This is my comparison of Lightroom vs. Aperture. I have been using Lightroom since it came out in public beta. I have been using Aperture for 5 days. Both are very good programs.
This is written on 09/02/09 and reflects version 2.4 of Lightroom and version 2.1.3 of Aperture.
Import – (I like Aperture)
Both programs give you the option to import pictures into a managed library or to import them into a folder structure on your drive and link the pictures to the library. Should you choose to use the managed library, both programs allow you to get your pictures out when you want them.
Both programs can check for duplicates and not import them. Both programs show thumbnail previews of your images before import. Lightroom gives the option to turn off these previews; Aperture does not. While viewing thumbnail previews, Lightroom lets you select all, none, or by Exif date. Aperture lets you sort the thumbnails by name, date or file size. You can alternately switch to list mode and sort by any file or Exif data. Despite the advanced sort options, you can not select by date. Aperture allows for manual or auto stacking during import. Stacking is done later in the photo management process in Lightroom.
Both programs allow you to name your files based on custom settings including using file, Exif, or IPTC data as part of the name. Both programs allow you to save presets with this information.
Both programs allow you to add metadata (captions, keywords, etc.) to the pictures during import. Lightroom allows you to save your metadata as presets and apply them during import. Aperture requires you to manually enter the metadata at the time of import.
Aperture allows you to create folders, projects, albums, etc during the import process and place your images directly into the newly created item. Lightroom imports to the specified folder structure only and creating collections comes later in the photo management process.
Lightroom allows you to apply develop settings (presets) at the time of import. Aperture does not offer this.
Lightroom allows you to back up your files to another location during import. Aperture does not have this. Backup is done through the “vault” later in the photo management process.
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Image Viewer & Photo Management – (I like Aperture)
Lightroom's screen consists of a viewing pane in the center with thumbnails or a single image view, a filmstrip view on the bottom, and a panel on each side. The left panel is for managing your folder structure and your image collections. The right panel is for making initial or basic image adjustments and for adding metadata. You can make more detailed image adjustments in the develop module, but this is the only place you can enter metadata or work with your organizational structure. The filmstrip and both panels can be set to on, off, auto, or manual. There are also keyboard shortcuts to show and hide them as needed.
Aperture's screen consists of a viewing pane and a tabbed panel. You can swap them to the left or right to suit your preferences. The tabbed panel is on the left by default. There is also a filmstrip panel in Aperture. Unlike the one in Lightroom, this one can be moved to the top, bottom, or left/right depending on what side your viewing pane is on. If you choose to leave it at the bottom, you can switch between thumbnails and list view (sort by aperture or ISO, anyone?). Unlike Lightroom, Aperture's filmstrip only shows in thumbnail mode and not in single image view mode. The tabbed panels are Projects, Metadata, and Adjustments. This setup allows you to work with editing, metadate, or organization at any time during your workflow without switching to a different module or changing the view of your current image layout. As with Lightroom, all panels can be turned off when needed.
Both programs have a single view mode, a compare mode, and a survey mode. Aperture also has a mode similar to compare or survey, but it only shows the images in the current stack. Both programs have a full screen view mode where you can show or hide the panels. Aperture gives you the option of using floating panels instead of the standard panels (in all screen modes, not just full screen).
Aperture has a quick preview mode which displays the thumbnail using the JPG preview in the RAW file making it move a little faster during initial rating, flagging, or culling of your images.
Both programs have a 1-5 star rating system. Lightroom also has flags and colors to help sort or organize. Both programs have very similar search and filter options to allow you to find and/or show only the pictures you want (Sorry Lightroom users, but Aperture lets you sort/filter by focal length).
Both programs can overlay file, Exif, or IPTC data over your image during viewing. Both programs do it differently, but it is less intrusive in Aperture.
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Image Editor – (I like Lightroom)
This is the most important part of either program, but it is also the hardest area to jude or compare because the results are subjective. Both programs give you the tools to get the job done, and it is possible to make images processed in both programs look almost exactly alike.
After the initial import and before any adjustments are made, RAW files look different to me in Lightroom than in Aperture. Lightroom does a better job with white balance. Aperture applies more saturation and contrast. Lightroom seems to tune images towards earthy tones such as brown or red while Aperture leans towards greens or yellows. Images are sharper in Aperture, but have less noise in Lightroom.
All of this is somewhat meaningless, because it can all be adjusted to look just the way you want it. Both programs allow you to save your adjustments as presets. Lightroom lets you save anywhere from an individual adjustment (vibrance) to an entire workflow (white balance, curves, sharpening, etc) as a preset. Aperture only allows you to save presets for their pre-defined “bricks” (exposure, levels, color) and you can't save all three of those in the same preset like you can with Lightroom.
While in edit mode, Aperture allows you to toggle through all the same views that are available throughout the program (single, compare, stacks, survey) and continue to do edits (or add metadata) in any of these views. Lightroom restricts available functions, keyboard shortcuts, etc in each module so you can't change views in edit mode.
