Aperture 3 or Lightroom 4

dynamo_31

Senior Member
Hi, was just wondering if anyone could help me choose between lightroom 4 and aperture 3. All I would like are some more advanced editing options than iPhoto, which I use at the moment. What are the pros and cons of each program? Should I wait to see if there is going to be an aperture 4 anytime soon? What do you use?

Thanks for any feedback.
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
I'm trying to make the same decision as you dynamo_31. I bought both so I could take my time trying to decide. I like the ease of use of Aperture, but Lightroom does give you a lot more adjustment control and flexibility. It seems like one day Lightroom beats Aperture and gives me what I want and then the reverse is true the next day. Very frustrating.

I do think that I'm slowly getting to the point of getting close to the same output out of both, which is making me lean toward Aperture for the more open screen layout and, to my mind, more logical workflow.

Keep in mind I'm new to the whole DSLR post-processing thing and I haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in months, so let's both wait for more experienced folks to chime in. ;)
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
I have looked at both too and have considered trying Aperture the only thing stopping me is the fact I bought Lightroom 4. The layout looks great in Aperture. Before lightroom I was doing most my editing in either CS6 or GIMP.
 

dynamo_31

Senior Member
Thanks for the reply. I like the look of both and like you have said they each seem to have there own merits. I like the idea that aperture is more open as I didn't realise this. I can agree with you again and say that I have done only basic editing previously. The main reason I am looking at aperture is that it allows you to take your iphoto library across. I am not sure if lightroom does this. Do you know?
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
Thanks for the reply. I like the look of both and like you have said they each seem to have there own merits. I like the idea that aperture is more open as I didn't realise this. I can agree with you again and say that I have done only basic editing previously. The main reason I am looking at aperture is that it allows you to take your iphoto library across. I am not sure if lightroom does this. Do you know?

I believe you would have to export your photos from iPhoto then import into Lightroom.
 

dynamo_31

Senior Member
Thanks for that. Some of the information does seem dated as you corrected, but it provides some comparisons that are useful on the elements that won't change much over a period of time.
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
Thanks for that. Some of the information does seem dated as you corrected, but it provides some comparisons that are useful on the elements that won't change much over a period of time.

Well I missed the fact he was refering to earlier versions of Lightroom, which has changed considerably. Lightroom 4 is a whole different animal.
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
Read that review sometime back. I agree and disagree with him, which is good I guess. I agree Lightroom 4 is awesome, no question about it. I also agree that Lightroom4 beats Aperture 3.3 - in some areas. I disagree with some of what he says about Apple intent, at least for now. Will have to wait for the next Aperture release to decide if he's right and Apple has taken Aperture as far as they really intend. Right now I kind of doubt it, unless Apple really sets a new course.

One thing I've noticed with Aperture since converting to Nikon - it seems to do a much better job interpreting NEF files over Cannon's RAW. Can that be possible, aren't they both just raw data? Maybe it's just my imagination.
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
Oh my gosh yes! Aperture is slow, but Lightroom is painfully so. With Lightroom I usually start the import and then go do something else for a while - like take a nap!
 

dynamo_31

Senior Member
"In general, folks that use LR will tell you to get LR. Folks that use Aperture will tell you to get Aperture. I use both and much prefer Aperture. My bias aside, Aperture is $80 via the App Store; Lightroom is $150. In which case the debate shifts to: "is Lightroom really worth$70 more than Aperture?". So, unless you have a specific need for Lightroom, the answer would be NO, it isn't worth the extra money."

Saw this on another forum and I think that's helped me a lot.
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
Amazon currently has Lightroom 4 for $114.95 which brings them a little closer. Right now I think Lightroom is worth the difference just for the len's correction and more advanced development tools. I'm just discovering how much better noise reduction is in Lightroom vs Aperture for example and the new adaptive sliders are awesome. It's no easy decision that's for sure.
 

Dave9072

Senior Member
Yes it does and I'm about to decide that if I can swing adding a second monitor to my computer Lightroom would be it for the foreseeable future. The more I understand the new feature set, the more I understand how much I can accomplish with it and also better understand the shortcomings of the current version of Aperture. Adding a second monitor would give some flexibility to better configure my workspace within Lightroom and make it less congested.

I never want to close a door, so I would keep my options open on what Apple does with Aperture down the road. I just have a sneaking feeling Aperture 4 will knock Lightroom 4 on its arse, but I have been wrong before. Many, many, many times before actually :rolleyes:
 
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