eld.
Work with adjustment tools in the tool strip
When the Viewer is shown, the tool strip contains tools for working with your images
in the Viewer and Browser. Many of the adjustment tools also work in conjunction with
adjustment controls.
Lift toolRotate tool
Selection tool Stamp tool
Quick Brush
pop-up menu
Red Eye tool
Crop tool
Straighten tool
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Use the brush controls
Whenever a photo is selected and displayed in the Viewer or in full-screen view, you can retouch
it using a brushed adjustment, which allows you to manually target a specic part of the image
using brush controls. Most adjustments can be brushed on images. You choose a brush for an
adjustment from the adjustment’s Action pop-up menu.
Choose to brush an
adjustment “in” or “away”
from the adjustment’s
Action pop-up menu.
A Brush button appears when
the adjustment is brushed on the
photo. Click the button to open
the Brush HUD for the adjustment.
In addition to brushing standard adjustments, you can also use Quick Brush adjustments that are
specically designed for brushing on images. Quick Brush adjustments are accessible from the
Add Adjustment pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, as well as from the Quick Brush pop-up menu in the tool strip.
When you choose to brush an adjustment, its Brush HUD appears. You specify settings using the
controls in the HUD and then brush the adjustment on the image.
When you choose a Quick Brush adjustment, its adjustment controls appear highlighted in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown. As
with the standard adjustment controls, you use the checkbox for the adjustment to turn Quick
Brush adjustments on and o. For more information, see Remove adjustments on page 238.
Some Quick Brush adjustments also have sliders for changing parameter values after the Quick
Brush adjustment has been applied. For more information, see Use sliders on page 223.
For more information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228 or the topic for a particular
Quick Brush adjustment.
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Ways to perform adjustments
Apply standard adjustments
To modify the appearance of the entire image, you apply a standard adjustment and adjust
its settings.
Before Exposure adjustment After Exposure adjustment
Some images can be dicult to perfect. Images shot in mixed-lighting and low-light conditions
often require the same adjustment applied multiple times in small increments to achieve the
appearance you’re looking for. For example, an image shot in low-light conditions may require
multiple incremental Noise Reduction adjustments so that the image isn’t muddied by a single
strong Noise Reduction adjustment. In Aperture, adjustments are applied from top to bottom
as they appear in the Adjustments inspector. In the example above, you can add the Noise
Reduction controls with a slight Radius adjustment coupled with a slight Edge Detail adjustment,
and then add the same Noise Reduction controls to the Adjustments inspector again, with the
same incremental settings.
You can also apply an adjustment or a group of adjustments to a range of images by rst
applying the adjustments to one image and then lifting the adjustments from the rst image
and stamping them on the other images.
Apply a standard adjustment
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•To open the Adjustments inspector: Click the Inspector button in the toolbar, and click the
Adjustments tab.
•To open the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD: Choose Window > Show Inspector HUD
(or press H), and click the Adjustments button.
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3 If the adjustment you want to apply to the image isn’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose an adjustment from the Add Adjustment
pop-up menu.
Add Adjustment
pop-up menu
4 Specify parameter settings for the adjustment while viewing the eect on the image.
For information about applying a particular standard adjustment, see the topic for
the adjustment.
Add the same adjustment multiple times
mIn the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Add New
[adjustment] from the Action pop-up menu for the adjustment.
Another set of adjustment controls for the same adjustment appears immediately below the
current adjustment in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, if both are shown.
Choose to add a new
adjustment from the
Action pop-up menu.
Lift adjustments from one image and stamp them on a group of images
1 In the Browser, select the photo that has the adjustments you want to copy.
2 In the tool strip, select the Lift tool (or press O).
Lift tool
in the tool strip
Stamp tool
in the tool strip
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 227
The Lift & Stamp HUD appears, showing the adjustments, IPTC metadata, and keywords applied
to the image.
3 Deselect all metadata-related checkboxes to prevent Aperture from copying the metadata from
the selected photo.
Deselect a checkbox to prevent
Aperture from copying the item
from the selected photo.
4 If necessary, remove any unwanted adjustments by clicking the Adjustments disclosure triangle
in the Lift & Stamp HUD, selecting the unwanted adjustments, and pressing Delete.
Select an adjustment
and press Delete to
remove it.
5 In the tool strip, select the Selection tool (or press A), and do one of the following:
•Drag a selection rectangle around the photos to which you want to apply the adjustments.
•Select the photos to which you want to apply the adjustments by Shift-clicking to select a
range of adjacent photos and Command-clicking to select nonadjacent photos.
Note: The adjustments aren’t applied to photos within closed stacks. If you want to stamp the
adjustments on photos within a stack, you must open it rst by choosing Stacks > Open Stack
(or pressing Shift-K).
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 228
6 Do one of the following:
•In the tool strip, select the Stamp tool.
•In the Lift & Stamp HUD, click the Stamp Selected Images button.
Click the Stamp
Selected Images button
to apply the adjustments
to the selected images.
The adjustments copied from the rst photo are applied to the selected photos. For more
information about using the Lift & Stamp HUD, see Apply keywords using the Lift & Stamp
HUD on page 118 .
Apply brushed adjustments
There are two methods you can use to brush adjustments on images. When you want to apply
an adjustment to a small portion of an image, you can specify the adjustment settings and then
brush the adjustment on just that area. This is called brushing in.
A plus sign (+) indicates
that you’re brushing
the adjustment in.
When you want to apply an adjustment to most of an image except for a specic portion, you
can specify the settings for the adjustment and then brush the adjustment on the areas of the
image you want to exclude. This is called brushing away.
A minus sign (–) indicates that
you’re brushing the adjustment
away (erasing).
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After applying a brushed adjustment to an image, you can still modify the eect of the
adjustment on the image. Whether you brushed a standard adjustment or a Quick Brush
adjustment, you can modify the adjustment using the controls for that adjustment in the
Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Note: The parameter settings for the Retouch and Halo Reduction brushed adjustments cannot
be modied after the adjustments have been applied.
Brush an adjustment in
1 Select a photo.
2 If the adjustment you want to apply to the image isn’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose the adjustment from the Add Adjustment
pop-up menu.
Note: The Red Eye Correction, Spot & Patch, Straighten, Crop, Flip, White Balance, and Exposure
adjustments cannot be brushed on images.
3 Specify parameter settings for the adjustment while viewing the eect on the image.
4 When the area of the image you want to adjust has the correct appearance, choose “Brush
[adjustment] in” from the adjustment’s Action pop-up menu.
Action pop-up menu for
the Enhance adjustment
The pointer turns into a brush, and the Brush HUD for the adjustment appears. The adjustment
is also removed from the image.
5 In the Brush HUD, specify the following settings:
•To adjust the size of the brush: Use the Brush Size parameter controls.
Tip: Use the scroll gesture to quickly resize the brush as you work.
•To adjust the softness of the brush: Use the Softness parameter controls.
•To adjust the intensity of the brush: Use the Strength parameter controls.
•To specify that the adjustment detect edges in order to preserve detail: Select the Detect
Edges checkbox.
6 Brush the adjustment over the areas of the image you want to modify.
Tip: It’s a good idea to regularly zoom in to the image to ensure that the brush strokes cover
the areas of the image you want to adjust.
The adjustment is applied to the portion of the image it was brushed on.
For information about modifying the eect of the adjustment after it has been brushed on the
image, see Work with brush strokes on page 232.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 230
Brush an adjustment away
1 Select a photo.
2 If the adjustment you want to apply to the image isn’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose the adjustment from the Add Adjustment
pop-up menu.
Note: The Red Eye Correction, Spot & Patch, Straighten, Crop, Flip, White Balance, and Exposure
adjustments cannot be brushed on images.
3 Specify parameter settings for the adjustment while viewing the eect on the image.
4 When the area of the image you want to adjust has the correct appearance, choose “Brush
[adjustment] away” from the adjustment’s Action pop-up menu.
Action pop-up menu for
the Enhance adjustment
The pointer turns into a brush, and the Brush HUD for the adjustment appears. The adjustment
remains applied to the entire image.
5 In the Brush HUD, specify the following settings:
•To adjust the size of the brush: Use the Brush Size parameter controls.
Tip: Use the scroll gesture to quickly resize the brush as you work.
•To adjust the softness of the brush: Use the Softness parameter controls.
•To adjust the intensity of the brush: Use the Strength parameter controls.
•To specify that the adjustment detect edges in order to preserve detail: Select the Detect
Edges checkbox.
6 Brush over the areas of the image you don’t want adjusted.
Tip: It’s a good idea to regularly zoom in to the image to ensure that the brush strokes cover
the areas of the image you don’t want adjusted.
The adjustment is removed from the brushed areas of the image.
For information about modifying the eect of the adjustment after it has been brushed on the
image, see Work with brush strokes on page 232.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 231
Apply a brushed adjustment to the entire image
You can extend a brushed adjustment to cover the entire image rather than just the area you
brushed over.
1 Select the photo with the adjustment you want applied to the entire image.
2 Select the brushed adjustment in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, and click the Brush button in the adjustment controls.
Click the Brush button.
3 In the Brush HUD, choose “Apply to entire photo” from the Brush Action pop-up menu.
Choose “Apply to entire
photo” from the Brush
Action pop-up menu.
The brushed adjustment’s brush strokes are removed, and the adjustment is applied to the
entire image.
Apply Quick Brush adjustments
Aperture provides Quick Brush adjustments, such as Dodge, Burn, Halo Reduction, and Skin
Smoothing, that have been specically designed for brushing on images. To apply a Quick
Brush adjustment, you brush the adjustment on the image and then modify the adjustment’s
parameter settings.
Apply a Quick Brush adjustment
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu, and choose a Quick Brush adjustment from
the submenu.
•Choose a Quick Brush adjustment from the Quick Brush pop-up menu in the tool strip.
•In full-screen view, choose a Quick Brush adjustment from the Quick Brush pop-up menu in
the toolbar.
The pointer turns into a brush, the Brush HUD for the adjustment appears, and adjustment
controls for the adjustment appear in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of
the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
Note: The controls in the Retouch HUD are dierent from those that appear in the Brush HUD
for other brushed adjustments. For more information, see Retouch an image on page 242.
3 In the Brush HUD, specify the following settings:
•To adjust the size of the brush: Use the Brush Size parameter controls.
Tip: Use the scroll gesture to quickly resize the brush as you work.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 232
•To adjust the softness of the brush: Use the Softness parameter controls.
•To adjust the intensity of the brush: Use the Strength parameter controls.
•To specify that the adjustment detect edges in order to preserve detail: Select the Detect
Edges checkbox.
Note: For additional options, see Work with brush strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment over the areas of the image you want to apply it to.
Work with brush strokes
There are many controls in the Brush HUD that you can use to apply, remove, and feather
brush strokes.
Before feathering After feathering
(used the feathering brush to smooth the
edge of a previously applied brush stroke)
Feather brush strokes
In many situations, it’s best to avoid brush strokes that have hard, noticeable edges. The Brush
HUD has a feathering brush that you can use to smooth the edges of previously applied brush
strokes so that they blend seamlessly into the image. The feathering brush is applied to the
selected brushed adjustment only.
1 Select the photo with the brushed adjustment whose brush strokes you want to feather.
2 Select the brushed adjustment in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, and click the Brush button in the adjustment controls.
Click the Brush button.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 233
3 In the Brush HUD, click the Feather button.
Click the Feather button.
4 Specify the diameter of the brush and its intensity using the Brush Size and Strength sliders and
value sliders.
5 Drag the brush over the edges of the previously applied brush strokes.
Tip: When feathering brush stokes, it’s a good idea to display the brush strokes as color overlays
to help identify the boundaries of each brush stroke. You can turn the color overlays o at
regular intervals and visually inspect the image to ensure that the brush strokes are feathered
appropriately. For more information, see Work with brushed adjustment overlays on page 235.
Invert an adjustment’s brush strokes
You can remove an adjustment from the area you brushed it on and apply it to the rest of the
image instead.
1 Select the photo with the brushed adjustment whose brush strokes you want to invert.
2 Select the brushed adjustment in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, and click the Brush button in the adjustment controls.
Click the Brush button.
3 In the Brush HUD, choose Invert from the Brush Action pop-up menu.
Choose Invert from
the Brush Action
pop-up menu.
Erase brush strokes
You can erase the brush strokes for a previously applied brushed adjustment using the eraser
brush in the Brush HUD. The eraser brush erases the brush strokes of the selected brushed
adjustment only. The eraser brush uses the same parameters as the standard brush (Brush Size,
Softness, and Strength).
Tip: You can quickly switch from the brush to the eraser by holding down the Option key. To
switch back to the brush, release the Option key.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 234
1 Select the photo with the brushed adjustment whose brush strokes you want to erase.
2 Select the brushed adjustment in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, and click the Brush button in the adjustment controls.
Click the Brush button.
3 In the Brush HUD, click the Eraser button.
Click the Eraser button.
4 Specify the diameter of the brush, its softness, and its intensity using the Brush Size, Softness,
and Strength sliders and value sliders.
5 Drag the brush over the previously applied brush strokes that you want to remove.
Tip: Some brushed adjustments are so subtle that it’s dicult to identify the boundaries of the
brush strokes or even the brush strokes themselves. In some cases, one brushed adjustment
can obscure another when brushed over the same area. To help identify brush strokes, it’s a
good idea to use overlays. For more information, see Work with brushed adjustment overlays on
page 235.
Remove all brush strokes for a specic adjustment from an image
1 Select the photo with the brushed adjustment whose brush strokes you want to remove.
2 Select the brushed adjustment in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, and click the Brush button in the adjustment controls.
Click the Brush button.
3 In the Brush HUD, choose “Clear from entire photo” from the Brush Action pop-up menu.
Choose “Clear
from entire photo”
from the Brush
Action pop-up
menu.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 235
Work with brushed adjustment overlays
Overlays are useful tools for identifying where brush strokes for the selected brushed adjustment
have been applied to the image. When you’ve brushed an adjustment with a subtle softness
and strength over the image, it can be dicult to discern the boundaries of the brush strokes.
Aperture provides several types of overlays to help you visually identify the selected brushed
adjustment’s cumulative brush strokes. When you accurately identify the boundaries of a brush
stroke, you can use the eraser brush to remove any parts of the brush stroke that don’t belong,
and you can use the feathering brush to smooth out the edges. For more information, see Apply
Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush strokes on page 232.
The Brush Action pop-up menu in the Brush HUD provides the following overlay options to help
you with detailed brushing:
•Color Overlay: Displays a pink overlay over the brush strokes for the selected adjustment.
•Brush Strokes: Displays the brush strokes for the selected adjustment as pure white over a pure
black background. This option provides the easiest method for identifying brush strokes that
have been applied to an image. It’s a good idea to use this overlay option if you suspect that
you missed a tiny part of the image when brushing. The missed portions of the image appear
as black dots or lines.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 236
•On Black: Displays a pure black mask over the image, with the brush strokes revealing the
image beneath. This option is useful for showing detailed brush strokes over a bright area in
the image.
•On White: Displays a pure white mask over the image, with brush strokes revealing the image
beneath. This option is useful for detailed brush strokes over dark areas in the image.
Apply an overlay for a brushed adjustment to an image
1 Select the photo with the brushed adjustment whose brush strokes you want to identify.
2 Select the brushed adjustment in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, and click the Brush button in the adjustment controls.
Click the Brush button.
3 In the Brush HUD, choose an overlay option from the Overlay section of the Brush Action
pop-up menu.
Choose an overlay from
the Overlay section
of the Brush Action
pop-up menu.
To turn an overlay o, choose None from the Overlay section of the Brush Action pop-up menu.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 237
Limit the tonal range of brushed adjustments
You can limit the adjustment you’re about to brush on an image to a specic tonal range. For
example, if you want to brush an adjustment on an image and have the adjustment aect only
the shadows, you choose Shadows from the Brush Action pop-up menu and then brush the
adjustment on the image. If the brush touches a midtone or highlight, that part of the image is
not changed.
Tip: This feature is particularly useful when burning and dodging, because you can limit the
exposure adjustment to the tonal range you want to modify without having to worry about
adversely aecting details in the tonal ranges that are correctly exposed.
Limit a brushed adjustment to a specic tonal range
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose either
“Brush [adjustment] in” or “Brush [adjustment] away” from the Action pop-up menu for the
adjustment you want to apply to the image.
•Choose a Quick Brush adjustment from the Quick Brush pop-up menu in the tool strip.
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu, and choose a Quick Brush adjustment from
the submenu.
•In full-screen view, choose a Quick Brush adjustment from the Quick Brush pop-up menu
in the toolbar.
3 In the Brush HUD, choose a tonal range for the adjustment from the Brush Range section of the
Brush Action pop-up menu.
Note: If you don’t want the brushed adjustment limited to a specic tonal range, choose All.
Choose a tonal
range option from
the Brush Range
section of the Brush
Action pop-up menu.
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Remove adjustments
In Aperture, you can temporarily turn adjustments on and o to verify the cumulative eect
of the adjustments on your image. You can also remove specic adjustments or remove all
adjustments from a photo selection at once.
Turn an adjustment on and o
mIn the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, select the checkbox
next to the adjustment’s name to turn the adjustment on, and deselect the checkbox to turn it o.
Turn an adjustment on
and off by selecting and
deselecting the checkbox.
Remove a single adjustment from an image
mSelect a photo, and click the Reset button for the adjustment you want to remove.
Reset button
Remove all adjustments from an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose Photos > Revert to Original.
•In the bottom-left corner of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, click the Revert to Original button.
Perform adjustments in full-screen view
Full-screen view, which displays photos against a solid background and contains only a
few interface elements, provides the best onscreen work environment for performing color
adjustments. It’s highly recommended that you perform adjustments in full-screen view to
achieve the best results possible. For more information, see Full-screen view overview on
page 172 .
Switch to full-screen view
Do one of the following:
mChoose View > Full Screen (or press F).
mClick the Full Screen button in the toolbar.
To switch back to the Aperture main window, click the Exit Full Screen button in the full-screen
view toolbar, or Press F or the Esc (Escape) key.
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Show the Inspector HUD while in full-screen view
mPress H.
Lock the Inspector HUD to the side of the screen so that it doesn’t overlap the image
mClick the control in the top-right corner of the HUD.
Select adjustment tools in full-screen view
mMove your pointer to the top of the screen until the full-screen view toolbar appears, and select
a tool.
If you want to set the toolbar to remain on the screen, move the pointer to the top of the screen
and click the Always Show Toolbar control.
Toolbar shown at
the top of the screen
in Full Screen view
Always Show
Toolbar control
Adjust images from within Aperture editors
Whenever a photo is selected and displayed in the Viewer or in full-screen view, you can adjust
it using the adjustment controls in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD. You can also adjust images in the Book Layout Editor, Webpage Editor, Slideshow
Editor, and Light Table.
Note: Some of the adjustment controls are not available for use in the Aperture editors, but you
can easily switch to the Viewer to make your changes.
Switch to the Viewer from the Book Layout Editor, Webpage Editor, Slideshow Editor, or
Light Table
Do one of the following:
mClick the Show Viewer button at the top of the Browser.
When you’ve nished making the adjustment, click the Show Viewer button again to return to
the previous view.
mIf you have a system that has more than one display, choose View > Secondary Viewer >
Alternate, and perform the adjustments on the second display.
For more information, see View photos on multiple displays on page 170 .
Use an external editor
If you need to perform more advanced image operations, such as compositing, you can set an
external editor for use within Aperture. First you have to specify which application Aperture
should use and the le format (TIFF or PSD). You only have to do this once. Then you select a
photo and choose a menu command to have the photo open in the application designated as
the external editor. You can also set an external editor for audio and video les.
Set an external editor for photos in Aperture
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click Export.
2 Click the Choose button to the right of the External Photo Editor eld, navigate to an application
in the Select Application dialog, and click Select.
The application’s name appears in the External Photo Editor eld.
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3 Choose the appropriate le format (TIFF or PSD) from the External Editor File Format pop-up
menu, and enter a resolution in the dpi eld.
This is the le format Aperture uses when opening les in external editors.
Tip: It’s a good idea to choose the 16-bit option for the External Editor le format because the
greater bit depth allows each pixel to express an exponentially larger number of colors and helps
reduce color clipping and banding.
Set an external editor for audio and video les in Aperture
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click Export.
2 Do either or both of the following:
•To set an external editor for audio les: Click the Choose button to the right of the External
Audio Editor eld, navigate to an application in the Select Audio Application dialog, and
click Select.
The application’s name appears in the External Audio Editor eld.
•To set an external editor for video les: Click the Choose button to the right of the External Video
Editor eld, navigate to an application in the Select Video Application dialog, and click Select.
The application’s name appears in the External Video Editor eld.
Use an external editor in Aperture
1 Select an item in the Browser.
2 Choose Photos > Edit with External Editor (or press Shift-Command-O).
Aperture duplicates the original, converts the duplicate to the chosen le format, and opens
the new le in the external editor. The le is tracked as a new original stacked with the
previous original.
3 When you’ve nished modifying the image, audio, or video le in the external application, save
the le.
The saved le is automatically updated in Aperture.
Apply iPhoto eects to images
If you prefer working with iPhoto eects, you can apply them to your images from within
Aperture. If you’ve applied an eect in iPhoto, such as a Matte eect or an Antique eect, you can
adjust the eect’s parameters in Aperture as well.
Apply an iPhoto eect to an image
1 Select an image.
2 Choose iPhoto Eects from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
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3 Do either or both of the following:
•To apply the Black & White, Sepia, or Antique eect to the image: Choose an option from the
Eect pop-up menu.
The Amount slider and value slider appear when you choose Antique from the Eect pop-up
menu. Use the Amount controls to adjust the intensity of the Antique eect.
Note: The None option removes the Black & White, Sepia, or Antique eect.
•To apply the Matte, Vignette, Edge Blur, Fade, or Boost eect: Drag the slider or use the value slider
for the eect.
Apply specic standard adjustments
Enhance an image automatically
You use the Auto Enhance button when you want to quickly improve your image or preview
what the image will look like when adjusted. When you click the Auto Enhance button, Aperture
evaluates the image and then applies the White Balance, Enhance, Curves, and Highlights &
Shadows adjustment settings in a manner that suits the selected photo. Using Auto Enhance is a
good starting point when adjusting an image because you can always ne-tune the parameter
settings for each adjustment.
Before Auto Enhance adjustment After Auto Enhance adjustment
Enhance an image automatically
1 Select a photo.
2 At the top of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, click the
Auto Enhance button.
Auto Enhance button
To ne-tune the White Balance, Enhance, Curves, and Highlights & Shadows parameter settings
applied by the Auto Enhance adjustment, see the following topics:
•White balance an image on page 266
•Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation on page 273
•Adjust the tonal curve of an image on page 282
•Preserve highlight and shadow details in an image on page 292
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Retouch an image
You use the Retouch brushes to touch up imperfections in the image caused by sensor dust,
image artifacts, and other environmental conditions. You can also copy an element of an image
and paste it in another area for purely aesthetic reasons. Aperture provides two methods of
retouching your images.
If the area you need to repair has a hard edge near the problem area, you use the “repair”
method. You also use the repair method when you want to copy high-frequency texture from
one area of the image (the source) and brush the texture over the destination area while
maintaining the underlying color and shading of the destination area.
Before Repair adjustment After Repair adjustment
The second method, “cloning,” is used when you simply want to copy pixels from one area and
paste them on another area. Cloning is useful when you want to copy an element of an image
as is (a cloud, for example) and paste it in another area.
Before Clone adjustment After Clone adjustment
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Note: Aperture provides two sets of retouching controls: Retouch and Spot & Patch. In the vast
majority of cases, the Retouch controls will best serve your image-repair needs. The Spot & Patch
controls are included in Aperture 3 to retain the integrity of images adjusted with earlier versions
of Aperture. You can often improve image repairs by removing an existing Spot & Patch repair
and replacing it with a Repair or Clone adjustment performed with the Retouch tool. In a few
situations, Spot & Patch is the adjustment of choice. For example, an artifact on or very near a
curved edge may be more eectively removed using the Angle parameter. For more information,
see Spot and patch an image on page 250.
Retouch an image using the Repair brush
1 Select a photo.
2 To display the photo at full size, click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar (or press Z).
Setting the photo to appear at full size (100 percent) prevents image scaling from
obscuring details.
3 Choose Retouch from the Quick Brush pop-up menu in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar.
The pointer changes to a brush, and the Retouch HUD appears.
4 In the Retouch HUD, specify the following settings:
•To select the Repair brush: Click the Repair button.
•To set the radius of the brush: Drag the Radius slider, enter a value in the Radius value slider, or
use the scroll gesture.
Note: You can’t use the scroll gesture when the pointer is placed over the Retouch HUD.
•To set the softness of the brush: Drag the Softness slider or enter a value in the Softness
value slider.
•To set the opacity of the brush: Drag the Opacity slider or enter a value in the Opacity
value slider.
5 If you want the Retouch adjustment to preserve edge details in the image, select the “Detect
edges” checkbox.
6 If you need to copy pixels from another area of the image, deselect the “Automatically choose
source” checkbox, and Option-click the source area.
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7 Brush over the area with the imperfection.
Brush over the blemish
with the Repair brush.
Retouch an image using the Clone brush
1 Select a photo.
2 To display the photo at full size, click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar (or press Z).
Setting the photo to appear at full size (100 percent) prevents image scaling from
obscuring details.
3 Choose Retouch from the Quick Brush pop-up menu in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar.
The pointer changes to a brush, and the Retouch HUD appears.
4 In the Retouch HUD, specify the following settings:
•To select the Clone brush: Click the Clone button.
•To set the radius of the brush: Drag the Radius slider or enter a value in the Radius value slider.
•To set the softness of the brush: Drag the Softness slider or enter a value in the Softness
value slider.
•To set the opacity of the brush: Drag the Opacity slider or enter a value in the Opacity
value slider.
5 Option-click the source area (the area where you want to copy the pixels).
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6 Brush over the area with the imperfection.
Brush over the blemish
with the Clone brush.
Delete brush strokes
Because pixels in brush strokes are sampled sequentially, brush strokes can be deleted only in
reverse order.
Do one of the following:
mTo delete single brush strokes: Repeatedly click the Delete button in the Retouch area of the
Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD until the brush stroke
you want to remove is deleted.
Click the Delete button to
remove a brush stroke.
mTo delete all brush strokes at once: Click the Reset button in the Retouch area of the
Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Remove red-eye
You use the Red Eye tool and the Red Eye Correction adjustment controls to reduce the red-eye
eect in the eyes of the subjects in your image. You use the Red Eye tool to place targets on
the red eyes, and then you can adjust the radius and sensitivity of the target overlays using the
Red Eye Correction controls. Aperture desaturates the red pixels within the target overlay area,
reducing the eect.
After Red Eye adjustment
Before Red Eye adjustment
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Remove red-eye with the Red Eye tool
1 Select a photo.
2 To display the photo at full size, click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar (or press Z).
Setting the photo to appear at full size (100 percent) prevents image scaling from
obscuring details.
3 Select the Red Eye tool in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press E).
The pointer changes to a target, and the Red Eye HUD appears.
4 Change the size of the Red Eye tool’s target by doing one of the following:
•Drag the Radius slider in the Red Eye HUD.
•Use the scroll gesture.
5 Click a red eye in the image to place a Red Eye target overlay on it.
The red pixels within the Red Eye target overlay are desaturated.
6 Repeat step 4 until all of the red eyes in your image are corrected.
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To view the corrected image with the Red Eye target overlays turned o, select the Selection tool
in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press A). To turn the Red Eye target overlays
on again, select the Red Eye tool in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press E),
or click the Red Eye Tool button in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of
the Inspector HUD.
Change the size of an existing Red Eye target overlay
You can adjust the size of a Red Eye target overlay after it’s placed on the image.
1 To display the image at full size (100 percent), click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or
the full-screen view toolbar (or press Z).
2 Click the Red Eye target overlay to select it.
A hand icon appears to indicate that you can select the Red Eye target overlay.
The Red Eye tool changes
to a hand icon to indicate
that you can select the
Red Eye target overlay.
3 In the Red Eye Correction area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, use the Radius parameter controls to change the size of the overlay.
Drag the Radius slider to adjust
the size of the selected Red Eye
target overlay.
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Adjust the sensitivity of a Red Eye target overlay
When you target a red eye in a picture, Aperture automatically desaturates the area within the
target overlay circle. In a few cases, the area might be either slightly too large or slightly too
small (typically including a few pixels in the eyelid skin, or missing a few red pixels inside the
pupil). For these dicult cases, you can adjust the Sensitivity parameter to change the area
where desaturation occurs. For example, dragging the Sensitivity slider to the left by one notch
decreases the radius of the active area within the Red Eye target overlay by one pixel, and
dragging the Sensitivity slider one notch to the right enlarges it by one pixel.
After Sensitivity adjustmentBefore Sensitivity adjustment
(the eyelids are desaturated)
1 Click the Red Eye target overlay to select it.
2 In the Red Eye Correction area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, use the Sensitivity parameter controls to adjust the area within the Red Eye
target overlay where desaturation occurs.
Use the Sensitivity slider and
value slider to fine-tune the area
within the Red Eye target overlay
where desaturation occurs.
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Move a Red Eye target overlay
1 Select the Red Eye tool , and place the Red Eye tool’s target over the Red Eye target overlay
you want to move until the target changes to a hand icon.
2 Drag the Red Eye target overlay to the appropriate position over the subject’s eye.
Drag the Red Eye target
overlay over the red eye
in the image.
Remove a Red Eye target overlay
Do one of the following:
mSelect a Red Eye target overlay in the image, and click the Delete button in the Red Eye
Correction area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Click the Delete button
to delete a Red Eye
target overlay.
mCommand-click a Red Eye target overlay.
Command-click a Red Eye
target overlay to delete it.
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Spot and patch an image
You use the Spot & Patch adjustment controls when you need to modify a Spot & Patch
adjustment that was applied using a previous version of Aperture.
Note: Aperture provides two sets of retouching controls: Retouch and Spot & Patch. In the vast
majority of cases, the Retouch controls will best serve your image-repair needs. The Spot &
Patch controls are included in Aperture 3 to retain the integrity of images adjusted with earlier
versions of Aperture. You can often improve image repairs by removing an existing Spot & Patch
repair and replacing it with a Repair or Clone adjustment performed with the Retouch tool.
For more information, see Retouch an image on page 242. In a few situations, Spot & Patch is
the adjustment of choice. For example, an artifact on or very near a curved edge may be more
eectively removed using the Angle parameter.
The Spot & Patch adjustment provides two methods of correcting your images. When the
area around the blemish is continuous (such as a solid color) and doesn’t contain a distinct
texture, you can use the “spotting” method to obscure the blemish by integrating the pixels that
surround it. You x a blemish by placing the Spot & Patch target overlay over the blemish in the
image and then adjusting the size of the target overlay so that it just barely covers the blemish.
By keeping the target overlay small, you minimize the chance of a visual aberration in the
nal image.
Before Spot & Patch adjustment
(spotting)
After Spot & Patch adjustment
(spotting)
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When you need to clone pixels from a dierent area of an image to x the area where the
blemish is, you use the “patching” method. Patching is similar to spotting, except that there are
some additional steps. You rst place a Spot & Patch target overlay (yellow) over the blemish, and
then you place a source target overlay (white) over the area you want to clone. The pixels in the
Spot & Patch target overlay are replaced by the pixels copied from the source target overlay.
Before Spot & Patch adjustment
(patching)
After Spot & Patch adjustment
(patching)
For both spotting and patching, Aperture provides additional parameter controls to allow you to
adjust the softness, opacity, and amount of detail in the cloned pixels, so that the corrected area
looks as natural as possible.
Spot an image
1 Select a photo.
2 To display the photo at full size, click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar (or press Z).
Setting the photo to appear at full size (100 percent) prevents image scaling from
obscuring details.
3 Choose Spot & Patch from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
The pointer changes to a target, and the Spot & Patch HUD appears.
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4 Change the size of the Spot & Patch target using the Radius parameter control in the Spot &
Patch HUD, or use the scroll gesture.
It’s best to adjust the size of the target overlay so that it ts the area around the blemish as
tightly as possible. A tight t minimizes visual aberrations.
5 Click the blemish area to place the Spot & Patch target overlay on it.
The yellow Spot & Patch target overlay is placed over the blemish, and the blemish disappears.
Click a blemish to place
a Spot & Patch target
overlay on it.
Note: You can always adjust the size of the target overlay and other parameters.
6 Repeat step 5 until all of the blemishes in your image are removed.
To view the corrected image with Spot & Patch overlays turned o, select the Selection tool in
the toolstrip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press A). To turn the Spot & Patch target overlays
on again, click the Spot & Patch Tool button in the Spot & Patch area of the Adjustments
inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Patch a blemish in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 To display the photo at full size, click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or the full-screen
view toolbar (or press Z).
Setting the photo to appear at full size (100 percent) prevents image scaling from
obscuring details.
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3 Choose Spot & Patch from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
The pointer changes to a target, and the Spot & Patch HUD appears.
4 Change the size of the Spot & Patch target using the Radius parameter control in the Spot &
Patch HUD, or use the scroll gesture.
It’s best to adjust the size of the target overlay so that it ts the area around the blemish as
tightly as possible. A tight t minimizes visual aberrations.
5 Click the blemish area to place a Spot & Patch target overlay on it.
A yellow target overlay is placed over the blemish, and the blemish is replaced by the pixels
that surround it. This yellow target overlay is the destination target overlay.
Click a blemish to place
a Spot & Patch target
overlay on it.
6 Do one of the following:
•Select the Patch checkbox in the Spot & Patch area of the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, and drag the white source target overlay to the
area you want to clone (the source area).
•Option-click the area you want to clone.
A white source target overlay appears and is placed over the source area.
Option-click the area
you want to clone to
place a source target
overlay on it.
The pixels within the source target overlay are copied and replace the pixels within the
destination target overlay, patching the blemish.
Note: You can always adjust the size of the target overlay and other parameters.
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7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all blemishes are removed from your image.
To view the corrected image with Spot & Patch overlays turned o, select the Selection tool in
the toolstrip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press A). To turn the Spot & Patch target overlays
on again, click the Spot & Patch Tool button in the Spot & Patch area of the Adjustments
inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Change the size of an existing Spot & Patch target overlay
1 To display the image at full size (100 percent), click the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or
the full-screen view toolbar (or press Z).
2 Click a Spot & Patch target overlay to select it.
A hand icon appears to indicate that you can select the Spot & Patch target overlay rather than
place a new one.
A hand icon appears
to indicate that you can
move the target overlay.
3 In the Spot & Patch area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Radius parameter controls to adjust the size of the Spot & Patch target overlay.
Use the Radius slider and
value slider to adjust the
size of previously placed
Spot & Patch target overlays.
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Modify a Spot & Patch overlay’s settings
You can change the settings for a Spot & Patch target overlay using controls in the Spot & Patch
area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
mTo adjust the softness of pixels in a Spot & Patch target overlay: Use the Softness parameter controls.
Use the Softness slider and
value slider to make the
edges of the Spot & Patch
overlay blend better with the
surrounding image area.
The Softness parameter controls the blending of pixels between the center of the Spot & Patch
target overlay and the circumference. The higher the Softness parameter value, the closer to the
center the pixel blending occurs. The lower the parameter value, the less pixel blending occurs,
resulting in a “hard edge."
You can adjust
the softness of
the cloned pixels.
mTo adjust the opacity of cloned pixels in a Spot & Patch target overlay: Use the Opacity
parameter controls.
Use the Opacity slider and
value slider to adjust the
opacity of the cloned pixels
in the target overlay.
The Opacity parameter controls how much the original pixels are hidden by the cloned pixels.
The higher the Opacity parameter value, the more the cloned pixels obscure the original pixels.
You can adjust
the opacity of the
cloned pixels.
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mTo adjust the amount of detail in cloned pixels in a Spot & Patch target overlay: Use the Detail
parameter controls.
Use the Detail slider and value
slider to adjust the amount
of detail in the cloned pixels
in the target overlay.
The Detail parameter controls the amount of detail, such as texture or grain, that is preserved in
the cloned pixels.
You can adjust the
amount of detail
in the cloned pixels.
mTo adjust the angle of the cloned pixels within a destination target overlay: Use the Angle
parameter controls.
Use the Angle slider and
value slider to adjust the
angle of the pixels in the
destination target overlay.
The Angle parameter controls the angle of the cloned pixels within a destination target overlay
(for patch adjustments only). This is particularly useful if you’re cloning an area that has a visual
element, such as a pattern or line, that is at a dierent angle from elements in the destination
area. The Angle controls allow you to match the angle of the pixels within the destination
target overlay.
You can adjust the angle
of the cloned pixels.
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Move a Spot & Patch target overlay
1 Make sure the Spot & Patch HUD is shown, and place the Spot & Patch target over the Spot &
Patch target overlay you want to move until a hand icon appears.
A hand icon appears
to indicate that you can
select the Spot & Patch
target overlay.
2 Drag the Spot & Patch target overlay to reposition it.
Delete a Spot & Patch target overlay
Do one of the following:
mSelect a Spot & Patch target overlay in the image, and click the Delete button in the Spot & Patch
area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Click the Delete button
to delete a Spot &
Patch target overlay.
mCommand-click the Spot & Patch target overlay.
Command-click
a Spot & Patch target
overlay to delete it.
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Straighten an image’s horizon
When you shoot photos, environmental conditions often make it dicult to frame an image that
is level in relation to the horizon—either real or virtual. In Aperture, you can straighten an image
so that the horizon in the image is parallel to the bottom and top edges.
Before Straighten adjustment After Straighten adjustment
You can straighten your images using either the Straighten tool or the Straighten adjustment
controls. However, you may nd it most ecient to use the Straighten tool to quickly level the
image and then use the Straighten controls for more precision.
Note: It’s a good idea to turn o zooming when straightening an image, so that the full image
ts within the Viewer. If an image is zoomed in to its actual size, you can turn o zooming
by clicking the Zoom Viewer button in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar (or by
pressing Z).
Rotate an image using the Straighten tool
Rotating an image with the Straighten tool is as simple as selecting the tool and dragging within
the image to make it straight. However, it’s important to understand that although the image
appears to enlarge as you rotate it, Aperture actually crops the image so that it ts within its
rectangular border without blank edges appearing on the sides.
1 Select a photo.
2 Select the Straighten tool in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press G).
3 With the Straighten tool selected, drag within the image to rotate it either clockwise
or counterclockwise.
As you rotate the image, a yellow grid appears to help you make the horizon perfectly straight,
and the image is cropped to prevent gaps from appearing in the corners.
Drag within the image
to rotate it.
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Rotate an image using the Straighten controls
The Straighten adjustment controls provide a high degree of precision for straightening
your images.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Straighten
from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu, and use the Angle parameter controls to straighten
the image.
Use the Angle slider and value
slider to straighten the photo.
Increasing the value rotates the image clockwise, and decreasing the value rotates the
image counterclockwise.
Crop an image
You can crop an image to improve its composition or change its aspect ratio. For example, you
can change an image’s aspect ratio from 4 x 6 to 3 x 5.
Before Crop adjustment After Crop adjustment
There are two methods for cropping an image: you can use the Crop tool to manually crop the
image, or you can use the Crop adjustment controls. The method you choose is determined by
the level of precision you require.
Crop an image using the Crop tool
Cropping an image with the Crop tool is the easiest method. You simply select the Crop tool
and drag a rectangle over your image to exclude the unwanted areas. The Crop HUD appears,
providing additional controls for setting the aspect ratio of the image and displaying cropping
guides to help you visually align the composition of the image according to the rule of thirds.
1 Select a photo.
2 Select the Crop tool in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar (or press C).
The Selection tool changes to the Crop tool, and the Crop HUD appears.
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3 With the Crop tool selected, drag a rectangle over the image to exclude the areas that you want
to trim.
A Crop overlay appears on the image with resize handles, and the trimmed edges are dimmed.
Drag across the photo
with the Crop tool.
A dark overlay is placed
over the trimmed areas.
4 Do any of the following:
•To set the aspect ratio of the Crop overlay: Choose an aspect ratio from the Aspect Ratio pop-up
menu, or set a custom aspect ratio by entering values in the Width and Height elds.
Choose a standard
aspect ratio for the crop
from the Aspect Ratio
pop-up menu.
Note: Aperture interprets small (single- and double-digit) numbers as inches and larger
numbers as pixels.
•To change the orientation of the crop: Click the Switch Aspect Ratio button.
Click the Switch Aspect
Ratio button to change
the orientation to portrait
or landscape.
The values in the Width and Height elds are reversed, and the Crop overlay is updated to
show the new orientation. (Entering a number in the Width eld that is smaller than the
number in the Height eld sets a portrait orientation. Entering a larger number in the Width
eld sets a landscape orientation.)
•To show cropping guides within the Crop overlay: Select the “Show guides” checkbox.
Select the “Show guides”
checkbox to display cropping
guides over the photo.
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•To change the size and shape of a Crop overlay: Drag a resize handle on the Crop overlay.
Note: If you have choosen a xed aspect ratio from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu in the Crop
HUD, the shape of the crop remains xed to respect the aspect ratio setting.
Drag a resize handle to
resize the Crop overlay.
•To adjust the placement of the crop on the image: Drag the Crop overlay to the
appropriate position.
Drag the Crop overlay
to adjust its position.
5 When you’re satised with the composition of the crop, do one of the following:
•Click the Apply button in the Crop HUD.
•Click the close button (with an X) at the top-left corner of the Crop HUD.
•Select another tool in the tool strip or the full-screen view toolbar.
For example, select the Selection tool (or press A).
The cropped image appears in the Viewer. To make the trimmed edges visible in the Viewer
again, select the Crop tool (or press C).
Remove the crop from an image
If you’re unhappy with how an image is cropped, you can remove the Crop and start over.
1 Select the photo with the crop you want to reset.
2 In the tool strip, select the Crop tool .
3 Click the Reset button in the Crop HUD.
Set crop dimensions using the Crop adjustment controls
You use the Crop adjustment controls when an extra level of precision is required—for example,
if a client wants an image cropped to precise dimensions that don’t match the standard
aspect ratios.
Aperture uses a simple coordinate system to position the Crop overlay on the image. You
simply set x and y coordinates to specify the position of the bottom-left corner of the crop. The
x-coordinate moves the bottom-left corner of the crop horizontally, and the y-coordinate moves
the bottom-left corner of the crop vertically. Then you set the width and height to determine the
area within the crop.
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1 Select a photo.
2 If you wish, use the Crop tool to place a rough crop on the image.
3 If the Crop controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Crop from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
4 Use the X and Y value sliders to set the position of the bottom-left corner of the crop overlay
relative to the original photo.
The X and Y values are measured in pixels.
Use the Width and Height
value sliders to adjust the size
of the area within the crop.
The X and Y value sliders
control the position of the
bottom-left corner of the
crop on the original photo.
5 Specify the size of the crop overlay using the Width and Height value sliders.
The width and height values are measured in pixels
6 To apply the crop to the image, press Return.
Flip the composition of an image
You use the Flip adjustment controls when you want to ip the composition of the image
vertically, horizontally, or both.
Before Flip adjustment After Flip adjustment
Flip an image’s composition
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Flip controls are not shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Flip from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
Choose how you want to flip
the photo from the Flip Type
pop-up menu.
3 Choose an option from the Flip Type pop-up menu:
•To ip the image horizontally: Choose Horizontal.
•To ip the image vertically: Choose Vertical.
•To ip the image both horizontally and vertically: Choose Horizontal and Vertical.
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Remove chromatic aberration
When you want to x chromatic aberration, also known as purple fringing, you use the Chromatic
Aberration adjustment controls. For example, if your image has a ghost image in high-contrast
boundary areas, you use the Chromatic Aberration adjustment controls to neutralize the color
fringing. Chromatic aberration can be caused by a poorly designed lens that fails to focus light at
the correct point on the focal plane when the lens is set at dierent focal lengths. Certain types
of light sources can also cause chromatic aberration.
Before Chromatic Aberration adjustment After Chromatic Aberration adjustment
(increased cyan)
Important: The Chromatic Aberration adjustment controls are available only for images using
Aperture 3 image processing. For more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions
of Aperture on page 49.
Remove purple fringing from an image
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Chromatic Aberration controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Chromatic Aberration from the Add Adjustment
pop-up menu, and specify the following settings:
•To neutralize red or cyan fringing: Use the Red/Cyan parameter controls.
Use the Red/Cyan slider
and value slider to neutralize
red and cyan fringing.
Adding cyan neutralizes red fringing, and adding red neutralizes cyan fringing.
•To neutralize blue and yellow fringing: Use the Blue/Yellow parameter controls.
Use the Blue/Yellow slider
and value slider to neutralize
blue and yellow fringing.
Adding yellow neutralizes blue fringing, and adding blue neutralizes yellow fringing.
You can also brush the Chromatic Aberration adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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Remove a vignette
You use the Devignette adjustment controls to correct a vignette that was applied to an image
as it was shot. The term vignette describes an image whose brightness fades at the edges.
Vignettes are usually caused by poor lens design, stacked lters, lens hoods, and wide-angle
zoom lenses. Aperture corrects the image by increasing the brightness at the edges of the image
where vignettes typically occur.
Note: When you apply a Devignette and a Crop adjustment to the same image, Aperture applies
the Devignette adjustment rst to correct lens artifacts. Applying the Devignette adjustment
before the crop prevents any distortion that would otherwise appear in the cropped image.
Before Devignette adjustment After Devignette adjustment
Remove the vignette from your image
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Devignette controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of
the Inspector HUD, choose Devignette from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu, and specify the
following settings:
•To set the amount of brightness applied to the edges of the image: Use the Intensity
parameter controls.
Use the Intensity slider and
value slider to adjust the
amount of brightness applied
to the edges of the photo.
•To adjust the distance Aperture goes from the edge of the image, in pixels, to apply the Devignette
adjustment: Use the Radius parameter controls.
Use the Radius slider and value
slider to adjust the size of the
area over which the Devignette
adjustment is applied.
For information about applying a vignette to an image, see Apply a vignette to an image on
page 313.
You can also brush the Devignette adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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Reduce digital noise
You use the Noise Reduction adjustment controls when you need to reduce digital noise in an
image. Digital noise is often caused by shooting at high ISO settings in low-light conditions.
When you reduce noise in an image, you often have to sharpen the image to prevent blurry
edges or loss of detail. For more information, see Sharpen an image on page 311.
Before Noise Reduction adjustment After Noise Reduction adjustment
Note: For RAW images, you can also use the De-noise option in combination with the Edges
adjustment in the Raw Fine Tuning adjustment block to reduce noise. For more information, see
RAW Fine Tuning controls overview on page 334.
Reduce digital noise in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Noise Reduction controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments
pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Noise Reduction from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu (or
press Control-N), and specify the following settings:
•To reduce digital noise in the image: Use the Radius parameter controls.
Use the Radius slider and
value slider to decrease the
digital noise in the photo.
Use the Edge Detail slider
and value slider to maintain
details in areas of contrast.
A value of 0.0 applies no digital noise adjustment to the image. A value greater than 0.0
reduces digital noise in the image.
•To maintain edge detail in areas of high contrast in the image: Use the Edge Detail
parameter controls.
As you change the parameter value, the image is updated to display the amount of edge
detail sharpening applied to it.
You can also brush the Noise Reduction adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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White balance an image
If an image has unnatural skin tones or pixels that should be pure white, you can use the White
Balance adjustment controls to remove the color cast from the image. Aperture provides three
methods for adjusting an image’s white balance:
•Balance the warmth of the image based on natural gray.
•Balance the warmth of the image based on skin tones.
•Balance the image based on traditional color temperature (in degrees kelvin) and tint.
You can adjust an image’s white balance automatically or manually. In most cases, the automatic
adjustment succeeds in removing the color cast from the image. You can also use the White
Balance eyedropper to choose the natural gray or skin tone pixels that Aperture uses to balance
the image. If the Auto White Balance button or the White Balance eyedropper doesn’t completely
remove the color cast from the image, you can use the White Balance controls to ne-tune
the adjustment.
Although Aperture can set the white balance of the image with great accuracy, sometimes you
have to use a combination of these methods to achieve the warm or cool tonality you intended.
Before White Balance adjustment After White Balance adjustment
Adjust an image’s white balance automatically
1 Select a photo.
2 In the White Balance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, click the Auto button.
Click the Auto button to
automatically adjust the
image’s white balance.
Aperture evaluates the image. If faces are detected in the image, the image is adjusted to
preserve skin tones. If no faces are detected, Aperture identies a natural gray value in the image
and adjusts the image’s white balance based on that value.
To ne-tune the image’s white balance settings after the automatic adjustment has been applied,
see “Adjust the color temperature of an image manually,” below.
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Adjust an image’s white balance using the White Balance eyedropper
When you have pixels in your image that should be pure white, you can use the White Balance
eyedropper tool to automatically set the color temperature and tint of the image.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the White Balance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, specify the method Aperture uses to adjust the image’s white balance by choosing an
option from the White Balance pop-up menu.
Choose how you want to adjust
the image’s white balance from
this pop-up menu.
•To adjust the image’s white balance based on natural gray: Choose Natural Gray.
•To adjust the image’s white balance based on a skin tone: Choose Skin Tone.
•To adjust the image’s white balance based on color temperature (in degrees kelvin) and tint:
Choose Temperature & Tint.
3 Select the White Balance eyedropper tool to activate the Loupe.
Click the White Balance
eyedropper tool to
activate the Loupe.
The pointer changes to the Loupe, showing a magnied view of the target area. By default, the
Loupe is set to magnify the image to 100 percent (full size). If necessary, you can increase the
magnication of the Loupe by pressing Shift–Command–Plus Sign (+). For more information,
see Loupe overview on page 181.
4 Do one of the following:
•If you chose either Natural Gray or Temperature & Tint from the White Balance pop-up
menu: Position the target area of the Loupe over the pixels in the image that are a natural
gray, and click.
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•If you chose Skin Tone from the White Balance pop-up menu: Position the target area of the
Loupe over a skin tone in the image, and click.
The color tonality of the image is shifted either cooler or warmer, depending on the tonality of
the original image.
Important: Make sure that there is as little digital noise in the target area of the Loupe as
possible. Digital noise can skew the white balance calculation results, introducing a color cast
that wasn’t previously there. A simple way to avoid errant pixels is to increase the magnication
of the Loupe by pressing Shift–Command–Plus Sign (+).
Adjust the color temperature of an image manually
You can manually adjust an image’s white balance using the Warmth, Temp, and Tint
parameter controls.
You use the Warmth and Temp parameter controls to adjust the image’s color temperature. Color
temperature is a term used to describe the color of light when the image was shot. However,
it refers to the color value of the light rather than its heat value. Light’s color temperature is
measured in units called kelvin (K). Adjusting the color temperature of the image changes how
Aperture interprets the colors in the image in relation to the assigned temperature of light.
