Post by: jcarter on June 30, 2014, 10:08:11 AM
Lightroom, Ive been looking for an excuse to buy it.
Guess we will have to do some research on the new replacement, or just plain go out and buy LR anyway.
Jane
Post by: Paddy on June 30, 2014, 10:34:36 AM
I loathe iPhoto - I hate the way it sorts things and the fact that you have no control over where your original photos reside. Plus, I've read a lot of complaints about corrupted databases etc. And it just doesn't have the same capabilities.
With Lightroom *I* decide where all my photos are, and it makes so much more sense. Nothing is buried 14 layers down in folders within folders with folders.
I do question how on earth they're going to make an app address the needs of casual snapshot takers and professional photographers by merging Aperture and iPhoto, though. Apple's history lately has not been stellar when "upgrading" applications. Most of us are still avoiding the new Pages because it lost more features than it gained with the "upgrade"!
Also - what about all the Aperture add-ons that pros add; are those going to work with the new app??
This sure makes me glad I opted for LR rather than Aperture way back when...
Post by: jcarter on June 30, 2014, 11:29:28 AM
Lightroom it is, I will buy it when 6 comes out this fall.
And in the meantime, I have more photos to back up, and the best to copy, and my poor iPhone is about to explode again, so I will cull more from it before I download to the computers.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on June 30, 2014, 11:44:48 AM
Being a fellow "control freak", I sympathize your "loathing"!
I think we have to remember that Apple has moved away from 'power' or even professional users in most of it's creations (even the new Mac Pro is too expensive with all the hardware purchases it will require). I have not heard about a pending merger of these two apps but it may be for the same reasons they re-wrote the iWorks apps; compatibility with touch-screen, much less capable hardware and simplified UI. After all, they removed the word "Computer" from their name quite some time ago... As I said, I don't use iPhoto. I did buy Aperture well over a year ago when it was offered for $75(?). Not sure I would need one hand full of fingers to count the number of times I've used it since then.
The RAW editor in Elements has more than enough general 'tweaking' power and pixel changing is then handled in Elements. I'm obviously not the market demographic even for Aperture, much less Lightroom!
Post by: beacher on June 30, 2014, 12:40:56 PM
Post by: jcarter on June 30, 2014, 01:11:29 PM
Post by: Paddy on June 30, 2014, 01:16:44 PM
QUOTE(beacher @ Jun 30 2014, 01:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I don't know, Paddy; personally, I love Aperture and have been using it for a number of years. Somehow, and I'm sure that it's probably me, but through 2 incarnations of LR (3 & 4), danged if I can get the hang of importing photos into a coherent fashion. I wind up with about 75 folders marked 2014, and then subfolders inside those, to the point that I'm spending a lot of time searching for my pics. I've never had that problem with Aperture. . . And, of course, even if I figured out the problem, there seems to be no way to go back and correct the problem! It is soooooooooooo frustrating! So, I'll be one of those lamenting the loss of what I thought was a good program. No problem with losing iPhoto!
Beacher, as far as I can tell, that sort of muddled library only happens if you don't TELL Lightroom where you want to keep things and have it move the image as you're importing to the Library. I don't always have it move things - sometimes I just add things to the Library (database).
However, if you've gotten into a muddle, you can easily straighten it all out by going into the Navigator window in Lightroom on the left and dragging folders/photos around and renaming etc. as required. If you do that in the Finder, Lightroom is understandably confused, as it runs off a database and as far as the database is concerned, it's looking for the photo where it was the last time you had LR open. So don't do that in the Finder - unless you don't mind relinking your images (which can also be done fairly easily if necessary).
Aperture is a very capable application - I just worry about the future of it and all its pro users.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on June 30, 2014, 09:25:03 PM
QUOTE("The Loop")
"The new Photos app will also replace iPhoto, giving users a more seamless experience on Apple devices. The app will allow you to edit and search your entire photos library in the cloud on any of your Apple devices."
Yep, while I've seen statements that Apple still makes its money from hardware, it's also obvious hey want to start making more from the 'cloud'. 
Sounds like they're taking a cue from Adobe; "Store your stuff with us and you can access/edit it with all your apps. BTW, you'll lose that stuff if you don't keep paying for as much space as you need... annually..." And exactly how will one app serve "consumers and professionals"? OK, PSE does have an "Expert" mode, but how many professionals limit themselves to PSE?! Not to mention, although I will, why and how anyone would want to edit even a 5 x 7 image on an iDevice?! If all you want to do is affect the entire image or crop it, fine, gimme some buttons and get outa my way. You want image masks, based on selecting items as small as several pixels? Without a pointy stylus? With a marginally powered cpu?!!!What? Oh, all you want to do is view all your images on an iDevice? Really? All of them? Seriously? They are all that good?!
Even Smithsonian doesn't keep all the images it is offered by any one photographer!I'm obviously missing something major...
Post by: Thomas S. England on July 01, 2014, 05:58:00 AM
--When I need the power of layers
--adding text
--detailed selection within an image (Photoshop offers so many ways to select)
--combining pixels from different images, such as making an animated GIF, panoramas, or HDR
Without leaving LR, I can make adjustments to the images (non-destructively), create collections of topic, do a slideshow, make a printed book & create websites and upload them.
There is a learning curve, especially since some of the best features don't stand out in the interface (I'm particularly thinking of the targeted adjustment tools)
The fact that LR is a database of all your imported images is often overlooked. Thus you know where all your photos are, even if they are on a disconnected HD. You have to get used to moving images from within LR, not by using the Finder.
Here's a link to a Keynote presentation I use in my classes, comparing LR & Photoshop: http://englandphoto.com/PSvsLR/assets/play...MLPlayer.html#0
You can have both for $10 a month.
[attachment=3015:LRvsPS.jpg]
Post by: jcarter on July 01, 2014, 07:08:04 AM
I transfer the ones I want to work on to my computers.
And this cloud thing is nice, but I dont trust it, what I really want to save, I save on an external HD, DVD or multiple computers, and my web sites.
My pictures are the most valuable. (Music, not worried about that.)
LR, I didnt know you could do a slideshow or a web page. Just as soon as summer is over or v. 6 comes out, I will buy it!
Thank you for all this great info!
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 01, 2014, 08:32:23 AM
QUOTE
what I really want to save, I save on an external HD, ..., and my web sites.
Your web site, of course, is the "cloud". 
Post by: jcarter on July 01, 2014, 08:57:04 AM
But everything is saved on my Macs.
Post by: eric j on July 01, 2014, 09:39:39 AM
Just wanted to say that I recently read an article recommending some open-source apps, including GIMP and SEASHORE.
I have downloaded both.
GIMP looks to be enormously powerful but the learning curve seems to approach a vertical straight line.
FWIW
eric j