Use Apple's Aperture
Aperture is an image editing program from Apple for Macintosh computers. It is less expensive than Adobe's Photoshop, but does not have the tapestry of features offered by Adobe. It is primarily an image database program coupled with unique stacking and selection features and a full suite of image editing tools. It is priced around $170 (as of this writing) and marketed for professional photographers and serious amateurs who have thousands of images to catalog and edit. It is not a photo designing tool like Photoshop, but does allow users to create photo books and other photography projects (see Resources below to download a free 30-day trial). Here are the basics for using Aperture.
Instructions
1. Import photos into the Aperture library. Mac users will be pleased to note that the file and viewing structure is similar to iPhoto. You can actually import all of your photos from iPhoto directly and quickly into Aperture. Therefore, all the work you put into entering keywords and ratings will be recognized by Aperture. Aperture also offers a RAW conversion palette that will open when you import RAW data, allowing you to adjust the image before importing
2. Opening a photo is similar to iPhoto. Click on a folder under PROJECT and you will see all the images in the bin at the bottom. Simply click on a photo to view it in the image window. Click on the FULL SCREEN button to see the image full screen. Notice the toolbar below the image that provides basic cropping, red eye and healing tools.
3. A unique feature of this software is the Loupe tool. This feature is similar to using a magnification tool on a light table and will be appreciated by photo editors and photographers. Simply click on the loupe tool and drag it over the picture to see a section magnified. Click on the tab at the bottom to increase magnification and on the loupe tool again to remove it from view.
4. Click on the metadata tab to edit the data for the image. Notice the camera information is already in place. You can edit the title, apply a rating for sorting and edit keywords for sorting the image. Aperture also has a stacks feature, which allows you to open stacks of images and easily sort them and compare them so you can choose the best shot from a series of images.
5. Click on the ADJUSTMENTS tab to edit the image. There is a full suite of color and image editing tools. There are no special effects tools or capabilities to add text or other objects, however, most photographic adjustments that you may want to make to an image are available. You can adjust white balance, color, black level and scores of other image qualities with Aperture. There is also a dodge and burn tool available from the main menu toolbar. Aperture is a tool for photographers, and at that price, is worthy of consideration for Mac users.