The purpose of adjusting the color temperature of an image is to make colors look as natural
as possible.
You can manually adjust the tint of an image using the Tint parameter controls. You use the Tint
parameter controls when you need to ne-tune the white balance adjustment by neutralizing
the remaining green or magenta tint.
Note: The Warmth and Temp parameter controls adjust the image’s color temperature in the
same way, except that Aperture doesn’t display the Warmth values in kelvin (K) units.
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1 Select a photo.
2 In the White Balance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, specify the method Aperture uses to adjust the image’s white balance by choosing an
option from the White Balance pop-up menu.
Choose how you want to adjust
the image’s white balance from
this pop-up menu.
•To adjust the image’s white balance based on natural gray: Choose Natural Gray.
•To adjust the image’s white balance based on a skin tone: Choose Skin Tone.
•To adjust the image’s white balance based on color temperature (in degrees kelvin) and tint:
Choose Temperature & Tint.
3 Do one of the following:
•If you chose either Natural Gray or Skin Tone from the White Balance pop-up menu: Use the
Warmth parameter controls to warm or cool the the image’s tonality.
Use the Warmth slider
and value slider to adjust
the image’s tonality.
•If you chose Temperature & Tint from the White Balance pop-up menu: Use the Temp parameter
controls to adjust the image’s color temperature (in degrees kelvin) and the Tint parameter
controls to neutralize unwanted green or magenta tints.
Use the Temp slider and
value slider to adjust the color
temperature of the photo.
Use the Tint slider and
value slider to adjust
the tint of the photo.
Tip: You can brush Natural Gray and Skin Tone White Balance adjustments on an image. For
more information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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Correct exposure, highlight detail, shadow detail, and brightness
You use the Exposure adjustment controls to set the exposure, recovery (highlight detail), black
point (shadow detail), and brightness values.
You can quickly adjust the exposure of a RAW image using the Auto Exposure button. You can
also correct an image’s exposure manually by adjusting the Exposure parameter. The amount of
latitude you have—the visually acceptable range of f-stops—depends on the le type, the bit
depth, and the amount of compression applied to the image during capture. Typically, a RAW le
is capable of a slightly wider latitude than a JPEG le.
Before Exposure adjustment After Exposure adjustment
You can adjust the Brightness parameter when you want to lighten or darken your image. When
you adjust brightness, the brightness values of the midtone pixels in the image change the most.
You can change the brightness of the image temporarily to see how the adjustment aects
details in the shadows, midtones, and highlights. For more precise control over the range of
tonality in the image, consider using the Levels adjustment controls. For more information, see
Adjust the levels of an image on page 295.
Before Brightness adjustment After Brightness adjustment
You can also recover highlight and shadow details in an image by adjusting the Recovery and
Black Point parameters.
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Correct the exposure of a RAW image automatically
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, click the Auto Exposure button.
Click the Auto Exposure
button to automatically set
the exposure for the photo.
Correct the exposure of an image manually
You can ne-tune the automatic adjustment using the Exposure adjustment controls.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Exposure parameter controls to change the image’s exposure.
Use the Exposure slider
and value slider to correct
the photo’s exposure.
A negative value decreases the exposure (darkening the image), and a positive value increases
the exposure (lightening the image).
Recover highlight details in the image
Many images, especially RAW image les, have additional highlight detail that isn’t displayed by
default. Aperture provides the Recovery parameter controls to give you access to that additional
headroom. Because digital image sensors dier from camera model to camera model, the
highlight headroom varies. In some cases, you can recover signicant detail that appears lost or
blown out in the most extreme highlight areas of the image.
Note: The Recovery controls aren’t available for RAW decoding versions 1.0 and 1.1. To make the
Recovery controls available, reprocess the image. For more information, see RAW Fine Tuning
controls overview on page 334.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Recovery parameter controls to recover highlight details.
Use the Recovery slider
and value slider to
recover highlight detail.
The higher the value, the more highlight information is made available, and the more highlight
detail is recovered.
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Set the image’s blacks
Shadow detail and the importance of visual elements in shadow vary from image to image.
In addition, some cameras are more capable of capturing shadow details than others. In some
photos, such as an image of a person’s face in the shadow of an alley, the shadow is the most
important visual element. In other photos, the details in the shadows have nothing to do with
the main subject. For example, the shadow area of the image may obscure trash that would
otherwise ruin a pristine image. In Aperture, you use the Black Point parameter controls to
increase the threshold of shadow details in the image as well as crush the blacks when necessary.
Note: The Black Point controls aren’t available for RAW decoding versions 1.0 and 1.1. To make the
Black Point controls available, reprocess the image. For more information, see RAW Fine Tuning
controls overview on page 334.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Black Point parameter controls to recover or supress shadow detail.
Use the Black Point slider
and value slider to set
pure black in the photo.
Decreasing the value increases the amount of detail in the shadow areas by moving pure black
below the current black point. Increasing the value decreases the amount of detail in the shadow
areas of the image, eectively crushing the blacks by moving pure black above the current
black point.
Adjust brightness in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Brightness parameter controls to lighten or darken the image.
Use the Brightness slider
and value slider to lighten
and darken the photo.
A value below 0.0 decreases the brightness of the image. A value greater than 0.0 increases
the brightness.
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Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation
You use the Enhance adjustment controls to set the contrast, denition, saturation, and vibrancy.
If you want to adjust the dierence between the dark and bright areas of the image, you can
modify the Contrast parameter.
Before Contrast adjustment After Contrast adjustment
When you want to add a little clarity and denition to an image without adding too much
contrast, you use the Denition parameter controls.
Before Definition adjustment After Definition adjustment
You can change the value for the Saturation parameter to either give your image an extra burst
of color or tone down the color palette by desaturating the image.
Before Saturation adjustment After Saturation adjustment
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You use the Vibrancy parameter controls when you want to add a bit of punch to the image
without aecting skin tones.
Before Vibrancy adjustment After Vibrancy adjustment
(reduced saturation except
for the skin tones)
You can also brush the Enhance adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more information,
see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228. For information about using the Enhance
adjustment controls to set black, gray, and white tint values, see Remove unwanted tints from an
image on page 276.
Adjust the contrast in an image
An image with very little midtone tonality is considered to have a lot of contrast, whereas an
image with considerable midtone tonality is considered to have minimal contrast. Often, an
image with too much midtone tonality looks at. Adding contrast to the image can add depth
to it. However, you add contrast to the image at the expense of detail in the midtones, so a little
contrast goes a long way.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Contrast parameter controls to modify the contrast between light and dark colors in
the photo.
Use the Contrast slider and
value slider to modify the
contrast between light and
dark colors in the photo.
A value below 0.0 decreases the contrast in the image. A value greater than 0.0 increases
the contrast.
Note: If you’re trying to retrieve detail in a high-contrast image, you should use the Highlights
& Shadows controls. For more information, see Preserve highlight and shadow details in an
image on page 292.
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Adjust denition in an image
The Denition parameter is useful for adding local contrast (adding contrast only to the areas of
the image that need a contrast adjustment) as well as reducing haze.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Denition parameter controls to add clarity and denition to the image.
Use the Definition slider
and value slider to add
local contrast to the photo.
A value greater than 0.0 increases the clarity in the image.
Change the saturation of an image
Increasing the saturation of an image can make the colors appear more pure, and many people
like the eect of an image whose colors are more saturated than they would appear naturally.
However, you can easily oversaturate an image. In the process of making the colors more pure,
subtleties in shades of colors disappear, often resulting in reduced detail in the image. To ensure
that visual elements aren’t unnecessarily lost, pay attention to the details in your image as you
increase saturation.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Saturation parameter controls to add a burst of color to an image, or remove color from
an image.
Use the Saturation slider
and value slider to adjust
the saturation of colors
in the photo.
A value below 1.0 decreases the color saturation in the image, and a value above 1.0 increases
the saturation. A value of 0.0 removes all color from the image, making it grayscale. A value of
4.0 increases the saturation by 400 percent.
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Adjust vibrancy in an image
The Vibrancy parameter applies saturation to the image in a nonlinear manner. Colors that are
already saturated are left alone, while saturation is added to all other colors. In addition, the
Vibrancy parameter takes skin tones into account, leaving them untouched. This allows you to
take a portrait and desaturate the image except for the skin tones.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Vibrancy parameter controls to adjust saturation in the image without aecting
skin tones.
Use the Vibrancy slider and
value slider to add smart
saturation to the photo.
A value below 0.0 decreases the color saturation in the image, and a value above 0.0 increases
the saturation of the nonsaturated colors. A value of –1.0 removes all color from the image,
making it grayscale except for any skin tones.
For information about adjusting the tints in an image, see Remove unwanted tints from an
image on page 276.
Remove unwanted tints from an image
You use the Black Tint, Gray Tint, and White Tint controls to selectively remove color casts from
the shadows, midtones, and highlights in an image. Color casts are often caused by shooting in
mixed lighting and unnatural lighting situations, where the dierent types of source lights can
produce a color variance in a specic tonal range. For example, when you shoot indoors, interior
incandescent (tungsten) lighting can often produce a yellow color cast through the white colors
in the image. You can use the White Tint controls to isolate the highlights and add blue to the
white values, thereby reducing the yellow color cast and returning the whites to neutral white.
There are two methods for selectively adjusting the tint values in an image: using the Black Tint,
Gray Tint, and White Tint eyedroppers to automatically adjust the tint to neutral color values, and
using the Black Tint, Gray Tint, and White Tint color wheels to manually adjust the tint values.
The method you choose depends on the level of precision you require. The eyedroppers provide
an accurate means of identifying the color cast within the tonal range of each eyedropper and
returning the color values to neutral. However, depending on the subject, you may not want to
completely remove the color cast found in a specic tonal range. In that case, you can manually
adjust the tint values.
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You use the Black Tint eyedropper to remove color casts from the shadows in your images.
Before Black Tint adjustment After Black Tint adjustment
You use the Gray Tint eyedropper to remove color casts from the midtones in your images.
Before Gray Tint adjustment After Gray Tint adjustment
You use the White Tint eyedropper to remove color casts from the highlights in your images.
Before White Tint adjustment After White Tint adjustment
Note: Whereas using the White Balance controls adjusts the tints of all tonal values in the image
uniformly, the Black Tint, Gray Tint, and White Tint eyedropper tools allow you to selectively
neutralize color casts that aect only the shadows, midtones, or highlights. In some dicult
cases, you can use the Black Tint, Gray Tint, and White Tint eyedropper tools in combination with
the White Balance controls to rst neutralize a tint in a specic tonal range and then uniformly
remove the tint from the rest of the image. For more information about adjusting white balance,
see White balance an image on page 266.
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Set the tint of the shadows in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Click the Tint disclosure triangle in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD to reveal the Tint color wheels, and select the Black
Tint eyedropper.
Click the disclosure
triangle to reveal
the Tint color wheels.
Select the Black Tint
eyedropper to activate
the Loupe.
The pointer changes to the Loupe, showing a magnied view of the target area. By default, the
Loupe is set to magnify the image to 100 percent (full size). If necessary, you can increase the
magnication of the Loupe by pressing Shift–Command–Plus Sign (+). For more information,
see Loupe overview on page 181.
3 Position the target area of the Loupe over the darkest pixels in the image, and click.
The tint (hue and saturation) of the black values in the image is set to remove the color cast in
the shadows.
Important: Make sure that there are no bright pixels in the target area of the Loupe. Bright
pixels in the target area can skew the Black Tint calculation, making the image look dierent
than intended. A simple way to avoid errant bright pixels is to increase the magnication of the
Loupe by choosing an increased magnication level from the Loupe pop-up menu. For more
information, see Loupe overview on page 181.
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Set the tint of the midtone values in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Click the Tint disclosure triangle in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD to reveal the Tint color wheels, and select the Gray
Tint eyedropper.
Click the disclosure
triangle to reveal
the Tint color wheels.
Select the Gray Tint
eyedropper to activate
the Loupe.
The pointer changes to the Loupe, showing a magnied view of the target area. By default, the
Loupe is set to magnify the image to 100 percent (full size). If necessary, you can increase the
magnication of the Loupe by choosing an increased magnication level from the Loupe pop-up
menu. For more information, see Loupe overview on page 181.
3 Position the target area of the Loupe over a midrange color that is as close as possible to
medium gray, and click.
The tint (hue and saturation) of the gray values in the image is set to remove the color cast in
the midtones.
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Set the tint of the highlight values in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Click the Tint disclosure triangle in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD to reveal the Tint color wheels, and select the White
Tint eyedropper.
Click the disclosure
triangle to reveal
the Tint color wheels.
Select the White Tint
eyedropper to activate
the Loupe.
The pointer changes to the Loupe, showing a magnied view of the target area. By default, the
Loupe is set to magnify the image to 100 percent (full size). If necessary, you can increase the
magnication of the Loupe by choosing an increased magnication level from the Loupe pop-up
menu. For more information, see Loupe overview on page 181.
3 Position the target area of the Loupe over the lightest (white) pixels in the image, then click.
The tint (hue and saturation) of the white values in the image is set to remove the color cast in
the highlights.
Important: Make sure that there are no dark pixels in the target area of the Loupe. Dark pixels
in the target area can skew the White Tint calculation, making the image look dierent than
intended. A simple way to avoid errant dark pixels is to increase the magnication of the Loupe
by pressing Shift–Command–Plus Sign (+).
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Manually adjust the tint of the shadow, midtone, and highlight values in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Click the Tint disclosure triangle in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, and specify the following settings:
•To adjust the tint of the shadows: Drag the Black point in the Black Tint color wheel.
•To adjust the tint of the midtones: Drag the Gray point in the Gray Tint color wheel.
•To adjust the tint of the highlights: Drag the White point in the White Tint color wheel.
Drag the Black, Gray, and
White points (white circles)
to selectively adjust the
tint of the photo.
Click the disclosure triangle to
reveal the Tint color wheels.
You remove a color cast in a tonal range by dragging the point in the color wheel toward the
opposite color. For example, to remove a blue cast, you drag the point in the color wheel toward
yellow until the color cast is neutralized.
To reset a Tint color wheel without aecting the other parameters in the Enhance area,
double-click it.
Double-click a color
wheel to reset it to
its default value.
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Adjust the tonal curve of an image
You use the Curves adjustment controls when you want to manually set the tonal values of
the shadows, midtones, and highlights in an image using a tonal curve. Unlike the Levels
adjustment controls, the Curves controls don’t reapportion the luminance values in the image
by constraining the white and black points. Instead, the Curves controls precisely remap the
position of the midtones relative to the white and black points. Because the human eye’s
perception of light is logarithmic rather than incremental, a curve is necessary to distribute
the luminance values across all tonal ranges in an image in a way that matches how the eye
perceives light.
Before Curves adjustment After Curves adjustment
In addition to adjusting the tonal values of an image for overall luminance, you can color correct
an image by applying the Curves adjustment to the red, green, and blue channels independently.
Applying a Curves adjustment to each color channel allows you to control the color tonality in
an image.
You can also have Aperture automatically identify tonal ranges in an image using the Black Point,
Gray Point, and White Point eyedropper tools in the Curves adjustment controls. When you select
a tonal range using one of the eyedropper tools, Aperture plots the corresponding curve over
the Curves histogram.
You can also brush the Curves adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more information,
see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
Important: The Curves adjustment controls are available only for images using Aperture 3 image
processing. For more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on
page 49.
Automatically adjust the tonal curve of an image
When you want to quickly adjust the tonal curve of an image based on total luminance values—
red, green, and blue channels combined—you use the Auto Curves Combined button. Red, green,
and blue channels are adjusted by the same amount based on the total luminance. The Auto
Curves Combined button corrects the contrast of the image without modifying its color cast.
Before Auto Curves Combined adjustment After Auto Curves Combined adjustment
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When you want to automatically adjust the tonal curve of an image based on individual
evaluations of the red, green, and blue channels, you use the Auto Curves Separate button. Red,
green, and blue channels are adjusted based on an evaluation of each channel. The Auto Curves
Separate button corrects the color cast in the image in addition to the contrast.
Before Auto Curves Separate adjustment After Auto Curves Separate adjustment
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Curves controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Curves from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
3 In the Curves area, do one of the following:
•To adjust the tonal curve of an image based on total luminance: Click the Auto Curves
Combined button.
Click the Auto Curves
Combined button to
automatically set the
tonal curve for the
photo based on all
three color channels.
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•To adjust the tonal curve of an image based on an evaluation of each color channel: Click the Auto
Curves Separate button.
Click the Auto Curves
Separate button to
automatically set
the tonal curve for
the photo based
on an evaluation of
each color channel’s
luminance values.
The tonal curve of the image is adjusted. To ne-tune the tonal curve adjustment, see the
following instructions.
Manually adjust the tonal curve of an image
You use the tonal curve in the Curves adjustment controls to adjust the overall tonality of an
image. There are two types of tonal curve adjustments: RGB and Luminance. When you want
to specify a tonal curve adjustment that modies both the contrast and the tint in the image,
you use the RGB tonal curve. When you want to adjust the overall tonality of an image without
aecting its color cast, you use the luminance tonal curve.
As you perform a tonal curve adjustment, a histogram appears behind the tonal curve and is
updated as you manipulate the tonal curve. You can specify the tonal range of the histogram to
focus the graph on the part of the tonal curve you plan to work with. For example, if you plan
to manipulate the contrast in the shadow areas of the image, you can limit the tonal range of
the tonal curve and histogram to display pure black to 50 percent gray only. You can also extend
the range of the histogram and tonal curve beyond pure white to capture highlight detail that
would be clipped otherwise.
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Curves controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Curves from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
Channel pop-up menu
Curves Action
pop-up menu
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3 Do one of the following:
•To modify both the contrast and the tint in the image: Choose RGB from the Channel
pop-up menu.
Choosing the RGB tonal curve allows you to manipulate the tonal curve of the red, green, and
blue color channels combined.
•To manipulate the luminance of the combined red, green, and blue channels without aecting the
tint: Choose Luminance from the Grayscale section of the Curves Action pop-up menu .
4 Choose a tonal range display option from the Range pop-up menu:
•To set the histogram and tonal curve to display pure black to pure white: Choose Normal.
•To expand the histogram view to display pure black to two times pure white: Choose Extended.
Because some cameras are capable of capturing image information beyond pure white,
using the Extended range option provides controls for bringing that information into the
viewable image.
5 Choose the type of tonal curve adjustment to apply to the image from the Type section of the
Curves Action pop-up menu.
Choosing Linear—the default option—applies the Curves adjustment to the image evenly
from pure black to pure white and beyond. Choosing Gamma-Corrected applies the Curves
adjustment logarithmically to match the way the human eye perceives light, adding additional
weight to the shadows.
6 Drag the Black Point and White Point sliders to where they touch the outside of the histogram
graph, constraining the image to its new black and white points.
Drag the Black Point and
White Point sliders to where
they touch the outside of
the histogram graph.
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7 To set a point along the curve, do one of the following:
•Click the Add Point button and use the eyedropper tool to sample a portion of the image.
Click the Add Point
button to use the
eyedropper tool to
sample a portion of
the photo and add a
point to the tonal curve.
Click the tonal curve
to add a new point, and
drag the new point to
set the tonal value.
Note: You can change the Loupe’s color value sample size by choosing an option from the
Adjustment Action pop-up menu . For more information, see Sample color values and
display camera information on page 339.
•Click a place on the curve where you want to add a point.
Aperture places a point on the curve in the exact tonal range of the sampled area of
the image.
8 To adjust the shape of the curve, do one of the following:
•Drag the point on the curve until that tonal area of the image looks correct.
For example, dragging a point down in the shadow area of the curve darkens the shadows in
the image, and dragging a point up in the shadow area lightens the shadows in the image.
•Click a point on the curve and enter new In point and Out point values in the In and Out elds.
The In point values represent the horizontal axis of the graph, and the Out point values
represent the vertical axis of the graph.
Points on the curve that are not selected remain anchored, allowing you to independently adjust
each tonal area.
Darkening the shadows
and lightening the
highlights creates an
S-curve, indicating that
the photo’s contrast
is increased.
9 Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each tonal area in the image that you want to correct.
The tonal values in the image are adjusted, giving the image the appropriate amount of contrast.
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Use eyedropper tools to set black, gray, and white points
You use the Black Point, Gray Point, and White Point eyedropper tools in the Curves adjustment
controls when you want to have Aperture selectively modify the tonal values of the shadows,
midtones, and highlights in an image automatically. Using an eyedropper tool, you sample the
pixels of the tonal value in the image you intend to correct, and Aperture places a point on the
tonal curve and automatically adjusts the image so that the pixels that fall in the same tonal
range as the sampled pixels are set to either black, gray, or white. For example, you use the Black
Point eyedropper tool to select the specic area of the image that should be black. Aperture
samples the pixels within the selection, places a point on the curve, and then adjusts the curve
to make the selected pixels—and all other pixels in the image of the same tonal value or
darker—black.
Before Black Point Curves adjustment After Black Point Curves adjustment
Before Gray Point Curves adjustment After Gray Point Curves adjustment
Before White Point Curves adjustment After White Point Curves adjustment
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In some dicult cases, you can use the Black Point, Gray Point, and White Point eyedropper tools
in combination with points that you manually place on the tonal curve to neutralize a tint or
create the specic contrast you want in the image.
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Curves controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Curves from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
3 Do any of the following:
•To set the black point in an image: Select the Black Point eyedropper tool to activate the Loupe,
position the eyedropper over the darkest pixels in the image, and click.
Click the Black Point
eyedropper button
to activate the Loupe.
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•To set the gray point in an image: Select the Gray Point eyedropper tool to activate the Loupe,
position the eyedropper over a midrange color that is as close as possible to medium gray,
and click.
Click the Gray Point
eyedropper button
to activate the Loupe.
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•To set the white point in an image: Select the White Point eyedropper tool to activate the Loupe,
position the eyedropper over the lightest pixels in the image, and click.
Click the White Point
eyedropper button
to activate the Loupe.
By default, the Loupe is set to magnify the image to 100 percent (full size). If necessary, you can
increase the magnication of the Loupe by choosing an increased magnication level from the
Loupe pop-up menu. For more information, see Loupe overview on page 181.
Use the Curves controls for color correction
One of the most powerful ways to remove a color cast from an image or accentuate a desirable
color cast is to adjust the tonal curves of the red, green, and blue color channels independently.
It’s important to understand that you’re adjusting the colors of the image within the RGB
spectrum; you reduce yellow when you increase blue, you reduce magenta when you increase
green, and so on.
You adjust the tonal curve of the red color channel when you want to remove red and cyan color
casts in the image.
Before Red Curves adjustment After Red Curves adjustment
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You adjust the tonal curve of the green color channel when you want to remove green and
magenta color casts in the image.
Before Green Curves adjustment After Green Curves adjustment
You adjust the tonal curve of the blue color channel when you want to remove blue and yellow
color casts in the image.
Before Blue Curves adjustment After Blue Curves adjustment
1 If the Curves controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Curves from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
Choose a color channel from
the Channel pop-up menu.
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2 To adjust the tonal curve of the red color channel, choose Red from the Channel pop-up menu,
place points on the curve, and adjust the points as necessary to remove or accentuate red and
cyan color casts.
For information about placing points on the curve, see “Manually adjust the tonal curve of an
image,” above.
You can adjust the red tonal curve in the following ways:
•To add cyan to the shadows, removing red: Move the tonal curve down in the shadows.
•To add red to the shadows, removing cyan: Move the tonal curve up in the shadows.
•To add cyan to the midtones, removing red: Move the tonal curve down in the midtones.
•To add red to the midtones, removing cyan: Move the tonal curve up in the midtones.
•To add cyan to the highlights, removing red: Move the tonal curve down in the highlights.
•To add red to the highlights, removing cyan: Move the tonal curve up in the highlights.
3 To adjust the tonal curve of the green color channel, choose Green from the Channel pop-up
menu, place points on the curve, and adjust the points as necessary to remove or accentuate
green and magenta color casts.
You can adjust the green tonal curve in the following ways:
•To add magenta to the shadows, removing green: Move the tonal curve down in the shadows.
•To add green to the shadows, removing magenta: Move the tonal curve up in the shadows.
•To add magenta to the midtones, removing green: Move the tonal curve down in the midtones.
•To add green to the midtones, removing magenta: Move the tonal curve up in the midtones.
•To add magenta to the highlights, removing green: Move the tonal curve down in the highlights.
•To add green to the highlights, removing magenta: Move the tonal curve up in the highlights.
4 To adjust the tonal curve of the blue color channel, choose Blue from the Channel pop-up menu,
place points on the curve, and adjust the points as necessary to remove or accentuate blue and
yellow color casts.
You can adjust the blue tonal curve in the following ways:
•To add yellow to the shadows, removing blue: Move the tonal curve down in the shadows.
•To add blue to the shadows, removing yellow: Move the tonal curve up in the shadows.
•To add yellow to the midtones, removing blue: Move the tonal curve down in the midtones.
•To add blue to the midtones, removing yellow: Move the tonal curve up in the midtones.
•To add yellow to the highlights, removing blue: Move the tonal curve down in the highlights.
•To add blue to the highlights, removing yellow: Move the tonal curve up in the highlights.
Preserve highlight and shadow details in an image
You use the Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls to correct the exposure in images shot
in complex lighting conditions. For example, you can use the Highlights & Shadows controls to
correct the exposure of the darker areas (shadows) of an image that was otherwise correctly
exposed for silhouette. You can also use the Highlights & Shadows controls to retrieve detail in
extremely bright areas of an image. This is particularly useful when adjusting images of clouds
or snow, or images correctly exposed for the shadow areas. Using the Highlights & Shadows
controls is the best way to optimize your image’s exposure in the highlights, midtones, or
shadows without compromising detail in the other areas of tonality.
You can also brush the Highlights & Shadows adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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When you want to adjust the brightness values in the highlight areas of the image without
aecting the midtones and shadows, you adjust the Highlights parameter. Although the human
eye is more sensitive to details in shadow areas than in highlight areas, such as snow, there
is usually a fair amount of visual information that you can retrieve in the highlights using the
Highlights parameter controls. Another example of when to use the Highlights controls is when
the background of your image is correctly exposed, and the foreground of the image is slightly
overexposed. In this case, you use the Highlights controls to make the overexposed foreground
match the exposure of the correctly exposed background.
Before Highlights adjustment After Highlights adjustment
Adjusting the shadow areas in an image is necessary when the shadow areas are underexposed.
A good example is an image shot in a doorway, where the background is correctly exposed but
the foreground is a little underexposed. Adjusting the shadows lightens the pixels in the shadow
areas only, bringing out detail that would normally have been shades of black or dark gray.
Before Shadows adjustment After Shadows adjustment
You can also adjust the amount of contrast in the midtones of the image using the Mid Contrast
parameter controls.
Note: The Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls have been updated in Aperture 3.3 for
ease of use, reduced halo eect with shadow adjustments, improved highlight detail recovery,
and better overall performance. Images that were adjusted using the original Highlights &
Shadows controls are not upgraded by default. You can upgrade an image to use the new
Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls, or you can continue to use the original Highlights &
Shadows controls.
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Adjust the highlights, shadows, and midtone contrast in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Highlights & Shadows area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, specify the following settings:
•To recover details in the highlight areas of the image: Use the Highlights parameter controls.
Use the Highlights slider and value
slider to adjust the brightness
values in the photo’s highlights.
•To recover details in the shadow areas of the image: Use the Shadows parameter controls.
Use the Shadows slider and value
slider to adjust the brightness
values in the photo’s shadows.
•To adjust the amount of contrast in the midtones of the image: Use the Mid Contrast
parameter controls.
Use the Mid Contrast slider and
value slider to adjust the contrast
in the photo’s midtones.
Upgrade an image to use the new Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls
When you upgrade your image to use the new Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls,
Aperture removes the old Highlights & Shadows adjustment and reprocesses the image using
the new adjustment. The image’s appearance may change.
1 Select a photo with a Highlights & Shadows adjustment that was applied using a previous
version of Aperture.
An Upgrade button appears at the top of the Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
2 Click the Upgrade button.
The image is upgraded to use the new Highlights & Shadows adjustment, and the new controls
appear. The highlight and shadow details in the image may change.
Adjust an image using the legacy Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls
If you don’t want to upgrade an image to use the new Highlights & Shadows adjustment
controls, you can still ne-tune a Highlights & Shadows adjustment that was applied to the
image using a previous version of Aperture.
Note: When Highlights & Shadows adjustments are applied to an image for the rst time in
Aperture 3.3 or later, only the new Highlights & Shadows controls appear.
1 Select a photo with a Highlights & Shadows adjustment that was applied using a previous
version of Aperture.
An Upgrade button appears at the top of the Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls
indicating that the Highlights & Shadows adjustment was applied to the image using a previous
version of Aperture.
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2 In the Highlights & Shadows area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, specify the following settings:
•To recover details in the highlight areas of the image: Use the Highlights parameter controls.
•To recover details in the shadow areas of the image: Use the Shadows parameter controls.
3 If you want to adjust the Highlights & Shadows advanced settings, click the Advanced disclosure
triangle to show the advanced Highlights & Shadows controls, and specify the following settings:
Click the disclosure triangle to
reveal the advanced Highlights
& Shadows controls.
•To set the area Aperture uses to determine each pixel’s tonality: Use the Radius parameter controls.
•To set the amount of saturation applied during a Highlights & Shadows adjustment: Use the Color
Correction parameter controls.
•To set the range of tones that are modied in the highlights: Use the High Tonal Width
parameter controls.
•To set the amount of contrast in the midtones: Use the Mid Contrast parameter controls.
•To set the range of tones that are modied in the shadows: Use the Low Tonal Width
parameter controls.
Adjust the levels of an image
You can use the Levels adjustment controls to manually set the tonal values of the shadows,
midtones, and highlights in an image. By default, Aperture sets 0 as pure black and 1 as pure
white. Constraining the white and black point values evenly redistributes the tonal range of the
pixels between black and white. Reapportioning the luminance values increases the tonal range
and contrast in the image. However, if you clip too far into either the black or white tonal values,
tonal values that were originally near pure black and pure white are now changed to pure black
and pure white, resulting in lost image detail.
To simplify your workow, you can use the Auto Levels buttons in the Levels adjustment to
automatically analyze the image and adjust the levels based on that analysis. This is a good
way to make a quick correction to an image before ne-tuning the Levels adjustment with the
manual adjustment controls.
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There are two ways to perform an automatic levels adjustment. When you want to correct an
image’s contrast without modifying its color cast, you use the Auto Levels Combined button to
adjust levels based on the total luminance of the combined red, green, and blue color channels.
Before Auto Levels Combined adjustment After Auto Levels Combined adjustment
When you want to correct the image’s color cast in addition to its contrast, you use the Auto
Levels Separate button to adjust levels based on an evaluation of each channel.
Before Auto Levels Separate
adjustment
After Auto Levels Separate
adjustment
You can also adjust the tolerance of the black and white clipping points of the Auto
Levels adjustment.
In addition to adjusting the tonal values of an image for overall shadows, midtones, and
highlights, you can color correct an image by adjusting the levels of the red, green, and blue
channels independently. Aperture provides a way to adjust levels for each color channel,
allowing you to control the color tonality in an image.
You can also brush the Levels adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more information,
see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
Adjust the levels of an image automatically
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Levels from
the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
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3 Do one of the following:
•To adjust levels based on the total luminance of the red, green, and blue channels combined: In the
Levels area of the Adjustments inspector, choose Luminance from the Channel pop-up menu,
and click the Auto Levels Combined button.
Click the Auto Levels Combined
button to automatically set the
levels for the photo based on
the combined luminance of all
three color channels.
•To adjust levels based on an evaluation of each color channel: Choose RGB from the Channel
pop-up menu, and click the Auto Levels Separate button.
Click the Auto Levels Separate
button to automatically set the
levels for the photo based on
an evaluation of each color
channel’s luminance values.
To ne-tune the automatic levels adjustment, see “Manually adjust levels in an image based on
luminance,” below.
Adjust black and white clipping points for Auto Levels adjustments
Aperture provides the option to set both the black and white clipping point parameters for the
Auto Levels adjustments. Modifying the black and white clipping points from their default value
of 0% expands the tonal range of the image. One reason for expanding the tonal range of an
image is to preserve shadow and highlight detail when the image is printed.
Note: You may have to perform a few print tests to determine the output characteristics of your
printer before settling on nal values for black and white clipping points.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click Advanced.
2 In the Advanced pane, specify the following settings:
•To adjust the black clipping point: Use the “Auto adjust Black Clip” parameter controls.
Use the Auto Adjust Black
Clip slider and value slider to
add tolerance to Auto Levels
adjustments when evaluating
colors beyond black.
Dragging the slider to the right increases the tolerance of Auto Levels adjustments to colors
beyond the analyzed black point in the image.
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•To adjust the white clipping point: Use the “Auto adjust White Clip” parameter controls.
Use the Auto Adjust White
Clip slider and value slider to
add tolerance to Auto Levels
adjustments when evaluating
colors beyond white.
Dragging the slider to the right increases the tolerance of Auto Levels adjustments to colors
beyond the analyzed white point in the image.
3 After the black and white clipping points are adjusted, click either the Auto Levels Combined or
Auto Levels Separate button in the Levels area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments
pane of the Inspector HUD to view the eect on the image.
Manually adjust levels in an image based on luminance
To manually adjust the overall tonality of an image without aecting its color cast, you use the
Levels adjustment controls based on a histogram that shows luminance. When the histogram is
set to show luminance, it displays the cumulative brightness values for all three color channels
for each pixel.
Before Levels adjustment After Levels adjustment
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You can also use the Gray Levels slider if you need to adjust the brightness values of the
midtones while limiting the brightening eect in the black and white points. The brighter areas
of shadows and the darker areas of highlights are aected, but the eect tapers o as it nears
dark blacks and bright whites.
Before Gray Levels adjustment After Gray Levels adjustment
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Levels from
the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
3 To display the Levels histogram, select the Levels checkbox in the Levels area of the Adjustments
inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
White Levels slider
Black Levels slider
4 Choose Luminance from the Channel pop-up menu.
5 Do either or both of the following:
•To constrain the image to its new black and white points: Drag the Black Levels and White Levels
sliders to where they touch the outside of the histogram graph.
Drag the Black Levels and
White Levels sliders to
where they touch the outside
of the histogram graph.
You can also select the numbers in the Black (B) and White (W) elds, and enter a value from
0.00 to 1.00. By default, the black point is set to 0.00, and the white point is set to 1.00.
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•To adjust the image’s brightness values: Drag the Gray Levels slider until the image’s midtones
are correct.
Gray Levels slider
You can also select the number in the Gray (G) eld, and enter a value from 0.02 to 0.98 to
correct the brightness values in the image’s midtones. By default, the gray point is set to 0.50.
The tonal values for shadows and highlights in the image are updated, resulting in more dened
blacks and highlight values as well as increased overall contrast.
Show the Quarter-Tone Levels controls
When you need additional control over tonal values between the midtones and shadows
as well as the midtones and highlights (for example, to add contrast to the midtone values
independently of the black and white point settings), you use the Quarter-Tone Levels controls.
Unlike the Black Levels and White Levels sliders, the Quarter-Tone Levels sliders aect only the
tonal range of the pixels they represent: either shadows to midtones or midtones to highlights.
mIn the Levels area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
click the Quarter-Tone Controls button.
Click the Quarter-Tone
Controls button to
show the Quarter-Tone
Levels sliders.
Adjust the brightness of an image
You can also use the Levels adjustment controls to adjust the brightness of an image. After
you adjust the brightness, you can use the Black Levels, Gray Levels, and White Levels sliders to
modify the tonality of the image based on the new brightness value.
mTo adjust the brightness of the image uniformly: In the Levels area of the Adjustments inspector or
the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, drag the Brightness Levels slider until the brightness
of the entire image is correct.
Drag the Brightness Levels
slider to uniformly adjust
the brightness of a photo.
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mTo selectively adjust the brightness of the shadows and highlights in an image: Drag the Shadow
Brightness Levels and Highlight Brightness Levels sliders until the brightness values of the
shadows and highlights in the image are correct.
Drag the Shadow Brightness
Levels (on the left) and
Highlight Brightness Levels
sliders to selectively adjust
the brightness of a photo.
Use levels for color correction
A powerful way to color correct an image is to adjust the levels of each color channel in the
image, which allows you to remove color casts. It’s important to understand that you’re adjusting
the colors of the image within the RGB spectrum; you reduce yellow when you increase blue, you
reduce magenta when you increase green, and so on.
You adjust the levels of the red color channel when you want to remove red and cyan color casts
in the image.
Before Red Levels adjustment After Red Levels adjustment
(moved Gray Levels slider right)
You adjust the levels of the green color channel when you want to remove green and magenta
color casts in the image.
Before Green Levels adjustment After Green Levels adjustment
(moved Gray Levels slider right)
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You adjust the levels of the blue color channel when you want to remove blue and yellow color
casts in the image.
Before Blue Levels adjustment After Blue Levels adjustment
(moved White Levels and Gray Levels sliders left)
1 If the Levels controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Levels from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
2 To adjust the levels of the red color channel, choose Red from the Channel pop-up menu, and do
any of the following:
Choose a color channel from
the Channel pop-up menu.
White
Levels slider
Black Levels slider Grey Levels slider
•To add cyan to the shadows, removing red: Drag the Black Levels slider to the right.
•To add red to the midtones, removing cyan: Drag the Gray Levels slider to the left.
•To add cyan to the midtones, removing red: Drag the Gray Levels slider to the right.
•To add red to the highlights, removing cyan: Drag the White Levels slider to the left.
3 To adjust the levels of the green color channel, choose Green from the Channel pop-up menu,
and do any of the following:
•To add magenta to the shadows, removing green: Drag the Black Levels slider to the right.
•To add green to the midtones, removing magenta: Drag the Gray Levels slider to the left.
•To add magenta to the midtones, removing green: Drag the Gray Levels slider to the right.
•To add green to the highlights, removing magenta: Drag the White Levels slider to the left.
4 To adjust the levels of the blue color channel, choose Blue from the Channel pop-up menu, and
do any of the following:
•To add yellow to the shadows, removing blue: Drag the Black Levels slider to the right.
•To add blue to the midtones, removing yellow: Drag the Gray Levels slider to the left.
•To add yellow to the midtones, removing blue: Drag the Gray Levels slider to the right.
•To add blue to the highlights, removing yellow: Drag the White Levels slider to the left.
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Selectively adjust the color values in an image
You use the Color adjustment controls to selectively adjust the red, green, blue, cyan, magenta,
and yellow colors in an image. Each color has individual Hue, Saturation, and Luminance
controls. If you need to adjust the hue, saturation, and luminance of a color that doesn’t appear
in the Color controls, you can use the Color eyedropper to identify a hue in the image that
needs adjusting.
Although segmenting control of hue, saturation, and luminance on a per-color basis may seem
complicated at rst, restricting these adjustments to specic colors helps correct and enhance
targeted colors without aecting others. In addition, Aperture provides Range controls used to
set the extent of colors aected by the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance adjustments. The extent
of colors aected by these adjustments is also known as chromatic spread. You use the Range
controls to ne-tune your color adjustments.
You can also brush the Color adjustment on selected parts of an image. For more information,
see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
Before Color adjustment After Color adjustment
(adjusted the hue and
saturation of blue)
Hue, saturation, and luminance describe the characteristics of a particular color:
•Hue (H): Describes the actual color itself. Hue is measured as an angle on a color wheel. Moving
a Hue slider in Aperture remaps the color from its original position on the color wheel to the
new position indicated by the slider. Hue adjustments are often made to match the color
of the same subject in dierent images. Adjusting the hue of an image is particularly useful
when the subject you shot moved between various lighting conditions. Another advantage
of adjusting the hue of an image is that camera models of dierent types or from dierent
manufacturers rarely capture and render color exactly the same way. You can use the Hue
controls to match the color of a subject shot by two dierent cameras, so that when the
images are placed side by side, they match.
•Saturation (S): Denes the intensity of a specic hue. A saturated hue gives the color a vivid
and pure appearance. A less saturated hue appears atter and more gray. A completely
desaturated hue becomes a shade of gray.
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•Luminance (L): Describes the brightness of the selected color. An increase in luminance
brightens the selected color value. A maximum luminance adjustment results in pure white.
Conversely, a decrease in luminance darkens the selected color. A minimum luminance
adjustment results in pure black.
L
S
H
Adjust a color value in an image
When you want to adjust the color values in an image, you must rst identify the colors that
have the most inuence on the colors you want to change. It’s important to understand that
you’re adjusting the colors of the image within the RGB spectrum; you reduce yellow when you
increase blue, you reduce magenta when you increase green, and so on. When you want to
isolate a color and adjust its hue, it’s important to identify the color’s location on the color wheel.
For example, if the color value is closer to cyan than blue, you may decide to adjust the cyan hue
value without adjusting the blue hue value. Depending on the image, you may decide to adjust
both the cyan and blue hue values to achieve the color values you’re looking for. There’s not just
one correct way of perfecting the colors in an image. Your approach should be based on the
image’s subject and the overall aesthetic you want to achieve.
Yellows
–180˚ 180˚
Reds Cyans
Cyan remapped 4˚
Blues Magentas Reds
Greens
0˚
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Color from
the Add Adjustment pop-up menu (or press Control-C).
3 Click the color you want to adjust to view its Hue, Saturation, Luminance, and Range controls.
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Note: You can also click the Expanded View button to expand the Color area to show the
controls for all colors at the same time.
Click the Expanded View
button to view the controls for
all colors at the same time.
4 To remap the hue of the selected color in the image, use the Hue controls.
Use the Hue slider and
value slider to remap the
hue of the selected color.
Depending on the color you selected, you can remap the hue in the following ways:
•Red: Decreasing the hue value moves the hue toward magenta, and increasing the value
moves the hue toward yellow.
•Yellow: Decreasing the hue value moves the hue toward red, and increasing the value moves
the hue toward green.
•Green: Decreasing the hue value moves the hue toward yellow, and increasing the value moves
the hue toward cyan.
•Cyan: Decreasing the hue value moves the hue toward green, and increasing the value moves
the hue toward blue.
•Blue: Decreasing the hue value moves the hue toward cyan, and increasing the value moves
the hue toward magenta.
•Magenta: Decreasing the hue value moves the hue toward blue, and increasing the value
moves the hue toward red.
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5 To adjust the intensity of the selected color’s hue, use the Saturation parameter controls.
Use the Saturation slider
and value slider to correct
the intensity of the hue
of the selected color.
6 To adjust the brightness of the selected color, use the Luminance parameter controls.
Use the Luminance slider
and value slider to correct
the brightness of the hue
of the selected color.
7 To limit or expand the chromatic range of the adjustment on the selected color’s hue, use the
Range parameter controls.
Use the Range slider
and value slider to adjust
the chromatic range of
the color adjustment.
By default, the Range value slider is set to 1.00.
Yellows
Reds Cyans
10
10
You can adjust the chromatic range up to 20. The default spread is 1.
Blues Magentas Reds
Greens
1
8 Repeat steps 3 through 7 until you’re satised with the appearance of the colors in your image.
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Adjust a custom color value in an image
If you require a specic hue as a starting point for your color adjustment, you can use the Color
eyedropper to identify a hue in the image.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Color area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, click the color with the hue closest to the one you plan to adjust, and select the Color
eyedropper tool.
Click the Color eyedropper
and select the color in the
photo you want to adjust.
The pointer changes to an eyedropper, and the Loupe appears, showing a magnied view of
the target area. By default, the Loupe is set to magnify the image to 100 percent (full size). If
necessary, you can increase the magnication of the Loupe by choosing a magnication level
from the Loupe pop-up menu. For more information, see Loupe overview on page 181.
3 Position the eyedropper over the color in the image that you want to adjust, and click.
The new hue is selected and becomes the starting point for color adjustments of that hue.
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Manually convert an image to black and white
You use the Black & White adjustment controls when you want more control over converting
a color image to black and white than simply desaturating it gives you. The Black & White
adjustment controls allow you to adjust tonal relationships and contrast by adjusting the red,
green, and blue channels independently. The eects of a Black & White adjustment are similar
to the eects of attaching a color lter to a camera lens and shooting black-and-white lm.
Before Black & White adjustment After Black & White adjustment
The key to the successful use of the Black & White adjustment controls is to experiment with
changing values for the Red, Green, and Blue parameters until you’re satised with the eect
on the image.
Note: A good rule of thumb is to keep the total percentage of the red, green, and blue channels
at or below 100 percent to prevent blowing out the highlights in your image.
Convert a color image to black and white using the Black & White controls
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Black & White controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane
of the Inspector HUD, choose Black & White from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu (or press
Control-M).
3 Use the Red, Green, and Blue parameter controls to adjust the mix of color channels and the
tonal relationships and contrast in the image.
Use the Red, Green,
and Blue sliders and value
sliders to manually adjust
the mix of color channels.
You can also brush the Black & White adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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Convert a color image to black and white with a color tint
The Color Monochrome adjustment controls are useful when you want to perform a basic
conversion from color to black and white while simultaneously applying a color tint to the
image’s midtones.
Before Color Monochrome adjustment After Color Monochrome adjustment
(applied blue tint)
Convert a color image to black and white and add a color tint
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Color Monochrome controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments
pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Color Monochrome from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu,
and specify the following settings:
Use the Intensity slider and
value slider to adjust the
strength of the color tint
applied to the photo.
Click in the Color well
to select a color from
the Colors window.
•To choose a dierent tint color: Click the Color well and select a new tint color from the Colors
window, or click the disclosure button (to the right of the color well) and select a new tint
color from the pop-up color palette.
•To adjust the strength of the color tint applied to the image: Use the Intensity slider.
By default, the color intensity is set to the maximum value of 1.0, which is full desaturation and
maximum color tint.
The image is converted to black and white, with the selected color tint applied to the midtones.
You can also brush the Color Monochrome adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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Apply a sepia tint
The Sepia Tone adjustment controls behave similarly to the Color Monochrome controls, except
that the sepia color is already selected.
Before Sepia Tone adjustment After Sepia Tone adjustment
Apply a sepia tint to an image
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Sepia Tone controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane
of the Inspector HUD, choose Sepia Tone from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
3 Use the Intensity parameter controls to adjust the strength of the sepia tint applied to the image.
Use the Intensity slider and value
slider to adjust the strength of the
sepia tint applied to the photo.
By default, the intensity of the sepia color is set to the maximum value of 1.0.
The image is converted to black and white, with the sepia color tint applied to the midtones.
You can also brush the Sepia Tone adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
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Sharpen an image
You use the Edge Sharpen controls to sharpen the detail in your image. Images shot with
digital image sensors are often a bit soft in focus because of the demosaic lter applied by
the camera’s processor. The Edge Sharpen controls adjust the luminance values in the image,
increasing the contrast between light and dark pixels that touch, creating an “edge.” Increasing
the contrast between these neighboring light and dark pixels gives the image a crisper, or
sharper, appearance. You also use the Edge Sharpen controls when you make noise-reduction
adjustments, so that the image retains detail and crisp edges that might otherwise be obscured
by the eect of the noise-reduction adjustment. Edge Sharpen adjustments can also compensate
for the softening that occurs with some printing processes.
Before Edge Sharpen adjustment After Edge Sharpen adjustment
For maximum accuracy, the Edge Sharpen adjustment sharpens the image in three passes
that appear to occur simultaneously—an initial sharpening pass, where a majority of the
sharpening occurs, followed by two subsequent sharpening passes. These subsequent passes
are called fallo.
Important: The Edge Sharpen controls are not designed to correct images that were shot out
of focus.
Aperture also includes a sharpening adjustment from previous versions of Aperture. If you
applied sharpening in a previous version of Aperture using the Sharpen adjustment, the Sharpen
adjustment controls are still there so that your adjustments remain intact and unchanged.
However, to do further sharpening on other images, it’s recommended that you use the Edge
Sharpen adjustment controls, which generally oer more precise control over how sharpening
is applied.
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Sharpen an image using the Edge Sharpen controls
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Edge Sharpen controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane
of the Inspector HUD, choose Edge Sharpen from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu (or press
Control-S), and specify the following settings:
•To adjust the strength of the Edge Sharpen adjustment: Use the Intensity parameter controls.
Use the Intensity slider
and value slider to
adjust the strength of the
sharpening adjustment.
A value of 0.0 applies no sharpening adjustment to the image. A value greater than 0.0
increases the sharpening adjustment.
•To adjust the threshold for determining which pixels are edges and which ones are not: Use the
Edges parameter controls.
Use the Edges slider
and value slider to adjust
the threshold of the
sharpening adjustment.
A value of 0.0 applies no sharpening adjustment to the image. A value greater than 0.0
increases the number of pixels that qualify as edges.
Note: If you observe digital noise beginning to increase in at areas of the image (areas with
little or no contrast), decrease the Edges parameter setting.
•To adjust the amount of sharpening applied in the subsequent sharpening passes: Use the Fallo
parameter controls.
Use the Falloff slider and
value slider to adjust the
strength of the subsequent
sharpening adjustment.
The fallo percentage is applied proportionally to the second and third sharpening passes.
For example, if 0.69 (69 percent) is set as the Fallo parameter value, 69 percent of the
original amount of sharpening is applied during the second sharpening pass, and 69 percent
of the amount of sharpening from the second sharpening pass is applied during the third
sharpening pass. In other words, only 47.6 percent of the amount of the original sharpening is
applied during the third sharpening pass.
You can also brush the Edge Sharpen adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more
information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
Use the Edge Sharpen workow
The Edge Sharpen adjustment in Aperture is a professional tool that’s used to sharpen photos.
Using the Edge Sharpen adjustment controls in conjunction with the following workow makes
it easy to achieve professional results.
1 In the Edge Sharpen area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, set the Intensity slider to the maximum value to see the eect of the operation.
2 Adjust the Edges slider so that you can see which parts of the image are being sharpened.
Try to adjust the Edges slider so that edges are sharpened, but noise and texture in the image
aren’t aected.
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3 Adjust the Fallo slider so that the edge sizes you want sharpened the most are accentuated.
4 Decrease the Intensity parameter value until the sharpening eect is appropriately subtle.
Values below 0.5 usually work best.
Sharpen an image using the legacy Sharpen controls
You use the Sharpen adjustment controls when you need to modify Sharpen adjustment
parameter settings that were applied to an image in a previous version of Aperture.
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Sharpen controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of
the Inspector HUD, choose Sharpen from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu, and specify the
following settings:
•To adjust the amount of sharpening applied to the image: Use the Intensity parameter controls.
Use the Intensity slider and
value slider to adjust the strength
of the sharpening adjustment.