Both programs give you a before and after view of your edited image (“M” in Aperture; “\” in Lightroom) or let you toggle individual sections on and off. [Remember that Lightroom works in modules with different views, settings, and keyboard shortcuts for each one. The keyboard shortcut “\” does something completely different in the Library module than it does in the Develop module. The keyboard shortcut “M” does the same thing in Aperture no matter where you are or what task you are performing.]
Both programs have a nice set of tools, but there are some differences.
Aperture's histogram is Luminance only and is view only. Lightroom's histogram is RGB and can be used to make tone adjustments.
Both programs offer similar controls for adjusting exposure, recovery, black point, brightness, contrast, vibrance, hue, saturation, luminance, white balance, and tint. Lightroom's controls are a little easier to use and it is easier to make subtle adjustments.
Here's where they are different:
Crop & Rotate: Lightroom's version allows you to use both functions together – crop some, rotate a little, move the crop box or change the size, etc. This can be done with the crop tool. You can also use the rotate tool to rotate without cropping. Rotate in Aperture has no flexibility. You get a single tool to rotate the image and Aperture zooms it in or out as needed. You can't move or pan around to have a particular part of the image showing while rotating. The crop tool works just like it should.
Heal & Clone: Lightroom has spot healing mode to remove sensor dust and that is exactly what you get – a spot that you can place on the screen and move around. Aperture has an actual clone brush that you can use to paint.
Gradient Mask: Lightroom lets you apply some basic masking to show/hide edits that you are applying to an image. Aperture does not have this ability.
Local Adjustment Brush: Lightroom has a paintbrush that can be used to paint edits onto selected parts of an image. Exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, sharpness, and skin smoothing can be painted on where needed without affecting the entire image. Aperture does not have this ability.
Curves & Levels: Lightroom has a curve tool for tone adjustments that lets you change highlights, lights, darks, and shadows. You can choose from medium contrast or strong contrast to change the intensity of the adjustments. Aperture uses levels instead of curves. You can adjust RGB, red, green, blue, and luminance. Aperture also allows you to make quarter tone adjustments in levels. Both tools are powerful. Too bad neither program has both of them.
Tint & Toning: Lightroom has split toning where you can adjust hue and saturation of highlights & shadows. This is done with a combination of an eyedropper and sliders. Aperture has tint wheels for blacks, grays, and whites. The adjustments are made with a combination of an eyedropper and moving a point around on a [too small] color wheel. I have never really used the split toning feature in Lightroom and until a few days ago, I had never used anything in Aperture. With no experience in either one, I found the Aperture tools a little more difficult to use but the color corrections seemed a little more accurate when I was done.
Hue/Saturation/Luminance: Both programs allow you to adjust these aspects, but Lightroom does it in a much easier manner. Lightroom has a Target Adjustment Tool that lets you touch anywhere on the image and move the cursor up or down to make the adjustment. Aperture has the standard eyedropper to pick your color, then sliders to make the adjustment (this method is also available in Lightroom).
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(just to note, the image in the Lightroom screen shot has been edited; the one in the Aperture screen shot has not)
Export – (I like Lightroom)
Both programs let you get your images out after you are done editing. You can choose file type, pixel size, and compression amount and/or type. Lightroom gives additional options of sharpening and opening in other applications. Both programs allow you to save presets for exporting images, but just like with image editing presets, the choices are a little better in Lightroom.
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Plug-Ins – (I like Lightroom)
Plug-ins are available for both programs, but they are more widely available for Lightroom. Lightroom also has a larger selection of free plug-ins.
Integration – (I like Aperture)
Aperture is completely integrated with the Mac OS X operating system. The Aperture library with all of it's folders, projects, and albums are available as choices when navigating "open" or "insert" menus in office documents, email, etc. I can even have all my 5 star rated pictures automatically rotated out as my desktop backgound and have them synced to my iPhone.
Cross Platform – (I like Lightroom)
Lightroom can be installed on Windows or Mac machines and it uses the same library files either way. Lightroom's license allows you to install the program on two different machines. That means one for your desktop and one for your laptop, or one for your Mac and one for your PC. If your images were on an external drive, you could manage them from either machine. This also means that if you switch from Windows to Mac or vice versa, you get to keep your entire library including keywords, edit history, collections, ratings, etc. Aperture could move from Mac to Mac in the same way, but you can't use it on a PC.
Community & User Support – (I like Lightroom)
If you are looking for a large user base, you will find it with Lightroom. This isn't because it is the better program, but because (1) existing Photoshop users naturally adopted Lightroom when it became available, and (2) Lightroom is available for Mac & Windows and Aperture is Mac only.
Aperture has a decent user base with forums, websites, Flickr groups, etc, but they just aren't as plentiful as with Lightroom.
What's Next?
Both programs should be putting out 3.0 versions before too long. Hopefully each one will mimic the best features from the other and it will be even more difficult to choose between the two.
Which one is better?
I'm pretty sure no one can answer that for you. I have read plenty of these comparisons over the last few days and I still don't know what I am going to do. I thought that writing this post might help me to think of the good and bad points in each one so I would have an easier time deciding.
Good thing they both have 30 day trials. Unfortunately, you may need to duplicate your work in both programs for the whole month to really get a good feel for them.
Feel free to add anything I forgot or to correct anything I got wrong.
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