Use the Radius slider and
value slider to adjust the area
over which the sharpening
adjustment is applied.
A value of 0.0 applies no sharpening adjustment to the image. A value greater than 0.0
increases the sharpening adjustment to the image.
•To adjust the area over which the sharpening adjustment is applied (the distance, in pixels, that
Aperture goes from each pixel to evaluate sharpness): Use the Radius parameter controls.
A value of 0.0 applies no sharpening adjustment to the image. A value greater than 0.0
increases the area over which the sharpening adjustment is applied.
You can also brush the Sharpen adjustment on specic areas of an image. For more information,
see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
Apply a vignette to an image
You use the Vignette adjustment controls to apply a vignette to an image. The term vignette
describes an image whose brightness fades to its periphery from its center. Vignettes are usually
applied to an image after it’s shot, for artistic eect. Aperture provides two types of vignettes:
Exposure and Gamma.
The Exposure vignette is designed to simulate a lens-created vignette.
Before Exposure Vignette
adjustment
After Exposure Vignette
adjustment
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The Gamma vignette is designed for artistic eect and applies a gamma adjustment to the
aected pixels within the vignette. Because the Gamma vignette intensies colors in the aected
pixels, it creates a more pronounced vignette eect than the Exposure vignette.
Before Gamma Vignette adjustment After Gamma Vignette adjustment
Note: You can add a vignette to any image cropped in Aperture. The adjustment is applied after
the image is cropped.
Apply an Exposure vignette or a Gamma vignette to an image
1 Select a photo.
2 If the Vignette controls aren’t shown in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of
the Inspector HUD, choose Vignette from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu (or press Control-V).
3 Do one of the following:
•To apply an Exposure vignette: Choose Exposure from the Type pop-up menu.
•To apply a Gamma vignette: Choose Gamma from the Type pop-up menu.
4 Specify the following settings:
•To adjust the amount of vignette to apply to the image: Use the Intensity parameter controls.
Use the Intensity slider and
value slider to adjust the
amount of brightness removed
from the edges of the photo.
•To adjust the size of the vignette, in pixels: Use the Radius parameter controls.
Use the Radius slider and
value slider to adjust the size
of the area over which the
Vignette adjustment is applied.
After you apply a vignette to an image, you can change the vignette type and maintain the
Intensity and Radius parameter values you set using the previous vignette. To change the
vignette, choose the other vignette type from the Type pop-up menu.
You can also brush the Exposure and Gamma Vignette adjustments on specic areas of an
image. For more information, see Apply brushed adjustments on page 228.
For information about removing a vignette that was applied to an image when it was shot, see
Remove a vignette on page 264.
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Apply specic Quick Brush adjustments
Brush the Skin Smoothing adjustment on an image
You use the Skin Smoothing Quick Brush adjustment to smooth a person’s skin by subtly blurring
wrinkles and skin pores.
Before Skin Smoothing
Quick Brush adjustment
After Skin Smoothing
Quick Brush adjustment
Smooth a person’s skin
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Skin Smoothing from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Skin Smoothing from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Skin Smoothing Brush HUD appears, and the Skin Smoothing adjustment controls appear in
the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Skin Smoothing Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to smooth a person’s skin.
Modify the Skin Smoothing adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Skin Smoothing adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Skin Smoothing area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, adjust the following settings:
•To specify the area over which the Skin Smoothing adjustment is applied: Use the Radius
parameter controls.
•To specify the amount of detail to preserve in the area where the Skin Smoothing adjustment is
applied: Use the Detail parameter controls.
•To specify the strength of the Skin Smoothing adjustment: Use the Intensity parameter controls.
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Brush the Dodge adjustment on an image
You use the Dodge Quick Brush adjustment to lighten a specic area of an image. For example,
you could emphasize a subject in the foreground of the image by making it slightly lighter than
the background.
Before Dodge adjustment After Dodge adjustment
(lightened the hills in the foreground)
Selectively lighten an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Dodge (Lighten) from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Dodge (Lighten) from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Dodge Brush HUD appears, and the Dodge adjustment controls appear in the Adjustments
inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Dodge Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image you want to lighten.
Modify the Dodge adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Dodge adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Dodge area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Burn adjustment on an image
You use the Burn Quick Brush adjustment to darken a specic area of an image. For example, if
you want to obscure a visual element in the shadows of the image without using the Levels or
Curves adjustment to crush the blacks (changing the tonality of all shadows in the image), you
use the Burn Quick Brush adjustment.
For information about Levels and Curves adjustments, see Adjust the levels of an image on
page 295 and Adjust the tonal curve of an image on page 282.
Before Burn adjustment After Burn adjustment
(darkened the mountains in the background)
Selectively darken an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Burn (Darken) from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Burn (Darken) from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Burn Brush HUD appears, and the Burn adjustment controls appear in the Adjustments
inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Burn Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image you want to darken.
Modify the Burn adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Burn adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Burn area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Polarize adjustment on an image
You use the Polarize Quick Brush adjustment to deepen colors in a specic area of an image
by darkening the shadows and midtones without aecting the black and white points. The
Polarize Quick Brush adjustment uses a Multiply blend to create an eect similar to that of a
polarizing lter.
Before Polarize adjustment After Polarize adjustment
(added contrast to the shadows and midtones
of the granite rocks in the foreground)
Selectively polarize an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Polarize (Multiply) from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Polarize (Multiply) from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Polarize Brush HUD appears, and the Polarize adjustment controls appear in the Adjustments
inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Polarize Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image that contains shadows and midtones you want to
add contrast to.
Modify the Polarize adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Polarize adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Polarize area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Intensity parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Intensify Contrast adjustment on an image
You use the Intensify Contrast Quick Brush adjustment to correct shadow areas of the image
that appear washed out. The Intensify Contrast adjustment increases the contrast between
pure black and 50 percent gray in brushed areas of the image, and is equivalent to applying
an Overlay blend.
Before Intensify Contrast adjustment After Intensify Contrast adjustment
(added contrast to the exposed mountainside
and trees in the foreground)
Selectively adjust contrast in shadow areas of an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Intensify Contrast (Overlay) from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Intensify Contrast (Overlay) from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Intensify Contrast Brush HUD appears, and the Intensify Contrast adjustment controls appear
in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Intensify Contrast Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to intensify contrast in shadows.
Modify the Intensify Contrast adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Intensify Contrast adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Intensify Contrast area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, use the Intensity parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Tint adjustment on an image
You use the Tint Quick Brush adjustment to shift the tint in a specic area of an image. For
example, if an object in your image has a cyan tint that you want to neutralize, you can add
magenta to just that object without changing the overall tint of the image.
Before Tint adjustment After Tint adjustment
(changed the color of three flower petals)
Note: You can also apply a Tint adjustment by brushing the Enhance adjustment on an image.
However, brushing the Enhance adjustment on an image applies the Contrast, Denition,
Saturation, Vibrancy, and Tint parameter settings. You use the Quick Brush equivalents when you
need to apply each of these adjustments in dierent ways to dierent parts of the photo. For
more information about the Enhance adjustment, see Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation on
page 273.
Selectively adjust tint in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Tint from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Tint from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Tint Brush HUD appears, and the Tint adjustment controls appear in the Adjustments
inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Tint Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to change the tint.
Note: You may not notice the tint changes in the area of the image where you brushed the tint
adjustment. To change the tint value, see “Modify the Tint adjustment after it has been applied to
an image,” below.
Modify the Tint adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Tint adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Tint area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, use
the Angle parameter controls to modify the way the color’s tint is shifted.
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Brush the Contrast adjustment on an image
You use the Contrast Quick Brush adjustment to modify the contrast in a specic area of
an image.
Before Contrast adjustment After Contrast adjustment
(added contrast to elk and grass)
Note: You can also apply a Contrast adjustment by brushing the Enhance adjustment on an
image. However, brushing the Enhance adjustment on an image applies the Contrast, Denition,
Saturation, Vibrancy, and Tint parameter settings. You use the Quick Brush equivalents when you
need to apply each of these adjustments in dierent ways to dierent parts of the photo. For
more information about the Enhance adjustment, see Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation on
page 273.
Selectively adjust contrast in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Contrast from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Contrast from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Contrast Brush HUD appears, and the Contrast adjustment controls appear in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Contrast Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to change the contrast.
Modify the Contrast adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Contrast adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Contrast area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Saturation adjustment on an image
You use the Saturation Quick Brush adjustment to modify the saturation of the colors in a
specic area of an image.
Before Saturation adjustment After Saturation adjustment
(added saturation to the green trees
in the background)
Note: You can also apply a Saturation adjustment by brushing the Enhance adjustment on an
image. However, brushing the Enhance adjustment on an image applies the Contrast, Denition,
Saturation, Vibrancy, and Tint parameter settings. You use the Quick Brush equivalents when you
need to apply each of these adjustments in dierent ways to dierent parts of the photo. For
more information about the Enhance adjustment, see Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation on
page 273.
Selectively adjust saturation in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Saturation from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Saturation from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Saturation Brush HUD appears, and the Saturation adjustment controls appear in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Saturation Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to change the saturation.
Modify the Saturation adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Saturation adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Saturation area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, use the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Denition adjustment on an image
You use the Denition Quick Brush adjustment to add clarity and reduce haze in a specic area
of an image, without adding too much contrast.
Before Definition adjustment After Definition adjustment
(added definition to the flower in the foreground)
Note: You can also apply a Denition adjustment by brushing the Enhance adjustment on an
image. However, brushing the Enhance adjustment on an image applies the Contrast, Denition,
Saturation, Vibrancy, and Tint parameter settings. You use the Quick Brush equivalents when you
need to apply each of these adjustments in dierent ways to dierent parts of the photo. For
more information about the Enhance adjustment, see Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation on
page 273.
Selectively adjust clarity in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Denition from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Denition from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Denition Brush HUD appears, and the Denition adjustment controls appear in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Denition Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to add denition.
Modify the Denition adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Denition adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Denition area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, adjust the following settings:
•To specify the area over which the Denition adjustment is applied: Use the Radius
parameter controls.
•To specify the strength of the Denition adjustment: Use the Intensity parameter controls.
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Brush the Vibrancy adjustment on an image
You use the Vibrancy Quick Brush adjustment to add saturation just to desaturated colors in a
specic area of an image. Skin tones are not aected.
Before Vibrancy adjustment After Vibrancy adjustment
(added saturation to desaturated colors
in the green wave)
Note: You can also apply a Vibrancy adjustment by brushing the Enhance adjustment on an
image. However, brushing the Enhance adjustment on an image applies the Contrast, Denition,
Saturation, Vibrancy, and Tint parameter settings. You use the Quick Brush equivalents when you
need to apply each of these adjustments in dierent ways to dierent parts of the photo. For
more information about the Enhance adjustment, see Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation on
page 273.
Selectively adjust desaturated colors in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Vibrancy from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Vibrancy from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Vibrancy Brush HUD appears, and the Vibrancy adjustment controls appear in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Vibrancy Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to add saturation to desaturated
colors only.
Modify the Vibrancy adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Vibrancy adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Vibrancy area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Blur adjustment on an image
You use the Blur Quick Brush adjustment to soften a specic area of an image.
Before Blur adjustment After Blur adjustment
(blurred the background)
Blur portions of an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Blur from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Blur from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Blur Brush HUD appears, and the Blur adjustment controls appear in the Adjustments
inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Blur Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to soften or obscure detail.
Modify the Blur adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Blur adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Blur area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, use
the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Sharpen adjustment on an image
You use the Sharpen Quick Brush adjustment to ne-tune details in a specic area of an image.
Before Sharpen adjustment After Sharpen adjustment
Selectively sharpen an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Sharpen from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Sharpen from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Sharpen Brush HUD appears, and the Sharpen adjustment controls appear in the
Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Sharpen Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image that you want to sharpen.
Modify the Sharpen adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Sharpen adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Sharpen area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD,
use the Amount parameter controls to modify the strength of the adjustment.
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Brush the Halo Reduction adjustment on an image
You use the Halo Reduction Quick Brush adjustment to remove the blue and purple fringes that
are occasionally produced with certain lenses when an image is overexposed.
Selectively blue and purple fringing in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Halo Reduction from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Halo Reduction from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Halo Reduction Brush HUD appears, and the Halo Reduction adjustment controls appear in
the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Halo Reduction Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to remove the halo eect.
Brush the Noise Reduction adjustment on an image
You use the Noise Reduction Quick Brush adjustment to remove digital noise in a specic area of
an image.
After Noise Reduction adjustment
Before Noise Reduction adjustment
Selectively reduce noise in an image
1 Select a photo.
2 Do one of the following:
•In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Quick
Brushes > Noise Reduction from the Add Adjustment pop-up menu.
•In the tool strip, choose Noise Reduction from the Quick Brush pop-up menu .
The Noise Reduction Brush HUD appears, and the Noise Reduction adjustment controls appear in
the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, if both are shown.
3 Specify the brush stroke settings using the controls in the Noise Reduction Brush HUD.
For more information, see Apply Quick Brush adjustments on page 231 and Work with brush
strokes on page 232.
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4 Brush the adjustment on the area of the image where you want to reduce the digital noise.
Modify the Noise Reduction adjustment after it has been applied to an image
1 Select a photo with the Noise Reduction adjustment applied to it.
2 In the Noise Reduction area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, adjust the following settings:
•To specify the area over which the Noise Reduction adjustment is applied: Use the Radius
parameter controls.
•To specify the amount of edge detail to preserve in areas of high contrast: Use the Edge Detail
parameter controls.
Create and apply eects
If you frequently use the same adjustment parameter settings, you can save the settings as an
eect. For example, you can create an eect that converts a color image to black and white. You
can create eects for individual adjustments or for a set of multiple adjustments.
When you create an eect, it appears in the Eects pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector
and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. New eects appear at the bottom of the Eects
pop-up menu. As this list grows, it can become dicult to locate a specic eect in a long list of
eects. You can rearrange the order of the eects to make them easier to nd.
You can also organize eects of like type by grouping them into eect groups, and you can
export eects to use them on another Aperture system.
Important: In previous versions of Aperture, eects (formerly known as adjustment presets) for
single adjustments were accessible via the Preset Action pop-up menu for each adjustment.
Presets were created and stored in the preset dialog for that adjustment. If you created and
saved adjustment presets in a previous version of Aperture, the adjustment presets now appear
as eects in the Eects pop-up menu at the top of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments
pane of the Inspector HUD. If you want to remove adjustment presets created in previous
versions of Aperture, see “Modify eects,” below.
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Create an eect
1 Select a photo with the adjustment parameter settings you want to save.
2 At the top of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose
Save as Eect from the Eects pop-up menu.
Choose Save as Effect from
the Effects pop-up menu.
3 In the Eect Presets dialog, enter a name for the new eect, and click OK.
Enter a name
for the effect here.
The adjustment parameter settings are saved as an eect, and the new eect is now available
for use in the Eects pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD.
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Apply an eect to an image
When you apply an eect to an image, the adjustment controls and parameter values update to
reect the settings saved in the eect. If you prefer, you can use an eect as a starting point in
your image adjustment workow and then ne-tune the eect after it’s applied to the image.
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, do one of
the following:
•To apply an eect in addition to any previously applied adjustments: Choose the eect you want
to apply to the image from the Eects pop-up menu.
Note: When you place the pointer over an eect in the Eects pop-up menu, a preview of the
adjustment applied to the image appears to the right of the highlighted eect.
Place the pointer over
an effect to preview its
effect on the photo.
•To replace any previously applied adjustments with an eect: Hold down the Option key while
choosing the eect from the Eects pop-up menu.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 331
Modify eects
1 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Edit Eects
from the Eects pop-up menu.
2 In the Eect Presets dialog, do any of the following:
•To remove an adjustment from an eect: Select the eect you want to modify, click the Remove
button (–) beside each adjustment you want removed from the selected eect, and click OK.
Click the Remove button
to remove an adjustment
from the selected effect.
•To rename an eect: Double-click the name of the eect you want to change, enter a new
name, and press Return.
Double-click an effect’s
name to rename it.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 332
•To reorder eects: Drag the eects into the order you want, and click OK.
When you drag an eect, a blue bar indicates where the eect will be placed.
Drag an effect to its
new position. A blue
bar indicates where
it will be placed.
The eects list in the Eects pop-up menu is updated to match the order of eects in the
Eect Presets dialog.
•To delete an eect: Select the eect you want to delete, and press the Delete key.
You can also choose Delete Preset from the Eect Action pop-up menu and click Delete
in the dialog that appears.
When you delete an eect, any adjustments that were applied to images using the eect
remain applied.
•To restore the default eects that came with Aperture: Choose Reset All to Factory Settings from
the Eect Action pop-up menu.
Create an eect group
Creating eect groups helps reduce the list of eects that are initially displayed in the Eects
pop-up menu. For example, if you have several types of Color adjustment settings saved as
individual eects, you can create an eect group for Color eects, named Color. When you
choose Color from the Eects pop-up menu, the individual Color eects are displayed in a
submenu to the right.
Effect group
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 333
1 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Edit Eects
from the Eects pop-up menu.
2 In the Eect Presets dialog, choose New Preset Group from the Eect Action pop-up menu .
3 Give the new eect group a name and press Return.
4 Drag eects into the eect group.
Drag effects into
an effect group.
The eects are consolidated into the eect group and can be accessed by clicking the disclosure
triangle to the left of the eect group’s name.
5 Click OK.
Share your eects with another Aperture system
1 On the rst Aperture system, choose Edit Eects from the Eects pop-up menu at the top of the
Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
2 In the Eect Presets dialog, select the eect you want to share.
Note: To share more than one eect, you have to create an eect group and then select the
group. For more information, see “Create an eect group,” above.
3 Choose Export from the Eect Action pop-up menu .
4 In the dialog that appears, enter an eect name in the Save As eld, choose a location for the
exported eect, and click Export.
The eect is exported to the location you chose as [name].AdjustmentPresets. It’s a good idea to
export the eect to a location the other Aperture system can access. Eect les are small and can
be easily sent to another Aperture system via email.
5 On the second Aperture system, navigate to the location of the eect le, Control-click it, and
choose Open With > Aperture from the shortcut menu.
The eect is transferred to the second Aperture system and appears in the Eects pop-up menu.
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Adjust how Aperture decodes RAW images
RAW Fine Tuning controls overview
You can modify how OS X decodes RAW les using the adjustment controls in the RAW Fine
Tuning area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. OS X
characterizes the RAW le format for each digital camera supported by Aperture. This calibration
data usually results in the optimal decoding of the RAW image les for a particular camera.
However, certain types of images may require adjustments to how OS X decodes the RAW
image le.
The RAW Fine Tuning controls include the following parameters:
•Boost: Use the Boost and Hue Boost sliders and value sliders to control image contrast.
For more information, see Use the Boost controls on page 335.
•Sharpening: Use the Sharpening and Edges sliders and value sliders to ne-tune the amount
of sharpening you want applied to images during the RAW decoding process.
For more information, see Use the Sharpening controls on page 335.
•Moire: Use the Moire and Radius sliders and value sliders to correct color fringing in high-
contrast edges and the moire pattern eect found in images with subjects whose linear
patterns introduce the eect, such as a brick wall or a picket fence.
For more information, see Use the Moire controls on page 336.
Note: Some controls in the RAW Fine Tuning area of the Adjustments inspector and the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD appear dimmed if these settings aren’t available for
use with images derived from a particular RAW le format. Some camera models can create
multiple types of RAW le formats, and dierent controls may be available for each of these RAW
le formats.
Using these controls, you can ne-tune your RAW decoding settings on an image-by-image basis.
Aperture also enables you to save your customized RAW decoding settings as eects or as the
default settings always used with a specic camera, so that you can easily apply them to newly
imported images. For more information, see Set the camera default on page 338.
If the RAW Fine Tuning controls don’t appear, the selected photo is from a previous version of
Aperture. You must rst reprocess the image using the most current RAW image processing. For
more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on page 49. If you do
not see the Reprocess button, the image may not be a RAW photo.
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Use the Boost controls
OS X characterizes each digital camera’s RAW le format to determine an optimal contrast
setting. The Boost controls allow you to set the strength of the contrast when the RAW le is
decoded. The Hue Boost controls are used to maintain the hues in the image as the contrast is
increased using the Boost controls. When the Hue Boost parameter is set to 1.00 and the Boost
parameter is set to 1.00, the hues of the primary and secondary colors are pinned to their pure
color values, resulting in a shift of all the hues in the image.
For images that consist of saturated primary and secondary colors, such as an image of owers
in a lush garden, shifting the hues to their true values has a desirable visual eect. However, this
is not visually desirable for images containing skin tones. Shifting the hues most often causes the
skin to appear yellow. Setting the Hue Boost parameter to 0.00 increases the color contrast in the
image while preserving the original hues in the image.
Adjust contrast applied during RAW decoding
1 Select a RAW photo.
Note: If the RAW Fine Tuning controls don’t appear in the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, the selected image is from a previous version of
Aperture. You must rst reprocess the image using the most current RAW image processing. For
more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on page 49.
2 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, adjust the Boost
parameter using the Boost slider and value slider.
Use the Boost slider and value
slider to adjust the amount of
contrast applied during the
RAW decoding process.
A value of 0.00 applies no contrast adjustment to the image during the RAW decoding process.
A value greater than 0.00 increases the contrast adjustment. A value of 1.00 applies the full
Apple-recommended contrast adjustment for the specic camera model.
3 Adjust the Hue Boost parameter using the Hue Boost slider and value slider.
Use the Hue Boost slider and
value slider to protect hue fidelity
during the RAW decoding process.
A value of 0.00 preserves the original hues in the image in relation to the Boost adjustment
(color contrast) during the RAW decoding process. A value greater than 0.00 increases the hue
adjustment. A value of 1.00 applies the full Apple-recommended hue adjustment for the specic
camera model.
Use the Sharpening controls
You can adjust sharpening during the RAW decoding process by using the RAW Fine Tuning
Sharpening controls in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Note: The eect of sharpening an image or group of images using the RAW Fine Tuning
adjustment is very subtle. More sharpening eects can be obtained using the Edge Sharpen
adjustment. For more information, see Sharpen an image on page 311.
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Adjust sharpening applied during RAW decoding
1 Select a RAW photo.
Note: If the RAW Fine Tuning controls don’t appear in the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, the selected image is from a previous version of
Aperture. You must rst reprocess the image using the most current RAW image processing. For
more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on page 49.
2 Adjust the strength of the sharpening eect using the Sharpening slider and value slider.
Use the Sharpening slider and
value slider to adjust the strength
of the sharpening effect applied
during the RAW decoding process.
A value of 0.00 applies no sharpening eect to the image during the RAW decoding process. A
value greater than 0.00 increases the sharpening eect.
3 Adjust how the sharpening eect is applied to edges using the Edges slider and value slider.
Use the Edges slider and value
slider to adjust how the sharpening
effect is applied to the edges
during the RAW decoding process.
A value greater than 0.00 intensies the sharpening eect on hard edges.
Use the Moire controls
Digital images often have color artifacts that appear around edges and lines because of noise
created by digital image sensors. Images whose subjects have linear patterns often introduce
a moire pattern that gives the subject a wrinkled or rainbow-colored appearance. In addition,
cameras with image sensors employing Bayer patterns often introduce noise into monochromatic
images. The Moire adjustment controls in the RAW Fine Tuning area of the Adjustments inspector
or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD identify these patterns and correct these artifacts.
Because many digital cameras have weak anti-aliasing lters, the Moire and Radius parameters
are specically used to correct aliasing in an image caused by edges with high color contrast.
Weak anti-aliasing lters tend to curve edges, skewing the colors in the process. During the RAW
decoding process, OS X scans for high-frequency information in the RAW le, looking for blended
colors, and then replaces the blended colors with the edge colors that originally existed in the
scene. The Moire parameter adjusts the amount of signal to apply the adjustment to. The Radius
parameter adjusts the pixel area (visual threshold) the adjustment is applied to.
Note: The Moire controls replace the Chroma Blur controls found in previous versions of Aperture.
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Adjust moire reduction during RAW decoding
1 Select a RAW photo.
Note: If the RAW Fine Tuning controls don’t appear in the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, the selected image is from a previous version of
Aperture. You must rst reprocess the image using the most current RAW image processing.
For more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on page 49.
2 Adjust the amount of signal to apply the Moire adjustment to using the Moire slider and
value slider.
Use the Moire slider and value
slider to adjust the amount of
signal the Moire adjustment
is applied to during the RAW
decoding process.
A value of 0.00 applies no moire correction during the RAW decoding process. A value greater
than 0.00 applies moire correction during the RAW decoding process.
3 Adjust the pixel area (visual threshold) the Moire adjustment is applied to using the Radius slider
and value slider.
Use the Radius slider and value
slider to adjust the visual threshold
of the Moire adjustment during the
RAW decoding process.
4 If supported by the camera, reduce digital noise in the image using the De-noise slider and
value slider.
A value greater than 0.00 reduces noise in the image.
Use the De-noise control
You use the De-noise adjustment control when you need to reduce digital noise in a RAW
image. When you reduce noise in an image, you often have to sharpen the image to prevent
blurry edges or loss of detail. To sharpen the image, use the Edges slider in the RAW Fine
Tuning adjustment.
Note: You can also use the Noise Reduction adjustment when you need to reduce digital noise
in an image. For more information, see Sharpen an image on page 311.
Reduce noise during RAW decoding
1 Select a RAW photo.
Note: If the RAW Fine Tuning controls don’t appear in the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, the selected image is from a previous version of
Aperture. You must rst reprocess the image using the most current RAW image processing. For
more information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on page 49.
2 Adjust the amount of noise reduction using the De-noise slider and value slider.
A value greater than 0.00 reduces noise in the image.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 338
3 Adjust how the noise reduction is applied to edges using the Edges slider and value slider.
Use the Edges slider and value
slider to adjust how the sharpening
effect is applied to the edges
during the RAW decoding process.
A value greater than 0.00 intensies the sharpening eect on hard edges.
Work with DNG les
In Aperture, you can adjust how OS X decodes RAW images in the DNG format. If the digital
camera that captured a photo is supported by Aperture, the calibration data for that camera is
used to decode the RAW le in the same manner as if it were decoded from the RAW le format
itself. If the DNG le is from an unsupported camera, Aperture uses the camera information
stored in the DNG le to decode the image.
Adjust the RAW Fine Tuning parameters of a DNG le
1 Select a DNG le imported with or reprocessed using Aperture 3 image processing.
Note: If the RAW Fine Tuning controls don’t appear in the Adjustments inspector or the
Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, the selected image is from a previous version of
Aperture. You must rst reprocess the image using Aperture 3 image processing. For more
information, see Reprocess photos from earlier versions of Aperture on page 49.
2 Adjust the RAW Fine Tuning parameters as necessary for the image.
Set the camera default
When you’ve modied the RAW decoding settings using the controls in the RAW Fine Tuning
area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, you can save
these settings as the default parameter values for the camera model. All RAW image les from
this camera model that are imported into Aperture are decoded using these saved settings.
The camera model is displayed
in the Camera field.
Save the camera default settings
1 In the RAW Fine Tuning area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Save as Camera Default from the Action pop-up menu for the
RAW Fine Tuning adjustment.
2 In the RAW Fine Tuning Adjustment Presets dialog, enter a name for the preset and click OK.
The Action pop-up menu for the RAW Fine Tuning adjustment displays the preset’s name with a
checkmark next to it.
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Clear the camera default settings
To remove a RAW Fine Tuning adjustment preset from the list of camera default settings, you
have to delete it.
1 In the RAW Fine Tuning area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Apple from the Action pop-up menu to make it the camera default
setting, and then choose Edit Eects from the Action pop-up menu.
2 In the RAW Fine Tuning Adjustment Presets dialog, select the RAW Fine Tuning preset you want
to remove, and press the Delete key.
3 In the dialog that appears, click the Delete Adjustment Presets button.
The adjustment preset is removed from the RAW Fine Tuning Adjustment Presets dialog, and the
adjustment preset no longer appears in the RAW Fine Tuning Action pop-up menu.
Use the Apple-recommended camera default settings
mIn the RAW Fine Tuning area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, choose Apple from the Action pop-up menu .
A checkmark appears next to Apple in the Action pop-up menu.
Sample color values and display camera information
Aperture provides a built-in Color meter you can use to sample the color values in an image and
display them as RGB, Lab, CMYK, HSL, or HSB values. When you place the pointer over a photo or
thumbnail, the color values are displayed in the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane
of the Inspector HUD. You can also use the Loupe for a more accurate pixel selection and see the
color values displayed within the magnied area of the Loupe. When the pointer is moved away
from the photo, the color values are replaced by basic EXIF metadata values for the image, such
as ISO setting, f-stop, shutter speed, and focal length.
Display camera and color information
mIn the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Show
Camera/Color Info from the Adjustment Action pop-up menu .
Camera information
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 340
Use the pointer to sample the color values in an image
1 In the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose Show
Camera/Color Info from the Adjustment Action pop-up menu .
2 Place the pointer over the area of the image where you want to sample the color values,
and view the values at the top of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD.
Color meter
Use the Loupe to sample color values in an image
1 Click the Loupe button in the toolbar, or press the Grave Accent (`) key.
2 Choose View > Loupe Options > Show Color Value in Loupe, or press Option-Shift-Tilde (~).
3 Place the target area of the Loupe over the area of the image where you want to sample the
color values.
The color values appear in the magnied area of the Loupe.
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Choose a color value option for the Color meter
mIn the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose a color
value option from the Adjustment Action pop-up menu .
Choose a color
value option here.
Choose a color value sample size for the Color meter
You can set the sample size (pixel area) Aperture uses to determine color values.
mIn the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, choose an
appropriate color value sample size from the Adjustment Action pop-up menu .
Choose a color value
sample size here.
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Use modier keys to identify color clipping
When performing adjustments, it’s useful to know if you’re clipping one or more color channels
and thereby losing important image details. In Aperture, you can use modier keys to get instant
feedback on channel clipping when using controls in the Exposure and Levels adjustments. Color
overlays appear on the image when you press the Command key and drag the sliders to indicate
that any, all, or a combination of color channels have been clipped.
The color of the color channel clipping overlay indicates which color channel or combination
of color channels are clipped. In addition, Aperture gives you the option of choosing color or
monochromatic overlays to indicate clipping.
Identify color channel clipping
mPress Command while dragging the following sliders:
•Exposure slider (Exposure controls): Shows highlight clipping.
•Recovery slider (Exposure controls): Shows highlight clipping.
•Black Point slider (Exposure controls): Shows shadow clipping.
•Black Levels slider (Levels controls): Shows shadow clipping.
•White Levels slider (Levels controls): Shows highlight clipping.
If one or more color channels are clipped as a result of adjusting one of the above parameters,
colored overlays appear over the areas of the image where clipping is occurring. The color of
the overlay indicates which color channel is clipped. Release the Command key, and the color
overlays disappear.
Note: The color channel clipping overlays appear regardless of whether Highlight Hot & Cold
Areas is turned on. For more information, see Show hot and cold areas in your photos on
page 171.
Set the color channel clipping overlays to color
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click Advanced.
2 Choose Color from the Clipping Overlay pop-up menu.
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The following table lists the color overlays and the corresponding color channels that have been
clipped by the adjustment parameter setting.
Adjustments Color clipping information
Exposure parameter (Exposure adjustment)
Recovery parameter (Exposure adjustment)
White Levels parameter (Levels adjustment)
•Red: Indicates highlight clipping in the red color
channel.
•Green: Indicates highlight clipping in the green
color channel.
•Blue: Indicates highlight clipping in the blue
color channel.
•Yellow: Indicates highlight clipping in the red and
green color channels.
•Pink: Indicates highlight clipping in the red and
blue color channels.
•Cyan: Indicates highlight clipping in the blue and
green color channels.
•White: Indicates highlight clipping in all three
color channels.
•Black: Indicates no highlight clipping in any
color channel.
Black Point parameter (Exposure adjustment)
Black Levels parameter (Levels adjustment)
•Red: Indicates shadow clipping in the red color
channel.
•Green: Indicates shadow clipping in the green
color channel.
•Blue: Indicates shadow clipping in the blue
color channel.
•Yellow: Indicates shadow clipping in the red and
green color channels.
•Pink: Indicates shadow clipping in the red and blue
color channels.
•Cyan: Indicates shadow clipping in the blue and
green color channels.
•White: Indicates no shadow clipping in any
color channel.
•Black: Indicates shadow clipping in all three
color channels.
Set the color channel clipping overlays to monochrome
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click Advanced.
2 Choose Monochrome from the Clipping Overlay pop-up menu.
The following table lists the monochrome overlays and the corresponding color channels that
have been clipped by the adjustment parameter setting.
Adjustments Color clipping information
Exposure parameter (Exposure adjustment)
Recovery parameter (Exposure adjustment)
White Levels parameter (Levels adjustment)
•White: Indicates highlight clipping in all
color channels.
•66% gray: Indicates highlight clipping in two
color channels.
•33% gray: Indicates highlight clipping in one
color channel.
•Black: Indicates no highlight clipping in any
color channel.
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Chapter 7 Make image adjustments 344
Adjustments Color clipping information
Black Point parameter (Exposure adjustment)
Black Levels parameter (Levels adjustment)
•White: Indicates no shadow clipping in any
color channel.
•66% gray: Indicates shadow clipping in one
color channel.
•33% gray: Indicates shadow clipping in two
color channels.
•Black: Indicates shadow clipping in all three
color channels.
Understanding how to read histograms
Histograms overview
The histogram is a graph that displays relative brightness in an image, from pure black to pure
white. The area under the graph represents all the pixels in the image. From left to right, the
histogram describes the range of dark pixels (shadows), gray pixels (midtones), and bright pixels
(highlights) in the image. The shape of the histogram graph depends on the tonality of the scene
and the exposure.
Pixels increase
Shadows HighlightsMidtones
Brightness increases
A histogram can also be used as a tool to evaluate whether there’s enough shadow, midtone,
and highlight information in the image. Aperture provides three histograms in the Adjustments
inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD:
•The histogram above the adjustment controls indicates the current state of the image.
•The Levels histogram included with the Levels adjustment controls provides a way to adjust
the brightness values in the image in relation to the displayed histogram. You use the Levels
controls to adjust the shadow, dark quarter-tone, midtone, light quarter-tone, and highlight
values independently of one another without aecting the other areas of the image.
For information about performing a Levels adjustment, see Adjust the levels of an image on
page 295.
•The Curves histogram included with the Curves adjustment controls provides a way to adjust
the tonal values in the image in relation to the displayed histogram. You use the Curves
controls to adjust the full range of tonal values independently of one another without
aecting the other areas of the image.
For information about performing a Curves adjustment, see Adjust the tonal curve of an
image on page 282.
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About evaluating exposure
Histograms are good tools for evaluating exposure. For example, a series of peaks in the darker
side of the histogram often indicates an underexposed image that consists mainly of dark pixels.
A series of peaks in the center of the histogram often indicates a balanced exposure because a
majority of the pixels are concentrated within the midtones of the histogram. They’re not too
dark or too bright.
However, a series of peaks in the brighter side of the histogram often indicates an overexposed
image because most of the pixels in the image are too bright.
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About evaluating tonality and contrast
Although histogram graphs are good tools for evaluating an image’s exposure, you shouldn’t
interpret histograms for exposure information only, because the shape of the histogram is also
inuenced by the tonality in the scene. You need to take the subject of the image into account
when evaluating its histogram. For example, images shot at night naturally have a majority of
peaks in the darker side of the histogram.
Likewise, images of bright scenes, such as snow or light reecting o the ocean, have a majority
of their peaks in the brighter side of the histogram.
Histograms can also depict contrast in an image. For example, this silhouette of the man in the
hammock in front of the sunset consists of a relatively even assortment of extreme bright and
dark tonal values with few midtones. In this case, the histogram is shaped like a valley with peaks
in both the dark and bright sides.
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Likewise, histograms can depict a lack of contrast in an image. For example, an image of a
rainbow in the fog lacks contrast. Without directional lighting, there aren’t any highlights or
shadows in the image. In this case, the peaks of the histogram are concentrated in the center
and don’t come close to either the dark or bright side.
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348
Printing overview
You can use Aperture to print single photos, contact sheets, webpages, books, and photos
selected in the Light Table, as well as create PDF les that you can send others for review.
Aperture also oers a variety of printing options, including using a standard, roll, or custom paper
size and assigning a specic ColorSync prole.
The easiest way to print photos is to use one of the Aperture print presets in the Print dialog.
Print presets are groups of commonly used print settings that allow you to print your photos
without having to select multiple print options individually. If the precongured presets don’t
meet your needs, you can create your own. For example, if you regularly print both 8-by-10-inch
and 11-by-14-inch photographs, you can create a print preset for each of those paper sizes. You
can also create print presets to match the print characteristics of dierent printers.
Presets list
Print options area
Preview area
Print photos
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Chapter 8 Print photos 349
When you select a print preset, the print options area changes to show the print controls
available for that preset. For example, when you choose the Contact Sheets preset, the print
options show print controls for setting up a contact sheet.
Select the Contact
Sheets preset to see
the print controls for
printing contact sheets.
If additional print controls are available, a More Options button appears under the print
options area.
You can create new print presets, modify existing print presets, and delete print presets you
no longer use. When changing your print presets, remember that modifying an existing preset
changes its original settings; creating a new preset, on the other hand, allows you to preserve the
settings in the existing preset. For more information about working with print presets, see Create
and modify print presets on page 356.
Before you print your photos, you can soft proof them onscreen using the onscreen proong
feature. Proles used for onscreen proong are also applied to the photo when printed. For more
information, see Set up the Viewer for onscreen proong on page 172.
Here are a few suggestions to help you with the printing process:
•Use the highest-resolution image possible: It’s preferable to work with photos imported directly
from your digital camera. However, even photos imported directly from your camera or card
reader can be low-resolution, low-quality images. This is why it’s important to shoot with the
highest-resolution settings available on your camera. Compression settings applied during
image capture may be apparent when you print. Consider shooting RAW les if the setting is
available, and shoot at the highest bit depth possible.
If you’ve imported a photo that was reduced or compressed in another application, Aperture
cannot increase the resolution of the le. If possible, locate the original full-resolution image
le, use the Lift and Stamp tools to apply the adjustments you’ve made to the low-resolution
le, and print the higher-resolution image le.
•Use a printer that supports 16-bit printing: If the photo you’re printing is a high-resolution 16-bit
le, using a printer that supports 16-bit printing results in smoother gradations.
•Color calibrate your Aperture system: It’s important to calibrate your display and printer so that
your printed photos look as much as possible like the photos you see on the computer screen.
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Print individual photos
To print photos, you begin by selecting the photo or photos you want to print in the Browser.
You can print:
•Individual photos, one photo per page
•An individual photo multiple times on the same page
To print individual photos, choose the Standard preset or one of the presets in the Custom
Presets area of the Print dialog. You then choose the Aperture print options you want and nally
use the OS X print dialog to start printing.
Print individual photos, one photo per page
1 In the Browser, select the photo or photos that you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print Image (or press Command-P).
3 In the Print dialog, select either the Standard preset or a preset in the Custom Presets area.
4 In the default print options area, specify the following settings:
•Choose a printer from the Printer pop-up menu.
•If necessary, choose a print prole from the Color Prole pop-up menu.
Note: Printer Managed, the default setting, is the appropriate choice in most cases. If you are
outputting to a specic device prole or if you have color calibrated your printer, you should
choose an appropriate prole from this pop-up menu.
•Choose a paper size from the available items in the Paper Size pop-up menu.
•In the Orientation pop-up menu, choose whether you want the image printed in Landscape
mode or Portrait mode.
•Choose the size of the printed photo from the Image Size pop-up menu, by doing one of
the following:
•To t the image on the page in its original aspect ratio: Choose Maximum to Fit. If you’ve
chosen a borderless printing option, Aperture ts the entire photo on the page; margins
appear on two sides of the photo where the dimensions don’t match.
•To crop the image so that it lls the entire page: Choose Maximum to Fit, and select the Crop
Image to Fill checkbox below the Image Size pop-up menu. If you’ve chosen a borderless
printing option, the photo covers the entire page; parts of the photo are cropped if the
dimensions don’t match.
•To use a standard print size: Choose a standard dimension, such as 5 x 7, from the
pop-up menu.
• To use a custom print size: Choose Custom from the pop-up menu, then enter the dimensions
in the Height and Width elds that appear below.
5 After you’ve veried that the settings in the Print dialog are correct, click Print.
The OS X Print dialog appears.
To print multiple copies of the selected photos, one copy per page, click the disclosure button
to reveal additional print controls. Next, enter the number of copies that you want in the Copies
eld. For example, if you want two copies of each selected photo, enter 2.
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6 Conrm that the settings in the OS X Print dialog are correct.
Important: Make sure the paper type matches the color prole selected in the Aperture Print
dialog. If you chose Printer Managed, make sure to enable your printer’s color management. For
more information about enabling color management on your printer, see the documentation
that came with your printer.
7 Click Print.
Each high-resolution photo is printed on a single sheet of paper.
Print the same photo multiple times on a single sheet of paper
You can print the same photo multiple times on the same sheet of paper. This option is useful for
saving paper when the image size is small.
1 In the Browser, select the photo you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print Image (or press Command-P).
3 In the Print dialog, select either the Standard preset or a preset in Custom Presets.
4 In the default print options area, specify the following settings:
•Choose a printer from the Printer pop-up menu.
•If necessary, choose a print prole from the Color Prole pop-up menu.
Note: Printer Managed, the default setting, is the appropriate choice in most cases. If you are
outputting to a specic device prole or if you have color calibrated your printer, you should
choose an appropriate prole from this pop-up menu.
•Choose a paper size from the available items in the Paper Size pop-up menu.
•In the Orientation pop-up menu, choose whether you want the photo printed in Landscape
mode or Portrait mode.
•Choose a standardized size, such as 2 x 3, for the printed photo from the Image Size pop-up
menu. Pick a size that’s small enough to t multiple photos on the paper size chosen in the
Paper Size pop-up menu.
The Photo Per Page and Same Photo Per Page controls below the Image Size pop-up menu
become available.
•Enter the number of times you want the photo printed on the page in the Photos Per Page
eld, then select the Same Photo Per Page checkbox.
The Preview area updates to show multiple photos on the page.
•To have each photo to ll its allotted printable space, select the Crop Image to Fill checkbox.
5 If you want to modify the arrangement of the photos on the page, click the More Options button
at the bottom of the Print dialog, then use the Layout and Margins controls to adjust the image
spacing and page margins.
6 After you’ve veried that the settings in the Print dialog are correct, click Print.
The OS X Print dialog appears.
7 Conrm that the settings in the OS X Print dialog are correct.
Important: Make sure the paper type matches the color prole selected in the Aperture Print
dialog. If you chose Printer Managed, make sure to enable your printer’s color management. For
more information about enabling color management on your printer, see the documentation
that came with your printer.
8 Click Print.
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Manually adjust the placement of a single photo on a page
You can adjust the layout and margins of your prints using the Layout and Margins controls,
which are available when you click More Options in the Print dialog. You can also manually adjust
the margins and spacing in the Preview area of the Print dialog. When printing a single photo
with a border or dimensions smaller than the paper size, you can adjust the placement of the
photo on the page by dragging the margin lines in the Preview area. If you selected the Crop
Marks checkbox in the Metadata & Page Options section of the Print dialog, you can also adjust
the crop lines to modify the margins and spacing of the photos on the page.
Note: The margin lines are not visible unless you place the pointer over the Preview area of the
Print dialog.
1 In the Browser, select the photo you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print Images (or press Command-P).
3 In the Print dialog, choose a single photo print preset and a photo size that is smaller than the
chosen paper size.
4 In the Preview area, drag the margin lines to adjust the placement of the photo on the page.
The overlay displays the
distance between the
edge of the paper and
the edge of the photo.
Drag the margin lines to
adjust the placement of the
photo on the page.
The distance between the edge of the paper and the edge of the photo is displayed in an
overlay as you drag the margin line.
Manually adjust the placement of multiple photos on a page
You can adjust the layout and margins of your prints using the Layout and Margins controls,
which are available when you click More Options in the Print dialog. You can also manually adjust
the margins and spacing in the Preview area of the Print dialog. When you are printing multiple
photos on the same sheet of paper, you can adjust both the margins surrounding the photos
and the spacing between the photos. If you selected the Crop Marks checkbox in the Metadata &
Page Options section of the Print dialog, you can also adjust the crop lines to modify the margins
and spacing of the photos on the page.
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Chapter 8 Print photos 353
Note: The margin lines are not visible unless you place the pointer over the Preview area of the
Print dialog.
1 In the Browser, select the photo or photos you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print Images (or press Command-P).
3 In the Print dialog, do one of the following:
•Select a print preset that prints the same photo multiple times on the same sheet of paper.
•Select a print preset for a contact sheet.
4 In the Preview area, do either or both of the following:
•Drag the margin lines between the outer edges of the photos and the paper’s edge.
•Drag the lines between the photos to adjust the spacing between them.
The overlay displays the
distance between the photos.
Drag the lines between
the photos to adjust the
spacing between them.
Dragging one vertical line adjusts the vertical spacing between all photos on the page equally;
similarly, dragging one horizontal line adjusts the horizontal spacing between the photos in
equal amounts.
Print contact sheets
You can print contact sheets of your photos, and Aperture does all the layout work for you.
All you have to do is specify the number of pages or columns; Aperture adjusts the size of the
photos based on your layout and margin settings.
Print a contact sheet or series of contact sheets
1 In the Browser, select the photos you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print Images (or press Command-P).
3 In the Print dialog, select either the Contact Sheets preset or the Review Sheet preset in the
Custom Presets section.
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4 In the print options area, specify the following settings:
•Choose a printer from the Printer pop-up menu.
•If necessary, choose a color prole from the Color Prole pop-up menu.
Note: Printer Managed, the default setting, is the appropriate choice in most cases. If you are
outputting to a specic device prole or if you have color calibrated your printer, you should
choose an appropriate prole from this pop-up menu.
•Choose a paper size from the available items in the Paper Size pop-up menu.
•In the Orientation pop-up menu, choose whether you want the contact sheet printed in
Landscape mode or Portrait mode.
•Choose a metadata view to display underneath each photo on the contact sheet.
•Specify the number of rows and columns to set how many photos are printed on the page.
The Preview area updates to show the new print dimensions for each photo in the contact
sheet. You can double-click a photo to adjust its scale within the image frame. You use the
Image Scale HUD to zoom in to and out of the photo.
5 If you want to modify the arrangement of the photos on the page, click the More Options button
at the bottom of the Print dialog, then use the Layout and Margins controls to adjust image
spacing between the photos and add margins.
Note: The margin lines are not visible unless you place the pointer over the Preview area of the
Print dialog.
6 To manually adjust the spacing margins, drag the row and column lines in the Preview area.
7 Conrm that the settings in the Print dialog are correct, then click Print.
The OS X Print dialog appears.
8 Conrm that the settings in the OS X Print dialog are correct.
Important: Make sure the paper type matches the color prole selected in the Aperture Print
dialog. If you chose Printer Managed, make sure to enable your printer’s color management. For
more information about enabling color management on your printer, see the documentation
that came with your printer.
9 Click Print.
Your contact sheet is printed.
Print books
You can print a book to check its nal format and appearance before handing it o to a
professional printer, ordering a printed copy online, or distributing copies to others. You can also
create a PDF le of a book to store an electronic copy for use at another time or to send to others.
For more information about creating and working with books, see Creating books overview on
page 404.
Print a book
1 Select a book album in the Library inspector.
The book appears in the Book Layout Editor.
2 Choose File > Print Book (or press Command-P).
The OS X Print dialog appears.
3 Verify that the settings in the OS X Print dialog are correct, then click Print.
Your book is printed.
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Create a PDF le of a book
1 In the Library inspector, select a book album.
2 Choose File > Print Book (or press Command-P).
3 In the Print dialog, choose Save as PDF from the PDF pop-up menu.
The Save dialog appears.
4 Enter a name for the PDF le in the Save As eld, choose a location to save the le from the
pop-up menu, then click Save.
Print Light Table arrangements
You can print an arrangement of images in the Light Table. You can also create a PDF of your
Light Table arrangement using the OS X Print dialog.
Print a Light Table arrangement
1 Select a Light Table album in the Library inspector.
The Light Table appears above the Browser.
2 Do one of the following:
•To print selected photos: Select the photos you want to print in the Light Table.
•To print the entire Light Table arrangement: Deselect all photos in the Light Table by clicking
the background.
3 Choose File > Print Light Table (or press Command-P).
The OS X Print dialog appears.
4 Verify that the settings in the OS X Print dialog are correct, then click Print.
Your Light Table arrangement is printed.
Create a PDF le of a Light Table arrangement
1 Select a Light Table album in the Library inspector.
The Light Table appears above the Browser.
2 Do one of the following:
•To print selected photos: Select the photos you want to print in the Light Table.
•To print the entire Light Table arrangement: Deselect all photos in the Light Table by clicking
the background.
3 Choose File > Print Light Table (or press Command-P).
The OS X Print dialog appears.
4 Choose Save as PDF from the PDF pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the dialog.
The Save dialog appears.
5 Enter a name for the PDF le in the Save As eld, choose a location to save the le to from the
pop-up menu, then click Save.
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Create and modify print presets
At times, you may want to modify a print preset in the Custom Presets area of the Print dialog.
There are two ways to do this:
•Duplicate an existing preset, then modify and save the duplicate.
•Modify an existing preset, then save it. (Note that when you modify an existing preset without
duplicating it rst, saving the modications will overwrite the original preset.)
Note: If you modify a Standard or Contact Sheets preset, the original default settings are restored
when you close the Print dialog.
Duplicate and modify an existing print preset
You create new print presets by duplicating existing print presets and then making modications
to them.
1 Select a photo, then choose File > Print Images (or press Command-P).
The Print dialog appears.
2 In the Print dialog, select a print preset in the Custom Presets area, then choose Duplicate Preset
from the Print Action pop-up menu .
3 Enter a new name for the preset.
4 Modify the settings as appropriate, then choose Save Preset from the Print Action pop-up menu.
You can now select this preset whenever you need to use these print settings.
Modify an existing print preset
Any preset you created can be changed, either temporarily or permanently. If you change a
preset’s settings without saving it, the preset will revert to its original settings after the print
job is processed. If you save the modied settings, the preset will retain the setting changes,
overwriting the previous settings. (For this reason, it’s inadvisable to modify a default preset
using this method.)
1 Select a photo, then choose File > Print Image (or press Command-P).
The Print dialog appears.
2 In the Custom Presets area of the Print dialog, select a print preset that you created and want
to modify, then click the More Options button.
3 Modify the settings as appropriate.
4 When you’re ready to save the preset, choose Save Preset from the Print Action pop-up
menu .
The print preset is saved with its new settings.
Delete a print preset
You can delete a print preset that you no longer use.
1 In the Custom Presets area of the Print dialog, select the preset you want to delete.
2 Choose Delete Preset from the Print Action pop-up menu .
3 Conrm the deletion in the dialog that appears.
The preset is deleted from the Custom Presets list.
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Proof images and manage color
The printer, paper type, and color prole settings all aect the way your photos are printed.
Onscreen proong allows you to check the color in your photos, before you print them.
To use onscreen proong, choose the proong prole that most closely matches the
characteristics of the nal output device, and then turn on onscreen proong. When onscreen
proong is turned on, the photo is converted using the selected prole before it is sent to
the printer.
Choose a proong prole
mChoose View > Proong Prole, then choose the prole you want from the submenu.
Turn onscreen proong on or o
mChoose View > Onscreen Proong (or press Option-Shift-P).
When onscreen proong is on, a checkmark appears beside the item in the View menu.
Turn o color management for your printer
For best results, you should turn o color management in your printer when printing a photo
using Aperture. By default, most printers are set to convert the photo to the printer’s color space.
However, Aperture is designed to perform this conversion internally. Each printer manufacturer
creates its own Print dialog. This means the setting for turning o color management in your
printer varies depending upon the manufacturer of your printer and the printer model.
Note: If you have multiple printers connected to your computer, you should create a print preset
and turn o color management for each printer.
mRefer to the owner’s manual that came with your printer.
For more information about using the Aperture onscreen proong feature, see Set up the Viewer
for onscreen proong on page 172.
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358
Exporting photos overview
Using Aperture, you can export photos (both versions and copies of originals), projects, albums,
folders, audio clips, and video clips in a variety of ways.
When you export photo versions, you can export them in JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PSD le formats.
You can rename les, resize and adjust images, and include metadata such as EXIF information,
IPTC information, and keywords. You can also apply ColorSync proles and watermarks to the
versions you’re exporting. You can export separate lists of metadata for selected photos as a le.
And you can export originals with IPTC data stored in XMP sidecar les that can be used in other
applications, such as Adobe Photoshop.
An easy way to export photos is to use one of the Aperture export preset. Presets, or groups of
export settings, allow you to eciently export your photos in any of several common formats.
If the presets included with Aperture don’t meet your needs, you can create your own presets,
modify existing export presets, or delete presets you no longer use.
When you export projects, folders, and albums (or a combination of all three), Aperture
consolidates the originals and versions of the items you selected in the Library inspector and
exports them as a library, maintaining their organizational structure. You can then merge the
exported library into the Aperture library on another computer.
Export tips
Consider the following workow tips before you begin exporting your photos and other media:
•Before exporting your photos to another application, a printing service, a client, or a website,
you need to know what le types the recipient can use. You should also check with the
recipient about other important information, including le size limitations, required image
dimensions, and naming conventions. The key to a successful le transfer is anticipating—and
avoiding—anything that can prevent the recipient from opening your les.
•If you regularly send groups of photos to a stock photography house and a printer, you
can create an export preset for each destination. Give the presets a name you’ll remember,
and the next time you need to send photos to either destination, simply select the correct
export preset.
•Aperture allows you to perform multiple export operations concurrently. However, to prevent
unintended behavior, it’s extremely important that you avoid making changes to the photos
you are exporting until the operation is complete.
Export photos
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Chapter 9 Export photos 359
Export by dragging
You can export photo, audio, and video versions by dragging them from the Browser to the
desktop or any location in the Finder. You can do the same with projects, albums, and folders in
the Library inspector. (Flickr and Facebook albums cannot be exported by dragging.)
When you export a photo by dragging, you’re exporting its optimized JPEG preview image (at
the quality and size specied by the Previews settings in Aperture preferences). If you want to
export in any other format or quality, you must use the Export command described in Export
using the Export command on page 359. For more information about JPEG previews, see Preview
images overview on page 494.
Note: A photo version without a JPEG preview cannot be exported by dragging. If the version
doesn’t have a preview, dragging is disabled for that version (except within Aperture). If you are
dragging multiple photos, but only some of them have previews, only the versions with previews
are dragged out.
Export versions from the Browser by dragging
1 In the Browser, select the photo, audio, and video versions you want to export.
2 Drag the versions to the desktop or any location in the Finder.
Export items from the Library inspector by dragging
1 In the Library inspector, select the items you want to export by Shift-clicking adjacent items and
Command-clicking nonadjacent items.
2 Drag the items to the desktop or any location in the Finder.
The exported items are consolidated into a single Aperture library. The library is named after the
item that appears at the highest point (from top to bottom) in the Library inspector. If an album
is selected for export, the album and the project to which it is subordinate are exported, but
only the versions within the album are exported. Any other photos in the project are left out of
the export.
If you want to rename the exported library, click the le, then click its name and enter a
new name.
WARNING: In rare instances, color shifts between exported photos may occur when the Camera
Previews option is selected in the Import pane of the Aperture Preferences window. This color
shift happens because some RAW photos have fully rendered previews, and others still use
the camera’s RAW thumbnail. To prevent this from happening, view all photos you want to
export in the Viewer, and Aperture generates a fully rendered preview for each photo. For more
information, see Preview images overview on page 494 and Import preferences on page 480.
Export using the Export command
When you need more control over export formats than dragging provides, the File > Export
command gives you a variety of options:
•Export versions: You can export versions of photos with the adjustments and other changes
you’ve applied.
•Export originals: You can export copies of the original les that you imported into Aperture.
•Export audio and video: You can export audio or video clips that you’ve imported.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 360
•Export Aperture projects, albums, and folders: You can select parts of your library, such as
specic projects, folders, or albums and export them as a new Aperture library. You can
then open that separate library in Aperture or transfer that library to another computer
that has Aperture installed.
•Export using third-party plug-ins: You can also use third-party plug-ins to automate the
export process.
•Export metadata associated with photos in a separate le: You can select photos and export
the IPTC metadata assigned to them in a tab-delimited text le.
Export versions of photos
You can export photo versions that you’ve created in Aperture. For example, you might
make adjustments to images for a specic purpose and then export them for use in another
application. You can also rename photos when exporting them, make minor adjustments on
export, add watermarks, and export photos with metadata. You can also quickly export photos
to your email application to send them to others.
When you export photo versions, you can specify settings for the exported les, such as format,
size, and lename.
Note: You can set Aperture to always include location information and names assigned to faces
when exporting your photos. For more information about including Places and Faces information
with your photos, see Export preferences on page 481.
1 Select a photo or photos in the Browser.
2 Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E).
3 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want the exported photos placed.
Choose a location
for the exported files.
Choose an export preset
for the exported files.
Choose a name format
for the exported files.
Click this button
to export the files.
4 Choose an export preset from the Export Preset pop-up menu.
For more information, see Work with export presets on page 364.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 361
5 Do one of the following:
•Choose None from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu to store the versions as separate les
in the selected folder.
•Choose a folder name preset from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu to have Aperture
create a hierarchy of subfolders with specic folder names to hold your les. For more
information, see Export photos into named or numbered folders on page 374.
•Choose Custom Name or Custom Name with Counter from the Subfolder Format pop-up
menu, then enter a custom folder name in the Custom Subfolder Name eld.
6 Choose a name format for your les from the Name Format pop-up menu.
If you choose a Custom Name format, enter a name in the Custom Name eld. For more
information, see Rename photos at export on page 371.
7 If you want to be notied when the export process is complete, select the “Show alert when
nished” checkbox.
8 When you’re ready to export les, click Export Versions.
The photos you selected are exported to the location you specied. If you selected the “Show
alert when nished” checkbox, a dialog appears displaying the number of versions exported and
the le path. If you want Aperture to open the Finder to the location where you exported your
versions, click the Reveal in Finder button. Otherwise, click OK to close the dialog.
Note: If you want to check the progress of an export operation, choose Window > Show Activity.
You can also use this window to pause or cancel an export operation.
Export copies of originals
When you export originals, duplicates of the les that were imported from your camera or other
source are created; no adjustments, le modications, or any other changes are exported with
the le.
1 Select a photo or photos in the Browser.
2 Choose File > Export > Originals (or press Shift-Command-S).
3 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want the exported les placed.
4 Do one of the following:
•Choose None from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu to store the originals as separate les
in the selected folder.
•Choose a folder name preset from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu to have Aperture
create a hierarchy of subfolders with specic folder names to hold your les. For more
information, see Export photos into named or numbered folders on page 374.
•Choose Custom Name or Custom Name with Counter from the Subfolder Format pop-up
menu, then enter a custom folder name in the Custom Subfolder Name eld.
5 Choose a name format for your originals from the Name Format pop-up menu.
For more information about selecting and setting up lenaming formats, see Rename photos at
export on page 371. Aperture shows an example of the selected name format in the dialog.
6 To export the originals with IPTC metadata, do one of the following:
•To write IPTC metadata into the original: Choose Include IPTC from the Metadata pop-up menu.
•To create an XMP sidecar le that contains the photo’s IPTC metadata: Choose Create IPTC4XMP
Sidecar File from the Metadata pop-up menu.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 362
7 If you want to include audio attachments with your exported original les, select the Include
Audio Attachments checkbox.
8 If you want to be notied when the export process is complete, select the “Show alert when
nished” checkbox.
9 When you’re ready to export your les, click Export Originals.
Copies of the originals for the selected photos are exported to the location you specied. If you
selected the “Show alert when nished” checkbox, a dialog appears displaying the number of
originals exported and the le path. If you want Aperture to open the Finder to the location
where you exported your originals, click the Reveal in Finder button. Otherwise, click OK to close
the dialog.
Export versions of audio and video clips
You can export edited versions of audio and video clips brought into Aperture. If you trimmed
the length of the audio or video clip, the new edited length is exported along with any metadata
you applied in Aperture.
1 Select audio or video clips in the Browser.
2 Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E).
3 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want the exported audio or video
les placed.
Choose a location
for the exported files.
Choose a name format
for the exported files.
4 Do one of the following:
•Choose None from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu to have the clips stored as separate
les in the selected folder.
•Choose a folder name preset from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu to have Aperture
create a hierarchy of subfolders with specic folder names to hold your les. For more
information about creating folders to hold your exported audio and video les, see Export
photos into named or numbered folders on page 374.
•Choose Custom Name or Custom Name with Counter from the Subfolder Format pop-up
menu, then enter a custom folder name in the Custom Subfolder Name eld.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 363
5 Choose a name format for your les from the Name Format pop-up menu.
If you choose a Custom Name format, enter your custom name in the Custom Name eld. For
more information on renaming audio and video les at export, see Rename photos at export on
page 371.
6 If you want to be notied when the export process is complete, select the “Show alert when
nished” checkbox.
7 When you’re ready to export les, click Export Versions.
The audio or video clips you selected are exported to the location you specied. Clip le formats
are not changed or compressed. If you selected the “Show alert when nished” checkbox,
a dialog appears displaying the number of versions exported and the le path. If you want
Aperture to open the Finder to the location where you exported your clips, click the Reveal in
Finder button. Otherwise, click OK to close the dialog.
Note: If you want to check the progress of an export operation, choose Window > Show Activity.
You can also use this window to pause or cancel an export operation.
Export projects, folders, and albums in a new library
You can select and export any combination of projects, folders, and albums in the Library
inspector. Aperture consolidates the selected items into an Aperture library and places it in the
location of your choosing. After exporting the item selection as an Aperture library, you can
either open the new library and work within it, or you can merge the library into the library of
another Aperture system.
For more information about opening Aperture libraries, see View other libraries on page 58. For
more information about merging Aperture libraries, see Merge libraries on page 59.
1 In the Library inspector, select the items you want to export, then choose File > Export > Items as
New Library.
Note: The name of the command changes depending upon your selection.
2 Enter a name and choose a location for the exported library.
3 Do any of the following:
•If your project contains referenced images and you want the original les available to the new
Aperture system: Select the “Copy originals into exported library” checkbox to copy the original
image les into the new library le.
•If you want to copy the previews into the new library so that you don’t have to rebuild them on the
new Aperture system: Select the “Copy Previews into exported library” checkbox.
•If you want Aperture to alert you when it has nished building the new library: Select the “Show
alert when nished” checkbox.
4 Click Export Library.
Aperture consolidates the selected items into a library and exports the library le to the location
you chose.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 364
Export photos using a third-party plug-in
Some applications, social networking sites, and photography services supply plug-ins that allow
Aperture to export les automatically with the format and settings the application or service
requires. For example, a stock photography service or print lab may require that photos be
transferred at a specic size, in a specic le format, or with particular types of metadata. Such
a service can create its own plug-in that automatically sets up Aperture to export les with
precisely the characteristics the service needs.
To use an export plug-in, you must rst obtain the plug-in software from the service or
application vendor and install it. You can nd a list of available plug-ins by connecting to the
Internet and choosing Aperture > Aperture Plug-ins. Installed third-party plug-ins for Aperture
are stored on your computer in the following location: /Library/Application Support/Aperture/
Plug-ins/Export/.
1 Select the photos you want to transfer.
2 Choose File > Export, then choose the plug-in that you want to use.
Export photo metadata in a text le
You can select photos and export the IPTC metadata assigned to them in a tab-delimited text
le. The text le also lists the version names, ratings, keywords, and color labels assigned to the
photos in Aperture.
For more information about IPTC metadata, see About IPTC metadata on page 213 .
1 Select the photos whose metadata you want to export.
2 Choose File > Export > Metadata.
3 Enter a name for the text le in the Save As eld, select the location where you want the le
stored, then click Export Metadata.
Aperture exports the metadata information as a standard Unicode text le that you can open
and use with any application that uses text les.
Choose export settings
Work with export presets
Export presets are groups of saved export settings that help you quickly and easily export your
photos. Aperture comes with numerous export presets, and you can also create your own. The
export preset that you set up or choose can modify all the exported photos at once during the
export. For example, you can set up an export preset to assign watermarks to images or set a
specic resolution for the images. Aperture provides commonly used presets for you, and you
can modify them or create new ones to match your needs.
View the settings for an export preset
Before using an export preset, whether it’s one that comes with Aperture or one that you
created, you can view its settings to make sure they are exactly what you want.
Do one of the following:
mChoose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
mWith a photo selected, choose File > Export > Version (or press Shift-Command-E) and in the
dialog that appears, choose Edit from the Export Preset pop-up menu.
The Image Export dialog appears, listing the presets available and the congurable
export settings.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 365
Create a new export preset
If none of the predened export presets suits your needs, you can create your own export
preset. An easy way to create a new export preset is to copy an existing preset and then modify
the copy.
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
The Image Export dialog appears.
Click the Add button
to add a new preset.
Select a preset on which
to base your new preset.
2 Select an export preset on which to base your new preset, then click the Add button (+).
A new preset appears highlighted in the Preset Name list.
3 Enter a name for the new preset, then press Return.
4 Change the export settings as required, then click OK.
Modify an existing preset
You can modify existing presets when you need to. The next time you export using that preset,
Aperture remembers your modied settings and exports your photos accordingly.
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
The Image Export dialog appears.
2 Select the preset you want to modify and change its settings as required, then click OK.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 366
Delete an export preset in the Image Export dialog
You can delete an export preset when you no longer need it.
1 Select the preset, then click the Remove button (–).
Click the Remove button
to delete the selected preset.
2 In the dialog that appears, click Delete.
The preset disappears from the Preset Name list.
3 Click OK.
The preset is permanently deleted.
Note: If you click the Delete button and then click Cancel, the preset reappears the next time
you open the Image Export dialog.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 367
Set image resolution when exporting
You can set the image resolution you want for exported photos in the Image Export dialog
in several ways: by specifying a dpi setting, by specifying a percentage of the original, or by
specifying photo dimensions in inches, centimeters, or pixels. First you select an export preset,
and then you specify a resolution for that preset.
Specify the dpi setting for exported photos in an export preset
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
•Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E), then choose Edit from the Export
Preset pop-up menu.
The Image Export dialog appears.
Enter a DPI setting for
exported photos here.
2 Select an export preset or create a new one, then enter a dpi setting.
For more information on creating export presets, see Work with export presets on page 364.
3 Specify additional settings as necessary, then click OK.
Use this export preset when you need to export versions at the resolution specied in the DPI
eld. Create a new preset when a new dpi setting is required.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 368
Create an export preset constraining photos to a specic size at export
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
•Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E), then choose Edit from the Export
Preset pop-up menu.
The Image Export dialog appears.
Choose a Size To
option and enter
the corresponding
values here.
2 Select an export preset or create a new one.
For more information on creating export presets, see Work with export presets on page 364.
3 Choose an item from the Size To pop-up menu, then specify the size of the photo by entering
values in the elds that appear below it.
4 Specify additional settings as necessary, then click OK.
Use this export preset when you need to export photos at a specic size. Create a new preset
when new dimensions are required.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 369
Adjust images at export
You can apply nal adjustments to images at export by choosing ColorSync proles, setting
gamma adjustments, and applying black point compensation. Because these adjustments are
applied at export, the photo versions and originals in the Aperture library are not changed. Only
exported les receive image adjustments applied with an export preset.
To adjust images at export, you create a new export preset in the Image Export dialog and then
modify the Image Quality, Gamma Adjust, ColorSync Prole, and Black Point Compensation
settings as appropriate.
Use these options to
adjust photos when
they are exported.
Gamma adjustments applied at export are applied on top of gamma adjustments previously
applied to photo versions. Before exporting, verify that you are not doubling any gamma
adjustments previously applied to your photos.
When you export, select the preset that includes the adjustments you want to make.
Create an image export preset to adjust images at export
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
•Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E), then choose Edit from the Export
Presets pop-up menu.
The Image Export dialog appears.
2 Select an export preset, or create a new one.
For information about creating export presets, see Work with export presets on page 364.
3 Specify adjustment options:
•To add a gamma adjustment to the exported photos: Drag the Gamma Adjust slider to the right.
•To change the ColorSync prole applied to the exported photos: Choose a prole from the Color
Prole pop-up menu.
•To apply black point compensation to the exported photos: Select the Black Point
Compensation checkbox.
4 Specify additional settings as necessary, then click OK.
Use this export preset when you want to export photos with the adjustments you specied.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 370
Add a watermark at export
A watermark is a visible graphic overlay that is applied to a photo. Photographers often use
watermarks to indicate that the photos are protected by a copyright and to discourage others
from inappropriately using their photos.
You can import a graphics le and add it to your photos as a watermark.
Use the following guidelines to create high-quality watermarks for your photos:
•Save your watermark as a PSD (Photoshop) le with a transparent background.
•Create multiple sizes of your watermark so that you can select the one that is the best match
for the output size of the exported photo.
Note: If a watermark le is larger than the photo you want to export, Aperture automatically
scales the watermark down to t the photo. (Aperture does not scale watermarks up.)
•After you create a watermark, save it as part of an export preset so you can reuse it as often as
you need.
Add a watermark image to your exported photos
1 Select the photos you want to export.
2 Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E).
3 In the dialog that appears, choose Edit from the Export Preset pop-up menu.
4 In the Image Export dialog, select the export preset you want to use to export your photos.
5 Select the Show Watermark checkbox.
6 Click the Choose Image button.
7 Select the image you want to use as a watermark, then click Choose.
8 Specify where you want the watermark to appear on the photo using the Position pop-up menu.
9 To adjust the opacity of the watermark, drag the Opacity slider to a new position.
10 If you want the watermark to be scaled in proportion to the photo’s output size, select the “Scale
watermark” checkbox.
11 When you’re satised with how your watermark appears in the watermark preview area, click OK.
12 Navigate to the location where you want the exported photos placed.
13 Choose a name format for your exported les from the Name Format pop-up menu.
14 Click Export Versions.
Your les are exported with the watermark you created.
Apply IPTC metadata and keywords to your photos
Many publications use a standard set of image keywords. You can apply these keywords to your
photos when exporting to JPEG, TIFF, and PSD le formats.
Remember that applying metadata at export applies all the metadata attached to your photo. If
your photo version has metadata that you don’t want exported, create a new photo version that
includes only the metadata you intend to export.
Note: The PNG le format does not support the inclusion of metadata.
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Create an image export preset that includes metadata with exported photos
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Image Export.
•Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E), then choose Edit from the Export
Presets pop-up menu.
The Image Export dialog appears.
2 In the Image Export dialog, select the export preset you want to use to export your photos, or
create a new one.
For more information about creating export presets, see Work with export presets on page 364.
3 Select the Include Metadata checkbox.
Note: This checkbox is dimmed when PNG is chosen in the Image Format pop-up menu.
4 Click OK.
The version metadata is included in your exported photos when this export preset is chosen.
Rename photos at export
When you export a large group of photos, the exported les often have nonsequential names.
You can rename your photos at export, giving them more meaningful names. You do this by
choosing a le name format from the Name Format pop-up menu in the Export dialog.
Choose a name format
here; if you choose a
Custom Name format,
enter the name in the
field below.
For example, suppose you want to export photos LA 031, LA 441, LA 686, and LA 894 from photo
group LA 001 to LA 1061. You can use the Custom Name with Index name format to rename your
photos LA 1, LA 2, and so on.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 372
Create a new name format
If none of the preset name formats meets your needs, you can create a new name format. For
example, you could create a name format that uses a custom name, the index number, and
the date.
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > File Naming.
•Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E), then choose Edit from the Name
Format pop-up menu.
The File Naming dialog appears.
2 In the Preset Name list, select an existing name format on which to base the new name format,
then click the Add button (+).
Select an existing name
format in this list.
Click the Add button.
A copy of the selected name format is created.
3 Enter a name for the new preset, then press Return.
4 Add name elements by dragging the elements from the Include area to the Format eld.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 373
You can also type characters directly in the Format eld. If necessary, enter relevant naming
information in the elds provided.
Name elements appear
here. Remove a name
element by selecting it
and pressing Delete.
The name format
example automatically
updates as you change
the name elements.
5 When you’re satised with the new name format, click OK.
The new name format appears in the Name Format pop-up menu.
Modify a name format to remove spaces
When exporting photos for specic uses, such as for use on websites, you may need to use
lenames without spaces so that the lenames are compatible with the intended application
or website. Aperture adds spaces to lenames depending on the name format you use. You can
easily modify name formats to remove spaces from lenames.
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > File Naming.
2 In the File Naming dialog, select the preset name format you want to modify.
Select the name format
you want to modify.
Select the space between
name elements and delete it.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 374
3 In the Format eld, select and delete the spaces or characters between the name elements.
If you wish, you can also add spaces or characters between name elements.
4 Click OK.
Export photos into named or numbered folders
When you export versions and originals, you can have Aperture place the les individually into
a selected folder or create subfolders to hold the les. You do this by choosing a folder name
format from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu in the Export dialog.
Create a folder name preset
You can create custom folder name formats that you can quickly choose to select the folder
structure you want. For example, you might have the exported les placed in subfolders
identied by date.
You can specify a combination of name elements to create custom folder names.
You can also create a hierarchy of folders within folders. For example, you can specify that
Aperture place your photos in a subfolder named Date, and within that folder you can create
subfolders identied by the time the photo was taken.
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Folder Naming.
•In the Export dialog, choose Edit from the Subfolder Format pop-up menu.
The Folder Naming dialog appears.
2 Click the Add button (+) to create a new folder name format, or select the preset folder name
format you want to change.
3 Drag the name elements you want into the Format eld in the order you want them.
4 Drag a slash between the elements where you want subfolders created.
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Chapter 9 Export photos 375
5 Enter a custom name in the Custom Name eld, if you wish.
Note: The Custom Name eld is dimmed unless “Custom Name” is one of the elements in the
Format eld.
6 Click OK.
Your new folder name format now appears in the Subfolder Format pop-up menu.
Reset the starting number of a counter in a folder name preset
When using a counter in your folder name format, you can specify the starting number and the
number of digits, from 1 to 6, that appear in the counter. When you use a folder name format
with a counter, make sure to reset the initial starting number, if necessary. Otherwise, on the next
export Aperture will continue numbering the folders containing the exported photos starting
from the last number of the previous export.
mIn the Folder Naming dialog, type 0 (zero) in the “Incrementing counter starting at” eld.
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376
Slideshows overview
With Aperture, you can easily create and present slideshows of your photos. You can use two
main methods to create slideshows in Aperture:
•Create a slideshow quickly: You can quickly create a slideshow from a selection of photos using
a slideshow preset. Slideshow presets are collections of predened slideshow settings that
determine the overall look of your slideshow and how your photos appear on the screen.
Aperture provides a number of slideshow presets, and you can also create your own custom
presets. Slideshow presets are convenient when you’re sitting with a client or friend and you
want to give a basic presentation of your photos on your computer, but you don’t need to
save the slideshow. For more information, see Slideshow presets overview on page 376.
•Create a full-featured slideshow: To create a more elaborate multimedia presentation or to
export your slideshow as a movie for others to view, you create a slideshow album and use
the Slideshow Editor to edit the slideshow. Aperture provides themes that you can apply to
your slideshow to give it a professional look, and you can also include video clips, create a
layered soundtrack, and customize elements such as titles, borders, transitions, and eects.
You can play the slideshow on your computer, or you can export the slideshow as a movie to
share with others via email or the web. You can also send your slideshow directly to iTunes
for syncing with iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV. For information, see Full-featured
slideshow overview on page 381.
Important: Aperture slideshows cannot be edited in iPhoto. To modify an Aperture slideshow,
you must open your Aperture library in Aperture and then edit the slideshow.
Create slideshows quickly using presets
Slideshow presets overview
Slideshow presets are groups of predened settings for playing a slideshow. For example, you
can choose a slideshow preset to change the theme or apply transitions and timing to your
onscreen presentation. You choose presets in the Play Slideshow dialog. When you choose a
preset, a preview of the preset plays in the dialog.
For more information, see Play a slideshow using a preset on page 377.
Create slideshows
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 377
You can also create your own custom presets. For example, to prepare for a presentation, you
could create two new slideshow presets: one for your presentation and the other for your
question-and-answer period. The presentation slideshow can be manually controlled, allowing
you to move through the photos at your own pace. Your second slideshow preset, to be used
during the question-and-answer period of your presentation, can display the same photos using
the Sliding Panels theme set to show each photo for 15 seconds, with music and looping applied.
You create or modify a slideshow preset in the Slideshow dialog. For more information, see
Create and modify slideshow presets on page 379.
The Slideshow dialog
lets you create or modify
slideshow presets.
Play a slideshow using a preset
You can easily set up a slideshow by selecting the photos you want and then choosing a
slideshow preset, which is a group of predened settings that determines the style of your
slideshow. Once you start the slideshow on your computer, you can control the slideshow
using keyboard shortcuts.
Important: To display slideshows at the best quality, you should set Aperture to create high-
resolution previews. In addition to setting previews to their highest resolution, you should also
use full-size previews to prevent upscaling with large displays. If previews are not available,
photos in the slideshow may not be as sharp as they would be otherwise. For more information
about creating high-resolution previews, see Preview images overview on page 494.
Create and play a slideshow
Before creating the slideshow, arrange the thumbnail images in the Browser in the order in
which you want them to appear in the slideshow.
1 Select a set of photos by doing one of the following:
•Select an item in the Library inspector.
•Select individual photos or photo stacks in the Browser.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 378
2 Choose File > Play Slideshow (or press Shift-S).
The Play Slideshow dialog appears.
3 Choose a preset from the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu.
Note: Additional slideshow presets appear in the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu for use in
Aperture when iPhoto ’11 is installed.
When you choose a preset from the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu, a preview of the preset
plays below the pop-up menu.
4 Click Start.
If either no photo or a single photo is selected, the slideshow displays all photos in the current
album or project.
Important: You can save slideshows and share them by creating a slideshow album and adding
photos to it. For more information, see Create a slideshow and choose a theme on page 383.
Control the display of a slideshow
mTo play or pause the slideshow: Press the Space bar.
mTo move forward or backward through the slideshow: Press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key.
mTo stop the slideshow: Press Esc (Escape).
The slideshow stops playing, and the Aperture workspace reappears.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 379
Create and modify slideshow presets
You create a new slideshow preset by duplicating an existing preset and then modifying the
duplicate. You can also add DRM-free music from your iTunes music library to accompany
your slideshow.
Create a new slideshow preset
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > Slideshow.
2 In the Slideshow dialog, select a preset on which to model your new preset, and click the Add
button (+) in the lower-left corner.
Select a preset
in the list.
Click this button
to add a new preset.
A copy of the slideshow preset appears highlighted in the Preset Name list.
3 Enter a new name for the copied slideshow preset, and press Return.
4 When you’ve nished specifying the slideshow settings you want, click OK.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 380
Modify an existing preset
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > Slideshow.
The Slideshow dialog appears.
2 Select the preset you want to modify in the Preset Name list.
3 Modify the slideshow preset’s settings as appropriate.
•Theme pop-up menu: Choose a theme for your slideshow preset.
•“Show title slide” checkbox: Select this checkbox to display a title slide at the beginning of the
slideshow. Aperture automatically generates the title using the name of the item selected in
the Library inspector.
•Timing pop-up menu: Choose how the slideshow duration is determined. There are three
options: tting the slideshow to the duration of the music, showing each photo for a xed
time, or advancing photos manually.
•Slide Duration value slider: Set the minimum amount of time each photo is shown.
•Background color well: Change the background color of your slideshow by clicking the
Background color well and then selecting a new background color from the Colors window, or
click the disclosure button (to the right of the color well) and select a new background color
from the pop-up color palette.
•Inset value slider: Adjust the space between the edges of the screen and the photos.
•Transition pop-up menu: Choose the type of transition that occurs between the slides.
•Transition Duration value slider: Adjust the length of applied transitions. The duration setting is
applied uniformly to each transition.
•“Shue slide order” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have Aperture shue the order of the
photos presented in the slideshow.
•“Repeat slideshow” checkbox: Select this checkbox to loop, or continuously play, your slideshow.
If you select this option, you must stop your slideshow manually by pressing Esc.
4 When you’ve nished modifying settings for the slideshow preset, click OK.
To revert to a preset’s original settings, click the Reset Preset button.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 381
Modify a preset to add music
1 Select a set of photos to be displayed in your slideshow.
2 Choose File > Play Slideshow (or press Shift-S).
3 In the Play Slideshow dialog, choose Edit from the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu.
4 In the Slideshow dialog, do one of the following:
•Select a slideshow preset to modify.
•Create a new slideshow preset.
For more information about creating and modifying presets, see the instructions above.
5 In the Slideshow dialog, select the “Play music during slideshow” checkbox.
Select this checkbox if you
want to play music or an audio
clip during your slideshow.
Click the Play button
to preview your choice.
Select a song
or an audio clip.
6 Navigate to a song or an audio track in the audio browser.
You can search for a specic song, artist, or song time by entering information in the search eld.
7 If you want to preview your song choice, click the Play button.
8 If you’re satised with your music selection, click OK.
The Play Slideshow dialog appears.
9 To begin playing the slideshow presentation, click Start.
Delete a preset
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > Slideshow.
2 Select the preset you want to delete in the Preset Name list.
3 Click the Remove button (–) in the lower-left corner.
Create full-featured slideshows
Full-featured slideshow overview
Creating, editing, and sharing slideshows containing your photos is a fairly simple process. Here
are some of the typical steps in the multimedia slideshow creation and sharing process.
Stage 1: Select photos, audio clips, and video clips
Gather your initial selection of photos and video clips in the Browser. Locate any audio clips you
plan to use in your slideshow presentation.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 382
Stage 2: Create a slideshow album
Create a slideshow album in the Library inspector from the selection of photos and video clips in
the Browser, and choose a theme for the slideshow. Drag additional photos and video clips into
the slideshow album as necessary.
Note: The Classic and Ken Burns slideshow themes are the most customizable. Use the dialog
that appears when you create a new slideshow album to preview the slideshow themes that
come with Aperture. If you want to signicantly modify a slideshow theme, choose Classic or
Ken Burns.
Stage 3: Arrange the slideshow presentation
Arrange the photos and video clips in the Browser, below the Slideshow Editor, from left to right
to tell the story you want. Each photo and video clip functions as an individual slide.
Stage 4: Preview the slideshow in the Slideshow Editor
Preview the slideshow in the Slideshow Editor to verify that photos and video clips play in the
correct sequence.
Stage 5: Select music
Choose the music or audio clip that will play during the slideshow. You can apply a looped
song to the main audio track and then add voiceover audio clips and other audio clips to the
secondary audio track.
Stage 6: Adjust transitions
Adjust transitions to emphasize the most important photos in the slideshow or give a particular
treatment to photos with similar subject matter. Make sure that the sequence of photos and the
duration of the transitions match the cadence and tempo of the music or audio clip you selected
for the slideshow.
Stage 7: Add a slideshow title and slide text
Add a title to your slideshow using the titling controls. Insert a blank slide at the beginning of
the movie to display your title. You can also use blank slides to act as chapter dividers. Add text
to individual slides where appropriate.
Stage 8: Preview the slideshow again
Preview the slideshow once again in full-screen mode to make sure the photos and video clips
are playing in the correct sequence. Ensure that the music or audio clip matches the theme of
the slideshow and the cadence of the photos and video clips, that the eects and transitions are
to your liking, and that the title text is correct.
Stage 9: Export the slideshow
Export the slideshow as a movie in the format that best ts the platform by which you mean to
share it. You can choose a format that is optimized for iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, iPad, YouTube,
Apple TV, 720p HD, or 1080p HD. You can also create a custom movie in a wide range of frame
rates and frame sizes.
Stage 10: Share your slideshow
After exporting your slideshow movie, tell your clients and friends. If you’ve posted your
slideshow on your website or YouTube, send an email announcement.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 383
Create a slideshow and choose a theme
To create a full-featured slideshow using the Slideshow Editor, you must rst create an album
that holds the slideshow’s photos. The easiest way to do this is to select photos you want to
appear in the slideshow and then create an album. You can also create an empty slideshow
album and then add the photos you want.
When you rst create a slideshow album, Aperture asks you to choose a theme. Aperture
provides a set of professionally designed themes that present your photos with background
images, graphic elements, and animation. It’s a good idea to explore the slideshow themes
before you get started. Some themes may lend themselves better to the subject matter of your
photos than others.
If you create a slideshow and then decide that another theme would work better, you can easily
change the theme. You can also change a slideshow’s settings, such as the onscreen duration of
each slide and the type of transition between slides. The settings available for a slideshow vary
depending on the theme you choose. For more information, see Change slideshow settings on
page 385.
Note: Additional slideshow themes appear in the Slideshow Themes dialog for use in
Aperture when iPhoto ’11 is installed. Aperture slideshow themes automatically scale to t
panoramic photos.
Create a slideshow album from selected photos
When you create a slideshow from selected photos, Aperture places the photos in the order in
which they were selected in the Browser, but you can rearrange the order at any time.
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Browser, select the photos you want to place in your slideshow.
•Select an item in the Library inspector.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Slideshow.
•Control-click an item in the Library inspector, and choose New > Slideshow from the
shortcut menu.
•Choose Slideshow from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, give the slideshow a name, select a theme, and make sure the “Add
selected items to new slideshow” checkbox is selected.
Make sure this
checkbox is selected.
Enter a name for your
slideshow in this field.
You can preview slideshow themes by selecting themes in the left column.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 384
4 Click Choose Theme.
The new slideshow album containing the selected photos appears in the Library inspector, and
the Slideshow Editor appears above the Browser. If you want to rename the slideshow album,
double-click the slideshow album’s name in the Library inspector and enter a new name.
The new slideshow
album appears in the
Library inspector.
Create a new, empty slideshow album
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Slideshow.
•Control-click an item in the Library inspector, and choose New > Slideshow from the
shortcut menu.
•Choose Slideshow from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
2 In the dialog that appears, give the slideshow a name and select a theme.
You can preview slideshow themes by selecting themes in the left column.
3 Make sure the “Add selected items to new slideshow” checkbox is not selected.
4 Click Choose Theme.
The new, empty slideshow album appears in the Library inspector, and the Slideshow Editor
appears above the Browser. Drag the photos you want from the Browser into the new slideshow
album in the Library inspector.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 385
Change the theme for an existing slideshow
1 In the Slideshow Editor, click the Theme button.
Click the Theme
button to change
a slideshow’s theme.
2 In the dialog that appears, select a theme from the list and click Choose Theme.
Change slideshow settings
You can change the settings that determine how your slideshow looks and plays. For example,
you can set the aspect ratio for the slideshow, change the background color, set the length of
time slides appear, and add titles, transitions, and eects.
You can change settings for the entire slideshow or for individual slides. You change settings
for the entire slideshow in the Default Settings pane of the Slideshow Editor, and you change
settings for individual slides in the Selected Slides pane.
Click here to change
settings for all slides.
Click here to change
settings for the selected
slides only.
Important: The settings available for a slideshow depend on the theme you choose. The Classic
and Ken Burns themes are the most customizable. For information about changing the slideshow
theme, see Create a slideshow and choose a theme on page 383.
Modify settings for the entire slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, change the settings for your slideshow.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 386
Modify individual slides
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select photos in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
4 In the Selected Slides pane, modify settings for the selected photos.
Set the slideshow aspect ratio and crop
Determining the aspect ratio of the slideshow is the rst setting you need to address. Aperture
slideshows can be output at aspect ratios that match either the main or secondary display, the
dimensions of a standard 4:3 or 16:9 widescreen TV, or the 3:2 aspect ratio of iPhone.
For some themes, you can also choose how photos appear within the slideshow aspect ratio. For
example, you can have photos t within the frame without cropping, or you can have photos ll
the frame, which might cause cropping. You can also apply the Ken Burns eect, which zooms in
to or out of photos in the slideshow.
Set the aspect ratio for the slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 Choose an aspect ratio from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu.
Fit slides to the aspect ratio
Note: The Crop pop-up menu is not available in all themes.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 Do one of the following:
•To t every photo in the slideshow within the chosen aspect ratio without cropping the photos:
Choose Fit in Frame from the Crop pop-up menu.
•To have every photo in the slideshow ll the frame of the chosen aspect ratio: Choose Fill Frame
from the Crop pop-up menu.
Cropping will occur along the longest dimension of each photo unless the photo’s aspect ratio
matches the aspect ratio chosen in the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu. Drag within the images to
set the portions of the photos that are visible.
•To apply a Ken Burns eect to the photos in the slideshow: Choose Ken Burns Eect from the Crop
pop-up menu.
For more information, see Apply a Ken Burns eect to a slide on page 393.
Make an individual photo ll the screen
You can use the Crop controls in the Selected Slides pane to make a photo in your slideshow ll
the screen.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 387
Note: The Crop controls are not available in all themes.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select a photo in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, click the
Selected Slides button, and select the Crop checkbox.
Choose how you want
the photo cropped from
this pop-up menu.
Make sure this checkbox
is selected.
4 Choose Fill Frame from the Crop pop-up menu.
5 Click the Edit button to the right of the Crop pop-up menu.
A crop overlay appears over the selected photo.
6 Drag the crop overlay over the part of the photo that you want to appear in the slideshow.
7 Click Done.
Add a title or text to the slideshow
You can apply a title to the beginning of your slideshow. You can also display your title over a
solid background by inserting a blank slide.
Note: The title controls in the Selected Slides pane of the Slideshow Editor and the title options
in the Slideshow Action pop-up menu are available only with the Classic and Ken Burns
slideshow themes. If iPhoto ’11 is installed, a new Text control appears, allowing you to add text
to any slideshow theme.
You can also add text that will appear on every slide of the slideshow and add text to
individual slides.
Apply a title to the beginning of the slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, select the “Show title” checkbox.
The slideshow album’s name appears in a text box over the rst slide in the slideshow.
4 If you wish, double-click the title and enter new title text.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 388
5 If you want to choose a specic font and font size for the slideshow title, click the Fonts button
(with an A) and select a font and font size from the Fonts window.
6 If you want to change the font color for the slideshow title, do one of the following:
•Click the “Show title” color well, and select a color from the Colors window.
•Click the disclosure button to the right of the color well, and select a color from the pop-up
color palette.
Disclosure button for the
pop-up color palette
“Show title” color well
Insert a blank slide for the title
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the Browser, move the playhead to the beginning of the slideshow.
3 Choose Insert Blank Slide With Text from the Slideshow Action pop-up menu .
A blank slide appears at the beginning of the slideshow with the title.
4 In the Slideshow Editor, double-click the text in the slide and enter a title for the slideshow.
Add text to all the slides
You can display basic information about each photo in your slideshow, such as each version’s
name or caption.
By default, the slide text is displayed on the lower-left side of the photo. However, you can
choose where you want the slide text to appear onscreen. The slide text appears in the same
position on each slide.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, choose the type of information to display with each photo from the
Text pop-up menu.
Text Fonts
button
Text color well
Text pop-up menu
Disclosure button for
the pop-up color palette
4 To change the font and font size for the slide text, click the Text Fonts button and select a font
and font size from the Fonts window.
5 To change the color of the slide text, do one of the following:
•Click the Text color well, and select a color from the Colors window.
•Click the disclosure button to the right of the color well, and select a color from the pop-up
color palette.
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6 To change the position of the slide text, drag it to a new position on the screen.
Yellow alignment guides appear to help you center the text horizontally and vertically or align
the text in the upper third or lower third of the photo.
Yellow lines appear
to help you position
the text.
Add text to an individual photo in the slideshow
You can add text to individual photos in your slideshow using the Text controls. The text for the
individual slides overrides any text applied to the entire slideshow using the Default Settings
controls. Text that can be edited appears over the selected photo or group of photos in the
slideshow. You can also automatically add text based on metadata such as the version name
or caption.
Note: The Text controls are not available in all themes.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
4 In the Selected Slides pane, select the Text checkbox, and do one of the following:
•To add custom text: Choose Custom from the Text pop-up menu.
Text that can be edited appears over the selected photo in the slideshow. Enter the text for
the photo here.
•To add text based on the photo’s metadata: Choose a type of metadata from the Text
pop-up menu.
Text pop-up menu
Text color well
Text Fonts button
Disclosure button
for the pop-up color
palette
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5 To change the color of the text, do one of the following:
•Click the Text color well, and select a color from the Colors window.
•Click the disclosure button to the right of the color well, and select a color from the pop-up
color palette.
6 To change the font and font size for the slide text, click the Text Fonts button and select a font
and font size from the Fonts window.
7 To choose where the text appears on the screen, drag the text to a new position.
Set the length of time slides play
You can set the display time for all slides in your slideshow, and with some themes, set specic
display times for individual slides.
Set the display time for all slides in the slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, specify the number of seconds that each slide should appear
onscreen using the “Play slide for” value slider.
Note: Depending on which theme is applied to the slideshow, additional controls may
appear for tting the slideshow to the soundtrack and aligning the slideshow to beats. For
more information about adding a soundtrack to a slideshow, see Add music and audio to
slideshows on page 395.
Set the display time for a specic slide or group of slides
In some themes, you can select individual photos in a slideshow and set a specic
display duration.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select a photo or group of photos in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
4 In the Selected Slides pane, select the “Play slide for” checkbox, and use the value slider to specify
the length of time you want the slide or group of slides to appear.
Note: The slide duration controls are not available in all themes.
Make sure this checkbox
is selected.
Specify a duration
using this value slider.
Set a slide’s duration on the y
You can change the durations of slides while the slideshow is playing.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the Browser, move the playhead to the beginning of the slideshow.
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3 In the Slideshow Editor, click the Slide Duration button.
An overlay displays the length of time the slide is set to play.
Controls appear over the photo in
the Slideshow Editor that allow you
to change the duration of each slide.
Click the Slide
Duration button.
4 Press the Space bar to play the slideshow.
As the playhead moves over the selected slide in the Browser, the duration counter in the overlay
counts the number of seconds. The playhead stops when it reaches the end of the slide, but the
duration counter continues to count.
5 To stop the counter and set the current slide’s display duration, press Return.
The playhead moves to the next slide in the Browser.
6 Repeat step 4 until the duration of each slide is set.
7 When you have nished, click Done.
Apply transitions and eects to slides
Some themes, such as Classic and Ken Burns, allow you to modify the transitions between
slides. You can apply changes uniformly to every slide and transition in the slideshow using the
Default Settings controls, and you can apply changes to individual slides using the Selected
Slides controls.
Some themes also allow you to apply an eect, such as a sepia tint, to a selection of slides in
your slideshow.
Apply a transition uniformly between slides in the slideshow
If the theme you’re using provides options for changing transitions, you see a Transition pop-up
menu in the Default Settings pane of the Slideshow Editor. You can add a transition uniformly
between the slides in your slideshow and set the duration of the transition.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, choose a transition from the Transition pop-up menu.
A preview of the selected transition plays in the preview area.
Speed value slider
Transition
pop-up menu
Preview area
Transition direction buttons
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4 If you chose a transition that can be applied in more than one direction, click a transition
direction button to set the direction of the transition.
The preview area shows the angle at which animated transitions enter and exit the frame.
Note: The transition direction buttons appear dimmed if you choose a transition that can be
applied in only one direction.
5 Set the duration of the transition in seconds using the Speed value slider.
The chosen transition is applied uniformly between slides in the slideshow, with the direction
and duration you specied.
Apply a transition between selected slides
You can add a unique transition in your slideshow or change an existing one using the Transition
controls.
Note: The Transition controls are not available in all themes.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select a photo or group of photos in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
4 In the Selected Slides pane, select the Transition checkbox and choose a transition from the
pop-up menu.
A preview of the transition appears in the preview area.
Make sure this
checkbox is selected.
Transition direction buttons
Speed value slider
Preview area
Transition
pop-up menu
5 Set the duration of the transition in seconds using the Speed value slider.
6 If you chose a transition that can be applied in more than one direction (the Move In transition,
for example), set the direction of the transition by clicking one of the transition direction buttons.
The chosen transition is applied between the selected photos, with the duration and direction
you specied.
Apply a photo eect to a specic slide or group of slides
Note: Photo eects are not available in all themes.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select a photo or group of photos in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
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4 In the Selected Slides pane, select the “Photo eect” checkbox and choose an eect from the
pop-up menu.
Make sure this
checkbox is selected.
The eect is applied to the selected slides. To turn o the eect, deselect the “Photo eect”
checkbox.
Apply a Ken Burns eect to a slide
Some themes, such as Classic and Ken Burns, allow you to use a Ken Burns eect when displaying
slides. The Ken Burns eect zooms in to or out of a photo while panning across its longest
dimension. You can apply the Ken Burns eect to the entire slideshow or to individual slides.
When you apply the eect to individual slides, you can also choose where the panning begins
and ends.
If the faces in the photos have names assigned to them, the Ken Burns eect takes this
information into account when cropping and positioning the faces in the slideshow.
Note: The Crop controls and Ken Burns eect are not available in all themes.
Apply a Ken Burns eect to all slides in the slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, choose Ken Burns Eect from the Crop pop-up menu.
Apply a Ken Burns eect to an individual slide in the slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select a photo in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
4 Select the Crop checkbox and choose Ken Burns Eect from the Crop pop-up menu.
Choose Ken Burns
Effect from the Crop
pop-up menu.
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5 To specify where panning begins and ends, click the Edit button to the right of the Crop
pop-up menu.
The Start and End overlays appear in the Slideshow Editor.
6 Drag the Start (green) and End (red) overlays over the parts of the photo where you want the
panning to begin and end.
The yellow line between the center marks of the Start and End overlays indicates the panning
path of the Ken Burns eect.
The End overlay is red.
The Start overlay
is green.
7 If you want to reverse the panning motion, click the Reverse button.
Reverse button
8 When you’re satised with the panning path of the Ken Burns eect, click Done.
To review the customized Ken Burns eect you applied to the photo, click the Preview Slideshow
button or press the Space bar.
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Adjust the volume of video slides
In Aperture, you can add video clips as individual slides in your slideshow. You work with video
clips in the Slideshow Editor and Browser in the same way that you work with photos. However,
there are additional controls in the Selected Slides pane of the Slideshow Editor for setting the
volume of a video clip. For example, you can mute the audio clip in the main audio track while
the video clip is playing. You can also change the duration of the fade-in and fade-out of the
video clip’s audio to smooth out abrupt transitions between the video clip and the audio clip in
the slideshow’s main audio track.
Note: To trim a video clip or duplicate it so that you can use multiple portions of it in the same
slideshow, see Work with audio and video in the Viewer on page 168.
Change the volume of a selected video slide
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Select a video clip in the Browser.
3 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Selected Slides button.
4 In the Selected Slides pane, do any of the following
•To change volume: Set the volume of the video clip using the Volume slider and value slider.
•To set a volume fade-in for a slide: Specify the duration of the fade-in, in seconds, using the Fade
In slider and value slider.
•To set a volume fade-out for a slide: Specify the duration of the fade-out, in seconds, using the
Fade Out slider and value slider.
•To reduce the volume of the main track while a slide plays: Select the “Reduce volume of main
track to” checkbox, and use the slider or value slider to decrease or increase the volume.
•To mute the volume of the main track while a slide plays: Select the “Reduce volume of main track
to” checkbox, and set the slider or value slider to 0%.
Add music and audio to slideshows
Add music and audio to slideshows
You can add music and audio to your slideshow in two ways:
•Drag a song or an audio clip from the Audio browser to the background of the timeline in the
Browser: Audio added in this way is called the main audio track and is used to play audio, such
as a song, in the background. Clips in the main audio track cannot be edited, but you can add
another audio clip to the end of the track if the slideshow is longer than the audio le. When
an audio clip is added to the main audio track, the background of the timeline in the Browser
turns green.
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•Drag a song or an audio clip from the Audio browser to a specic slide in the Browser: Dragging an
audio clip to a slide creates a secondary audio track, which appears as a green bar below the
slides in the Browser. Clips in the secondary audio track always play on top of audio clips in the
main audio track. However, you can apply fade-ins and fade-outs to the clips in the secondary
audio track, and you can adjust the volume of clips in the main audio track when a clip in the
secondary audio track is playing. You can also adjust the duration and placement of audio clips
in the secondary audio track.
You can t the slideshow to the length of the main audio track, and you can align the slides to
the beat of the music.
Add an audio clip to the main audio track in your slideshow
You can use the Audio browser to access DRM-free audio les from a variety of sources, including
the Sample Music folder, the Theme Music folder, GarageBand, or your iTunes music library. You
can also use any audio le imported into the Aperture library.
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 If the Audio browser controls are not shown in the Slideshow Editor, click the Audio Browser
button .
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3 In the Audio browser, select the source for your audio, and then select a song or an audio clip.
Select the source for
your audio in this list.
Select a song or an
audio clip in this area.
Audio Browser button
4 If you wish, preview the audio by clicking the Play button .
5 Drag the selected song or audio clip to the Browser’s background.
The background of the Browser turns green, indicating that the selected song or audio clip
is applied to the slideshow’s main audio track. The main audio track clip always starts at the
beginning of the slideshow. When there is more than one clip in the main audio track, the audio
clips are placed back to back, with no gaps.
Drag the song or audio clip
to the Browser’s background.
The background of the
Browser becomes green.
6 If the audio clip in the main audio track is not long enough, drag another audio clip from the
Audio browser to the point in the Browser where the previous audio clip ended.
The main audio track is extended by the duration of the second audio clip.
To remove an audio clip from the main audio track, select the audio clip and press the Delete key.
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Add an audio clip to the secondary audio track in your slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 If the Audio browser controls are not shown in the Slideshow Editor, click the Audio Browser
button .
3 In the Audio browser, select the source for your audio, and then select a song or an audio clip.
Select the source for
your audio in this list.
Select a song or an
audio clip in this area.
Audio Browser button
4 If you wish, preview the audio by clicking the Play button .
5 Drag the selected song or audio clip to the specic slide in the Browser where you want the
audio to begin.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 399
A green bar appears at the bottom of the Browser to indicate that the audio clip has been added
to the secondary audio track. When the playhead reaches the secondary audio track, the audio
clip in that track plays over any audio clip in the main audio track.
Drag the song or audio
clip to where you want the
secondary audio to begin.
The green bar
indicates a clip in the
secondary audio track.
6 To add additional audio clips to the secondary audio track, repeat steps 3 through 5.
To remove an audio clip from the secondary audio track, select the audio clip and press the
Delete key.
Trim or move an audio clip in the secondary audio track
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Do one of the following
•To trim an audio clip in the secondary audio track: In the Browser, click the right edge of the
audio clip, and drag to the left or right to shorten or lengthen it.
The pointer changes to a Resize pointer, indicating that you can change the clip duration.
Use the Resize pointer
to shorten or lengthen
the audio clip.
•To move an audio clip in the secondary audio track: Drag the audio clip to a new position in the
Browser timeline.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 400
The pointer changes to a hand, indicating that you can drag the audio clip.
The hand icon appears
when you drag the audio
clip to a new position.
Add a fade-in or fade-out to an audio clip in the secondary audio track
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the Browser, select the clip in the secondary audio track to which you want to apply a fade-in.
3 Do one of the following:
•Choose Adjust Audio from the Slideshow Action pop-up menu .
•In the Browser, double-click the audio clip.
4 In the Audio Adjustments HUD, drag the Fade In or Fade Out slider to change the duration of the
fade-in or fade-out.
You can also click the left or right arrow in the value slider, or drag in the value eld.
Fade In slider
Fade In value slider
A setting of 0.0s turns o the fade-in or fade-out.
To reset any audio adjustments that you’ve made, click the Revert All button.
Adjust the volume of clips in the main audio track while a clip in the secondary audio track
is playing
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the Browser, select a clip in the secondary audio track.
3 Do one of the following:
•Choose Adjust Audio from the Slideshow Action pop-up menu .
•In the Browser, double-click the audio clip.
4 In the Audio Adjustments HUD, select the “Reduce volume of main track to” checkbox, and drag
the slider to the left to decrease the volume, or to the right to increase it.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 401
You can also click the left or right arrow in the value slider, or drag in the value eld.
Use this checkbox and the
controls below to change
or mute the volume of clips
in the main audio track.
A setting of 0% mutes the main audio track.
To reset any audio adjustments you’ve made, click the Revert All button.
Fit the slideshow to the duration of the main audio track
You can set the slideshow to t the duration of the main audio track. However, you need to make
sure that the audio clips you apply to the main audio track are long enough to play each slide.
mIn the Slideshow Editor, choose Fit Slides to Main Audio Track from the Slideshow Action pop-up
menu .
Align the slides to the beat of the music
mIn the Slideshow Editor, choose Align Slides to Beats from the Slideshow Action pop-up
menu .
Loop the slideshow and the main audio track
You can set the slideshow to loop (play repeatedly) in full-screen mode until you stop playback
by pressing Esc. You can also set playback of the audio clip in the slideshow’s main audio track to
loop until the end of the slideshow.
Loop the slideshow or the main audio track
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Slideshow Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, and click
the Default Settings button.
3 In the Default Settings pane, do either or both of the following:
•To set the slideshow to loop in full-screen mode until stopped: Select the “Repeat slideshow”
checkbox.
•To loop playback of the slideshow’s main audio track: Select the “Loop main audio track”
checkbox.
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View your slideshows in Aperture
You can view your slideshow in one of two ways in Aperture: in full-screen mode or in the
Slideshow Editor.
Play Slideshow button
Preview Slideshow button
Slideshow Action pop-up menu
Preview your slideshow
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the Slideshow Editor, do one of the following:
•To play your slideshow in the Slideshow Editor: Click the Preview Slideshow button, or press the
Space bar.
A playhead moves across photos in the Browser as they appear in the slideshow in the
Slideshow Editor. To stop playback, press the Space bar.
•To play your slideshow in full-screen mode: Click the Play Slideshow button.
To exit the slideshow, press the Esc key at any time.
Tip: If you have a dual-display system, you can choose which display the slideshow appears
on when you click the Play Slideshow button. Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click
Appearance. Choose which display you want the slideshow to appear on from the “View
Slideshows on” pop-up menu.
Share your slideshow movies
After you complete your slideshow, you can share it with clients and friends. Aperture provides a
few simple controls for exporting your slideshow as a movie, in the size and format most suitable
for your intended audience. When you’re ready to share your slideshow, the rst thing you
need to decide is how it will be viewed. The Export dialog provides options for exporting your
slideshow as a movie suitable for playback on iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, or iPad; as a movie for
the web to be posted on YouTube; or as a high-resolution movie compatible with HD 720p or
HD 1080p televisions. You can also output your slideshow movie in a custom size.
Share your slideshow as a movie
1 Select a slideshow album in the Library inspector.
2 In the top-right corner of the Slideshow Editor, click the Export button.
3 In the dialog that appears, type a name for the slideshow movie in the Save As eld, and select a
location to save it to.
4 Choose the viewing platform for your movie from the “Export for” pop-up menu.
If you want to export a slideshow movie in a custom size, choose Custom from the “Export for”
pop-up menu, choose a codec from the Codec pop-up menu, enter the number of frames per
second in the Frame Rate eld, enter the width and height in pixels in the Width and Height
elds, and choose a compression setting from the Quality pop-up menu.
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Chapter 10 Create slideshows 403
5 If you want Aperture to send a copy of the slideshow movie to iTunes, select the “Automatically
send slideshow to iTunes” checkbox.
6 If you want to be notied when the export process is complete, select the “Show alert when
nished” checkbox.
7 Click Export.
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404
Creating books overview
Using the book designs and page layouts included in Aperture, you can print outstanding
portfolios of your work that show your photos in their best light. You can order printed books
of your photos using the Apple print vendor service, which provides excellent printed results
and direct delivery to you or your clients. You can also print your own custom books on a color
printer or create les that you can hand o to a print vendor.
When you select or create a book album in the Library inspector, the Book Layout Editor appears
along with the Browser. You use the Book Layout Editor to set up the page structure of your book
and place photos and text on the pages.
The Book Layout
Editor is where you
design your book.
Note: Although you can create books larger than 99 pages, there is a 99-page limit for books
ordered through the Apple print vendor. When you try to order a book larger than 99 pages, a
dialog warns you that there are too many pages. If you plan to print a book using the Apple print
vendor, make sure to keep the number of pages at or below the 99-page limit.
If you prefer to print your books yourself, you can print your book using your own oce printer
or export your book as a PDF le that you can send to a print shop for printing.
Important: Books created in Aperture are not visible when working with your Aperture library
in iPhoto. However, your Aperture books are not discarded. To view and work with your Aperture
books, open the Aperture library in Aperture.
Create books
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Chapter 11 Create books 405
Plan your book
The amount of planning and work involved in creating a book varies with the type of project
you’re undertaking. If you’re creating wedding photo albums, you may be primarily concerned
with creating a reusable book design into which you can quickly place photos that tell the
wedding story. The end result may be one or several printed copies per project.
On the other hand, producing a large book, such as a coee table book, may require a good
deal of planning, writing, design, page composition, proong, and production work. In addition,
you’ll want to look ahead and decide how the manuscript should be printed and bound, the
number of copies for the print run, and what copyright and permissions information your book
should include.
For relatively simple books, here are some of the typical steps in the publishing process.
Stage 1: Plan your book’s cover
Choose a cover photo and decide what text should appear on the cover.
Stage 2: Create copyright notices
Create any copyright or permissions notices you need.
Stage 3: Create a book album
Create a book album and choose a theme for your book.
Stage 4: Choose the book’s photos
Place the book’s photos in the book album and arrange them in the Browser in the order in
which they should appear in the book. Don’t place the photos on your pages yet.
Stage 5: Specify the book’s settings
Specify any overall settings for the book, such as size, hardcover or softcover binding, page
numbering, and so on.
Stage 6: Create the book’s pages
Create the number of pages you need and apply master page designs to them.
Stage 7: Place photos in the book
Have Aperture automatically place your photos, or drag the photos onto your pages.
Stage 8: Reposition and resize photos
Reposition and resize photos, adjusting individual page layouts if necessary.
Stage 9: Add text to your book
Add text to your pages and cover.
Stage 10: Proof your book
Print a proof and carefully review the text and layout of the book.
Stage 11: Distribute your book
Send the book to the Apple print vendor, or create a PDF le that you can print or send to a
print vendor. If you create a PDF le, make sure to include all the fonts you used in your book
in the PDF le. If you’re creating a larger, more complex book, contact your print vendor early
in the process to make sure you consider printing issues such as the choice of paper stock, the
use of inks and varnishes, and the review of bluelines, as well as other issues such as binding,
packaging, shipping, and pricing.
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Chapter 11 Create books 406
If you routinely produce printed albums, you can create a book album that you can copy and
reuse with each new project. After setting up master pages and individual page layouts, you can
copy the book album to another project and then substitute the new photos, increasing your
publishing productivity greatly. You can then customize certain pages, such as your cover, to
provide any unique touches you like.
Create a book album
You can create a book album in two ways:
•Select the photos you want to include in the book and then create a new book album
containing the selected photos.
•Create an empty book album and then drag the photos into it.
You choose a theme for your book when you create your book album. A theme provides a
professionally designed set of master pages that determine how text and photos are placed on
the page.
Create a book album
1 Do one of the following:
•To create a book album from a selection of photos: Select the photos you want to use in
the book.
•To create an empty book album: Proceed to the next step.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Book.
•Control-click a project, folder, or album in the Library inspector, then choose New > Book from
the shortcut menu.
•Choose Book from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the book album in the Book Name eld, and specify
the following:
•Theme list: Select a theme in the list to see a preview of its design on the right.
•Book Type pop-up menu: Choose the physical size of the book.
4 If you’re creating a book album from a selection of photos, make sure to select the “Add selected
items to new book” checkbox.
If you’re creating an empty book album, make sure the “Add selected items to new book”
checkbox is not selected.
5 If you plan to use the Apple print service to print your book and you want to check the pricing
for your book type and theme combinations, click the Options & Prices button.
Pricing options for ordering printed books through the Apple print service appear in your
web browser.
6 When you’re ready, click Choose Theme.
A new book album appears in the Books section of the Library inspector. You can add photos to
a book album by dragging photos to it from the Browser. For more information, see Place photos
in a book on page 409.
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Chapter 11 Create books 407
Change the theme for your book
It’s important to choose the theme you want at the beginning of a project. Although you
can change themes after you start a project and Aperture will attempt to convert your book
structure to the new theme’s master pages, you may need to redo some of your work to make
up for dierences between themes. It’s not recommended that you complete a book and then
change themes to see it with dierent layouts.
WARNING: It’s possible to lose text when you change themes. If you change book themes,
make sure to rst copy the text you’ve entered into another document so that you have a
backup copy.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Theme button.
Theme button
A dialog appears, alerting you that you may lose text when you change themes and that any
custom layouts you created will not be preserved.
2 Click OK.
3 Choose a book size from the Book Type pop-up menu.
4 In the theme list, select a theme.
5 Click Choose Theme.
After you change the theme, Aperture updates all of your pages to use the new theme.
You can also create your own custom theme with the dimensions of your choosing. However,
you can’t order books from Apple created with custom themes. For more information about
creating custom themes, see Create and share custom themes on page 431.
View pages
As you work on a book, you can select and view particular pages, and you can change your view
of the pages. You can display your pages laid out singly or side by side, and you can enlarge or
reduce your view of book pages.
You can navigate to pages in your book by clicking a page in the Pages pane or by clicking the
navigation buttons.
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View a particular page in a book
mUse the scroll gesture in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor to scroll to a specic page,
then click the page to select it.
Click to select the
page you want in
the Pages pane.
Use the scroll gesture
to scroll through the
pages in your book.
You can also quickly navigate through your pages by clicking the Previous Page and Next
Page buttons.
Previous Page button
Next Page button
Display pages singly or side by side
You can set the Book Layout Editor to display your pages singly or side by side. For example, you
can display pages side by side to see how photos work beside each other in two-page spreads.
mClick the Show Full Spreads or Show Single Pages button.
Show Full
Spreads button
Show Single
Pages button
Note: Printing single- or double-sided pages is a function of your printer and the options
available in the printer’s Print dialog. If you’re purchasing printed books from the Apple print
vendor, your book is automatically printed double-sided.
Resize the page view
You can reduce or enlarge the view of your book pages in the Book Layout Editor. For example,
you might enlarge the display of your pages to closely inspect details, or reduce the view to get
an overview of the general page composition.
Scale to Fit button
Display Size slider
Actual Size button
Do any of the following:
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mTo reduce or enlarge the display of your pages: Drag the Display Size slider left or right.
mTo return your page view to a size that ts within the Book Layout Editor: Click the Scale to Fit button.
mTo change the page view to show the actual size of the page: Click the Actual Size button.
Place photos in a book
After you’ve created a book album with photos and chosen a theme, it’s time to place photos on
the book’s pages. There are three ways to place photos in your book:
•Drag photos from the Browser to a photo box on the page.
•Have Aperture identfy unused photos in the Browser and automatically place them in
the book.
•Select a group of photos in the Browser and have Aperture automatically place them in
the book.
Add photos to the book manually
mDrag a photo from the Browser to a photo box on the page.
Have Aperture “autoow” unplaced photos
Using the Autoow feature, you can have Aperture automatically place your photos in a book. It’s
a good idea to set up the page structure of your document rst by creating the number of pages
needed and assigning master page layouts. Then arrange your photos in the Browser in the order
in which they should appear in the book and let Aperture place the photos into the structure
you created.
You can place all of the unplaced photos in your book at once, or you can select specic photos
and have Aperture distribute them into any empty pages. For example, you might select several
photos and have Aperture place them into the rst several pages of your book, and then select
several more photos and have Aperture place them on the following pages.
If you prefer, you can have Aperture create as many pages as necessary to hold all of your photos
and place them on the pages. Aperture creates new pages using master page designs from the
selected theme and lls those pages with your photos. You can then change the master page
assignments if you wish.
mTo have Aperture “autoow” unplaced photos: Choose Autoow Unplaced Images from the Book
Action pop-up menu in the Book Layout Editor.
Aperture distributes the unplaced photos beginning with the rst empty photo box. If there are
more unplaced photos than your current page structure can hold, Aperture creates new pages
as necessary.
mTo have Aperture “autoow” selected photos: In the Browser, select the photos you want to place in
the book, and then choose Autoow Selected Images from the Book Action pop-up menu in
the Book Layout Editor.
Aperture distritbutes the selected photos beginning with the rst empty photo box. If you
selected more photos than your current page structure can hold, Aperture creates new pages
as necessary.
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View unplaced photos
After a photo is placed in the book, its Browser thumbnail is marked with a number to show how
many times the photo appears on the pages of the book.
The number indicates
the number of times a
photo has been placed
in a book.
In a long book with many photos, it can at times be dicult to know which photos have been
placed in a book. To help you work eciently, you can click the Show Unplaced Images button to
see only the photos that remain unplaced.
Click the Show Unplaced
Images button to see
only unplaced images.
Click the Show All Images
button to see all the
images in the book album.
Do the following:
mTo display only unplaced photos in the Browser: Click the Show Unplaced Images button.
mTo display all of an album’s photos in the Browser: Click the Show All Images button.
Display a selection of photos in a book album in a standard Viewer
To inspect selected photos in detail, you can display them in the Viewer. When the Book Layout
Editor is open, the Browser provides a button for quickly switching to a standard Viewer.
1 Select the photos in the Browser.
2 Click the Show Viewer button.
The Book Layout Editor is replaced by the Viewer, allowing you to view the photos in detail
and perform image adjustments. To return to the Book Layout Editor, click the Show Viewer
button again.
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Note: You can’t select and use the Lift, Stamp, Rotate, and adjustment tools in the tool strip
when using the Book Layout Editor. To use these tools to make a change to a photo in your book,
select the photo in the Browser, then click the Show Viewer button. The selected photo appears
in the Viewer where you can make image adjustments. Click the Show Viewer button again to
return to the Book Layout Editor.
Add and remove pages
Add individual pages to a book
When you create a book album, Aperture automatically sets up default pages laid out in the
Book Layout Editor. You can select and change these pages to suit your book’s requirements, and
you can add and remove pages as needed. You can insert new blank pages wherever you like.
After adding pages, you can drag them in the Pages pane to new locations in the book.
The most basic way to build a book is to create new pages one by one, adding them to the book
as you go.
Add Pages pop-up menu
Set Master Page pop-up menu
Add a single page to a book
1 In the Book Layout Editor, select a page in the Pages pane.
The new page you are about to create will appear just after the selected page.
2 Choose Add New Page from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
The new page appears in the Pages pane just after the selected page.
3 With the page selected in the Pages pane, choose a master page from the Set Master Page
pop-up menu.
The layout is applied to the new page.
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Duplicate pages in a book
If you’ve made changes to a page and you want to use that page again in your book, you can
duplicate it. Or, you might duplicate a page and then make small modications to it, keeping
both the new page design and the original for later use.
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page or pages you want to duplicate.
You can Shift-click pages in the Pages pane to select multiple pages.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose Edit > Duplicate.
•Choose Duplicate Page from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
The new pages appear in the Pages pane with the same page layout as the one you selected.
Add a new page that is based on a master page
You can add pages that are based on a specic master page.
Add Pages pop-up menu
Remove Pages button
Set Master Page pop-up menu
Book Action pop-up menu
1 To show master pages, choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu in
the Book Layout Editor.
2 Select a page in the Pages pane.
The new page will appear just after the selected page.
3 Select a master page in the Master Pages pane.
4 Choose Add New Page From Master from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
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Automatically create new pages
Aperture can automatically add pages to a book to accommodate the unplaced photos or a
selecton of photos in the Browser. Aperture creates the number of pages needed to hold the
remaining unplaced photos.
Add Pages pop-up menu
Remove Pages button
Set Master Page pop-up menu
Book Action pop-up menu
Distribute unplaced photos in pages created automatically by Aperture
1 Arrange the book album’s photos in the Browser in the order that you want them to appear in
the book.
2 In the Book Layout Editor, select a page in the Pages pane.
The new pages will appear just after the selected page.
3 Choose Add New Pages > With Unplaced Images from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
All of the unplaced photos in the album are added to new pages in the book.
Distribute selected photos in new pages
1 In the Browser, select the photos in the book album that you want add to the book.
2 In the Book Layout Editor, select a page in the Pages pane.
The new pages will appear just after the selected page.
3 Choose Add New Pages > With Selected Images from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
The selected photos are added to a book.
Distribute unplaced photos in new pages based on a master page
1 To show master pages, choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu in
the Book Layout Editor.
2 Select a master page in the Master Pages pane.
3 Choose Add New Pages From Master > With Unplaced Images from the Add Pages pop-up
menu (+).
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Aperture adds the unplaced photos to new pages and places them at the end of your book.
All the new pages are based on the selected master page. If you do not want the new pages
to appear at the end of the book, drag them to the position in the book that you prefer in the
Pages pane. For more information, see Work with pages on page 415.
Distribute selected photos in new pages based on a master page
1 To show master pages, choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu in
the Book Layout Editor.
2 Select a master page in the Master Pages pane.
3 Select the photos you want in the Browser.
4 Choose Add New Pages From Master > With Selected Images from the Add Pages pop-up
menu (+).
Aperture adds the selected photos to new pages and places them at the end of your book.
All the new pages are based on the selected master page. If you do not want the new pages
to appear at the end of the book, drag them to the position in the book that you prefer in the
Pages pane. For more information, see Work with pages on page 415.
Tip: If you no longer need to see the Master Pages pane, choose Hide Master Pages from the
Book Action pop-up menu .
Add a photo index to a book
You can add index pages to a book that show thumbnails of all the book’s photos. Depending on
the theme you choose, Aperture provides dierent looks and layouts for photo indexes. You can
also add an index of photo metadata to your book. Typically, the photo index appears at the end
of a book or at its beginning.
Note: Not all themes support photo indexes. For more information about switching themes, see
Create a book album on page 406.
Add an index page to the end of your book
1 To show master pages, choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu .
2 Select an index master page in the Master Pages pane.
Note: The selected theme must support index pages.
3 Choose Add New Page From Master from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
Add as many index pages as your book needs to hold all the photos.
4 Drag photos to the photo boxes to ll the index pages at the end of your book.
If you want the index pages to appear in a dierent position in your book, drag them in the
Pages pane.
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Add a metadata index to your book
mChoose Create Index from the Book Action pop-up menu in the Book Layout Editor.
Aperture adds metadata index pages to the end of your book and updates the index with the
metadata information from your photos. You can change the metadata that appears in the index
by selecting metadata boxes and changing the metadata format using the Set Metadata Format
pop-up menu.
Remove pages from a book
You can remove pages from a book. Removing pages removes the contents of the page, and
remaining pages simply reow to ll the deletion. You cannot remove the cover page of a book.
Remove pages from a book
1 Select the page or pages you want to remove in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor.
You can Shift-click pages to select multiple pages.
2 Click the Remove Pages button (or press the Delete key), then conrm that you want to delete
the page or pages.
Work with pages
There are many ways to work with pages in your photo book. You can choose between a hard
and soft cover, choose master page layouts, copy pages, reorder pages, and add a background
image to appear behind the photos on a page.
Select a hardcover or softcover design for your book
When you create a new book album, Aperture automatically creates a front cover page for the book.
You can select the page and add a title, cover photo or design, and other text or photos that you like.
You can also choose between a softcover or hardcover design. Softcover designs have a white
background; if you select a hardcover design and purchase printed copies of the book from the
Apple print vendor, you can choose from a selection of hardcover colors. Note that you can only
add photos and text to the front cover of your book; you can’t specify photos or text on the spine
or back cover when purchasing books from the Apple print vendor.
Book cover
buttons Book cover page
To add or change
the cover photo,
drag a photo from
the Browser into
the photo box.
Cover title
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To choose whether your book has a softcover or hardcover design, you click one of the book
cover buttons.
mClick the Hardcover or Softcover button in the Book Layout Editor.
If you don’t plan to purchase printed books from the Apple print vendor, you may want to
employ a graphic designer to create the front and back cover for you, or you can design the
cover yourself using a graphics application.
Apply a master page design to a page
You select a design for your page by applying a master page layout. Aperture provides dierent
master page layouts depending on the theme you choose. You choose a page design from the
Set Master Page pop-up menu. For example, you might create a single-photo page and then
later decide to change that page to hold two photos.
You can apply dierent master page designs to a page to nd the design that works best for
your project.
1 Select the page in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose a master page from the Set Master Page pop-up menu.
•Click the triangle on the page, then choose a master page from the pop-up menu.
If you change a page’s design by repositioning or resizing boxes and you want to start over with
the original design, you can reapply the original master page design by selecting the page you
want to change in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, and then choosing Reapply Master
from the Book Action pop-up menu .
Move a page in your book
You can move pages within a book. If you need to move a particular page forward or backward
in the page order, you can drag it to a new location in the book structure.
1 Select the page in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor.
2 Drag the page to a new location.
Choose a background image
You can choose a background image to appear behind the other photos on a page. For example,
you might create a page that shows a bride and groom in the foreground and a church setting
in the background. Or, you might choose a background image that complements the colors of
the photo in the foreground.
1 Select a page in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor to which you want to apply
the background.
2 Do one of the following:
•To apply a background image to a single page: Drag a photo from the Browser over the page
in the Book Layout Editor until the background becomes highlighted, and then release the
mouse button.
•To apply a background image to a two-page spread: Make sure the Show Full Spreads button
is selected in the Book Layout Editor, then drag the photo you want over the spine (center)
of the page spread in the Book Layout Editor until the background becomes highlighted on
both pages.
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Remove a background image
1 Select the page in the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor.
2 Do one of the following:
•Click the page background to select the image, then press the Delete key to remove
the image.
•Choose No Background from the Set Background pop-up menu.
Note: The Set Background pop-up menu is not available for all themes.
Use page numbers in a book
Aperture provides automatic page numbering in your books. Each theme oers page numbers in
preset positions on the page. You can turn o page numbering if you wish. You cannot reposition
page numbers on the page or change the format of the page numbers.
mTo turn on page numbering: Choose Page Numbers > Always from the Book Action pop-up menu
in the Book Layout Editor.
mTo turn o page numbering: Choose Page Numbers > O from the Book Action pop-up menu
in the Book Layout Editor.
You can also choose the Automatic option to turn on page numbering. When chosen, the
Automatic option displays page numbers on pages when no photos appear behind them.
Rebuild a book with all of the photos in the Browser
If you’ve made modications to the design of a book and you want to start over with an
unmodied design, Aperture can rebuild your book. Aperture rebuilds the book structure using
the default series of master page designs and adds your photos to the revised pages. You lose
any changes that you previously made to your pages. Aperture can place all the photos in the
Browser into the book, or only selected photos.
Do one of the following:
mTo rebuild a book with all of the photos in the Browser: Choose Rebuild Book With All Images from
the Book Action pop-up menu in the Book Layout Editor.
mTo rebuild a book with a selection of photos: Select the photos in the Browser that you want to
place in the book, then choose Rebuild Book With Selected Images from the Book Action pop-up
menu in the Book Layout Editor.
Work with photos
Add photo boxes to a book page
After creating a page and applying a master page design, you may need to add more photo
boxes to hold photos on the page. You can select a dierent master page design that has more
photo boxes, or you can add photo boxes where you need them.
Add a photo box to a page
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select a page in the Pages pane.
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3 Choose Add Photo Box from the Add Box pop-up menu (+) next to the Edit Layout button.
When the photo box appears, you can drag it to a new position and resize it.
Remove photo boxes from a page
After creating a book page and applying a master page design, you may want to remove one or
more photo boxes from the page. You can choose a dierent master page design that has fewer
photo boxes, or you can manually remove photo boxes from the page.
mClick the Edit Layout button, select a photo box or boxes, then choose Edit > Cut (or press Delete).
Modify photo boxes
Aperture is preset to scale photos to ll a photo box on a book page. You can change the
position of a photo within a photo box, making it appear centered or aligned on the right or
left edge. You can also adjust the scaling of a photo within a box. If a photo is scaled so that
only part of the photo is visible within the photo box, you can change the portion of the photo
that’s visible.
Change the position of a photo in a photo box
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box you want to change.
3 Choose Photo Box Alignment from the Book Action pop-up menu , then choose an
alignment option from the submenu.
•To scale the photo to t the size of the box on the page: Choose Scale to Fill.
•To center the photo in the box: Choose Scale to Fit Centered.
•To align the photo on the left edge of the box: Choose Scale to Fit Left-Aligned.
•To align the photo on the right edge of the box: Choose Scale to Fit Right-Aligned.
Change the scale of a photo in a photo box
1 Double-click the photo.
The Image Scale HUD appears.
2 Drag the slider to adjust the size of the photo within the photo box.
Click outside the photo box to hide the Image Scale HUD.
Change the part of the photo that appears in a photo box
1 Double-click the photo.
The Image Scale HUD appears.
2 Drag the photo to change the part that’s visible within the box.
Change the aspect ratio of a photo box
Book pages hold photo boxes with specic sizes and aspect ratios. You can select a photo box
and change the aspect ratio to t the photo. For example, you can change a photo box with a
landscape orientation to one with a portrait orientation.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box you want to change.
3 Choose Photo Box Aspect Ratio from the Book Action pop-up menu , then choose an aspect
ratio from the submenu.
•To change a photo box to a 4:3 landscape aspect ratio: Choose Landscape 4:3.
•To change a photo box to a 3:2 landscape aspect ratio: Choose Landscape 3:2.
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•To change a photo box to a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio: Choose Portrait 2:3.
•To change a photo box to a 3:4 portrait aspect ratio: Choose Portrait 3:4.
•To change a photo box to a square aspect ratio: Choose Square.
•To create a photo box that ts the cropping of the current photo in the box: Choose Photo
Aspect Ratio.
Arrange photo boxes on the page
You can resize and reposition photo boxes on a book page.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box you want to move or resize.
3 Drag the photo box to a new location, or drag a handle on the selected box to change the
photo’s size.
As you drag a photo box, yellow guidelines appear that mark the important margins and image
borders on your page. Using the guidelines, you can make sure that your photo boxes correctly
align with other boxes on your pages.
Copy, paste, cut, and remove photos in photo boxes
After you place photos in photo boxes on your book pages, you can select a box or group of
boxes and copy and paste the contents, or cut or remove the photos from photo boxes.
Copy and paste the contents of selected photo boxes
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Content button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box or boxes whose contents you want to copy.
3 Choose Edit > Copy Content.
4 Select the photo box or boxes where you want the copied contents to appear.
5 Choose Edit > Paste Content.
Copy selected photo boxes
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the box or boxes you want to copy.
3 Choose Edit > Copy.
4 Select the page where you want the copied photo box or boxes to appear.
5 Choose Edit > Paste.
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Cut the contents of selected photo boxes, placing the contents in the Clipboard
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Content button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box or boxes whose contents you want to cut.
3 Choose Edit > Cut Content.
Remove the contents of selected photo boxes without saving them in the Clipboard
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Content button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box or boxes whose contents you want to remove.
3 Press the Delete key.
Stack photo boxes in a specic order
As you arrange photo boxes on a book page, perhaps overlapping them to create a certain look,
you may want to change their stacking order. For example, you might want to place three photos
on top of one another in a specic order. To change the stacking order of photo boxes, you select
a photo box and then click the Bring Forward or Send Backward button.
Send Backward button
Bring Forward button
Change the order of a stack of photo boxes
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the photo box whose stacking order you want to change.
3 Do one of the following:
•Click the Bring Forward or Send Backward button.
•Choose Arrange from the Book Action pop-up menu , then choose an option from
the submenu.
Change the look of photos with lters
Aperture allows you to change the look of photos in books by applying lters. For example,
you might apply a lter that fades a photo so that you can position text over it to create an
interesting cover. You can also apply lters that change a photo to black and white or sepia.
Apply a lter to a photo box
1 Select the photo box that contains the photo you want to change.
2 Choose the lter style you want from the Set Photo Filter pop-up menu.
Note: When you apply a lter to a photo in a book and then examine the photo with the Loupe,
the photo appears without the lter eect. The lter is applied only to the photo in the book, not
to the photo version. The Loupe displays the photo version.
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Add map boxes to a book page
If you’ve added location information to your photos using Places, you can add a map to a book
page showing the locations where the surrounding photos were shot. In addition, you can dene
a route between locations to illustrate the journey between destinations.
Note: The Map box feature is available only in certain book themes. For more information about
book themes, see Create a book album on page 406.
Add a map box to a page
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select a page in the Pages pane.
3 Choose Add Map Box from the Add Box pop-up menu.
When the map box appears on the selected page in the Book Layout Editor, you can drag it to
a new position and resize it. Locations assigned to photos in photo boxes surrounding the map
box are automatically plotted on the map.
Give the map a title
You can give the map a title that appears over the bottom-left portion of the map.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, double-click the map.
The Map Options HUD appears.
2 In the Map Options HUD, enter a title for the map in the Title eld at the top of the HUD.
Enter a title for
the map here.
A title appears over the bottom-left portion of the map in the Book Layout Editor.
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Add a location to the map
By default, the map automatically displays the locations where the photos that surround it were
captured, provided they have location information assigned to them. However, you can also add
and remove locations that appear on the map using the Map Options HUD.
1 If necessary, double-click the map in the Book Layout Editor.
2 In the Map Options HUD, click the Add button (+) .
A new, untitled location appears.
An Untitled
location appears.
Click the Add button (+).
3 Click the Untitled location and enter a location that you would like to appear on the map.
A list of locations appears below.
Enter the first few letters
of a new location and
choose the location from
the list that appears.
4 Choose the location from the list.
The new location appears on the map in the Book Layout Editor.
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Remove a location from the map
1 If necessary, double-click the map in the Book Layout Editor.
2 In the Map Options HUD, do one of the following:
•To temporarily remove a location from the map: Deselect the checkbox next to the
location’s name.
•To permanently remove a location from the map: Select the location’s name, then click the
Remove button (–) .
...click the Remove
button (–) to
permanently remove it.
Deselect the location’s
checkbox to temporarily
remove it, or...
The location is removed from the map.
Show direction lines between locations on the map
You can show direction lines between locations on the map to illustrate the progression of your
journey from place to place in your photo essay.
1 If necessary, double-click the map in the Book Layout Editor.
2 In the Map Options HUD, choose one of the following options from the Action pop-up menu :
•To show a simple set of lines connecting the locations on the map: Choose Show Straight Lines.
•To show curved lines with arrowheads indicating the direction of movement from one place to
another: Choose Show Lines with Arrowheads.
Choose to show direction
lines on the map from the
Action pop-up menu.
The direction lines appear on the map.
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Set the path of the direction lines in the map
When you show direction lines on the map, they may not initially connect locations in a way that
matches the route you intended. You set the path of the direction lines by rearranging the order
of the locations in the Map Options HUD.
1 If necessary, double-click the map in the Book Layout Editor.
2 In the Map Options HUD, drag the locations into the order in which you want the direction lines
to appear on the map, from top to bottom.
Drag the locations into
the order in which you
want the direction lines
to appear on the map.
3 If you want the last location on the map connected to the rst location on the map, choose
Return to Starting Place from the Map Options HUD Action pop-up menu .
The direction lines on the map are updated to match the order of locations in the Map
Options HUD.
Choose the area shown in the map
You can specify which part of the map is visible on the page by zooming in to and out of
the map and repositioning the map. If you’ve repositioned the map and the photo locations
are o-center or no longer appear, you can return the map to a position centered on the
photo locations.
1 If necessary, double-click the map in the Book Layout Editor.
2 In the Map Options HUD, do any of the following:
•To zoom in to and out of the map: Drag the Zoom slider (at the top of the HUD) to the right to
zoom in and to the left to zoom out.
•To reposition the map to show other locations: Drag the map to reposition it.
•To center the map on the photo locations: Choose Center Map on Places from the Map Options
HUD Action pop-up menu .
Choose to center the map
on places using the Action
pop-up menu.
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Work with text
Place text on the page
As you work with your book layout, you can add text and position it on the page. You can
make text changes to individual pages in your book, or you can change master pages to create
template pages with custom text styles and layouts. When you want to add text to a book page
and need another text box, you can add one and position it anywhere on the page.
Master page designs provide text boxes that you can select and enter text in. You can also copy
text and paste it into text boxes on your book pages.
Add text to a text box
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Content button, if it’s not already selected.
2 In the Pages pane, select the page you want to work on.
3 Select the text box you want to change.
4 Select any existing text and type or paste the new text.
Add a text box to a page
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page to which you want to add text.
2 Click the Edit Layout button.
3 Choose Add Text Box from the Add Box pop-up menu.
A new text box appears on the page.
4 Drag the text box to the location where you want it to appear.
You can resize a text box by dragging its resize handles.
Arrange text on a page
You can resize and reposition text and metadata boxes on a book page. First click the Edit Layout
button; then click boxes to select them. Selected boxes display handles that you drag to resize
the boxes. You can also drag the contents of a box to move the box to a new position.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 In the Pages pane, select the page you want to work on.
3 Select the text box on the page that you want to move or resize.
4 Drag the box to a new location, or drag a handle on the selected box to change the box’s size.
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Change the number of text columns in a text box
You can change a text box on a book page so that it’s formatted to hold from one to four
columns of text.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button, if it’s not already selected.
2 Select the text box.
3 Choose Text Box Columns from the Book Action pop-up menu , then choose the number of
columns from the submenu.
4 If necessary, resize the text box to better accommodate the changed column layout of the box.
Remove text or metadata boxes from a page
After creating a book page and applying a master page design, you may want to remove one or
more text boxes from the page. You can choose a dierent master page design that has fewer
text boxes, or you can manually select and remove text boxes.
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Edit Layout button.
2 Select the text or metadata box that you want to remove, then choose Edit > Cut Content (or
press Delete).
Add metadata boxes to a page
You can display photos on a book page along with any metadata associated with them. To
display a photo’s metadata, you add a metadata box to the page and link it to the photo. You can
also unlink a metadata box from its selected photo and relink it when necessary.
Add a metadata box to a page
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page to which you want to add the
metadata box.
2 Click the Edit Layout button.
3 Select the photo box to which you want to add a metadata box.
4 Choose Add Metadata Box from the Add Box pop-up menu.
A new metadata box appears on the page.
5 Drag the metadata box to the location where you want it to appear.
You can resize a metadata box by dragging its resize handles.
6 Choose the type of metadata you want displayed in the box from the Set Metadata Format
pop-up menu.
Unlink a metadata box
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page that has a metadata box you want
to unlink.
2 Select the metadata box.
3 Choose Unlink Metadata Box from the Book Action pop-up menu .
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Relink a metadata box
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page that has the metadata box you want
to link.
2 Command-click the metadata box and the photo box you want to link to select them both.
3 Choose Link Metadata Box from the Book Action pop-up menu .
Hide or show photo plate numbers in books
You can turn the display of plate numbers in your books and web galleries on or o. Aperture is
preset not to display plate numbers for photos.
Turn on the display of plate numbers in a book
mIn the Book Layout Editor, choose Enable Plate Metadata from the Book Action pop-up
menu .
Modify the appearance of text in books
You can assign text styles to text and metadata boxes to change the look of text in your book.
Aperture master pages come with preset text styles that include designs for important text
elements such as cover text, subtitles, headings, and paragraph text. You can easily apply these
styles to text and metadata boxes as you work.
Aperture also provides a Fonts window that you can use to change fonts in your books. You
select text in a text box on a page to change the font, font size, font color, and more.
Important: Aperture follows the text-smoothing preferences set in the Appearance pane of
System Preferences. The OS X default setting doesn’t smooth fonts that are 8 points in size or
smaller. This setting only aects the appearance of fonts onscreen; the fonts appear smoothed
when printed.
Change the text style of a text or metadata box
1 Select the text or metadata box you want to change.
2 Choose a text style for your text from the Set Text Style pop-up menu.
Show the Fonts window
Do one of the following:
mSelect a text box, then choose Edit > Show Fonts (or press Command-T).
mControl-click the text box, then choose Font > Show Fonts from the shortcut menu.
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Work with the Layout Options inspector
You can select an item on a book page and view its geometry using the Layout Options
inspector. Some printers require precise layout dimensions; you can use the Layout Options
inspector to accurately place all items on the page by specifying new dimensions using the value
sliders. In addition, you can change the angle of text and photo boxes, as well as apply a color
border to a photo box.
Layout Options inspector
Open and close the Layout Options inspector
mTo open and close the Layout Options inspector: Choose Show Layout Options from the Book
Action pop-up menu in the Book Layout Editor.
The Layout Options inspector appears at the top-left area of the Book Layout Editor.
mTo close the Layout Options inspector: Choose Hide Layout Options from the Book Action pop-up
menu in the Book Layout Editor.
Change the dimensions of a text or photo box
1 Select a text box or photo box on a book page displayed in the Book Layout Editor.
2 Do any of the following:
•To move the selected item left or right: Specify a new value using the X value slider.
•To move the selected item up or down: Specify a new value using the Y value slider.
•To change the width of the selected item: Specify a new value using the Width value slider.
•To change the height of the selected item: Specify a new value using the Height value slider.
Change the angle of a text or photo box
1 Select a text box or photo box on a book page displayed in the Book Layout Editor.
2 Specify an angle value using the Angle value slider.
The photo rotates counterclockwise as the value increases. Decrease the value to rotate the
photo clockwise.
Add a border to a photo box
1 Select a photo box on a book page displayed in the Book Layout Editor.
2 Set the width of the border by specifying a value using the Thickness value slider.
3 Set the color of the border by clicking in the Color well and then choosing a color in the
Colors window.
The border is applied to the photo.
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Work with master pages
Master pages overview
Master pages supply the initial design of your book pages. You apply master page designs
repeatedly throughout a book.
If you plan to make reusable book albums, you can customize the page designs of a selected
theme before creating your books. You can select a master page and modify it, changing the
photo, text, and metadata boxes that appear on the page. You can also create new master pages
to suit specic layout needs. To modify pages, you use the procedures for working with photo,
text, and metadata boxes presented earlier in this chapter.
To modify a master page, you show master pages in the Master Pages pane and then add a new
page or select the page you want to work on. When you select a master page in the Master
Pages pane, the Book Layout Editor displays an enlarged view of the page.
Make layout
changes to your
master page here.
Choose Show Master Pages
from this pop-up menu to show
the Master Pages pane.
Choose the master page
you want to work on here.
Create and modify master pages
You can create new master pages, or you can duplicate existing master pages and modify them.
For example, if you decide to customize a two-photo layout from an original master page design,
you can save the customized version and have multiple two-photo layouts from which you can
choose. Once you create a new master page, the master page name appears in the Set Master
Page pop-up menu, where you can choose it to apply the design to pages in your book.
Note: You cannot modify the master pages for cover pages.
Create a new master page design
1 Choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu in the Book Layout Editor.
2 Select a master page in the Master Pages pane.
3 Choose Add New Page from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
The new master page appears in the Master Pages pane underneath the page you selected in
step 2.
4 If you want to rename the page, double-click its title and type a new name.
5 Select the new master page and make your changes.
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Duplicate and modify a master page design
1 Choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu in the Book Layout Editor.
2 Select the master page you want to duplicate in the Master Pages pane.
3 Choose Duplicate Page from the Add Pages pop-up menu (+).
The new duplicate page appears in the Master Pages pane underneath the original page.
4 If you want to rename the page, double-click its title and type a new name.
5 Select the new master page and make your changes.
Create a new master page design from a page in your book
You can change the design of a page in your book and save the changes to create a new
master page.
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page whose modications you want to
save as a master page.
2 Choose Save Page > As New Document Master from the Book Action pop-up menu .
3 Choose Show Master Pages from the Book Action pop-up menu, if necessary, to show the Master
Pages pane.
4 Select the new master page in the Master Pages pane and rename it.
Save changes in a book page to the original master page design
After updating the design of a page in your book, you can update the original master page with
those changes.
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page whose design you modied.
2 Choose Save Page > To Document Master from the Book Action pop-up menu .
Aperture updates the original master page with your design changes.
Unify and split master pages
Some master pages have left and right versions to match the book margins on the left and right
facing pages. You can select a left or right master page and consolidate the two versions into
one page.
Unify left and right versions of a master page
1 Select a left or right master page in the Master Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor.
2 Choose Unify Master Page from the Book Action pop-up menu .
Split a master page that doesn’t have left or right versions into left and right versions
1 Select a master page in the Master Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor.
2 Choose Split Master Page from the Book Action pop-up menu .
You can now adjust the position of items on the new pages to match the margins on the left and
right pages.
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Update book pages with master page changes
After you change a master page, the modied design can be applied to pages in your book.
Aperture does not automatically update the design of pages whose master pages are modied.
However, you can choose to update the pages in a book with revised master page designs.
Update a page with a changed master page design
1 In the Pages pane of the Book Layout Editor, select the page whose master page design you
want to update.
2 Choose Reapply Master from the Book Action pop-up menu .
Aperture applies the current master page design to the selected page.
Create and share custom themes
If you need a book with dimensions dierent from those of the Small, Medium, and Large format
books, you can create a custom theme with the precise dimensions you require. The ability to set
the dimensions in a custom theme provides the precision demanded by professional printers.
Create a custom theme
1 In the Book Layout Editor, click the Theme button.
A dialog appears, alerting you that you may lose text when you change themes.
2 Click OK.
3 In the dialog that appears, choose Custom from the Book Type pop-up menu.
4 Click the New Theme button at the bottom of the dialog.
The New Custom Book dialog appears.
5 In the Theme Name eld, enter a name for the custom theme.
6 Enter the book’s dimensions in the Page Size, Image Spacing, and Margins areas, then click OK.
The new custom theme appears in the theme list.
Share custom themes with another Aperture system
You can share custom book themes with other Aperture systems. By default, Aperture saves
custom themes in the following location in the Finder:
/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Aperture/Book Themes/
mCopy the themes folders that you want to share from the Book Themes folder on the rst
Aperture system to the same location on the other Aperture system.
The custom themes appear in the Book Themes dialog when you choose Custom from the Book
Type pop-up menu.
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Copy a book album
After you’ve set up a book structure that you like, you can reuse it for other book publication
projects. For example, you might create a wedding album book structure that you
reuse frequently.
You can select and duplicate a book album. You can then remove the photos from the album
and replace them with others to ll the new book. Aperture can automatically ow the new
photos into the duplicated book structure.
Copy a book album and place new photos in it
1 Select the book album in the Library inspector.
2 Choose File > Duplicate Book.
The duplicate book appears in the Library inspector.
3 Drag the duplicate book album to a new project, if you wish.
4 With the duplicate book album selected in the Library inspector, select a photo in the Browser
and choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).
5 To remove the photos from the album, choose Photos > Remove From Album (or press Delete).
All the photos are removed from the Browser and the book pages.
6 Select the project, folder, or album that has the photos you want to place in the book.
7 In the Browser, select the photos and drag them to the duplicate book album in the
Library inspector.
8 Select the duplicate book album in the Library inspector.
9 Arrange the photos in the Browser in the order you want them to appear in your book.
10 Choose Autoow Unplaced Images from the Book Action pop-up menu in the Book
Layout Editor.
The photos are automatically placed in the book pages.
Order books from third-party print vendors using plug-ins
Some third-party print vendors supply plug-ins that allow Aperture to submit your book les
with the format and settings the print vendor requires. All third-party book plug-ins provide
custom themes, book dimensions, and binding options.
To use a third-party book plug-in, you must rst obtain the plug-in software
from the print vendor and install it. For a list of book plug-ins, go to
http://www.apple.com/aperture/resources/third-party-books.html.
Create a book using a third-party book plug-in
1 Go to http://www.apple.com/aperture/resources/third-party-books.html, download a third-party
book plug-in, and install it.
2 Create a book album.
For more information, see Create a book album on page 406.
3 When entering a name for the book album and choosing a theme in the dialog that appears,
choose a third-party book plug-in from the Non-Apple Books section of the Book Type
pop-up menu.
Custom themes designed specically for the third-party book plug-in appear in the theme list.
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4 Select a theme, then click Choose Theme.
5 After you have nished laying out the book, click the Send Book button at the top-right corner of
the Book Layout Editor.
An order pane for the third-party print vendor appears with options and pricing details.
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434
Sharing photos overview
Aperture provides a variety of ways to share your photos with others:
•Use My Photo Stream, an iCloud feature, to keep your photos up to date on all your devices
without having to sync. See My Photo Stream overview on page 434.
• Use iCloud Photo Sharing to share photos, video clips, and comments about them with your
friends. See iCloud Photo Sharing overview on page 441.
•Email photos directly from Aperture. See Email photos on page 448.
•Send photos to Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug from within Aperture. Photos placed in Flickr,
Facebook, and SmugMug albums in Aperture are automatically exported to and published in
your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts. See Sharing photos with Flickr, Facebook, and
SmugMug overview on page 449.
•Create webpages and share them on the Internet. You can create web galleries with multiple
images per page and upload them to your website. You can also create web journals that
present your images with descriptions and titles. See Create webpages on page 463.
Use iCloud to keep photos up to date across your devices
My Photo Stream overview
My Photo Stream is the iCloud feature that uploads and stores the last 30 days of your photos
and automatically pushes them to all your iOS devices and computers. With My Photo Stream,
you can view all your recent photos on all your devices without having to sync—all you have to
do is turn it on.
Note: You must have an iCloud account to use My Photo Stream. iCloud requires OS X v10.7.2 or
later. For more information, see Set up your iCloud account on page 436.
Here’s how My Photo Stream works:
•First, turn on My Photo Stream on any device that you want to be part of your photo stream.
•Next, take a photo with your iOS device, or import some photos from your digital camera to
your Mac, iPad, or Windows computer.
•The photos are automatically uploaded to iCloud and then pushed to your other devices (via
a Wi-Fi network or Ethernet).
Share photos online
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Chapter 12 Share photos online 435
•The photos appear in My Photo Stream on each device: in the Photos app on your iOS devices,
in iPhoto or Aperture on a Mac, or in the Pictures folder on a Windows computer.
Take a photo
Take a photo with your
iOS device. Or import
a photo from your
digital camera to
your Mac or PC.
iCloud stores it
New photos
are automatically
sent to iCloud after
you take them or
import them.
And pushes it
to your devices
Your photos
automatically
appear on
your devices.
My Photo Stream is totally automatic, but if you have a Mac, you can choose to turn o
automatic uploading when you set up My Photo Stream in iPhoto or Aperture. This can be
useful if you regularly import very large numbers of photos.
The photos you upload to My Photo Stream are stored in iCloud for 30 days to give your devices
plenty of time to connect and download them. Your iOS devices keep a rolling collection of
your last 1000 photos in the My Photo Stream album. To keep these photos on your iOS device
permanently, you can save them to your device’s Camera Roll or to another album. Because your
Mac and PC have more storage than your iOS devices, you can choose to have all of your My
Photo Stream photos automatically downloaded to your computer.
Note: My Photo Stream is compatible with TIFF les up to 100 MB, JPEG les up to 50 MB, RAW
les (in supported formats) up to 100 MB, and PNG les up to 50 MB.
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Set up your iCloud account
To use My Photo Stream, you must set up a free iCloud account. With an active iCloud account,
you can set your Aperture library as the main repository for all your photo stream photos. You
can also choose which photos you want to download from My Photo Stream into Aperture, as
well as the specic photos in your Aperture library that you want to upload to My Photo Stream.
Note: You must have an Internet connection to set up an iCloud account.
Set up an iCloud account for the rst time
1 In the Library inspector in Aperture, select iCloud.
2 Click the Use iCloud button, and click Continue in the dialog that appears.
3 In the iCloud pane of the System Preferences window, do one of the following:
•Enter your Apple ID and password, and click Sign In.
Note: If you can’t remember your Apple ID and password, click the “Forgot password?” link,
and follow the onscreen instructions.
•Click Create an Apple ID, and follow the onscreen instructions.
Note: For more instructions on setting up an iCloud account, see Help Center.
You can now return to Aperture to begin working with My Photo Stream.
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Turn on My Photo Stream for an Aperture library
Turn My Photo Stream on or o
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click iCloud.
2 Do one of the following:
•To turn on My Photo Stream: Select the My Photo Stream checkbox.
•To turn o My Photo Stream: Deselect the My Photo Stream checkbox, and click Turn O in the
dialog that appears.
Select or deselect this checkbox
to turn My Photo Stream on or off
for this library.
Switch My Photo Stream to another Aperture library
My Photo Stream is designed to work with one Aperture or iPhoto library at a time. When you
switch libraries, iPhoto prompts you to set My Photo Stream to share photos with the new
library exclusively. Photos from My Photo Stream and shared photo streams are pushed to the
new library from that point on. However, it’s easy to switch the library iCloud uses to upload and
download photos.
Important: If you have My Photo Stream turned on in iPhoto, turning on My Photo Stream in
Aperture turns o My Photo Stream for your iPhoto library. Photos from My Photo Stream are no
longer pushed to your iPhoto library.
1 Open the Aperture library you want to use with My Photo Stream.
Note: For instructions for switching Aperture libraries, see View other libraries on page 58.
2 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
3 Click the Use iCloud button, and click Switch in the dialog that appears.
My Photo Stream is turned on for the Aperture library you switched to and is turned o for the
library you switched from. New photos downloaded from My Photo Stream appear in the library
with My Photo Stream turned on, and only photos from that library are automatically uploaded
to My Photo Stream.
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For information about setting a library to automatically upload photos to My Photo Stream, see
Automatically transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream on page 438.
Automatically transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream
When you turn on My Photo Stream for an Aperture library, Aperture is set to automatically
upload photos to and download photos from My Photo Stream. However, you can turn these
settings on and o. When Aperture is set to automatically download photos from My Photo
Stream, new photos are imported into a project named “[Month] [Year] Photo Stream.” When
Aperture is set to automatically upload photos to My Photo Stream, photos are uploaded as they
are imported into Aperture.
Note: To transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream, you must have an
Internet connection.
Set Aperture to automatically upload photos to and download photos from My Photo Stream
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click the iCloud button.
2 Select the My Photo Stream checkbox.
3 Do either or both of the following:
•To set Aperture to automatically download photos from My Photo Stream: Select the Automatic
Import checkbox.
Note: If you recently switched libraries or have the Automatic Import feature turned o, only
new photos added to My Photo Stream are automatically downloaded to your Aperture
library. If you want to import the existing photos in My Photo Stream, you must manually
download them. For more information, see Manually transfer photos between Aperture and
My Photo Stream on page 439.
•To set Aperture to automatically upload photos to My Photo Stream as they are imported into your
Aperture library: Select the Automatic Upload checkbox.
Photos remain in iCloud for 30 days and are then removed automatically—unless you delete
them rst.
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Manually transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream
You can choose which photos in your Aperture library you want to upload to My Photo Stream.
You can also manually download from My Photo Stream just the photos you want to store in
your Aperture library.
Note: To transfer photos between Aperture and My Photo Stream, you must have an
Internet connection.
Manually upload photos to My Photo Stream
1 In the Library inspector, select the item containing the photos you want to upload to My
Photo Stream.
2 In the Browser, select the photos you want to upload to My Photo Stream, and do one of
the following:
•Choose File > Share > iCloud.
•Choose iCloud from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
•Drag the photos to the iCloud item in the Library inspector.
3 In the iCloud dialog, choose My Photo Stream from the Stream pop-up menu, and click OK.
The photos are uploaded to iCloud and immediately pushed to the iOS devices connected to
your iCloud account. Photos remain in iCloud for 30 days and are then removed automatically—
unless you delete them rst.
Manually download photos from My Photo Stream
1 In the Library inspector, select iCloud, and double-click My Photo Stream.
2 Select the photos you want to download from My Photo Stream, and drag them to a project or
an album in the Library inspector.
The photos from My Photo Stream are downloaded to the specied project in Aperture and
are permanently stored on your Mac—unless you manually delete them. For more information
about deleting images in Aperture, see Work with the Aperture Trash on page 56.
About turning on My Photo Stream on more than one Mac
You can turn on My Photo Stream for the same iCloud account on more than one Mac. When you
have My Photo Stream turned on for more than one Mac and you upload a photo to My Photo
Stream, the upload includes the event information from iPhoto or the project information and
hierarchy from Aperture. If the receiving application has Automatic Import turned on in iCloud
preferences, the event or project information is passed along in one of the following ways:
•Photo uploaded from iPhoto on one Mac and pushed to iPhoto on another Mac: If the iPhoto
library the photo is pushed to contains a duplicate of the event in which the photo originated,
the photo is placed in that event—even if the event has been renamed. If the same event
doesn’t appear in the iPhoto library the photo is pushed to, a new event is created and named
after the photo’s original event.
•Photo uploaded from iPhoto on one Mac and pushed to Aperture on another Mac: A new
project is created in the Aperture library and named after the iPhoto event in which the
photo originated.
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•Photo uploaded from Aperture on one Mac and pushed to iPhoto on another Mac: A new event
is created in the iPhoto library and named after the photo’s immediate parent item in the
Aperture library. For example, if the photo originated at the top level of a project named
“Travel,” a new Travel event is created in iPhoto. If the photo originated in an album named
“Christmas 2011” that is inside another album or a project, the new iPhoto event is named after
the Christmas 2011 album.
•Photo uploaded from Aperture on one Mac and pushed to Aperture on another Mac: If the
Aperture library the photo is pushed to contains a duplicate of the project or album in which
the photo originated, the photo is placed in that project or album—even if the project and
any subordinate folders and albums have been renamed or restructured. If the project or
its albums don’t exist in the Aperture library the photo is pushed to, the project hierarchy is
replicated and the photo is placed in its original position.
Note: When pushing photos to iPhoto or Aperture, iCloud downloads photos to iPhoto events
and Aperture projects that have universally unique identiers (UUIDs) matching those of the
photos’ original events or projects. If you manually create iPhoto events or Aperture projects
with the same names as events or projects in other libraries, those events or projects are not
recognized as matches. To create matching events or projects, you must copy them from one
library and merge them with the other.
About uploading RAW les to My Photo Stream
RAW les imported into Aperture can be uploaded to My Photo Stream and viewed on your iOS
devices. The way the RAW le’s image is uploaded depends on how the RAW le was imported
into Aperture and whether any adjustments have been applied.
Note: When you upload a RAW photo via My Photo Stream, an optimized JPEG copy is created
and added to the photo stream. For more information, see My Photo Stream overview on
page 434.
RAW image state How the RAW image is uploaded to My Photo
Stream
RAW image with no adjustments applied The RAW le is uploaded to My Photo Stream.
RAW image with adjustments applied The JPEG le for the preview image is uploaded to My
Photo Stream.
For information about preview images, see Preview
images overview on page 494.
RAW + JPEG image pair The le that is uploaded is determined by the
frontmost le in the RAW + JPEG pair.
For information about RAW + JPEG pair import
settings, see Import RAW + JPEG image pairs on
page 42.
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Use iCloud to share photos with others
iCloud Photo Sharing overview
Sharing a photo stream is an easy way to keep the important people in your life up to date with
your latest photos and video clips. Invitees, who must have an iCloud account to join the shared
photo stream, can view, “like,” and comment on your photos and video clips from any device
set up with iCloud Photo Sharing. You can also set up shared photo streams so that others can
contribute their own photos and video clips. Those invitees without an iCloud account are sent a
link to a webpage to view the shared photos; however, they cannot comment on the photos.
Here’s how shared photo streams work:
•First, set up iCloud Photo Sharing on any Apple device that you want to use to create or view
shared photo streams.
•Then, select a photo or video on your iOS device or select an item in your Aperture or
iPhoto library.
•Create a shared photo stream to share your item with your friends.
Your friends initially receive an email inviting them to subscribe to your shared photo stream.
When they accept, the stream appears on their iOS devices or within Aperture and iPhoto.
All subsequent items shared in that photo stream automatically appear on the subscribers’
Apple devices.
•You and your friends can comment on and like shared items, as well as reply to the comments.
Your friends can even share their own photos and video clips if you’ve set up your shared
photo stream to allow others to share items.
You and your friends are alerted to new photos, video clips, and comments by notications on
your iOS devices and in OS X.
Note: iCloud Photo Sharing requires OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2 or later. iCloud Photo Sharing
can be associated with only one library at a time. When you switch libraries, Aperture prompts
you to set shared photo streams to share photos with the new library exclusively. Photos from
your shared photo streams are pushed to the new library from that point on.
Turn on iCloud Photo Sharing in Aperture
You can turn iCloud Photo Sharing on and o independently of My Photo Stream.
Turn iCloud Photo Sharing on and o in Aperture
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click iCloud.
2 Do one of the following:
•To turn on iCloud Photo Sharing: Select the Photo Sharing checkbox.
•To turn o iCloud Photo Sharing: Deselect the Photo Sharing checkbox.
After you turn o iCloud Photo Sharing in Aperture, you can continue to add photos to and
remove photos from your shared photo streams using your other Apple devices.
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Create shared photo streams
It’s easy to create a photo stream to share your photos and video clips. You can also view the
items you’ve already shared.
Create a shared photo stream
1 Select the items you want to share, and do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > iCloud.
•Choose iCloud from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
2 In the iCloud dialog, choose New Shared Stream from the Stream pop-up menu.
3 In the “To” eld, type the email addresses for your invitees.
To enable your invitees to access the shared photo stream from an iOS device, you must provide
the email addresses associated with their iCloud accounts.
4 In the Name eld, type a name for the photo stream.
5 If you want invitees to be able to post their own photos and video clips to the stream, select the
Subscribers Can Post checkbox.
6 If you want to share your photo stream with someone who doesn’t have an Apple device, select
the Public Website checkbox.
Note: People who view your shared photo stream on the web cannot comment on the photos.
They also cannot view the comments posted by you or by others who subscribe to your shared
photo stream with an Apple device. If you would like someone who doesn’t have an Apple
device to see the rst comment added to a photo, you must post the comment before inviting
the person to view the shared stream.
7 Click OK.
Your invitees are sent an email and a notication asking them to subscribe to your shared
photo stream.
View photos in a shared photo stream
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
My Photo Stream
Photo streams you’ve
created and shared
Streams you’ve subscribed to
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2 To view the contents of a photo stream, double-click its thumbnail.
Stop sharing a photo stream
If you want to stop sharing a photo stream, all you have to do is delete it.
WARNING: When you delete a shared photo stream, it’s immediately removed from your
subscribers’ devices. If you think your subscribers might want to keep some of the photos or
video clips, you should alert them to save the items before you delete the shared photo stream.
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Select the photo stream you want to stop sharing, and press Command-Delete.
Add, remove, and edit items in a shared photo stream
You can add and remove photos and video clips in a shared photo stream that you created. You
can also update items in a shared stream.
Add photos and video clips to a shared photo stream
1 Select the items you want to add to My Photo Stream or a shared photo stream, and do one of
the following:
•Choose File > Share > iCloud.
•Choose iCloud from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
2 In the iCloud dialog, choose a shared photo stream from the Stream pop-up menu, and click OK.
Remove photos and video clips from a shared photo stream
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Double-click the shared photo stream containing the items you want to remove.
3 Select the items you want to remove and press Delete.
4 Click Delete Photos.
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Replace a photo or video in a shared photo stream
If you share a photo or video in a shared photo stream and then change or apply image
adjustments to it, the newly changed item doesn’t automatically appear in the shared photo
stream. You can either add it to the existing photo stream along with the older version, or you
can delete the older version and replace it with the updated item.
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Double-click the shared photo stream containing the item you want to replace.
3 Select the photo or video you want to replace, press Delete, and then click Delete Photo in the
dialog that appears.
4 In the Library inspector, select the project containing the updated photo, and select the item.
5 Choose iCloud from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
The iCloud dialog appears.
6 In the Stream pop-up menu, choose the shared photo stream that contained the photo you
want to replace, and click OK.
The updated photo or video replaces the item you just removed.
Manage subscribers to your shared photo streams in Aperture
You can add and remove subscribers to your shared photo streams at any time.
WARNING: If you plan to remove a subscriber from a shared photo stream and you think
that person might like to keep some photos or video clips in the shared stream, you need to
alert the person to save the items before you remove him or her from the subscription list.
When you remove the subscriber, your shared stream along with all of its items is immediately
removed from the subscriber’s Apple devices.
Add and remove subscribers to a shared photo stream
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Do one of the following:
•Move the pointer over the shared photo stream’s thumbnail, and click the Info button .
Click the Info button to open
the Photo Stream dialog.
•Double-click the shared photo stream’s thumbnail, and choose Info from the iCloud pop-up
menu in the tool strip.
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3 In the dialog, do either or both of the following:
•To invite a new subscriber: Type the invitee’s email address in the Subscribers eld.
•To remove a subscriber: Select the subscriber’s email address in the Subscribers eld, and
click Unsubscribe.
4 Click OK.
If you invited a new person to view your shared photo stream, an email and a notication are
sent, asking that person to subscribe to your shared photo stream. If you removed an existing
subscriber from your shared photo stream, the shared stream is immediately removed from the
subscriber’s Apple devices. If you want to reinvite a subscriber to view your shared photo stream,
delete the person’s email address from the “Shared with” eld, and add the email address again.
Subscribe to shared photo streams in Aperture
If you have an iCloud account, you can subscribe to shared photo streams that your family
and friends invite you to. After you accept, you can view the photos and video clips on all your
Apple devices, including your Mac. You can mark the photos you like and comment on photos.
You can also post items to a shared photo stream if the creator of the stream has turned on
the Subscribers Can Post feature. If you want to use a photo in a shared photo stream that you
subscribe to, you can import the photo into your Aperture library and then make adjustments to
the photo as needed. You can unsubscribe from a shared photo stream at any time.
Subscribe to a shared photo stream
To subscribe to a shared photo stream, all you have to do is accept the invitation. Invitations to a
shared photo stream are sent by email and notications.
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Move the pointer over the shared photo stream’s thumbnail, and click the Accept button.
If you don’t want to subscribe to the shared photo stream, click the Decline button.
Click to accept or decline an
invitation to a shared photo stream.
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Shared photo streams that you subscribe to appear in the lower portion of iCloud view. A blue
dot next to the shared photo stream’s name indicates that new photos or video clips have been
added to the photo stream or new comments have been added to one of its photos. In addition,
a number appears above the Aperture icon in the Dock to indicate that new photos and
comments have been shared with you.
A blue dot indicates that new photos
or comments have been added.
Unsubscribe from a shared photo stream
If you want to unsubscribe from a photo stream, all you have to do is delete it.
WARNING: When you unsubscribe from a shared photo stream, the photos contained in the
shared stream are immediately deleted from all your devices. If you want to keep some of the
items, you should import them into your Aperture library rst.
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Select the photo stream you want to unsubscribe from, and press Command-Delete.
Add photos and video clips to a shared photo stream
1 Select the items you want to add to a shared photo stream, and do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > iCloud.
•Choose iCloud from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
2 In the iCloud dialog, choose a shared photo stream from the Stream pop-up menu, and click OK.
Comment on or “like” a photo in a shared photo stream
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Double-click the shared photo stream containing the photo or video you want to like or
comment on.
3 Select the item.
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4 In the Info inspector, choose Comments from the Metadata View pop-up menu, and do either or
both of the following:
•To like the photo: Click the Like button (with a smiley face).
Click the Like button
to “like” a photo.
•To add a comment to the photo: Type the comment in the text eld, and click Post.
When you like or comment on an item in a shared stream, that information is sent to all the
Apple devices of the photo stream’s creator and subscribers. You can delete comments you
added to an item by placing the pointer over the comment and clicking the Delete button
that appears.
Save photos from shared photo streams you subscribe to
Photos and video clips in shared photo streams are view-only. However, you can import shared
items into your Aperture library, apply image adjustments, share the updated items, and add
them to your slideshows and books.
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select iCloud.
2 Double-click the shared stream containing the items you want to save.
3 Select the photos or video clips.
4 Import the items by doing one of the following:
•Drag the photos into a project in the Library inspector.
•In the histogram area of the Adjustments inspector, click the Import Photo button.
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Email photos
Although it’s not the best method for delivering uncompressed or large image les, email
provides a quick and easy way to deliver photos. Aperture contains three export presets (Email
Small, Email Medium, and Email Original Size) that create compressed JPEG les that are easy to
send via email. You can specify the email application and the export preset you want to use and
then send photos directly to your email application from within Aperture.
You can also export photos and attach them to email messages later.
Specify an email application and email export preset for Aperture to use
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,), and click Export.
2 In the Export pane of the Preferences window, choose the email application you want to use
from the “Email using” pop-up menu.
3 To specify an export preset for Aperture to use when preparing photos for email transfer, choose
a preset from the “Email Photo Export preset” pop-up menu.
If none of the presets meets your needs, choose Edit from the “Email Photo Export preset”
pop-up menu and create a new export preset.
For more information, see Work with export presets on page 364.
Send a photo directly to your email application
1 Select the photo you want to send.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Email (or press Option-E).
•Choose Email from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
The photo is exported directly to your email application.
Note: Before you attempt to email photos, nd out the maximum le size your email client
supports. If your exported photos exceed this maximum le size, consider using FTP software or
another le-sharing technique to deliver your photos.
Export a photo or photos to attach to an email message later
1 Select the photo or photos you want to export.
2 Choose File > Export > Versions (or press Shift-Command-E).
3 Navigate to the location where you want the exported photos placed.
4 Choose an image le format from the Export Preset pop-up menu.
5 Choose a name format for your les from the Name Format pop-up menu.
6 When you’re ready to export les, click Export Versions.
You can now open your email application and attach the exported les.
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Publish photos to Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug
Sharing photos with Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug overview
You can create Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums in Aperture to collect photos for
publication on www.ickr.com, www.facebook.com, and www.smugmug.com. Photos placed in
Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums in Aperture are automatically exported to and published
in your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts.
The rst time you create a Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug album, Aperture prompts you to enter
your account information. If you don’t have an account, you can create one.
You can also post photos to multiple Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug accounts from within
Aperture. Your accounts appear in the Shared section of the Library inspector. Select an account
to view its albums.
After you have an existing Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug album in place, you can continue
to publish photos to the web account. Any photos posted to your web accounts from other
software applications, your web browser, or a mobile device automatically appear in their
respective albums in Aperture.
You can also have Aperture check your online accounts for new photos and new Flickr sets,
FaceBook albums, or SmugMug gallaries and download them into Aperture.
Note: A Flickr album is not created for photos and video clips published to your Flickr
photostream. For more information, see Set up a Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account in
Aperture on page 450.
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Set up a Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account in Aperture
To share photos from your Aperture library with Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug, you create
Flickr, Facebook and SmugMug albums. The rst step in creating web albums is entering your
Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug account details. You only have to do this once. After you enter
your account details, Aperture securely stores the information in the OS X user account’s secure
keychain. Then you can create as many Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums as you wish
and publish the photos in the albums whenever you have an Internet connection. You can also
publish to multiple Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug accounts.
Important: You must have an Internet connection to share photos from your Aperture library
with Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug.
The rst time you publish to a web album, Aperture asks you to sign in to your Flickr, Facebook,
or SmugMug account.
Sign in to Flickr and create a new Flickr album
1 In Aperture, select a group of photos or a video.
Note: If you have a basic Flickr account, you can upload only one video le at a time to your
Flickr set.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Flickr.
•Choose Flickr from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, click Set Up.
4 In the Flickr account sign-in page, do the following:
a Enter your Yahoo! ID.
b Enter your password.
5 Click Sign In.
A new page opens in Flickr asking if you want Aperture Uploader to link to your Flickr account.
6 Click the “OK, I’ll Authorize It” button, and switch back to Aperture.
A new dialog appears in Aperture with controls for creating a new Flickr set as well as setting
access restrictions for your Flickr page.
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7 Do the following:
a If you have more than one Flickr account, choose the account you want to publish to from the
Flickr Account pop-up menu.
b Choose New Set from the Set pop-up menu.
c Give your Flickr set a name in the Set Name eld.
d In the “Photos Viewable by” pop-up menu, choose an access level to set who can view your
Flickr set.
e In the Photo Size pop-up menu, choose whether you want the photos resized and optimized
for publication.
8 Click Publish.
Aperture securely saves your Flickr account information to your OS X user account’s keychain
and then publishes your album to Flickr. A new Flickr album representing the online Flickr set
also appears in Aperture. To view the album, select the Flickr account in the Shared section
of the Library inspector. To publish additional photos to your Flickr set, see Update your Flickr,
Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 460.
You can also use the Info inspector to view the specic Flickr account and the set the photos
were published to, along with when the photos were published. For more information, see
Modify metadata in the Info inspector and Inspector HUD on page 198.
Upload photos or videos to your Flikr account
After signing in to Flikr the rst time with Aperture, you can post photos and video clips to new
sets, existing sets, and to the your Flickr Photostream.
1 In Aperture, select a photo or a video.
Note: If you have a basic Flickr account, you can upload only one video le at a time to your
Flickr photostream.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Flickr.
•Choose Flickr from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, do one of the following:
•To create a new set for your items, choose a set name from the Set pop-up menu. Type a set
name, choose who can view the photos, and choose a photo size.
•To add your items to an existing set, choose an existing set from the Set pop-up menu.
•To add your items to your Flikr Photostream, choose Photostream from the Set pop-up menu.
Choose who can view the photos, and choose a photo size.
4 Click Publish.
Aperture securely saves your Flickr account information to your OS X user account’s keychain and
then publishes your photo or video to your Flickr photostream.
You can also use the Info inspector to view the specic Flickr account, along with when the
photo or video was published. For more information, see Modify metadata in the Info inspector
and Inspector HUD on page 198.
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Sign in to Facebook and create a new Facebook album
1 In Aperture, select a photo or a group of photos.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Facebook.
•Choose Facebook from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, do the following:
a Enter your email address.
b Enter your password.
c Select the “I agree to Facebook’s terms” checkbox.
d Click Login.
4 In the dialog that appears, do the following:
a If you have more than one Facebook account, choose the account you want to publish to from
the Facebook Account pop-up menu.
b Choose New Album from the Album pop-up menu.
c Give your Facebook album a name in the Album Name eld.
d In the Photos Viewable By pop-up menu, choose an access level to set who can view your
Facebook album.
e Click Publish.
Aperture securely saves your Facebook account information to your OS X user account’s keychain
and then publishes your album to Facebook. A new Facebook album also appears in Aperture. To
view the album, select the Facebook account in the Shared section of the Library inspector.
Note: You will no longer have to log in to your Facebook account if there is a change to this
Facebook album or when you create new Facebook albums. For more information, see Update
your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 460.
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Upload photos or videos to your Facebook account
After signing in to Facebook the rst time with Aperture, you can post photos and video
clips to new albums and existing albums, and upload single photos or a video clip to your
Facebook Timeline.
1 In Aperture, select photos or videos.
Note: You can upload only one photo or video le at a time to your Facebook timeline.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Facebook.
•Choose Facebook from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, do one of the following:
•To publish your items to a new album, choose New Album from the Album pop-up menu.
Type an album name in the Album name box and choose who can view the items from the
Photos Viewable By pop-up menu.
•To publish your items to an existing Facebook album, choose the album name from the Album
pop-up menu.
•To publish a single item to your Timeline, choose Timeline from the Album pop-up menu. Type
a comment in the Comment box if you want.
4 Click Publish.
Aperture securely saves your Facebook account information to your OS X user account’s keychain
and then publishes your photo or video, along with your comment, to your Facebook account’s
timeline. Any comments your friends post to your photo on Facebook appear in the Info
inspector when the photo is selected in Aperture. For more information, see Modify metadata in
the Info inspector and Inspector HUD on page 198.
Sign in to SmugMug and create a new SmugMug album
1 In Aperture, select a photo or a group of photos.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > SmugMug.
•Choose SmugMug from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, click Set Up.
4 In the SmugMug account sign-in page, do the following:
a Enter your email address.
b Enter your password.
c Select the “Remember me” checkbox.
Selecting this checkbox keeps you signed in and prevents you from having to sign in to
SmugMug every time you want to publish photos to your SmugMug account.
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5 Click Log In.
6 Click Next.
A new page opens in SmugMug asking if you want Aperture Uploader to link to your
SmugMug account.
7 Click the “OK, I’ll Authorize It” button, and switch back to Aperture.
A new dialog appears in Aperture with controls for creating a new SmugMug gallery as well as
setting access restrictions for your SmugMug page.
8 Do the following:
a If you have more than one SmugMug account, choose the account you want to publish to
from the SmugMug Account pop-up menu.
b Choose New Gallery from the Gallery pop-up menu.
c Give your SmugMug gallery a name in the Gallery Name eld.
d Add a description, and choose the thumbnail size and privacy settings for your photos.
e Type a password for the gallery in the Gallery Password eld.
9 Click Publish.
Aperture securely saves your SmugMug account information to your OS X user account’s
keychain and then publishes your album to SmugMug. A new SmugMug album also appears
in Aperture. To view the album, select the SmugMug account in the Shared section of the
Library inspector.
Note: You will no longer have to log in to your SmugMug account if there is a change to this
SmugMug album or when you create new SmugMug albums. For more information, see Update
your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 460.
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Upload photos and videos to your SmugMug account
After signing in to SmugMug the rst time with Aperture, you can post photos and videos to
new and existing galleries.
1 In Aperture, select the items you want to upload to SmugMug.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > SmugMug.
•Choose SmugMug from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, do one of the following:
•To publish your photos or videos to a new gallery, choose New Gallery from the Gallery
pop-up menu. Type a gallery name in the Gallery Name box, and specify whether you want
your items placed in folders. Add a description if you want, and choose the thumbnail size
and privacy settings for your items. Enter a password for your gallery if you want.
•To publish your items to an existing Gallery album, choose the gallery name from the Gallery
pop-up menu.
4 Click Publish.
Aperture securely saves your SmugMug account information to your OS X user account’s
keychain and then publishes your album to SmugMug. A new SmugMug album also appears
in Aperture. To view the album, select the SmugMug account in the Shared section of the
Library inspector.
Note: You will no longer have to log in to your SmugMug account if there is a change to this
SmugMug album or when you create new SmugMug albums. For more information, see Update
your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 460.
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Create and delete Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums
After you set up your account information and create your rst web album, creating new Flickr,
Facebook, and SmugMug albums is a simple process.
You can also delete web albums in Aperture at any time.
WARNING: Deleting Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums in Aperture permanently deletes
the corresponding sets, albums, and galleries online, along with their contents. If you want
to temporarily remove an account in Aperture, but keep the albums and photos as they are
in your web account online, you can always disable your web account in Aperture. For more
information, see Manage your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts on page 461.
Create a new Flickr album to publish as a Flickr set
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Library inspector, select an item.
•In the Browser, select a group of photos.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Flickr.
•Choose Flickr from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, do the following:
a If you have multiple Flickr accounts, choose the Flickr account you want to publish to from the
Flickr Account pop-up menu.
b Choose New Set from the Set pop-up menu.
c In the Set Name eld, give your Flickr set a name.
d In the “Photos Viewable by” pop-up menu, choose an access level to set who can view your
Flickr set.
e In the Photo Size pop-up menu, choose an image size option.
4 Click Publish.
Aperture publishes your album to Flickr as a Flickr set, and the new Flickr album appears in
Aperture. To view the album, select the Flickr account in the Shared section of the Library
inspector. For more information, see View Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 458.
Create a new Facebook album
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Library inspector, select an item.
•In the Browser, select a group of photos.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Facebook.
•Choose Facebook from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
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3 In the dialog that appears, do the following:
a If you have more than one Facebook account, choose the Facebook account you want to
publish to from the Facebook Account pop-up menu.
b Choose New Album from the Album pop-up menu.
c In the Album Name eld, give your Facebook album a name.
d In the Photos Viewable By pop-up menu, choose an access level to set who can view your
Facebook album.
4 Click Publish.
Aperture publishes your album to Facebook, and the new Facebook album appears in Aperture.
To view the album, select the Facebook account in the Shared section of the Library inspector.
For more information, see View Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 458.
Create a new SmugMug album
1 Do one of the following:
•In the Library inspector, select an item.
•In the Browser, select a group of photos.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > SmugMug.
•Choose SmugMug from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, do the following:
a Choose New Gallery from the Gallery pop-up menu.
b Give your SmugMug gallery a name in the Gallery Name eld.
c Add a description, and choose the thumbnail size and privacy settings you want.
d Type a password for the gallery in the Gallery Password eld.
4 Click Publish.
Aperture publishes your album to SmugMug, and the new SmugMug album appears in Aperture.
To view the album, select the SmugMug account in the Shared section of the Library inspector.
For more information, see View Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 458.
Delete a Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug album
1 In the Library inspector, select the Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account containing the album
you want to delete.
2 Select the album you want to delete.
3 Choose File > Delete Album (or press Command-Delete).
Note: The command name diers depending on the type of album you selected.
4 In the dialog that appears, select the “Import photos to your library before deleting” checkbox if
you want to save the photos before deleting the album in your library and online.
5 Click Delete.
The album you selected is deleted from the Aperture library, and from your web account online.
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View Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums
You can view the contents of your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums in Aperture at any
time. If you’re not sure whether a web album is up to date or you just want to check your
webpage, you can visit your published web album from within Aperture.
View a Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug album in Aperture
1 In the Shared section of the Library inspector, select the web account containing the albums you
want to view.
The albums for the selected web account appear to the right of the Library inspector.
2 To view an album’s contents, double-click its thumbnail.
Flickr account
Flickr pop-up menu
Photos in the
Flickr album
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Visit your published Flickr set
1 In the Library inspector, select the Flickr account containing the album you want to visit.
2 Do one of the following:
•Double-click the Flickr album you want to visit, and choose Visit Set from the Flickr pop-up
menu in the tool strip.
•Control-click the Flickr album you want to visit, and choose Visit Set from the shortcut menu.
Your web browser opens your Flickr page and displays your published Flickr set.
Visit your published Facebook album
1 In the Library inspector, select the Facebook account containing the album you want to visit.
2 Do one of the following:
•Double-click the Facebook album you want to visit, and choose Visit Album from the Facebook
pop-up menu in the tool strip.
•Control-click the Facebook album you want to visit, and choose Visit Album from the
shortcut menu.
Your web browser opens your Facebook page and displays your published album.
Visit your published SmugMug gallery
1 In the Library inspector, select the SmugMug account containing the album you want to visit.
2 Do one of the following:
•Double-click the SmugMug album you want to visit, and choose Visit Gallery from the
SmugMug pop-up menu in the tool strip.
•Control-click the SmugMug album you want to visit, and choose Visit Gallery from the
shortcut menu.
Your web browser opens your SmugMug page and displays your published album.
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Update your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums
As your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums grow, you can publish them at any time.
Aperture checks to see which photo versions have already been published in the album and
then uploads any changed or new versions. You can also have Aperture check to see whether
any of your friends have published new albums to your accounts online.
Publish new photos to an existing Flickr set
1 Select the photos you want to publish to your Flickr set.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Flickr.
•Choose Flickr from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
•Drag the photos to the Flickr account in the Shared section of the Library inspector.
3 In the Flickr publication dialog, do the following:
a If you have more than one Flickr account, choose the account you want to publish to from the
Flickr Account pop-up menu.
b Choose the album’s name from the Set pop-up menu.
c In the “Photos Viewable by” pop-up menu, choose an access level to set who can view your
Flickr set.
d In the Photo Size pop-up menu, choose whether you want the photos resized and optimized
for publication.
4 Click Publish.
The selected photos are uploaded to the Flickr set.
Publish new photos to an existing Facebook album
1 Select the photos you want to publish to your Facebook album.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > Facebook.
•Choose Facebook from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
•Drag the photos to the Facebook account in the Shared section of the Library inspector.
3 In the Facebook publication dialog, do the following:
a If you have more than one Facebook account, choose the account you want to publish to from
the Facebook Account pop-up menu.
b Choose the album’s name from the Album pop-up menu.
4 Click Publish.
The selected photos are uploaded to the selected Facebook album.
Publish new photos to an existing SmugMug gallery
1 Select the photos you want to publish to your SmugMug gallery.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > Share > SmugMug.
•Choose SmugMug from the Share pop-up menu in the toolbar.
•Drag the photos to the SmugMug account in the Shared section of the Library inspector.
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3 In the SmugMug publication dialog, choose the gallery that you want to publish to from the
Gallery pop-up menu.
4 Click Publish.
The selected photos are uploaded to the selected SmugMug gallery.
Have Aperture check for new Flickr sets, Facebook albums, or SmugMug galleries online
mIn the Library inspector, click the Sync button to the right of the Flickr, Facebook, or
SmugMug account’s name.
Any new sets, albums, or galleries created outside of Aperture are downloaded to the account in
the Library inspector.
Have Aperture check an individual Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug album for new content
online
1 In the Library inspector, select the Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account containing the album
you want to update.
2 Control-click the album you want to update, and choose Synchronize Album from the
shortcut menu.
Any new photos or video clips posted to the set, album, or gallery online appear in the selected
album in Aperture. Double-click the album to view its contents.
Manage your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts
After publishing an album to Facebook, you can change its name as well as the restrictions for
who can view it. For example, if you recently published photos of your latest family vacation on
Facebook and made the album viewable by everyone, you can use the Facebook pop-up menu
in the tool strip to restrict viewing to friends only.
You can also disable access to your Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug accounts and then enable
access to them again from within Aperture at any time. When a web account is disabled in
Aperture, all of the disabled account’s albums are removed from Aperture. However, the albums
and their photos are retained and still appear in the web account online.
Change the settings for a published Facebook or SmugMug album
1 Select the Facebook or SmugMug account containing the album whose settings you want
to change.
2 Double-click the Facebook or SmugMug album to open it.
3 In the tool strip, choose Settings from the Facebook pop-up menu, and specify new settings in
the dialog that appears.
4 Click Change Settings.
Add multiple Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts to Aperture
In Aperture, you can share photos with multiple web accounts.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
2 In the Preferences window, click Accounts, and click the Add button (+) to add an account.
3 In the dialog that appears, select the account type, and click Add.
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4 Do one of the following:
•To log in to a Flickr account: Click Set Up.
Your browser opens. Follow the onscreen instructions to sign in to Flickr using your Yahoo! ID
and password, and authorize the Aperture Uploader to post photos to your Flickr account on
the following page.
•To log in to a Facebook account: Enter your email address and password, select the “I agree to
Facebook’s terms” checkbox, and click Login.
•To log in to a SmugMug account: Click Set Up.
Your browser opens. Follow the onscreen instructions to sign in to SmugMug using your email
address and password, and authorize the Aperture Uploader to post photos to your SmugMug
account on the following page.
You can now share photos with the new web account. Flickr sets, Facebook albums, and
SmugMug galleries created outside of Aperture can be downloaded to the Library inspector. For
more information, see Update your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug albums on page 460.
Disable and enable Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts
When you disable an account in Aperture, a form appears asking whether you want to import
the photos in the account’s albums into your Aperture library. If you choose to import the
photos, Aperture places them in a new project in the Library inspector. If you choose not to
import the photos, Aperture places the contents of the albums in the Aperture Trash. Any sharing
history that appears in the Info inspector for the disabled account is deleted.
If you regularly enable and disable your web accounts in Aperture, and you want to permanently
import content posted to these accounts outside of Aperture, drag the content you want to
import from the web album to a new or existing project in the Library inspector. Aperture
generates new copies of the media and places them in the selected project.
mTo disable a single Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account: Choose File > Web Accounts > Disable
[account], and click Disable.
The account is disabled, and all its albums are removed from Aperture. However, the album
congurations are saved in case you want to reenable the account later. The sets, albums,
or galleries and their contents still appear in the disabled Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug
account online.
mTo disable all of your online accounts: Choose File > Web Accounts > Disable All Accounts, and
click Disable.
All of your online accounts are disabled, and their associated albums are removed from Aperture.
However, the album congurations are saved in case you want to reenable the accounts later.
The sets, albums, and galleries and their contents still appear in the Flickr, Facebook, and
SmugMug accounts online.
mTo enable a single Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account: Choose File > Web Accounts > Enable
[account].
The enabled account appears in the Library inspector. Select the account to view its
published albums.
mTo enable all of your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts: Choose File > Web Accounts >
Enable All Accounts.
The enabled accounts appear in the Library inspector. Select an account to view its
published albums.
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Create webpages
Creating webpages overview
In Aperture, you can create webpages of your photos that you can post to your own website.
Then clients can conveniently review your work via the Internet.
You can use built-in Aperture webpage themes and designs to create two types of webpages:
•Web galleries show your photos in eye-catching settings and are designed to display photos
without your having to lay out pages by hand. Aperture automatically creates the appropriate
number of webpages and populates them with the selected photos. You can then adjust
the pages to make the photos appear as you want them. You can also choose the metadata
information, such as captions, names, and ratings, that appears next to each photo.
•Web journals allow you to mix photos and text on the page and are ideal for projects in which
you show photos with narrative to support them. For example, you might create web journal
pages that show and tell the story of an overseas shoot or a journalistic project. You manually
add pages, photos, and text to your web journal. You can choose a theme to apply to all your
pages, and you can change the layout of photos and text on your web journal pages.
To create a web gallery or web journal, you create a webpage or web journal album. When you
select the album in the Library inspector, the Webpage Editor appears. The Webpage Editor
is where you design your webpages, including changing the theme, positioning photos, and
adding text.
After you’ve laid out your web gallery or web journal pages in the Webpage Editor, you can save
them as HTML pages that you can post to your webpage server. When the photos are posted
online, you can give clients the URL of the pages, and clients can view them remotely.
Important: Web galleries and web journals created in Aperture are not visible when working
with your Aperture library in iPhoto. However, your web galleries and web journals are not
discarded. To view and work with your web galleries and web journals, open the Aperture library
in Aperture.
Create web galleries and web journals
Aperture web galleries and web journals oer a way to showcase your photos on the web. (For
descriptions of web galleries and web journals, see Creating webpages overview on page 463.)
To create a web gallery or web journal, you must rst create an album that holds the web gallery
or web journal photos. You can create an album from a selection of photos, or you can create an
empty album and drag photos into it.
You can also use the Aperture Smart Album feature to gather photos from the library or from
projects and place them on web gallery pages automatically. Smart Albums gather photos
based on search criteria that you specify. For example, you can create a Smart Web Page Album
that gathers your select photos from across the entire Aperture library. Then each time you
rate a photo Select, Aperture automatically adds it to your Smart Web Page Album and to its
web gallery.
Note: The Smart Album feature is not available for web journals.
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Create a new webpage album
When you create a web gallery from a selection of photos, Aperture creates as many webpages
as necessary to hold all of the selected photos. You can also create an empty webpage album
and then drag photos into the album.
1 Do one of the following:
•To create a new webpage album from selected photos: In the Browser, select the photos you
want to place on your web gallery pages, or select an item in the Library inspector.
•To create a new, empty webpage album: Make sure no photos are selected, and continue to the
next step.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Web Page.
•Control-click in the Library inspector, and choose New > Web Page from the shortcut menu.
•Choose Web Page from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, give your webpage album a name, select a theme, and click
Choose Theme.
Note: If you’re creating a new webpage album from a photo selection, make sure the “Add
selected items to new web page” checkbox is selected.
The new webpage album appears in the Library inspector. If you created the webpage album
from selected photos, the photos appear in the Webpage Editor.
The Webpage Editor appears
with the selected photos.
The new album you created
appears in the Library inspector.
If you created an empty webpage album, you can add photos to it by dragging photos from the
Browser or from other items selected in the Library inspector.
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Create a Smart Web Page Album of your photos
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Smart Web Page.
•Control-click in the Library inspector, and choose New > Smart Web Site from the
shortcut menu.
2 Enter a name for the new Smart Web Page Album in the Library inspector.
3 If necessary, click the Smart Settings HUD button to the right of the Smart Web Page Album
name to show the Smart Settings HUD.
4 In the Smart Settings HUD, specify the search criteria for the Smart Web Page Album.
The Smart Web Page Album is created and lled with the photos that meet the search criteria.
If you change the search criteria, the contents of the Smart Web Page Album change. For more
information, see Collect photos in a new Smart Album on page 15 6 .
Create a new web journal album
The easiest way to create a web journal is to select photos you want to appear in the web
journal and create an album. Aperture creates a web journal album that contains the photos you
selected, and the Webpage Editor appears. The Browser contains the selected photos, which you
can then manually place on the webpages.
1 Do one of the following:
•To create a new web journal album from selected photos: In the Browser, select the photos you
want in your web journal, or select an item in the Library inspector.
•To create a new, empty web journal album: Make sure no photos are selected, and continue to
the next step.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose File > New > Web Journal.
•Control-click in the Library inspector, and choose New > Web Journal from the shortcut menu.
•Choose Web Journal from the New pop-up menu in the toolbar.
3 In the dialog that appears, give your web journal album a name, select a theme, and click
Choose Theme.
Note: If you’re creating a new web journal album from a photo selection, make sure the “Add
selected items to new web journal” checkbox is selected.
The new web journal album appears in the Library inspector, and the Webpage Editor appears.
If you created the web journal album from a photo selection, the photos appear in the Browser,
and you can drag photos to your web journal pages in the Webpage Editor. If you created
an empty web journal album, you can drag photos into it from other items selected in the
Library inspector. To make changes to the web journal pages, you use the controls in the
Webpage Editor.
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View and navigate through webpages
As you modify your web galleries and web journals, there are some easy ways to view and
navigate through your pages.
Select a thumbnail in the
Detail Images pane to see an
enlarged version of the photo.
Select the page you want to
work on in the Pages pane.
Previous Page and
Next Page buttons
View a particular webpage
Do one of the following:
1 Select a webpage or web journal album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Previous Page or Next Page button below the Webpage Editor to display a
dierent page.
3 Use the scroll gesture in the Pages pane of the Webpage Editor to locate the page, and then click
the page.
See an enlarged photo from a webpage
When someone clicks a photo on a page in your website, a page showing an enlarged view of
the photo appears. You can view these enlarged photos in the Webpage Editor.
Do one of the following:
mIn the Webpage Editor, position the pointer over the photo, and click the Detail button .
mClick the up arrow and down arrow buttons on the side of the Detail Images pane to navigate
through detail pages for the photos in a web gallery or web journal.
To return to the page view after viewing an enlarged photo, click the Index link above the photo,
or click a page in the Pages pane.
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Choose and modify themes
Aperture provides a variety of themes that you can choose for your web gallery or web journal.
The theme you choose for your pages determines the basic template design of the page. Make
sure to explore the themes to see which best suits your work.
You choose a theme type and a theme when you create a new web gallery or web journal
album, but you can change the theme at any time. After a theme is applied to your pages, you
can modify it by changing the number and size of photos on the page.
You can also display photos with metadata and have copyright information appear on
your pages.
Change the theme for your web gallery or web journal
1 Select a webpage or web journal album in the Library inspector.
2 Click the Theme button at the top-left corner of the Webpage Editor.
3 In the dialog that appears, select the theme you want to use, and click Choose.
Change the number of columns and rows of photos on the page
mIn the Webpage Editor, double-click in the number eld of the Columns or Rows value slider and
enter a new number, or click the left or right arrow.
When you change the number of columns or rows, Aperture automatically updates all the pages
in the web gallery or web journal to reect the new settings.
Note: When a web journal is open in the Webpage Editor, only the Columns value slider is
available. You can manually add as many rows of photos to a page as you need by dragging a
photo from the Browser below the current row of photos in the Webpage Editor.
Change the size of photos on a page
1 In the “Fit images within” pop-up menu in the Webpage Editor, choose how you want the photos
to appear on the page.
2 To increase or decrease the photo size, double-click in the number eld of the Width and Height
value sliders and enter new numbers, or click the left or right arrow.
Specify the types of metadata that appear with your photos
You can choose dierent combinations of metadata to appear on your pages. For example, you
might display your photos with a simple set of metadata that includes the lename, caption, and
photo date.
mChoose an option from the Metadata View pop-up menu at the top of the Webpage Editor.
Change the copyright information that appears in web galleries and web journals
Web galleries and web journals appear with copyright information on the page. You can select
the copyright text on the page and change it. You can also specify the copyright information you
want for all your pages in the Preferences window.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, and click Export.
2 Type the text you want in the Web Copyright eld.
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Work with web gallery pages
When you create a web gallery, the photos in it are placed automatically. You can then adjust
the placement of photos on web gallery pages and add and delete photos in the Webpage
Editor. Depending on the theme you choose for your web gallery, pages may appear with titles,
subtitles, or headings. You can change the sample text to text appropriate for your web gallery
pages. You can also turn on or turn o the display of plate numbers for photos in your web
galleries. By default, Aperture doesn’t display plate numbers for photos.
Note: You can’t select and use the Lift, Stamp, Straighten, Crop, or Red Eye tool or any Quick
Brush adjustments when using the Webpage Editor. To use these tools to make a change to a
photo in a web gallery or web journal, select the photo in the Browser and click the Show Viewer
button at the top of the Browser (to the right of the List View button). The selected photo
appears in the Viewer, and you can make changes. Click the Show Viewer button again to return
to the Webpage Editor.
Change the viewing order of photos in a web gallery
1 Select a webpage album in the Library inspector.
2 Drag the photos to dierent locations, either in the Webpage Editor or the Browser.
Add a photo to a web gallery
mDrag a photo from a project, a folder, an album, or the library into the webpage album for the
web gallery.
To remove a photo in a web gallery, select the photo in the Browser and choose Photos >
Remove from Album (or press the Delete key).
Change titles and subtitles on web gallery pages
mIn the Webpage Editor, click the title, subtitle, or heading you want to change, and type the text
you want.
Turn on the display of photo plate numbers in a web gallery
mChoose Enable Plate Metadata from the Metadata View pop-up menu at the top of the
Webpage Editor.
Plate numbers appear below each photo in the web gallery. To turn o the display of plate
numbers, choose Disable Plate Metadata from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
Work with web journal pages
As you work with a web journal, you can add photos and text to pages, add and remove pages,
choose header types, and change the page order.
You must manually place your photos and add text on web journal pages.
Add and arrange photos on a web journal page
1 Select a web journal album in the Library inspector.
2 Do any of the following:
•To add photos to a web journal page: Drag photos from the Browser to the page in the
Webpage Editor.
You can also drag several photos into place at once by selecting and dragging groups of
photos. For example, if your web journal page is set to display four photos per row, you can
arrange four photos in the order you want them and then drag all four to the page at once.
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•To move photos on a web journal page: In the Webpage Editor, drag a photo to its new position
in a photo box, or drag the grid mark at the top of the photo box to move the photo or group
of photos to a new location on the page.
A green bar appears to indicate where the photo will be placed.
•To remove a photo from a web journal page: In the Webpage Editor, click the photo to select it,
and then click the Remove button (–).
Add and arrange text on a web journal page
You can add text boxes to web journal pages as you need them. Text boxes are added to the
page one after another. New text boxes are always added to the bottom of the page, but you
can drag text boxes to new locations to rearrange them.
1 On the left side of the Webpage Editor, select the thumbnail of the page to which you want to
add text.
2 Click the Add Text Block button at the top of the Webpage Editor.
3 Enter the text you want.
4 To move the text, position the pointer on the grid mark at the top of the text box, drag the
text box until you see a green bar appear where you want to place the text, and release the
mouse button.
To remove text from a web journal page, select the text box and click the Remove button (–) that
appears in the top-right corner.
Add a page to a web journal
You can add pages to your web journal as you need them. You can also have Aperture create
pages in your web journal to hold photos that have a type of metadata, such as a specic rating,
keyword, or photo date. For example, you can have Aperture create a page for each keyword
assigned to the album’s photos and place photos on the correct pages automatically. Or, if your
album holds photos with four- and ve-star ratings, you can create a page that automatically
holds the ve-star photos and another that holds the four-star photos.
You can have Aperture add pages for photos based on day, keyword, rating, byline, city,
and category.
1 In the Webpage Editor, select a thumbnail page where you want the new page to appear.
The new page will appear after the selected page.
2 Do one of the following:
•To add a new blank page: Click the Add Page button (+).
•To add a new page based on a metadata category: Choose the type of page you want to add
from the Page Action pop-up menu .
To remove a web journal page, select its thumbnail, click the Remove Page button (–), and click
the Delete button in the dialog that appears.
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Choose the header style for a web journal page
Depending on the theme you choose, you can change the look of web journal pages by
choosing a style that displays either a heading followed by text or a heading followed by
a photo.
Note: The theme applied to the web journal must allow photos in the header.
1 In the Webpage Editor, select a page’s thumbnail.
2 Choose either Header with Text or Header with Image from the Page Template pop-up menu
.
Reorder web journal pages
1 In the Webpage Editor, select the thumbnail of the page you want to move.
2 Choose either Move Current Page Up or Move Current Page Down from the Page Action pop-up
menu .
Export webpages as HTML les
After you create webpages in Aperture, you can export them as HTML les so that they can be
added to your website. Integrating your Aperture webpages into your website requires you to
thoroughly understand your website structure and web server. If you use a web design service
to create and maintain your site, you can supply your Aperture les to your design service and
allow the design service to integrate your Aperture webpages.
When you export your Aperture webpages, you can export them to a folder on your computer to
keep them organized in one place. You can name the folder and choose the image quality and
le types that are created. Aperture provides web export presets that automatically set up the
export of webpages, and you can also create your own. For more information, see Work with web
export presets on page 471.
Export webpages
1 In the Webpage Editor, click the Export Web Pages button.
2 In the dialog that appears, type a name for the folder that will hold the webpage les in the
Export As eld.
3 Choose a location for the webpage folder from the Where pop-up menu.
4 Choose a web export preset for your thumbnail images from the Thumbnail Image Preset
pop-up menu.
5 Choose a web export preset for your detail image pages from the Detail Image Preset
pop-up menu.
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6 If you want to be notied when the export process is complete, select the “Show alert when
nished” checkbox.
7 When you’re ready to export your webpage les, click Export.
Note: To check on the progress of an export operation, choose Window > Show Activity. The
Activity window displays the progress of each export operation. You can also use this window to
pause and cancel an export operation.
Work with web export presets
Web export presets are groups of saved export settings that are congured to produce dierent
types of web images. You use them to help you quickly and easily export your photos for use on
the web. Aperture comes with a number of web export presets, and you can create your own.
Before using a web export preset, whether it’s one that comes with Aperture or one that you
created, you can view its settings to make sure they are exactly what you want.
After examining a selected preset’s settings, you may want to change something about the
preset. To modify a selected preset, you can simply change the necessary settings and click OK.
The next time you export using that preset, Aperture remembers your modied settings and
exports your web images accordingly. However, when you modify an existing preset, you lose its
original settings.
View the settings for an export preset
mChoose Aperture > Presets > Web Export.
The Web Export dialog appears, listing the presets available and their export settings.
Available presets
are shown in this area.
The right side of the dialog
shows the settings for the
selected preset.
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Create a new web export preset
An easy way to create a new export preset is to copy an existing preset and then modify
the copy.
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Web Export.
•In the Webpage Editor, click the Export Web Pages button and choose Edit from the Thumbnail
Image Preset or Detail Image Preset pop-up menu.
2 In the Web Export dialog, select a web export preset on which to base your new preset, and click
the Add button (+).
Select a preset.
Then click the Add button.
A new preset, based on the export preset you selected, appears highlighted in the Preset
Name list.
3 Enter a new name for the preset.
4 Make your changes to the export settings, and click OK.
Change a web export preset
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Presets > Web Export.
•In the Webpage Editor, click the Export Web Pages button and choose Edit from the Thumbnail
Image Preset or Detail Image Preset pop-up menu.
2 In the Web Export dialog, select the export preset you want to change, modify its settings, and
click OK.
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Delete a web export preset
mIn the Web Export dialog, select the preset and click the Remove button (–).
Select a preset.
Then click the Remove button.
Add watermarks to webpage photos
You can add a graphics le to your photos as a watermark to discourage others from using
your photos without your permission. Watermarks are especially useful when applied to photos
posted on the web.
Use the following guidelines to create high-quality watermarks for your photos:
•Save your watermark as a Photoshop (.psd) le with a transparent background.
•Create multiple sizes of your watermark so that you can select the one that best matches the
output size of the exported photo.
Note: If a watermark le is larger than the photo you want to export, Aperture automatically
scales the watermark down to t the photo. (Aperture doesn’t scale watermarks up.)
•After you create a watermark, save it as part of a web export preset so that you can reuse it.
Note: Export presets and web export presets are independent of one another. Make sure to
save your watermark as part of the appropriate preset.
Create a preset that adds a watermark to your exported web photos
1 Choose Aperture > Presets > Web Export.
2 In the Web Export dialog, select the web export preset you want to modify, or click the Add
button (+) to create a new preset.
3 Select the Show Watermark checkbox.
4 Click the Choose Image button.
5 Select the image you want as a watermark, and click Choose.
6 Choose where you want the watermark to appear on the photo from the Position pop-up menu.
7 To adjust the opacity of the watermark, drag the Opacity slider.
8 When you’re satised with how your watermark appears in the watermark preview area, click OK.
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Change the main window layout
When a project, album, or folder is selected in the Library inspector, Aperture oers three basic
layouts for the main window:
•Browser: Use this layout to display image thumbnails in an enlarged Browser so you can review
photos, perform initial rating passes, and create and work with stacks of photos.
Browser layout: The Browser
fills the workspace and displays
a grid of thumbnail images.
Layout buttons: Click
a button to select a
main window layout.
Customize the Aperture workspace
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Chapter 13 Customize the Aperture workspace 475
•Split View: Use this layout to display both the Browser and Viewer together and use them in
combination to review and work with photos.
Split View layout: The Viewer
and Browser appear together.
•Viewer: Use this layout to display photos in an enlarged Viewer and work with them in detail.
Viewer layout: The Viewer
fills the workspace and
displays your photo selection.
Tool strip: Use these
tools to adjust and work
with your photos.
You can switch between layouts by pressing V, choosing commands from the View menu, or
clicking buttons in the toolbar.
Change the window layout
Do one of the following:
mChoose Browser, Split View, Viewer, or Cycle View Mode from the View menu (or press V).
mClick the Browser, Split View, or Viewer button in the toolbar.
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Rotate the position of the Browser in Split View
In the Split View layout, the Browser appears horizontally under the Viewer by default. However,
you can change the layout to display the Browser vertically, beside the Viewer.
m Choose View > Browser > Rotate Position (or press Shift-W).
Swap the position of the Browser and the Viewer in Split View
m Choose View > Browser > Swap Position (or press Option-W).
Change the background of the Viewer
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
2 In the Preferences window, click Appearance, then drag the Viewer Brightness slider to lighten or
darken the background.
Set Aperture preferences
Aperture preferences overview
Aperture provides a Preferences window for specifying settings that control the location of the
Aperture library, the appearance of the Aperture window, the application used to import photos
onto your computer, how photos are exported out of Aperture, how color labels are dened, how
preview images are generated, as well as additional advanced settings. By taking time to specify
your preference settings, you can speed up your workow.
The Aperture Preferences window contains the following controls:
•General: Click the General button to display options for setting the location of the library,
setting the length of time to keep track of recently imported photos, automatically stacking
new versions of the same photo together, enabling scrolling with the mouse to navigate
through photos in the Viewer, enabling face detection, and enabling gestures when using
a Multi-Touch trackpad or Magic Mouse. For more information, see General preferences on
page 478.
•Appearance: Click the Appearance button to display options for customizing the Aperture
interface, including setting the background brightness level for the Browser, the Viewer, and
full-screen view, choosing which display to view slideshows on, and displaying tooltips and
badges. For more information, see Appearance preferences on page 479.
•Import: Click the Import button to specify what Aperture should do when a camera is
connected to your computer, whether photos should be imported into a new project or into
the item selected in the Library inspector, and the length of time used to determine when to
automatically split projects. For more information, see Import preferences on page 480.
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•Export: Click the Export button to display options for selecting an external editor for changing
your photos, audio, and video outside of Aperture, as well as specifying the email application
and settings you want used when emailing photos. You can also create a copyright statement
that will be included in webpages that you create, as well as specify that photos exported
from Aperture contain location information and Faces metadata (names you have assigned to
people in your photos using Faces). For more information see Export preferences on page 481.
•Labels: Click the Labels button to display options for assigning text to color labels. For more
information, see Labels preferences on page 482.
•Previews: Click the Previews button to display options for how Aperture creates and displays
preview images. For more information, see Previews preferences on page 482.
•iCloud: Click the iCloud button to display options for turning on My Photo Stream and iCloud
Photo Sharing in Aperture. For more information, see iCloud preferences on page 483.
•Accounts: Click the Accounts button to display options for reviewing and updating albums that
you published to your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts online. For more information,
see Accounts preferences on page 483.
•Advanced: Click the Advanced button to display options for specifying hot and cold area
thresholds, adding tolerance to Auto Levels adjustments, choosing color or monochrome
clipping overlays, and choosing to have Aperture look up photo location information
automatically. For more information, see Advanced preferences on page 484.
Open Aperture preferences
You can open the Aperture Preferences window at any time.
Open the Preferences window
mChoose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
The Preferences window appears. For more information about the Aperture Preferences window,
see Aperture preferences overview on page 476.
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General preferences
Use the controls in the General preference pane to set the location of the library, set the length
of time to keep track of recently imported photos, enable face detection, automatically stack
new versions of the same photo, and congure other photo management options.
The General preference pane contains the following controls:
•Library Location eld: Displays the default location of the library. To specify a custom location
for the Aperture library, click Change and navigate to a location to store the library. Quit and
reopen Aperture to complete the location change. Click Reveal to display the Aperture library
le in the Finder.
•“Show last [number] months album” checkbox: Select this checkbox to add an item to the
Recent section of the Library inspector that tracks recently imported photos. Use the value
slider to set the number of months to keep track of the imported photos.
•“Automatically stack new versions” checkbox: Select this checkbox to automatically stack
versions of the same photo as you create them.
•“Scroll to navigate photos in the Viewer” checkbox: Select this checkbox to enable scrolling with
the mouse when the pointer is placed over the photo in the Viewer (or in the Viewer mode in
full-screen view).
•Enable Faces checkbox: Select this checkbox to enable face detection when importing photos
into the Aperture library.
•“Enable gestures” checkbox: Select this checkbox to enable gesture functions in Aperture
when using a Multi-Touch trackpad or Magic Mouse. For more information about the gesture
functions supported in Aperture, see Use gestures with Aperture on page 487.
•Reset All Warnings button: Click this button to display warning messages. If you have set
Aperture to not display certain warnings, this button resets Aperture to display them again.
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Appearance preferences
Use the controls in the Appearance preference pane to customize the Aperture interface.
The Appearance preference pane contains the following controls:
•“Viewer brightness” slider: Adjust the Viewer background brightness using this slider.
•“Full-screen viewer brightness” slider: Adjust the full-screen view Viewer mode background
brightness using this slider.
•“Browser brightness” slider: Adjust the Browser background brightness using this slider.
•"Full Screen Browser brightness” slider: Adjust the full-screen view Browser mode background
brightness using this slider.
•“View Slideshows on” pop-up menu: Choose to display slideshows in full-screen mode on your
main display or secondary display. For more information about playing slideshows in full-
screen mode, see View your slideshows in Aperture on page 402.
•“Show ‘Loading...’ indicator while full size photos load” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have
Aperture display an initial proxy image if there is any delay when loading a full-size photo.
•“Show tooltips on controls” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have Aperture display the names
of interface items when you place the pointer over them.
•“Show number of versions for projects and albums” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have
Aperture display the number of versions in a project or album in the Library inspector.
•“Badge referenced items” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have Aperture display badges that
identify referenced images, audio clips, and video clips.
•“Show corkboard background for Faces” checkbox: Select this checkbox to display a corkboard in
the background of Faces view.
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Import preferences
Use the controls in the Import preference pane to specify what Aperture should do when a
camera is connected, whether to import photos into a new project or into the item selected
in the Library inspector, and the length of time used to determine when to automatically
split projects.
The Import preference pane contains the following controls:
•“When a camera is connected, open” pop-up menu: Specify which application should open when
a camera is connected to your computer.
•“Default import location” pop-up menu: Specify whether Aperture imports photos into a new
project or into the item selected in the Library inspector.
•“Autosplit into Projects” pop-up menu: Choose an option for automatically grouping imported
photos in projects according to the time the photos were captured.
•Camera Previews button: Click this button to set Aperture to use the JPEG version of the RAW
image le produced by the camera, if available. The advantage of this setting is that a sharp,
high-resolution preview is available immediately upon import, even before the RAW image
le is done being copied from the memory card to the computer. A color shift may occur after
the RAW le’s preview is processed within Aperture. However, the rst time the RAW image
is shown in the Viewer, Aperture generates its own fully rendered preview and there is no
further shifting.
Tip: Use this Camera Previews setting in conjunction with the Quick Preview mode to review
your newly imported images instantly, with sharp previews and no processing. For more
information, see Navigate through photos in Quick Preview mode on page 82.
•Standard Previews button: Click this button to have Aperture generate a preview image for
every image le immediately after import, using the settings in Previews preferences. When
you select this option, Aperture uses its RAW decoding technology to create a fully rendered
preview for every le in the import group, rather than waiting until the RAW image is selected
and displayed in the Viewer. However, it may take a signicant period of time to process the
previews after importing a large group of RAW image les.
For more information, see Previews preferences on page 482.
Important: The Camera Previews and Standard Previews settings apply only when Maintain
Previews is turned on in the Library Action pop-up menu in the Library inspector.
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Export preferences
Use the controls in the Export preference pane to set the external editor, choose the email
application used to email photos from within Aperture, and assign a copyright statement to
webpages you create.
The Export preference pane contains the following controls:
•External Photo Editor eld: You can use an external image editing application to make
adjustments to your images. To identify an external editor, click Choose and select an
application. To open a photo in the external editor, select the photo, then choose Photos >
Edit with External Editor.
•External Editor File Format pop-up menu: Choose the le format in which to export a photo to
an external editor. You can also specify the dot-per-inch (dpi) resolution of the photo in the
dpi eld.
•External Editor Color Space pop-up menu: Choose a color space in which to work with your
photos in the external photo editor.
•External Audio Editor eld: You can use an external audio editor to make adjustments to your
audio clips. To identify an external editor, click Choose and select an application. To open
an audio clip in the external editor, select the audio clip, then choose Photos > Edit with
External Editor.
•External Video Editor eld: You can use an external video editor to make adjustments to your
video clips. To identify an external editor, click Choose and select an application. To open
a video clip in the external editor, select the video clip, then choose Photos > Edit with
External Editor.
•“Email using” pop-up menu: If you want to export items to an email client, choose the email
application from this pop-up menu.
•“Email Photo Export preset” pop-up menu: Choose an export preset to use when exporting
photos to your email client. If you want to create a custom export preset, choose Edit and
create a new preset in the Image Export dialog.
•Web Copyright eld: Enter copyright text for webpages and web journals here.
•“Include location info in exported photos” checkbox: Select this checkbox to include location
metadata in exported photos.
•“Include face info in exported photos” checkbox: Select this checkbox to include Faces metadata
(names you have assigned to people in your photos using Faces) in exported photos.
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Labels preferences
Use the text elds in the Labels preference pane to customize labels for each color.
Previews preferences
Use the controls in the Previews preference pane to set how Aperture creates and displays
preview images.
The Previews preference pane contains the following controls:
•“New projects automatically generate previews” checkbox: To set Aperture to create previews for
the photos in all new projects and new libraries, select this checkbox. Deselect this checkbox if
you don’t want previews created for photos in new projects.
•“Share XML with other applications” pop-up menu: Choose whether to share JPEG preview
images via XML as needed for other applications.
Note: Some applications share preview images using the media browser, which does not
require XML to access the Aperture library.
•Photo Preview pop-up menu: To set a maximum pixel size for your previews, choose a size from
this pop-up menu.
•“Photo Preview quality” slider: To change the image quality of the previews, drag the slider. The
higher the quality setting, the more disk space the previews require.
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iCloud preferences
Use the controls in the iCloud preference pane to turn My Photo Stream on or o for an Aperture
library, as well as set options for automatically uploading and downloading photos between your
photo stream and your Aperture library. You can also turn on iCloud Photo Sharing to share your
photos with others. For more information about sharing photos, see Sharing photos overview on
page 434.
The iCloud preference pane contains the following controls:
•My Photo Stream checkbox: Select or deselect this checkbox to turn My Photo Stream on or o
in the currently open Aperture library.
•Automatic Import checkbox: Select this checkbox to have photos from My Photo Stream
automatically imported into your Aperture library so that they appear in Projects view,
Photos view, Faces view, and Places view. If you don’t select this checkbox, you have to
manually drag photos from My Photo Stream to projects in your Aperture library.
•Automatic Upload checkbox: Select this checkbox to have all new photos that are imported
into your Aperture library uploaded to My Photo Stream.
•Photo Sharing checkbox: Select this checkbox to share photo streams and view photo streams
shared by others. Photos added to a shared stream are automatically pushed to the devices of
people who subscribe to the shared stream.
Accounts preferences
Use the controls in the Accounts preference pane to set options for reviewing and updating
albums that you’ve published to your Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug accounts, as well as add
or remove these accounts within Aperture.
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The Accounts preference pane contains the following controls:
•Accounts column: Select the account you want to modify in this column.
•Add button (+): Click this button to add one or more Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug accounts.
•Remove button (–) : Click this button to delete the selected account from Aperture.
Important: All albums associated with the deleted Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account are
removed from Aperture. However, the albums, sets, or galleries and their photos still appear in
the Flickr, Facebook, or SmugMug account.
•“Automatically check for newly published albums” checkbox: Choose whether you want Aperture
to check regularly for new albums published outside of Aperture to your Flickr, Facebook, and
SmugMug accounts or whether you want to update the accounts manually.
Advanced preferences
Use the controls in the Advanced preference pane to specify the display threshold for hot
and cold areas of images, add tolerance to Auto Levels adjustments, choose whether clipping
overlays are displayed in color or monochrome, specify that Aperture look up photo location
information when photos are imported, and specify that Aperture create a new version when
you adjust an image.
The Advanced preference pane contains the following controls:
•“Hot Area threshold” slider: You can view an image’s hot areas (where highlight data in any
color channel has been clipped) by choosing View > Highlight Hot & Cold Areas. To adjust the
threshold used to determine an image’s hot areas, drag the slider.
•“Cold Area threshold” slider: You can view an image’s cold areas (where black data in any color
channel has been clipped) by choosing View > Highlight Hot & Cold Areas. To adjust the
threshold used to determine an image’s cold areas, drag the slider.
•“Auto adjust Black Clip” slider: Use the “Auto adjust Black Clip” slider and value slider to add
tolerance to Auto Levels adjustments when evaluating colors beyond black.
•“Auto adjust White Clip” slider: Use the “Auto adjust White Clip” slider and value slider to add
tolerance to Auto Levels adjustments when evaluating colors beyond white.
•“Clipping overlay” pop-up menu: Choose color or monochrome for the display of your
clipping overlays.
•“Look up Places” pop-up menu: Specify that Aperture look up photo location information as the
photos are imported.
•“Include location information for published photos” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have
Aperture include any location information with the photos you share online.
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•“Auto-complete contact info in IPTC Contact elds” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have
Aperture automatically enter contact information in the IPTC Contact elds after you have
entered the information the rst time.
•“Create new versions when making adjustments” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have Aperture
automatically create a new version when you adjust a selected photo. The adjustment is
applied to the original version and the new one is left untouched.
Customize the toolbar
The toolbar is shown by default, but you can choose to hide it. You can also add, delete, and
rearrange toolbar buttons and controls
Hide the toolbar
mChoose View > Hide Toolbar (or press Shift-T).
Show a toolbar that has been hidden
mChoose View > Show Toolbar (or press Shift-T).
Customize the toolbar
Aperture provides a simple drag-and-drop interface for adding, deleting, and rearranging the
toolbar buttons and controls. You can also choose whether items in the toolbar appear as icons,
as text, or as both.
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Customize Toolbar.
•Control-click the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu.
A dialog appears, showing icons for toolbar buttons and controls.
Default toolbar items are
shown in the bottom section.
Note: Because you can customize the toolbar by adding and removing buttons and controls,
your toolbar may look dierent from the one shown above.
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2 Congure the toolbar by doing any of the following:
•To add items to the toolbar: Drag their icons from the dialog to the location where you want
them to appear in the toolbar.
•To remove items from the toolbar: Drag items out of the toolbar, or Control-click the item you
want to remove and choose Remove Item from the shortcut menu.
•To change the order of the items in the toolbar: Drag each item to its new position.
•To control whether each item’s icon and text appear in the toolbar: Choose Text Only, Icon Only, or
Icon & Text from the Show pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the dialog, or Control-click
the toolbar and choose Text Only, Icon Only, or Icon & Text from the shortcut menu.
•To use small icons in the toolbar: Select the “Use small size” checkbox.
3 When you nish conguring the toolbar, click Done.
Reset the toolbar to its default state
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose View > Customize Toolbar.
•Control-click the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu.
A dialog appears, showing icons for toolbar buttons and controls.
Default toolbar items are
shown in the bottom section.
2 Drag the default toolbar up from the bottom of the dialog into the toolbar area.
3 Click Done.
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Use gestures with Aperture
If your computer has a Multi-Touch trackpad or a Magic Mouse, you can use gestures when
working with Aperture. For example, when working with photos in the Browser, you can use the
rotate gesture to rotate images and the swipe gesture to select a dierent photo. In addition to
the standard Multi-Touch trackpad gestures used with Mac portable computers, you can use
Multi-Touch gestures with the following Aperture features.
Note: To use the following gestures, you must have Aperture 3.3.2 or later and OS X Mountain
Lion v10.8 or later.
Feature Multi-Touch trackpad gestures
Browser in grid view •Use the pinch gesture to change the size of
thumbnails in the Browser.
•Use the rotate gesture to rotate the photo beneath
the pointer.
•Use the three-nger swipe gesture to select
another photo when “Swipe with three ngers”
is selected in the “Swipe between pages” pop-up
menu in the More Gestures pane of Trackpad
preferences.
For more information about the swipe gesture, see
Help Center.
Browser in list view •Use the pinch gesture to change the size of
thumbnails in the Browser.
•Use the three-nger swipe gesture to select
another photo when “Swipe with three ngers”
is selected in the “Swipe between pages” pop-up
menu in the More Gestures pane of Trackpad
preferences.
For more information about the swipe gesture, see
Help Center.
Browser in lmstrip view (Split View layout) and
lmstrip in full-screen view (Viewer mode)
•Use the pinch gesture to change the size of
thumbnails in the Browser or the lmstrip.
•Use the rotate gesture to rotate the image beneath
the pointer.
•Use the three-nger swipe gesture to select
another photo when “Swipe with three ngers”
is selected in the “Swipe between pages” pop-up
menu in the More Gestures pane of Trackpad
preferences.
For more information about the swipe gesture, see
Help Center.
Viewer and full-screen view (Viewer mode) •Use the pinch gesture to zoom in to or out of the
photo, or double-tap with two ngers to zoom in to
a specic part of the photo.
•Use the rotate gesture to rotate the photo beneath
the pointer.
•Use the swipe gesture to select a dierent photo
when “Scroll to navigate photos in the Viewer” is
selected in the General pane of the Preferences
window.
For more information about the General
pane of the Preferences window, see General
preferences on page 478. For more information
about the swipe gesture, see Help Center.
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Feature Multi-Touch trackpad gestures
Faces •Use the pinch gesture to change the size of
the snapshots.
Places •Use two-nger scrolling to zoom in to or out of
the map.
Light Table •Use the pinch gesture to zoom in to or out of the
Light Table or to change the size of the photo
beneath the pointer.
Book Layout Editor •Use the pinch gesture to zoom in to or out of the
selected page or resize the object beneath the
pointer on the page. (The Edit Layout button must
be selected to resize objects on the page.)
•Use the rotate gesture to rotate objects. You can
also hold down the Shift key as you use the rotate
gesture to restrict rotation to 15-degree increments.
•Use the swipe gesture to change pages.
Slideshows •Use the swipe gesture to display the next or
previous slide during a slideshow.
Loupe tool •Use the pinch gesture to change the Loupe
size. (As with previous versions of Aperture, you
can also use the scroll gesture to change the
Loupe magnication.)
Crop tool •Use the pinch gesture to modify an existing crop
selection and change its size.
Straighten tool •Use the rotate gesture to change the amount of
image rotation.
Print dialog (Preview area) •Use the pinch gesture to zoom in to or out of
the photo displayed in the Preview area of the
Print dialog.
For more information about working with gestures, see Help Center.
Customize keyboard shortcuts
Customizing keyboard shortcuts overview
Aperture provides a wide variety of menu commands and keyboard shortcuts to control almost
every aspect of your workow. The easiest way to search, browse, or customize the various
commands and keyboard shortcuts is to use the Command Editor. The Command Editor lets you:
•Search for commands and view their descriptions and keyboard shortcuts.
•Preview key combinations in a visual representation of the keyboard.
•Modify existing keyboard shortcuts.
•Create new keyboard shortcuts.
•Save multiple sets of keyboard shortcuts as command sets that can be imported and exported
for use by others.
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•Replace the default set of Aperture keyboard shortcuts with command sets from
other applications.
Command
groups
Command list Detail area
Command
set options
Keyboard
Highlight button
Modifier
key buttons
Search field
The upper half of the Command Editor displays a virtual keyboard. The lower half contains
a command list that sorts menu commands by group and oers a brief description of each
command, along with its associated keyboard shortcut, if one exists.
The virtual keyboard is color-coded to help you identify the type of command each key
performs. The Command Groups column on the left side of the Command List area includes a
clickable color key for reference.
Keys that are assigned to shortcuts are marked on the virtual keyboard with a dark gray dot,
whereas unassigned keys have no additional markings. Several keys are shaded with diagonal
lines, indicating that they are reserved for OS X operating system use.
No markings indicate
unassigned keys.
A dark gray dot
indicates keys with
assigned shortcuts.
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Search for commands and keyboard shortcuts
You can search for and display commands and keyboard shortcuts in a number of ways.
View keyboard shortcuts by group
The Command Groups column of the Command Editor displays several groupings of commands,
organized by Aperture menus as well as by type of command.
1 Choose Aperture > Commands > Customize.
The Command Editor appears.
2 Click a group in the Command Groups column to display only the commands and keyboard
shortcuts in that group.
Command groups are
displayed in this area.
3 Select a command in the Command column to display a brief description in the Command
Detail area.
A brief description of
the selected command is
shown in the Detail area.
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View all keyboard shortcuts associated with a specic key
1 Choose Aperture > Commands > Customize.
The Command Editor appears.
2 Select a key in the virtual keyboard.
The Key Detail area displays a list of all keyboard shortcuts associated with that key.
All available shortcuts
that include the selected
key are displayed here.
Selected key
Search for a keyboard shortcut
Use the search eld in the upper-right corner of the Command Editor to quickly locate
a command or its keyboard shortcut. You can search by command name, description, or
keyboard shortcut.
mIn the Command Editor, click in the search eld and type a word that describes the keyboard
shortcut you need, or type the key combination.
The Command list immediately displays the search results, listing all commands and keyboard
shortcuts related to the search term. You can further narrow your search by choosing a category
from the search eld pop-up menu. The menu options include All, Command, Description, and
Key Equivalent.
Note: Do not use the Shift key to capitalize letters when typing in the search eld. The search
eld recognizes the Shift key as a modier key in a keyboard shortcut.
Search for and highlight a keyboard shortcut on the virtual keyboard
You can use the search eld in combination with the virtual keyboard to highlight
keyboard shortcuts.
1 In the Command Editor, click the Keyboard Highlight button to the left of the search eld.
The keyboard is dimmed.
2 Click in the search eld and begin typing.
The Command list changes as you type, highlighting the keys related to your search term.
Note: When you click the Keyboard Highlight button to turn on keyboard highlighting, modier
keys that may be part of the keyboard shortcut (Control, Option, Shift, and Command) are
not highlighted.
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Filter a keyboard shortcut search by modifer keys
You can use the modier key buttons (Control, Option, Shift, and Command) at the top of the
Command Editor to quickly see which keys work in combination with the various modier keys.
1 Click one of the four modier key buttons at the top of the Command Editor (or click one of the
modier keys on the virtual keyboard).
Keys assigned to work in combination with the selected modier key appear marked with a dark
gray dot.
2 If necessary, click another modier key button (or a modier key on the virtual keyboard) to
create a combination.
The virtual keyboard updates to show which keys are assigned to shortcuts that use the
combined modier keys.
Modify keyboard shortcuts and command sets
Customizing keyboard shortcuts in the Command Editor is fast and easy. By default, Aperture
uses a standard set of commands and keyboard shortcuts. To modify the keyboard shortcuts
assigned to those commands, you must rst make a copy of the default command set. After
you’ve duplicated and saved a new custom command set, you can export it to create a backup
or to share your personalized keyboard shortcuts with others. You can also import command sets
created by other users or applications.
Choose a command set
Do one of the following:
mChoose Aperture > Commands, then choose a command set from the submenu.
mIf the Command Editor is already open, choose a command set from the pop-up menu in the
upper-left corner.
Choose a command set
from the pop-up menu.
After you choose a command set, the keyboard shortcuts in the set become active in Aperture.
Add or modify a keyboard shortcut
You can customize a command set by adding, modifying, or reassigning specic
keyboard shortcuts.
1 Using the search eld (or browsing the Command list) of the Command Editor, select the
command you want to assign a new keyboard shortcut to.
2 Using your physical keyboard, press the combination of keys you want to use as a shortcut for
the command (for example, Option-Shift-T).
If the key combination is already assigned to a command, an alert prompts you to conrm the
change. If you’re using the default command set, an alert prompts you to make a copy of the
default set.
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3 Do any of the following:
•If the key combination is already assigned to a command, and you want to reassign the key
combination, click Reassign in the alert that appears.
•If you are using the default command set, click Make Copy in the alert that appears, then enter
a name for the new command set and click OK
The new keyboard shortcut is added to the new command set and appears in the Key column of
the Command list. The virtual keyboard updates to show the new key assignment, labeled with a
gray dot and a color if the command belongs to a color-coded command group.
Note: When you assign a key combination to a command, the Delete key becomes an assignable
key when one of the modier keys (Control, Option, Shift, or Command) is held down. For
information about deleting a command set, see “Delete a command set” below.
Manually duplicate the currently active command set
You can manually duplicate any command set that’s available in the Command Editor.
1 Choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu at the top of the Command Editor.
A dialog appears and prompts you to name the new command set.
2 Type a name for the new command set in the dialog, then click OK.
The new duplicate command set is saved and appears as an item in both the pop-up menu in
the Command Editor and the Commands submenu of the Aperture menu.
To modify individual key assignments in the duplicate set of keyboard shortcuts, see the
following steps.
Save a command set
m Click the Save button in the lower-right corner of the Command Editor.
If you close the Command Editor with unsaved changes, Aperture prompts you to save the
command set.
Delete a command set
1 Make sure the command set you want to delete is the active command set, then choose Delete
from the pop-up menu at the top of the Command Editor.
A dialog appears.
2 Click Delete.
The command set is removed, and the default command set becomes the active set
of commands.
Export a command set
1 Make the command set you want to export the active set by choosing it from the pop-up menu
in the top-left corner of the Command Editor.
2 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Commands > Export.
•In the Command Editor, choose Export from the pop-up menu.
3 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want to save the exported
command set, then type a name in the Save As eld.
4 Click Save.
The le is saved in the location you chose, with an .apcommands le extension.
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Import a command set
1 Do one of the following:
•Choose Aperture > Commands > Import.
•In the Command Editor, choose Import from the pop-up menu.
2 In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you have stored a command set le,
select it, then click Open.
The imported command set is added to the Commands submenu of the Aperture menu and to
the pop-up menu in the Command Editor.
If you are already using a command set with the same name, a dialog appears and prompts you
to rename the imported command set.
Work with preview images
Preview images overview
Aperture allows you to create and use JPEG previews of versions in the library. Previews are JPEG
images generated by Aperture that represent the original photo with any applied adjustments.
Previews speed up the display of photos in Aperture and also allow you to easily use your photos
in other applications.
Aperture is preset to create previews for photos in the library. Previews are built as a background
activity after photos are imported. You can set Aperture to create and maintain previews
automatically as you add or modify versions, or you can create previews manually whenever
you need them. To maintain an ecient use of disk space and adequate display speed, you
can control the size of previews, from a preview image that has the full-size dimensions of the
original down to a preview image that is 1280 pixels in the longest dimension. You can also
control the JPEG compression quality of the previews. If your workows do not benet from
previews, you can congure Aperture not to create them at all.
You can control the creation and maintenance of preview images for an entire library, as well as
on a project-by-project or photo-by-photo basis.
When a version has a preview built for it, you can drag the photos directly from the Browser to
any application that accepts JPEG les, including the Finder, Mail, and most other applications. If
you are dragging multiple photos, but only some of them have previews, only the versions with
previews are dragged out.
You can use previews to distribute your Aperture photos in movies, on the web, on DVDs, in
slideshows, and in podcasts. You can also download your Aperture photos to devices such as
iPod, import your Aperture photos into iPhoto, or use them to create Pages documents. The
Media Browsers in the iLife and iWork applications support browsing Aperture libraries. If a
version has no preview, the photo is not made available to the Media Browser.
Note: When photos are within stacks, only stack picks and album picks are shared. If you want
iLife to have access to a photo in a stack and it’s not the pick, you need to extract it from the
stack or make it the pick.
Like photos in iPhoto libraries, photos in Aperture libraries can be used for your screen saver,
desktop picture, and Mail, through the same mechanism the Media Browser uses.
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How Aperture displays photos in the Viewer
When a version needs to be displayed in the Viewer, Aperture does the following:
•Aperture draws the thumbnail image (a JPEG image that is 1280 pixels in the
longest dimension).
•Aperture draws the JPEG preview, if present.
•Aperture decodes the original and applies any adjustments to it.
Once the last step is completed, the adjustment controls become available. Because the JPEG
preview is created with all the adjustments for that version, it appears onscreen faster than the
adjusted original would. The result is a sharp preview image that appears quickly in the Viewer.
Set preview preferences
Aperture provides four preference settings for controlling previews. These settings apply to
all libraries.
Open Aperture preferences
mChoose Aperture > Preferences, then click Previews.
The Previews pane appears.
For more information about the Previews pane, see Previews preferences on page 482.
Automatically manage previews
You turn automatic preview maintenance on or o on a project-by-project basis.
Have Aperture automatically update previews for selected projects
1 In the Library inspector, select the projects whose photos you want to maintain previews for.
2 Choose Maintain Previews For Project from the Library Action pop-up menu .
A checkmark appears next to the Maintain Previews For Project menu command. Aperture will
now automatically update previews when photos are imported into the projects, as well as when
versions are created or adjusted.
Note: Turning on automatic preview maintenance does not generate the previews. It only tells
Aperture what to do the next time a photo is imported or a version is created or adjusted. To
generate previews, you can use the commands described in Manually manage previews on
page 496.
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Manually manage previews
You can delete previews or update previews to regenerate them when you want.
Delete all the JPEG previews for a project
mIn the Library inspector, select the project whose JPEG previews you want to delete, then choose
Photos > Delete Previews for Project.
Update all the JPEG previews in a project
mIn the Library inspector, select the project whose JPEG previews you want to update, then
choose Photos > Update Previews for Project.
If previews are already up to date and you choose Update Previews, Aperture alerts you that no
work is required. However, you can force the rebuilding of previews (see the following steps).
Force the rebuilding of JPEG previews in a project
mIn the Library inspector, select the project whose JPEG previews you want to force Aperture to
update, hold down the Option key, then choose Photos > Generate Previews for Project.
Delete JPEG previews for a photo selection
In the Browser, you can select one or more photos and either delete or update the
JPEG previews.
1 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos whose JPEG previews you want to delete.
2 Choose Photos > Delete Previews.
Update JPEG previews for a photo selection
1 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos whose JPEG previews you want to update.
2 Choose Photos > Update Previews.
Force the rebuilding of JPEG previews for a photo selection
1 In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos whose JPEG previews you want to force
Aperture to update.
2 Hold down the Option key, then choose Photos > Generate Previews.
Reschedule JPEG preview maintenance
Preview maintenance can be rescheduled for projects in which automatic preview maintenance
is turned o.
Reschedule JPEG preview maintenance
mIn the Library inspector, select the project whose JPEG previews you want to start updating
again, then choose Photos > Update Previews for Project.
Note: Each time you open Aperture, it checks for out-of-date previews in those projects whose
automatic preview maintenance option is turned on and then schedules the previews for
regeneration. If you don’t want previews updated automatically, turn o automatic preview
maintenance for your projects. For more information, see Automatically manage previews on
page 495.
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Render preview images
Aperture renders preview images in four situations:
•When a library is upgraded—provided that the “Create previews for existing images” checkbox
is selected in the Welcome to Aperture dialog
•When a photo is imported, or a version is created, rotated, or adjusted—provided that the
Maintain Previews item is selected in the Library Action pop-up menu
•When you select the library, a project, or a photo selection and choose Photos >
Update Previews
•Immediately before a slideshow, if the previews are not up to date, and the slideshow preset
uses the Best quality setting
When rendering a group of preview images, Aperture uses the current application preference
settings for compression quality and picture size, not the settings that were specied when
preview rendering began. For example, if you have the quality set to 6, and then halfway through
rendering you change the setting to 8, the previews that have not yet been rendered will be
compressed at setting 8. Previously rendered previews are unaected.
Update previews to use new size and compression settings
1 In the Browser, select the photos you want to update.
2 Hold down the Option key, then choose Photos > Generate Previews.
If you encounter performance issues, you can check the Activity window to see if Aperture is
doing work in the background (choose Window > Show Activity). If you think that preview
processing may be degrading performance, you can turn o automatic preview maintenance
for that project and cancel the preview processing task underway. You can then generate the
previews at a more convenient time.
Suppress preview generation
When Aperture opens, it begins updating previews for those projects whose Maintain Previews
For Project setting is turned on. (For more information about maintaining previews, see
Automatically manage previews on page 495.) This can cause problems if a project contains
damaged les or images in unsupported le formats. You can suppress preview generation when
opening Aperture, allowing you to more easily identify the damaged image les. To do this, press
the Shift key while opening Aperture. You can also cancel the current preview maintenance
operation using the Activity window.
Note: If you have canceled a preview maintenance operation, the previews are not updated until
another change is made to the photo. To force Aperture to update the preview for a photo, see
Manually manage previews on page 496. The next time you open Aperture, automatic preview
maintenance resumes.
While Aperture is open it renders preview images in the background; however, there may be
times when you want to stop this operation. You can view the progress of the preview render
operation, as well as cancel the operation, in the Activity window.
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Stop preview generation
1 Choose Window > Show Activity.
2 In the Activity window, select the “Generating preview” task, then click the Cancel Task button.
3 Close the Activity window.
Note: Because slideshows that use the Best quality setting cannot begin until all preview images
are up to date, preview generation is done in the foreground with a Cancel button to stop the
operation. In all other cases, previews are created in the background.
Turn o previews
If your workow does not benet from previews, you can turn them o completely.
1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, then click Previews.
2 Deselect the “New projects automatically generate previews” checkbox.
This turns o automatic preview maintenance for any new projects that you create.
3 In the Library inspector, select all the projects, then choose Maintain Previews For Projects from
the Library Action pop-up menu , so there is no checkmark next to it.
This turns o automatic preview maintenance for your existing projects.
Note: You need to perform steps 1 through 3 for each of your libraries.
4 If you have already generated previews for some projects and do not want them, select all the
projects in the Library inspector, then choose Photos > Delete Previews for Items.
This deletes all previews that have been generated previously. You need to do this for each
library in which you have already generated previews.
Sample workows for using previews eectively
There are several methods for using preview images eciently and eectively:
•Generate previews for projects you intend to keep oine: A JPEG preview is displayed when a
referenced image’s original is oine or cannot be found. This makes previews a great way
of maintaining high picture quality while conserving the disk space that originals (especially
RAW les) require.
•Generate previews for photos based on rating: Another way to use previews is to create a search
that displays only low-rated photos. You can then build previews just for those photos and
take their originals oine (for example, burn them to a DVD). That way you still have good-
quality images for all of your photos, without using a lot of disk space.
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You can also create a search that displays only highly rated photos and then build previews
for those photos only. This is a useful alternative for workows in which the default thumbnail
resolution is sucient for low-rated photos. For more information about searching for photos,
see Searching overview on page 15 0 .
•Generate previews for new or active projects: Because previews are used by the iLife and
iWork Media Browsers as well as by the OS X screen saver, you can use previews as a way
to distribute your Aperture photos in movies, on the web, on DVDs, in slideshows, and in
podcasts using the applications in iLife. You can also download your Aperture photos to
devices such as iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch; import your Aperture photos into iPhoto; or use
them to create Pages documents.
•Generate previews for Smart Albums: You can create previews for photos collected in Smart
Albums. For example, you can create previews for highly rated photos only. For more
information about working with Smart Albums, see Collect photos in a new Smart Album on
page 156 .
Use previews for oine referenced images
1 Make sure the external hard disk containing the referenced originals you want to keep oine is
connected to your computer.
If the originals you want to keep oine are currently stored on your computer, you must convert
the images to referenced images and move the originals to an external hard disk. You can do
this by selecting the project containing the photos whose originals you want to keep oine,
choosing File > Relocate Originals, selecting an external hard disk location for the originals, and
then clicking Relocate Originals.
2 Select the project containing the photos whose originals you want to keep oine, then choose
Photos > Update Previews.
3 When the previews are built (you can check the status by choosing Window > Show Activity),
you can disconnect the hard disk containing the originals.
Even though the originals are oine, you can browse, search, and assign metadata to preview
images. You can even use the Loupe to zoom in on preview images, because they are high-
quality JPEG les.
Share previews with other applications
1 Select the project whose photos you want to share with other applications, then choose
Maintain Previews For Project from the Library Action pop-up menu .
2 Choose Aperture > Preferences, then click Previews.
3 Choose Always or “When quitting Aperture” in the “Share XML with other applications”
pop-up menu.
4 In the Library inspector, select the project and choose Photos > Update Previews for Project.
When the previews are built, you can open any of the iLife and iWork applications and use your
Aperture photos.
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Generate previews for Smart Albums
1 Create a Smart Album and specify criteria for it using the Smart Album’s Smart Settings HUD.
2 Click in the Browser, then press Command-A to select all the photos.
3 Choose Photos > Update Previews.
Note: Previews for Smart Albums are not automatically maintained—automatic preview
maintenance is a project-level setting only. In this workow, you need to update the previews
yourself periodically, by following the steps in Manually manage previews on page 496. Aperture
builds previews only for the versions that have changed, so you don’t need to determine which
ones to update.
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501
additive color Images with color elements derived from the light source itself. RGB is a common
form of additive color. See also RGB.
adjustment Any change to the appearance of an image. See also brushed adjustment.
Adobe RGB (1998) A color prole commonly used for printing. See also color space.
album A type of container in the Aperture library that holds only versions. You can create
albums at either the project level or within a project. There are specialized types of albums,
including book, Light Table, webpage, web journal, and slideshow albums. See also folder, library,
project, Smart Album, version.
alternate The photo immediately next to the pick in a stack. Alternate photos are useful when
more than one photo in a stack merits the pick position. See also image, pick, stack.
Alternate setting A secondary Viewer setting that presents the currently selected photo on the
secondary Viewer display. See also display, image, main Viewer, primary selection, secondary Viewer.
ambient light The lighting characteristics that already exist in the scene (indoor or outdoor)
without any additional light supplied by the photographer.
analog-to-digital conversion The process of transforming light energy voltage values captured
by the camera’s digital image sensor into binary (digital numbers) for processing and storage.
See also digitization, quantization.
angle of view The area of the scene displayed within the frame. Determined by the focal length
of the lens.
aperture An adjustable iris or diaphragm in the lens through which light passes. Measured in
f-stops. See also f-stop.
aperture priority A setting on certain cameras that automatically sets the shutter speed for a
correct exposure based on the aperture setting provided by the photographer. See also exposure,
shutter priority.
archive The process of storing image data on a permanent medium, such as optical media (CD
or DVD).
aspect ratio The ratio of height to width of the dimensions of a photograph. Common North
American aspect ratios are 3.5 x 5, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 11 x 14, and 16 x 20 inches.
audio attachment An audio le that has been attached to a photo, either in the camera that
captured the photo or within Aperture. Audio attachments are often audio notations recorded
by the photographer while shooting a photo.
audio clip An instance of a segment of audio in Aperture; an audio le’s version. See also audio
le, version.
Glossary
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Glossary 502
audio le The source media le on disk to which an audio clip in Aperture refers; the audio clip’s
original. See also audio clip, original.
autofocus The system within the camera that automatically focuses the lens on a specic
portion of the subject or scene. See also autofocus point overlays.
autofocus point overlays Overlays displayed over photos in the Viewer that show which
autofocus mode was used by the camera and which focal point was used to focus the photo
when it was captured. You turn on autofocus point overlays by clicking the Autofocus Points
button in the Camera Info pane of the Info inspector. You can also temporarily view autofocus
point overlays by placing the pointer over the Autofocus Points button. See also autofocus.
automatic bracketing A setting on many professional cameras that automatically brackets the
exposure of the photo. See also bracketing.
background The area in the rear of the image that appears behind the subject. See also depth of
eld, foreground.
backlighting A light source that faces toward the lens of the camera, emanating from behind
the subject. Backlighting makes the outline of the subject stand out from the background, often
resulting in a silhouette. See also frontlighting, sidelighting, silhouette.
badge overlay A small icon Aperture places on a photo to indicate that an adjustment, keyword,
or other change has been applied to it. See also adjustment, keywords, oine.
Bayer pattern color lter array A specic arrangement of red, green, and blue lenses attached to
the surface of a digital image sensor. There are roughly twice as many green lenses as blue and
red to accommodate how the human eye perceives color. See also charge-coupled device (CCD),
complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), digital image sensor.
bit depth The number of tonal values or shades of a color each channel in a pixel is capable of
displaying. Increasing the bit depth of color channels in an image’s pixels exponentially increases
the number of colors each pixel can express. See also color channels, color depth.
Black & White adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that allows you to selectively control the
source red, green, and blue color channels when a color image is converted to grayscale. See also
adjustment, grayscale, image, monochrome.
black point compensation Black point compensation ensures that black and white luminance
values are appropriately scaled to t within the range or gamut of the destination device (printer,
paper, and ink). Using black point compensation helps prevent clipping in shadows because the
blacks are scaled to t within the gamut of the printer, paper, and ink.
Black Point parameter An Exposure adjustment parameter in Aperture used to set the blacks in
the image. See also Exposure adjustment.
Black setting A secondary Viewer setting that sets the secondary Viewer display to be a blank
screen. See also display, secondary Viewer.
Blur Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that softens the area of the image the
adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick Brushes.
bounce lighting Natural and unnatural light sources (ash and tungsten) redirected toward the
subject using a reective surface to give the eect of natural light as well as ll-in shadows. See
also color temperature, ll-in lighting, White Balance adjustment.
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Glossary 503
bracketing The process of taking three shots of the same photo based on the aperture and
shutter values recommended by the light meter: a shot one stop under the recommended
exposure, a shot at the recommended exposure, and a shot one stop over the recommended
exposure. You can also narrow the bracketing range to fractions of a stop. Bracketing is used in
dicult lighting situations to ensure that the scene is captured with the correct exposure. See
also automatic bracketing.
Brightness parameter An Exposure adjustment parameter in Aperture used to lighten or darken
an image. The adjustment aects the brightness values of the image’s midtones the most. See
also adjustment, Exposure adjustment, midtones.
Browser The part of the Aperture interface that displays the contents of the library, folders,
projects, or albums. The Browser displays photos as a row of thumbnails (lmstrip view), a grid
of thumbnails (grid view), or by le information (list view). See also lmstrip view, grid view, list
view, Viewer.
Browser layout A main window layout in Aperture in which the Viewer is hidden. See also
Browser, full-screen view, Split View layout, Viewer, Viewer layout.
Browser mode (full-screen view) A view mode in full-screen view, similar to the Browser in the
Aperture main window. When full-screen view is set to Browser mode, photos are presented as
thumbnails against a black background. Aperture provides controls for searching for and sorting
the thumbnails in this mode. See also Browser, full-screen view, Library Path Navigator pop-up
menus, Projects mode (full-screen view), Viewer mode (full-screen view).
brushed adjustment A type of adjustment in Aperture that is brushed on the image rather than
applied to it all at once. Most adjustments can be brushed on an image. See also adjustment,
brushed adjustment overlay, Quick Brushes.
brushed adjustment overlay A masking tool in Aperture used to identify brush strokes that
have already been applied to an image. See also Brush HUD, Quick Brushes.
Brush HUD A oating window used to set the size of the brush, the softness of the brush’s
edges, and the strength of the brush stroke for the selected adjustment. The Brush HUD also
contains controls for deleting brush strokes, working with overlays, limiting the adjustment to
specic tonal ranges, and edge detection. See also brushed adjustment overlay, Detect Edges,
Quick Brushes.
Bulb (B) A manual shutter speed setting on many cameras used for timed exposures. When
the shutter is set to B, the shutter stays open until the photographer presses the shutter release
button. See also shutter, shutter speed.
Burn Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that darkens the area of the image the
adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Dodge Quick Brush, Quick Brushes.
calibration The process of creating an accurate color prole for a device. Calibrating a device
ensures accurate color translation from device to device. See also device characterization.
camera A photographic device usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and
either light-sensitive lm or a digital image sensor at the other. See also digital point-and-shoot
camera, digital single-lens reex (DSLR) camera.
camera shake Blurring of the image caused by the combination of a slow shutter speed, a small
aperture, and a long focal length. See also aperture, shutter speed, tripod, unipod.
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Glossary 504
candid shot Refers to a photograph of a person that appears to have been taken informally and
unposed, without the subject’s knowledge. See also composition.
capture a. The process of taking the image received by the digital image sensor and camera
processor and storing that information on the memory card in the camera. b. The process of
recording a photo in Aperture at the moment it is shot via a tethered camera. See also camera,
digital image sensor, image, memory card, tethered shooting.
center-weighted metering A type of metering that measures the light in the entire viewnder
but gives extra emphasis to the center of the frame. Center-weighted metering is the most
common type of metering in consumer cameras. See also evaluative metering, light meter,
spot metering.
charge-coupled device (CCD) A type of digital image sensor that records the pixel information
row by row. See also complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), digital image sensor.
Chromatic Aberration adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that corrects chromatic
aberration, produced by certain lenses when the photo was shot. Some lenses refract light at
specic focal lengths, resulting in a rainbow eect in the image. See also adjustment, image, light.
chromatic spread The extent of colors aected by the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance
parameters in the Color adjustment. See also adjustment, Color adjustment.
Clone brush A type of Retouch brush in Aperture used to correct and obscure imperfections
in an image by copying pixels from a similar-looking area of an image and pasting them over
the area with the pixels you want to replace. See also image, pixel, Repair brush, Retouch
adjustment, retouching.
close-up A photo in which the subject usually appears within 3 feet of the camera. For example,
head shots are often referred to as close-ups. A shot of an ant on a ower’s petal, where the ant
lls a majority of the frame, is also a close-up.
CMYK A working space used for print pieces combining cyan, magenta, and yellow inks in
dierent combinations to create a color that reects the proper color of light. Black ink (K)
is added to the photo last to generate pure black on the page. See also subtractive color,
working space.
codec Short for compressor/decompressor or encode/decode. A software component used to
translate video or audio from its analog uncompressed form to the digital compressed form in
which it is stored on a computer’s hard disk. Also referred to as a compressor. See also audio le,
video le.
Color adjustment An adjustment in Aperture used to adjust hue, saturation, and luminance
on a color-by-color basis, as well as chromatic range. See also adjustment, chromatic spread, hue,
luminance, saturation.
color cast An unnatural tint in an image due to a lack of color balance. Color casts are often
caused by articial light sources such as interior lighting. Color casts in images are commonly
removed by adjusting levels, tint, or white balance. See also White Balance adjustment.
color channels The individual channels into which color information for digital images is
divided. Each individual color channel represents one of the three individual primary colors that
combine to represent the nal image. Each channel has a bit depth; most digital image les have
8 bits per channel, meaning that there are 256 levels of color for each channel. See also bit depth,
color depth.
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Glossary 505
color depth The possible range of colors that can be used in an image. There are generally three
choices with digital images: grayscale, 8-bit, and 16-bit. Higher color depths provide a wider
range of colors but require more storage space. See also bit depth, color channels, grayscale.
colorimeter An instrument capable of measuring the color value of a sample, using color lters.
A colorimeter is used to determine if two colors are the same. However, it does not take into
account the light under which a sample is measured. Colorimeters are often used to calibrate
displays and printers. See also calibration.
colorimetry The science of measuring color both objectively and perceptively.
color interpolation The process of calculating additional color values from light captured via the
red, green, and blue elements on the digital image sensor.
color label A type of metadata that can be assigned in Aperture to help organize and lter
photos. You can assign one of ve color labels to a photo, as well as assign a specic meaning to
each type of color label. See also metadata.
color management system (CMS) An application that controls and interprets the reproduction
of color between devices and imaging software for accuracy. See also ColorSync.
color matching method (CMM) A software algorithm designed to translate color information
from one device prole to another, such as from your display to your printer. ColorSync is a
thoroughly integrated CMM used by OS X. See also ColorSync.
Color Monochrome adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that desaturates the image and
applies a color tint of your choosing to the midtones. See also adjustment, desaturate, image,
midtones, monochrome, Tint adjustment.
color space A mathematical model used to describe part of the visible spectrum. Color from one
device is mapped from the device-dependent value to a device-independent value in a color
space. Once in an independent space, the color can be mapped to another device-dependent
space. See also device dependent, device independent.
ColorSync A color management system that is part of the Mac operating system. In OS X,
ColorSync is thoroughly integrated with the entire operating system and is available to all native
OS X applications. See also color management system (CMS), color matching method (CMM),
ColorSync Utility.
ColorSync Utility A centralized application for setting preferences, viewing installed proles,
assigning proles to devices, and repairing proles that do not conform to the current ICC
specication. See also ColorSync, International Color Consortium (ICC), prole.
color temperature Describes the color quality of light. Color temperature is measured in units
called kelvins (K). See also kelvin (K), White Balance adjustment.
Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) An organization established in 1931 to create
standards for a series of color spaces representing the visible spectrum of light. See also color
space, device dependent, device independent, lab plot.
compare photo In Aperture, a photo set to remain onscreen while other photos are viewed
against it. The compare photo is indicated by a green border. See also image.
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complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) A type of digital image sensor that
is capable of recording the entire image provided by the light-sensitive elements in parallel
(essentially all at once), resulting in a higher rate of data transfer to the storage device. Tiny
colored microlenses are tted on each light-sensitive element in a CMOS sensor to increase its
ability to interpret light. See also charge-coupled device (CCD), digital image sensor.
compositing A process in which two or more digital images are combined into one. See
also eects.
composition The arrangement of visual elements in a scene.
compression The process by which digital image les are reduced in size. Lossy compression
is the process of reducing digital image le sizes through the removal of redundant or less
important image data. Lossless compression reduces le sizes by mathematically consolidating
redundant image data without discarding it. See also decompression, LZW compression.
cones A type of receptor in the eye capable of perceiving color. There are three types of cone
cells, each sensitive to a particular frequency range in the visible spectrum. Cone cells are
capable of seeing either red, green, or blue colors. See also rods.
contact sheet Based on a print preset in Aperture, a printed selection of thumbnail-sized photos
with or without associated metadata. Contact sheets in Aperture are similar in appearance to
contact prints made by exposing negatives or transparencies against photographic paper.
contrast The dierence between the brightness and color values in an image that allows the
viewer to distinguish between objects in an image. High-contrast images have a large range
of values, from the darkest shadow to the lightest highlight. Low-contrast images have a more
narrow range of values, resulting in a “atter” look. See also Contrast parameter, Curves adjustment,
density, at.
Contrast parameter An Enhance adjustment parameter in Aperture used to adjust the contrast
in an image. See also adjustment, contrast, Exposure adjustment.
Contrast Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that applies additional contrast to
the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, contrast,
Quick Brushes.
control bar The control bar contains buttons and controls you can use to rate and navigate
through images, as well as apply keywords to them. See also keywords, rating.
copyright The legal right to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary,
musical, or artistic work. Typically, these rights are in eect for a specic period of time.
crop The process of printing or distributing only part of the original image. The general purpose
of cropping an image is to create a more eective composition. Another reason for cropping an
image is to make it t a particular aspect ratio, such as 4 x 6. See also adjustment, aspect ratio,
composition, Crop adjustment, eects.
Crop adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that trims the image for the purpose of changing
the composition or modifying the aspect ratio. The Crop adjustment is used in conjunction with
the Crop tool. See also adjustment, aspect ratio, composition, crop.
Curves adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that selectively remaps the tonal range of the
image by applying a curve from input to output. Manipulating the curve modies the tonal
values in the image. See also adjustment, contrast.
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decompression The process of creating a viewable image from a compressed digital image le.
See also compression.
denition The clarity of details in an image. See also resolution.
Denition parameter An Enhance adjustment parameter in Aperture used to adjust the clarity
of details in an image. See also Enhance adjustment.
Denition Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that adds clarity and reduces haze
without adding too much contrast to the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on. See
also adjustment, Brush HUD, denition, Quick Brushes.
demote In Aperture, the process of moving a photo in a stack away from the pick position. See
also full-screen view toolbar, image, pick, promote, stack.
densitometer An instrument designed to measure the optical density of photographs. See also
device characterization.
density The ability of an image to reproduce distinct dark colors. An image with high denition
in the darker colors is referred to as dense. See also contrast, at.
depth of eld The area of the photo that appears in focus from the foreground to the
background. Depth of eld is determined by a combination of the opening of the aperture and
the focal length of the lens. See also aperture, background, focal length, foreground.
desaturate To remove color from an image. Complete desaturation results in a grayscale image.
See also Black & White adjustment, grayscale, saturation.
destination prole The working-space prole that denes the results of a color conversion from
a source prole. See also prole.
Detect Edges A Brush HUD setting in Aperture that examines dierences in pixel values to
determine possible hard edges and then restricts the brush from aecting pixels beyond those
edges, making it easier to paint adjustments into specic areas of the photo. See also Brush HUD.
device characterization The process of creating a unique, custom prole for a device such as a
display or printer. Characterizing a device involves specialized dedicated hardware and software
to determine the exact gamut of the device. See also calibration, gamut.
device dependent Describes color values that are contingent upon the ability of a device to
reproduce those colors. For example, some colors produced by displays cannot be reproduced
on paper by a printer. The colors produced by the display are outside the gamut of the printer.
Therefore, those colors are considered to be device dependent. See also gamut.
device independent Describes standard color spaces, such as CIE Lab and XYZ, where the
interpretation of a color is not dependent on a specic device. See also color space, Commission
Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE).
Devignette adjustment An adjustment in Aperture used to correct unwanted vignetting
applied to the image at the time it was captured. See also Vignette adjustment, vignetting.
diused lighting A type of light that is scattered across the subject or scene. Diused lighting
results in a photo with low contrast and detail, as seen in photos shot outdoors on an overcast
day. See also contrast, at.
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digital A description of data that is stored or transmitted as a sequence of ones and zeros. Most
commonly, refers to binary data represented using electronic or electromagnetic signals. JPEG,
PNG, RAW, and TIFF les are all digital. See also digitization.
digital image sensor The computer chip located at the image plane inside the camera that
consists of millions of individual light-sensitive elements capable of capturing light. See
also camera, charge-coupled device (CCD), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS),
megapixel.
digital noise Misinterpreted pixels occurring as the result of high ISO settings; also known as
chrominance signal-to-noise ratio. Random bright pixels, especially in solid colors, are the result of
digital noise. See also ISO speed, noise reduction.
digital original le See original.
digital point-and-shoot camera A lightweight digital camera with a built-in autofocus feature,
aptly named for the two steps required of the photographer to shoot a photo. The lens, aperture,
and shutter are one assembly that is usually irremovable from the camera. See also camera,
digital single-lens reex (DSLR) camera.
digital single-lens reex (DSLR) camera An interchangeable-lens camera where the image
created by the lens is transmitted via a reexing mirror through a prism to the viewnder, and
the viewnder image corresponds to the actual image area. The mirror reexes, or moves up, so
as not to block the digital image sensor when the shutter is open. See also camera, digital point-
and-shoot camera.
digitization The process of converting an analog voltage value to a digital value.
digitize A term often used by photographers for converting photos captured on lm to a digital
format, such as TIFF, using a lm scanner.
disclosure triangle A small triangle you click to show or hide details in the Aperture interface.
display The computer’s monitor.
distort Performing an adjustment that changes the shape or composition of an image. See
also eects.
DNG A royalty-free RAW image format designed by Adobe Systems Incorporated. See also
format, RAW.
Dodge Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that lightens the area of the image the
adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Burn Quick Brush, Quick Brushes.
dot gain A printing term used to describe the enlargement of halftone dots as ink is absorbed
into paper. Dot gain can aect the quality of an image’s appearance by reducing the amount of
white reected o the paper.
dots per inch (dpi) A printer resolution measurement that refers to the maximum number of
dots within a square inch. See also print, resolution.
drift Changes in the way a device reproduces color over time. For example, the age of
inks and the type of paper can cause a printer’s color output to drift. See also device
characterization, gamut.
drop shadow An eect that creates an articial shadow behind an image. Typically used on
websites and in photo albums to create the illusion of three dimensions.
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Duplicate Version command A command in the Photos menu that duplicates the selected
photo version with all applied metadata and adjustments. See also adjustment, image,
metadata, version.
dust and scratch removal The process of digitally removing the blemishes caused by dust and
scratches on lm scans. See also Retouch adjustment.
dye sublimation A type of printer that creates images by heating colored ribbon to a gaseous
state, bonding the ink to the paper. See also inkjet printer, photo printer, print, RA-4.
Edge Sharpen adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that sharpens the image based on
luminance using multiple sharpening passes. See also adjustment, image, Sharpen adjustment.
editing The process of arranging and eliminating photos. See also photo edit.
eect preset A set of saved adjustment parameter settings. You can create new eect presets
and rename, rearrange the order of, and delete existing eect presets. Eect presets appear in the
Eects pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, and you can also access them by choosing Photos > Add Eect. See also adjustment, eects.
eects A general term used to describe the introduction of unnatural visual elements to
enhance an image. See also compositing, eect preset, lters.
electromagnetic radiation A type of energy ranging from gamma rays to radio waves that also
includes visible light. See also light.
embedded prole The source prole saved in the digital image le. JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PDF le
formats support embedded proles. See also device characterization, prole.
emulsion The tiny layers of gelatin, consisting of light-sensitive elements, found in lm. When
the emulsion is exposed to light, a chemical reaction occurs. After the lm is developed, an
image appears. See also dust and scratch removal, lm.
Enhance adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that adjusts contrast, denition, saturation, and
vibrancy, as well as black, gray, and white tints in an image. See also adjustment, contrast, Contrast
parameter, denition, Denition parameter, saturation, Saturation parameter, tint, Tint adjustment,
Vibrancy parameter.
evaluative metering A type of metering that operates by dividing the frame into several small
segments, taking a reading from each individual segment, and processing the average of the
total segments to recommend the best exposure value for the overall photo. See also center-
weighted metering, light meter, spot metering.
EXIF Short for Exchangeable Image File. The standard format for storing information—such as
shutter speed, aperture, white balance, exposure compensation, metering setting, ISO setting,
date, and time—about how a photo was shot. See also IPTC, metadata.
export The process of formatting data in such a way that it can be understood by other
applications. In Aperture, photos can be exported in their native RAW format, as well as in
JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PSD formats. The EXIF and IPTC metadata associated with a photo can be
exported as well.
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exposure The amount of light in a photo. Exposure is controlled by limiting the intensity of light
(controlled by the aperture) and the length of time light comes into contact with the digital
image sensor (controlled by the shutter). Exposure aects the overall brightness of the photo
as well as its perceived contrast. See also adjustment, aperture, contrast, digital image sensor,
Exposure adjustment, shutter.
Exposure adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that adjusts exposure, recovery, black point,
and brightness. See also adjustment, Black Point parameter, Brightness parameter, exposure,
Recovery parameter.
exposure meter See light meter.
extended desktop mode A setting in System Preferences that allows the OS X desktop to span
multiple displays. See also display, mirroring.
external editor An application used in tandem with Aperture to perform advanced adjustments,
such as compositing. Aperture creates a new original when an image is sent to an external editor
and automatically retrieves the original when the image is saved. See also compositing, original.
external ash A type of ash connected to the camera via the hot-shoe bracket or PC terminal.
Using an external ash is the best technique for avoiding the red-eye eect in your subject’s
eyes. See also ash, red-eye.
face detection The process Aperture uses to determine if a face appears in a photo. See also
Faces view.
face recognition The process Aperture uses to keep track of faces you have identied in
your photos and suggest other possible matching faces in the same Aperture library. See also
Faces view.
Faces view An Aperture view that displays snapshots of people in photos in the library or in an
item selected in the Library inspector that have been assigned names. See also face detection,
face recognition, Flagged view, Photos view, Places view, Projects view, skimming.
ll-in lighting The use of an articial light source, such as daylight lamps or ash, to soften a
subject or ll in shadows. See also bounce lighting, color temperature, White Balance adjustment.
lm A exible transparent base coated with a light-sensitive emulsion capable of recording
photos. See also dust and scratch removal, emulsion.
lmstrip An interface element in full-screen view that allows you to scroll through and search
for photos. See also full-screen view.
lmstrip view A Browser view that allows you to quickly scroll through thumbnail images
horizontally. See also Browser.
Filter HUD A oating window used to quickly locate photos in the Browser based on a
combination of criteria, such as adjustments, keywords, ratings, and EXIF metadata. See also EXIF,
image, keywords, rating.
lters a. Modiable search criteria used in the Filter HUD to return a specic selection of
photos. b. Eects applied in Photoshop that aect the visual quality of the image to which
they’re applied. c. A colored piece of glass or plastic designed to be placed in front of a camera
lens to change, emphasize, or eliminate density, reections, or areas within the scene. See also
compositing, density, eects.
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Finder The part of the Mac operating system software that keeps track of les, applications, and
folders and displays the desktop.
nishing The process of applying the nal adjustments to a digital image just before
presentation. Finishing may involve applying an additional gamma adjustment upon export, or
using an external editor to either burn or dodge a portion of the image before sending it to the
printer. See also export, external editor.
FireWire The trademarked Apple name for the IEEE 1394 standard, a fast and versatile interface
used to connect external devices to computers. FireWire is well suited to transferring large
amounts of data, and FireWire devices such as hard drives are often used to provide additional
storage space. Aperture vaults are commonly stored on external FireWire hard drives. See also
tethered shooting, USB, vault.
xed lens See prime lens.
ag A type of metadata assigned in Aperture used to help lter photos. You can ag photos and
then search for and display photos in Aperture based on whether they are agged or not. See
also Flagged view, metadata.
Flagged view An Aperture view that displays all photos, audio clips, and video clips in the library
that have been agged. See also Faces view, ag, Photos view, Places view, Projects view.
ash A device either on or attached to the camera that emits a brief, intense burst of light when
the shutter release button is pressed. Flashes, synchronized with the shutter, are used to obtain
a correctly exposed photo in low-light situations. See also exposure, external ash, ll-in lighting,
hot shoe.
at The lack of density in a photo when the contrast is too low. See also contrast, density.
Flip adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that inverts the composition of the image
horizontally, vertically, or both. See also adjustment.
focal length The distance from the rear nodal point of the lens to the point where the light rays
passing through the lens are focused onto the image plane—the digital image sensor. Focal
lengths are measured in millimeters (mm).
focus point overlays See autofocus point overlays.
folder A type of container in the Aperture library used to organize projects and albums within
projects. Folders do not contain photos, video clips, or audio clips. See also album, library, project.
foreground The area of the image between the subject and the camera. See also background,
depth of eld.
format a. File format: A specic method of encoding information. Most well-known le formats,
such as TIFF and PNG, have published specications. b. Disk formatting: The preparation of a hard
disk or other storage medium for use with a le system. See also JPEG, PNG, PSD, TIFF, vault.
frame The border of an image. Frame can also be used as a verb to describe the process of
constructing a composition within a specic image area. See also crop.
frontlighting A light source, emanating from the direction of the camera, that faces toward the
subject. See also backlighting, sidelighting.
f-stop The ratio of the focal length of the lens to the diameter of the opening of the aperture.
See also aperture.
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full-screen view A workspace view in Aperture with minimal user interface, used to view full-
screen photos in high resolution with the least amount of light and color interference. See also
Browser layout, lmstrip, HUD, Split View layout, Viewer layout.
full-screen view toolbar A collection of buttons and tools, grouped by function, located at the
top of the screen in full-screen view. See also toolbar.
gamma A curve that describes how the middle tones of an image appear. Gamma is a nonlinear
function often confused with brightness or contrast. Changing the value of the gamma aects
middle tones while leaving the whites and blacks of the image unaltered. Gamma adjustment is
often used to compensate for dierences between Mac and Windows video cards and displays.
The Mac Standard gamma is 1.8; the PC Standard is 2.2.
gamut The range of colors an individual color device is capable of reproducing. Each device
capable of reproducing color has a unique gamut determined by age, frequency of use, and
other elements such as inks and paper. See also device characterization, device dependent, gamut
mapping, ICC prole.
gamut mapping The process of identifying colors outside a device’s gamut and then calculating
the nearest color within its gamut. Gamut mapping is used when receiving color information
from another color space. See also color space, gamut.
Global Positioning System (GPS) A U.S. space-based navigation system that provides reliable
positioning, navigation, and timing services for civilian users on a continuous, worldwide basis.
Aperture uses photo location information provided by GPS-enabled cameras to plot where each
image was shot on a map in Places view. See also GPS track log, Places view.
GPS track log A le consisting of digital bread crumbs that are used to dene a path or route
(“track”) using precise coordinates saved by a GPS device or GPS tracking iOS application. If you
have a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device or another GPS device that you use to create track les
and save waypoints, you can import the track les into Aperture and work with them in Places
view. See also Global Positioning System (GPS), Places view, waypoint.
grayscale Describes an image whose only colors are shades of gray. Usually grayscale images
have smaller le sizes because less information is required to display a gray pixel, in which the
red, green, and blue pixel elements all emit an equal intensity. See also Black & White adjustment,
monochrome, pixel.
grid view A Browser view that displays photos as a grid of thumbnails. Grid view is the Browser’s
default view. See also Browser, lmstrip view, list view.
Halo Reduction Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment used to remove the blue
and purple fringes that are occasionally produced with certain lenses when the image is
overexposed. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick Brushes.
high-denition video Generally refers to video that is 720 progressive scan lines or better, also
known as HD video.
highlights The brightest areas of the subject or scene. See also contrast, density, shadows.
Highlights & Shadows adjustment An adjustment in Aperture used to selectively adjust the
highlights and shadows in an image. See also adjustment, highlights, shadows.
hot shoe An apparatus at the top of a camera designed to hold a portable ash. When the
shutter release button is pressed, an electric signal is transmitted through a connection in the
hot shoe to activate the portable ash. See also external ash, ash.
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HUD Short for heads-up display. In Aperture, HUDs are oating windows that allow you to work
on your image. You can open and then move a HUD wherever you wish, based on your display
setup. See also full-screen view.
hue An attribute of color perception; also known as color phase. For example, red and blue are
dierent hues. See also Color adjustment.
ICC prole Created as a result of device characterization, the ICC prole contains the data
about the device’s exact gamut. See also device characterization, gamut, International Color
Consortium (ICC).
image An artifact that reproduces the likeness of some subject, usually a physical object or
person, also known as a picture. See also photograph, photo selection, picture, subject.
importing The process of bringing digital image les, audio les, and video les of various types
into a project in Aperture. Imported les can be created in another application, downloaded
from a camera or card reader, or brought in from another Aperture project. See also project.
inkjet printer A type of printer that creates images by spraying little ink droplets onto the paper.
See also dye sublimation, photo printer, print, RA-4.
Inspector HUD A oating window that contains the Library, Metadata, and Adjustments panes.
See also Inspector pane.
Inspector pane An element of the Aperture main window that contains the Library, Info, and
Adjustments inspectors. See also Inspector HUD.
Intensify Contrast Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that corrects the shadow
areas of the image that appear washed out by intensifying the contrast between pure black and
50 percent gray in the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on. The Intensify Contrast
Quick Brush adjustment is equivalent to applying an Overlay blend. See also adjustment, Brush
HUD, contrast, Polarize Quick Brush, Quick Brushes, shadows.
International Color Consortium (ICC) An organization established to create the color
management standard known as the ICC prole. ICC proles are universally accepted by hardware
and software vendors because they’re based on an open standard. See also ICC prole.
IPTC Short for International Press Telecommunications Council. IPTC metadata is used
by photographers and media organizations to embed keywords (words describing the
characteristics of the image, including the photographer’s name) in the image les themselves.
Large publishers typically use image management systems to quickly identify photos based on
the IPTC information embedded in the image le. See also EXIF, metadata.
IPTC Core A dened set of metadata elds, primarily used by photographers and news media,
built on Adobe’s XMP technology. See also IPTC, metadata, XMP sidecar le.
iris See pupil.
ISO speed The relative sensitivity of lm provided as a benchmark by the International
Standards Organization (ISO). In digital cameras, the minimum ISO rating is dened by the
sensitivity of the digital image sensor. When the ISO setting on the camera is increased, allowing
the photographer to shoot in low-light situations, the camera amplies the voltage received
from the light-sensitive elements on the digital image sensor prior to converting the voltage
signals to digital values. See also digital image sensor, digital noise.
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JPEG Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, JPEG is a popular image le format that lets
you create highly compressed graphics les. The amount of compression used varies. Less
compression results in a higher-quality image. JPEG les usually have a .jpg extension. See also
format, RAW + JPEG image pair.
kelvin (K) A unit of measurement used to describe color values of light sources, based
on a temperature scale that begins at absolute zero. See also color temperature, White
Balance adjustment.
keywords Descriptive words about the subject in the photo that are added to photo versions
and saved as metadata. See also control bar, Keywords HUD, metadata, version.
Keywords HUD A oating window containing a library of keywords that can be applied to a
photo selection. See also keywords, metadata, photo selection.
lab plot A visual three-dimensional representation of the CIE Lab color space. See also color
space, ColorSync.
lens A series of sophisticated elements—usually glass—constructed to refract and focus the
reective light from a scene at a specic point: the digital image sensor in a camera. See also
camera, digital image sensor, macro lens, prime lens, telephoto lens, wide-angle lens, zoom lens.
Levels adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that provides controls to selectively adjust the
tonal range of an image. See also adjustment, image.
library In Aperture, a container le that holds projects, folders, albums, originals, and versions.
You organize items in the library, rename items, sort items, and so on using the Library inspector.
By default, the Aperture Library le is located in your Pictures folder. See also album, folder,
merging libraries, original, project, version.
Library Path Navigator pop-up menus A set of pop-up menus at the top-left corner of the
screen in the full-screen view Browser mode that are used to provide access to all the items in
the Library inspector. See also Browser mode (full-screen view), full-screen view, library.
Lift & Stamp HUD A oating window that displays the attributes lifted from a photo. You can
choose which attributes are stamped on a photo selection by deselecting the attributes you
don’t want to apply. See also HUD, Lift and Stamp tools, photo selection.
Lift and Stamp tools A pair of tools used in conjunction with the Lift & Stamp HUD to copy (lift)
attributes, such as metadata and adjustments, from one photo and paste (stamp) them on a
photo selection. See also adjustment, Lift & Stamp HUD, metadata, photo selection.
light Visible energy in the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths ranging between 400
and 720 nanometers. See also electromagnetic radiation.
light meter A device capable of measuring the intensity of reective light. Light meters are used
as an aid for selecting the correct exposure settings on the camera. Most cameras have internal
light meters. See also center-weighted metering, evaluative metering, meter, spot metering.
Light Table An area in the Aperture main window that appears when you select a Light Table
album. The Light Table provides a large open space where you can place a selection of photos for
review and drag them to new positions, group them in dierent combinations, and resize them
as needed. See also album, Navigator button.
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list view A Browser view that displays photos in a list by name, icon, and accompanying
metadata, such as rating, image dimensions, le size, and date, rather than as a row or grid of
thumbnails. See also Browser, lmstrip view, grid view, metadata, rating.
Loupe A tool in Aperture used to magnify the area of the photo you place it over.
luminance A value describing the brightness of all color channels combined in a pixel.
LZW compression A lossless data-compression algorithm developed by Abraham Lempel, Jakob
Ziv, and Terry Welch in 1984. LZW compression algorithms are typically used with JPEG and TIFF
graphics les to reduce the le size for archiving and transmission at a ratio of 2.8:1. See also
compression, JPEG, TIFF.
macro lens A type of lens used for extreme close-up photography. See also camera, lens, prime
lens, telephoto lens, wide-angle lens, zoom lens.
main Viewer For systems with multiple displays, the main Viewer is used for displaying the
Aperture application. See also display, secondary Viewer.
managed images Images whose originals are stored in the Aperture library. The locations of the
originals are managed by the Aperture database. Managed image les are always online. See also
library, oine, online, original, referenced images.
megapixel One million pixels. For example, 1,500,000 pixels equals 1.5 megapixels. See also
digital image sensor, pixel.
memory card The device in the camera where digital image les are stored. See also
camera, capture.
merging libraries The process of importing an Aperture library le and merging its contents
into the library that is currently open in Aperture. See also library.
metadata Data about data; metadata describes how data was collected and formatted.
Databases use metadata to track specic forms of data. Aperture supports both EXIF and IPTC
metadata. See also EXIF, IPTC.
meter The process of using a light meter to calculate the appropriate exposure. See also
light meter.
midtones The color values in an image between the highlights and shadows. See also contrast,
highlights, Highlights & Shadows adjustment, Levels adjustment, shadows.
mirroring The process of showing the same photo on two or more displays. See also extended
desktop mode.
Mirror setting A secondary Viewer setting that sets Aperture to present the same photo
selection on the main and secondary Viewer displays. See also display, mirroring, main Viewer,
photo selection, secondary Viewer.
moire pattern Refers to the type of visual pattern that is created by the interference of two grids
overlaid on top of one another. Moire patterns can occur in photos taken with digital cameras
when the linear pattern in the photo interferes with the linear pattern of the digital image sensor
pixel array. The moire pattern often results from a weak anti-aliasing lter employed by the
camera’s image processor. See also digital image sensor, RAW Fine Tuning adjustment.
monitor See display.
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monochrome An image presented in shades of a single color, such as the shades of gray in a
black-and-white photograph. See also Black & White adjustment, Color Monochrome adjustment,
grayscale, image, photograph.
My Photo Stream An iCloud feature that uploads and stores the last 30 days of your photos and
automatically pushes them to all your iOS devices and computers. Also a view in Aperture that
displays all the photos that have been uploaded to My Photo Stream from your iOS devices and
the Aperture library. See also Faces view, Flagged view, Photos view, Places view, Projects view.
Navigator button A button in the Light Table used to reposition the view when the contents of
the Light Table are larger than your screen. See also Light Table.
negative Developed lm with a reverse-tone image of the subject or scene. See also dust and
scratch removal, emulsion, lm, positive.
New Version From Original command A command in the Photos menu that creates a new
version from the original corresponding to a selected photo, audio clip, or video clip. See also
original, version.
noise See digital noise.
noise reduction The process of removing digital noise in a photo. See also adjustment, digital
noise, image, Noise Reduction adjustment, Noise Reduction Quick Brush.
Noise Reduction adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that reduces digital noise in an image.
See also adjustment, digital noise, image, noise reduction.
Noise Reduction Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that removes digital noise in
the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, digital noise,
noise reduction, Quick Brushes.
N-up printing The process of consolidating a multiple-page document on a single sheet of
paper. See also print.
oine Describes photos whose originals are currently unavailable to Aperture. Oine photos
appear in the Viewer and Browser with badge overlays displaying a red slash through them.
Photos may be oine because the device containing the originals, such as a CD, DVD, FireWire
drive, or server, is not connected to your computer or the original lenames have been modied
in some way. To bring the photos online, you must reconnect them to their corresponding
originals. See also Browser, FireWire, online, original, preview images, Viewer.
oset press A type of professional printer used for high-volume printing for items such as
magazines and brochures. Oset printing presses deposit ink in lines of halftone dots to produce
images on the page. See also photo printer.
O setting A secondary Viewer setting that turns o the dual-display function. See also display,
secondary Viewer.
online Describes photos whose originals are currently available to Aperture. See also oine.
opacity The level of an image’s transparency.
optical zoom lens See zoom lens.
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original The source media le that was copied from either your computer’s le system or your
camera’s memory card. In Aperture, the original is never modied. Whenever a change is made
to a photo, a video clip, or an audio clip, that change is applied to the version. Formerly known as
the master. See also memory card, project, version.
overexposure The result of exposing a scene too long. Overexposed scenes appear too bright
and lack adequate details in the shadows. See also exposure, underexposed.
panning a. Moving the camera along with a moving subject in order to keep the subject in
the frame. Panning a fast-moving subject with a slow shutter speed usually causes the subject
to remain relatively in focus, while the remaining areas of the scene are blurred or stretched
in the direction of the camera movement. b. In Aperture, pressing the Space bar and dragging
within an image to see other parts of the image when it is displayed at 100 percent size. See also
camera, image, Viewer.
panorama Usually refers to a scenic landscape photo with a wide aspect ratio. Photographers
often digitally combine, or “stitch,” multiple photos of the same scene to create a continuous
panoramic photo. See also aspect ratio.
perceptual A type of render intent that compresses the total gamut from one device’s color
space into the gamut of another device’s color space when one or more colors in the original
image are out of the gamut of the destination color space. This preserves the visual relationship
between colors by shrinking the entire color space and shifting all colors. However, colors that
were in gamut also shift. See also gamut, relative colorimetric, rendering intent.
phase An attribute of color perception; also known as hue. See also hue.
photo edit The process of choosing selects from a group of photos, as well as rejecting photos
that you don’t plan to use or publish. The more aggressively you cull undesirable photos from
your working group of photos, the more time you save when you process the photos for display.
See also rating, Reject rating, Select rating.
photograph An image created using a camera as a result of light interacting with a light-
sensitive surface, usually lm or a digital image sensor. See also camera, digital image sensor, lm,
image, picture.
photo printer A type of printer capable of producing photo-quality images. See also dye
sublimation, gamut, inkjet printer, oset press, print, RA-4.
photo selection Refers to a photo or group of photos selected in the Browser or the full-screen
view lmstrip. A white rectangle surrounding a photo indicates it is selected. See also Browser,
full-screen view, photograph.
Photos view An Aperture view that displays all the photos, audio clips, and video clips in the
library. See also Faces view, Flagged view, My Photo Stream, Places view, Projects view.
pick The photo that represents a stack. The pick is usually the best photo in the stack. See also
alternate, stack.
picture A visual representation rendered on a at surface or screen, such as a photograph. See
also image, photograph.
Pictures folder Located in the Home folder, the Pictures folder is the default location for
Aperture and iPhoto libraries. See also library.
pixel The smallest discernible visual element of a digital image. See also megapixel.
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Places Path Navigator pop-up menus A set of pop-up menus located at the top-left corner of
the screen in Places view that are used to navigate to locations on the map. See also Places view.
Places view A view in Aperture that allows you to apply location information to photos and
track the location of each shot. Photos captured with GPS-enabled cameras provide their
location information automatically. See also Faces view, Flagged view, Global Positioning System
(GPS), photo selection, Photos view, Places Path Navigator pop-up menus, Projects view, waypoint.
PNG Short for Portable Network Graphics. PNG is a bitmapped graphics le format that has been
approved by the World Wide Web Consortium to replace patented GIF les. PNG les are patent
and royalty free. See also format.
Polarize Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that deepens the colors in the image by
darkening the shadows and midtones while preserving the highlights in the area of the image
the adjustment is brushed on. The Polarize Quick Brush adjustment is equivalent to applying a
Multiply blend. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, contrast, highlights, Intensify Contrast Quick Brush,
midtones, Quick Brushes, shadows.
polarizing lter A lter placed on the front of the camera lens that selectively transmits light
traveling on one plane while absorbing light traveling on other planes. Polarizing lters are
capable of reducing unwanted reections on windows and shiny surfaces. Polarizing lters are
also used to darken the sky. See also lters.
positive Developed lm, where the tonal relationship of the subject or scene is the same on lm
as when viewed by the eye; also known as a slide. See also dust and scratch removal, emulsion,
negative.
presets A saved group of settings, such as export, naming, print, and web export settings.
Presets determine properties such as le format, le compression, lename construction, paper
size, and ColorSync prole. Presets are usually dened for particular workows and can be
tailored to client specications. See also ColorSync.
pressure-sensitive tablet An input device used in place of a mouse that consists of two parts: a
at surface for drawing (the interface that is connected to the computer) and a pen or stylus. The
harder you press the stylus against the surface of the tablet, the thicker the line or brush stroke
is. See also Brush HUD, Quick Brushes.
preview images JPEG images generated by Aperture that represent the original with any
applied adjustments and associated metadata. Preview images are designed to be shared with
other applications, such as iWork and iLife applications, and used in place of the high-resolution
originals when they are oine. See also adjustment, JPEG, metadata, oine, original.
primary selection The most important photo in a photo selection. Adjustments are applied
only to the primary selection in a photo selection. The primary selection is identied by a thicker
white border. There can be only one primary selection in a photo selection. See also adjustment,
photo selection, Primary setting.
Primary setting A Viewer setting in Aperture that limits metadata changes to only the
primary selection in a multiple-photo selection. See also lmstrip, metadata, photo selection,
primary selection.
prime lens A lens with a xed focal length that cannot be changed.
print An image, such as a photograph, printed on paper. See also dye sublimation, inkjet printer,
N-up printing, photograph, RA-4.
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prole A compilation of data on a specic device’s color information, including its gamut, color
space, and modes of operation. A prole represents a device’s color-reproduction capabilities and
is essential to eective color management. See also device characterization, gamut.
program exposure An exposure mode on many automatic cameras in which the camera
automatically sets the aperture and shutter values for a correct exposure. See also exposure.
project In Aperture, the top-level container that holds all the originals, versions, and metadata
associated with your shoot. In the case of referenced images, the originals are stored in their
current location rather than in the project within the library le. See also album, folder, library,
original, Projects mode (full-screen view), Projects view, referenced images, version.
Projects mode (full-screen view) A view mode in full-screen view, similar to the Projects view
in the Aperture main window. All projects are displayed, and each project is represented by
one large thumbnail of a photo within the project. You can position the pointer over a project
thumbnail and drag to quickly skim the photos in the project. See also Browser mode (full-screen
view), full-screen view, project, Projects view, Viewer mode (full-screen view).
Projects view An Aperture view that displays all the projects in the library. Each project is
represented by one large thumbnail of a photo within the project. You can position the pointer
over a project thumbnail and drag to quickly skim the photos in the project. See also Faces view,
Flagged view, Photos view, Places view, project, Projects mode (full-screen view), skimming.
promote The process of moving a photo in a stack closer to the pick position. See also demote,
pick, stack.
PSD Short for Photoshop Document. PSD les are proprietary graphics les for Adobe Systems
Incorporated. See also format.
pupil The part of the eye that contracts and expands depending on the amount of light; also
known as the iris.
quantization The process of converting a value derived from an analog source to a discrete
digital value. See also digitization.
Quick Brushes Used to apply selective adjustments to an image by brushing the adjustment
over a portion of the image. See also adjustment, brushed adjustment, brushed adjustment overlay,
Brush HUD.
QuickTime A cross-platform multimedia technology developed by Apple. Widely used for
editing, compositing, web video, and more.
RA-4 A type of professional printer capable of printing digital les on traditional photographic
paper. RA-4 printers use a series of colored lights to expose the paper; the colors blend together
to produce continuous-tone prints. See also dye sublimation, inkjet printer, photo printer, print.
RAID Short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. A method of providing photographers who
have large photo libraries many gigabytes of high-performance data storage by formatting a
group of hard disks to act as a single volume. The performance of a group of hard disks striped
together as a RAID can be much higher than that of the individual disks.
RAM Short for random-access memory. A computer’s memory capacity, measured in megabytes
(MB) or gigabytes (GB), which determines the amount of data the computer can process and
temporarily store at any moment.
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rangender An apparatus found on many cameras that is used to help focus the image. See also
camera, viewnder.
raster image processor (RIP) A specialized printer driver that replaces the driver that comes with
your printer. The RIP takes input from applications and converts, or rasterizes, the information to
data that the printer understands so that it can put dots on a page. Software RIPs typically oer
features not found in standard printer drivers.
rating In Aperture, the process of adding a value to a photo to indicate its quality in relation to
other photos in a selection. See also photo edit, Reject rating, Select rating.
RAW The original bit-for-bit digital image le captured by the camera. See also RAW + JPEG
image pair.
RAW Fine Tuning adjustment A set of adjustment parameters in Aperture used to control how
Aperture decodes RAW image les. See also moire pattern.
RAW + JPEG image pair A photo captured by a professional digital camera and saved as both
an individual RAW le and an individual JPEG le. You can set Aperture to import one le type or
both le types in the pair. See also JPEG, RAW.
reciprocity The relationship between the aperture and the shutter that allows for correct
exposures as a result of multiple shutter speed and aperture setting combinations. An increase
in aperture and a decrease in shutter speed creates the same exposure as the previous aperture
and shutter combination, and vice versa. See also aperture, shutter.
Recovery parameter An Exposure adjustment parameter in Aperture used to recover highlight
detail. See also Exposure adjustment.
red-eye The phenomenon that gives people glowing red eyes in photographs. Red-eye is
caused by the close proximity of the ash to the lens (especially built-in ash). See also external
ash, Red Eye Correction adjustment.
Red Eye Correction adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that replaces red pixels with black,
eliminating the red-eye eect. Used in conjunction with the Red Eye tool. See also adjustment,
pixel, red-eye.
referenced images Images whose originals are stored outside of the Aperture library. See also
library, managed images, oine, online, original.
Reject rating In Aperture, a negative rating applied to a photo as part of the photo editing
process. See also photo edit, rating, Select rating.
relative colorimetric A rendering intent suitable for printing photographic images. It compares
the highlight values of the source color space to that of the destination color space and shifts
out-of-gamut colors to the closest reproducible color in the destination color space. This
rendering intent can cause two colors, which appear dierent in the source color space, to
be the same in the target color space, which is known as clipping. See also gamut, perceptual,
rendering intent.
rendering intent The method by which colors that are out of gamut for a selected output
device are mapped to that device’s reproducible gamut. See also gamut, perceptual,
relative colorimetric.
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Repair brush A type of Retouch brush in Aperture used to correct and obscure imperfections
in an image by copying pixels from a similar-looking area of an image and pasting them over
the area with the pixels you want to replace. In addition to overwriting the pixels, the Repair
brush resamples the pasted pixels to match the color, texture, and luminance of the pixels you
replaced. See also Clone brush, Retouch adjustment, retouching.
resolution The amount of information a digital image is capable of conveying. Resolution is
determined by the combination of le size (number of pixels), bit depth (pixel depth), and dots
per inch (dpi). See also bit depth, dots per inch (dpi), pixel.
Retouch adjustment In Aperture, an adjustment used to correct or obscure imperfections in an
image. Used in conjunction with the Retouch HUD, which provides a Clone brush and a Repair
brush. See also adjustment, Clone brush, Repair brush.
retouching The process of altering an image to add or remove details. See also Clone brush,
compositing, eects, lters, Repair brush, Retouch adjustment.
RGB Short for Red, Green, Blue. A color space commonly used on computers, in which each color
is described by the strength of its red, green, and blue components. This color space directly
translates to the red, green, and blue elements used in computer displays. The RGB color space
has a very large gamut, meaning it can reproduce a wide range of colors. This range is typically
larger than the range that printers can reproduce. See also additive color.
rods A type of receptor in the eye capable of perceiving luminance. Rods do not perceive color,
but only levels of brightness. See also cones.
saturation The intensity of color in an image. Saturated colors are perceived to have a “purer”
look, resulting from the absence of the color gray. See also adjustment, desaturate.
Saturation parameter An Enhance adjustment parameter in Aperture used to adjust saturation
in an image. See also adjustment, desaturate, Enhance adjustment, saturation.
Saturation Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that adds saturation to or removes it
from the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick
Brushes, saturation.
secondary Viewer The secondary Viewer is used to present photos on a second display, separate
from the application workspace. The secondary Viewer has ve settings: Mirror, Alternate, Span,
Black, and O. See also Alternate setting, Black setting, display, main Viewer, Mirror setting, O
setting, Span setting.
selective focus The process of isolating a subject by using an f-stop that produces a shallow
depth of eld. See also depth of eld.
Select rating In Aperture, the highest rating that can be applied to a photo as part of the photo
editing process. A Select rating is applied when you intend to display or distribute the photo. See
also photo edit, rating, Reject rating.
sepia Describes a photograph with a brown tint. See also photograph, Sepia Tone adjustment,
Tint adjustment.
Sepia Tone adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that changes a color image to sepia—
allowing you to desaturate the color image to the level of sepia coloring you want. See also
adjustment, desaturate, image, sepia, Tint adjustment.
shadows The darkest areas of a subject or scene. See also contrast, density, highlights.
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Sharpen adjustment An adjustment in Aperture used to sharpen images. See also adjustment,
Edge Sharpen adjustment, image.
Sharpen Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that sharpens the area of the image the
adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick Brushes.
shortcut menu A menu you access by holding down the Control key and clicking an area of the
interface, or by pressing the right mouse button.
shutter A complicated mechanism, usually consisting of a blade or a curtain, that precisely
controls the duration of time light passing through the lens remains in contact with the digital
image sensor. See also shutter speed.
shutter priority A setting on certain cameras that automatically sets the aperture for a correct
exposure based on the shutter speed set by the photographer. See also aperture priority,
exposure.
shutter speed The length of time the shutter is open or the digital image sensor is activated or
charged. Shutter speeds appear as fractions of a second, such as 1/8 or 1/250. See also shutter.
sidelighting Light that hits the subject from the side, perpendicular to the angle of the camera.
See also backlighting, frontlighting.
silhouette A photo in which the subject is a solid dark shape against a bright background.
Extreme backlighting, such as a sunset, can cause the silhouette eect when your subject is
placed in the foreground. See also backlighting, foreground.
skimming The act of quickly navigating through photos of a person in Faces view or photos
within a project in Projects view by slowly dragging over the thumbnail representing the person
in Faces view or the project in Projects view. See also Faces view, Projects view.
Skin Smoothing Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment used to smooth a person’s skin
by subtly blurring wrinkles and skin pores in the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on.
See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick Brushes.
slide See positive.
slider In Aperture, a control that can be dragged forward or backward to make an adjustment.
Sliders can be found in the Adjustments inspector and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD. See also adjustment, HUD, Inspector HUD.
slideshow An animated presentation of a series of photos. In Aperture, you can combine photos
with music and video to create multimedia slideshows that you can play on your computer
(using one or two displays) or export as slideshow movies.
Smart Album Dynamic albums in Aperture used to organize photos, audio clips, and video clips
by gathering versions based on search criteria. See also album, Smart Settings HUD, version.
Smart Settings HUD A oating window used to specify search criteria, such as adjustments,
keywords, ratings, and EXIF metadata, for the purpose of gathering photos that match into a
Smart Album. See also EXIF, keywords, rating, Smart Album.
soft lighting See diused lighting.
soft proof The onscreen simulation by a display of the expected output from a printer or press.
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Sorting pop-up menu Used to arrange photos in the Browser based on a variety of sort
properties or custom sort criteria. See also Browser.
source image le See original.
source prole The prole of an image le before it undergoes color conversion.
Span setting A secondary Viewer setting that splits the presentation of the current photo
selection between the main and secondary Viewer displays. See also main Viewer, photo selection,
secondary Viewer.
spectrophotometer An instrument that measures the wavelength of color across an
entire spectrum of colors. Because it can be used to prole both displays and printers, the
spectrophotometer is preferred for device proling.
Split View layout A main window layout in Aperture that displays the Viewer and Browser at the
same time. See also Browser, Browser layout, Viewer, Viewer layout.
Spot & Patch adjustment An adjustment in Aperture used to retouch imperfections in an image,
such as sensor dust. See also adjustment.
spot metering A type of metering that operates by metering within a small target that is usually
in the center of the frame. See also center-weighted metering, evaluative metering, light meter.
sRGB A common working space designed to represent the average PC monitor. Because of its
small gamut, it is suitable for web graphics but not for print production. See also working space.
stack In Aperture, a set of similar photos, of which only one photo is intended for use. See also
alternate, pick.
stopping down The process of changing the aperture, or f-stop, to a smaller opening. See also
aperture, f-stop.
Straighten adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that levels the image’s horizon. Used in
conjunction with the Straighten tool. See also adjustment.
subject The main object, person, scene, or incident chosen by the photographer to be
represented in a photo. See also candid shot, photograph.
subtractive color Images with color elements derived from the light reected o the surface of
an object. CMYK is a common form of subtractive color. See also CMYK.
SWOP Short for Specications for Web Oset Publications, a standard printing-press prole. Web
here refers to a web press, not to the Internet.
tabs In Aperture, elements that delineate projects, folders, or albums in the Browser when more
than one is selected in the Library inspector. You click a tab to view the contents of a currently
open project, folder, or album. See also album, folder, project.
target A reference le used to prole a device such as a scanner or digital camera. It often
contains patches whose color values have been measured. The output from a device is then
compared with the target. See also device characterization.
telephoto lens A lens with a long focal length that magnies the subject. See also lens.
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tethered shooting Refers to the process of connecting a digital camera to your Mac via a
FireWire or USB cable, shooting photographs, and having Aperture capture and store the image
les at the moment they are shot. See also camera, FireWire.
theme Professionally designed layouts in Aperture used for books, webpages, and slideshows.
See also slideshow.
TIFF Short for Tagged Image File Format. TIFF is a widely used bitmapped graphics le format,
developed by Aldus and Microsoft, that handles monochrome, grayscale images. See also format,
grayscale, monochrome.
tint The shade of a color. See also color cast.
Tint adjustment An adjustment parameter in Aperture used to selectively remove color casts in
the shadows, midtones, and highlights in an image. See also adjustment, color cast, exposure.
Tint Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that shifts the tint in the area of the image
the adjustment is brushed on. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick Brushes, tint.
toolbar A collection of buttons and controls, grouped by function, located at the top of the
Aperture main window. See also full-screen view.
transition A visual eect applied between photos in a slideshow. In Aperture, you can choose
the type and duration of the transition between photos. See also slideshow.
travel maps You can create travel maps using the Book Layout Editor if you select a book theme
that includes travel maps. See also Places view.
tripod A stand with three legs used to keep a camera steady. The use of a tripod is especially
necessary when shooting long exposures. See also camera shake, exposure.
tungsten light A type of light with a low color temperature. Tungsten light sources usually
include household lamps but should not be confused with uorescent lights. See also color
temperature, White Balance adjustment.
underexposed The result of not exposing a scene long enough. Underexposed scenes appear
dark. See also exposure, overexposure.
unipod Similar to a tripod; a stand with one leg used as an aid in keeping a camera steady. See
also camera shake, exposure.
untagged A document or an image that lacks an embedded prole.
USB Short for Universal Serial Bus. A versatile interface used to connect external devices to
computers. USB cables are often used to connect computers to computer peripherals, such
as keyboards and digital cameras, as well as transfer large amounts of data. See also camera,
FireWire, tethered shooting.
vault A designated storage space that contains an exact copy of the Aperture library (from the
last time you backed up), usually saved on an external FireWire drive. See also FireWire, library.
version The le containing all the metadata and adjustment information for an image, a video
clip, or an audio clip. In Aperture, only versions are changed. Aperture never changes originals.
See also original.
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Vibrancy parameter An Enhance adjustment parameter in Aperture used to add saturation
in an image in a nonlinear manner. Saturated colors are left alone while saturation is added to
all other colors. However, skin tones are not modied. See also adjustment, desaturate, Enhance
adjustment, saturation.
Vibrancy Quick Brush A type of Quick Brush adjustment that adds saturation to or removes
it from just the desaturated colors in the area of the image the adjustment is brushed on. Skin
tones are not aected. See also adjustment, Brush HUD, Quick Brushes, saturation.
video clip An instance of a segment of video in Aperture; a video le’s version. See also version,
video le.
video le The source media le on disk to which a video clip in Aperture refers; the video clip’s
original. See also original, video clip.
Viewer An area in Aperture that displays the photos currently selected in the Browser. You can
use the Viewer to perform adjustments on images as well as compare them with each other. See
also Browser.
Viewer layout A main window layout in Aperture in which the Browser is hidden. See also
Browser, Browser layout, full-screen view, Split View layout, Viewer.
Viewer mode (full-screen view) A view mode in full-screen view, similar to the Viewer in the
Aperture main window. When full-screen view is set to Viewer mode, photos are presented
at high resolution over a solid-color background. Viewer mode is ideal for performing image
adjustments. See also Browser mode (full-screen view), full-screen view, Projects mode (full-screen
view), Viewer.
viewnder The part of the camera designed to preview the area of the scene that will be
captured by the digital image sensor. See also camera, digital image sensor.
Vignette adjustment An adjustment in Aperture designed to add a vignette eect to an image.
See also Devignette adjustment, vignetting.
vignetting a. Darkening, also known as fallo, at the corners of an image as a result of too
many lters attached to the lens, a large lens hood, or poor lens design. b. The process of
applying a vignette to an image for artistic eect. See also Devignette adjustment, lters, lens,
Vignette adjustment.
watermark A visible graphic or text overlay applied to a photo to indicate that the photo is
protected by a copyright. Watermarks are applied to discourage the use of photos without the
copyright holder’s explicit permission.
waypoint A coordinate saved in a GPS track log representing a specic geographic location. In
Aperture, waypoints can be assigned to photos in Places view. See also GPS track log, Places view.
White Balance adjustment An adjustment in Aperture that changes the color temperature
and tint of a digital image. The goal of adjusting an image’s white balance is to neutralize color
casts in the image. For example, if the white in an image is too yellow because of incandescent
lighting, white balancing adds enough blue to make the white appear neutral. The White Balance
adjustment can also be used to neutralize color casts by identifying skin tones in the image. See
also color cast, color temperature, kelvin (K).
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Glossary 526
white point The color temperature of a display, measured in kelvins. The higher the white point,
the bluer the white is; the lower the white point, the redder the white. The native white point for
a Mac computer is D50 (5000 kelvins); for a Windows PC, it is D65 (6500 kelvins). See also color
temperature, kelvin (K).
wide-angle lens A lens with a short focal length that takes in a wide view. The focal length of
a wide-angle lens is smaller than the lm plane or digital image sensor. See also digital image
sensor, lens.
working space The color space in which you edit a le. Working spaces are based either on color
space proles such as Apple RGB or on device proles.
XMP sidecar le An extensible markup language designed by Adobe Systems Incorporated that
is used for dening metadata sets for photo editing applications. Resources, such as adjustment
parameters, can be saved in this le and passed on to other applications. See also adjustment,
IPTC, IPTC Core, metadata.
zoom lens A lens that has the mechanical capacity to change its focal length; also known as an
optical zoom lens. See also lens.
Zoom Viewer button A button in the Viewer and the full-screen view toolbar that alternates the
display of the photo selection between tting the photos within the Viewer and presenting the
photos at 100 percent size. See also control bar, lmstrip, photo selection, Viewer.
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