4 replies to this topic

[munky]

Hey

I've been thinking about Aperture 1.5 and how its going to affect my workflow.  My camera's RAW still isnt supported (unless they slip 10.4.8 out this week too, which should hopefully support my Pentax), but i prefer converting to DNG first anyway.

For anyone who hasnt read it, there's an interesting 'first look' article here:

http://www.creativep...ture/24732.html

Which contains some interesting tidbits, including:

Quote

Aperture's reference architecture is so well-implemented that it really doesn't feel significantly different from working with embedded images. However, there is one important caveat: referenced images are not backed up into Aperture Vaults, the program's built-in backup system. While your previews, versions, and all metadata are backed up, the original referenced master file is not, so you're responsible for backing that up on your own.

and

Quote

The Relocate Masters dialog box gives you a simple but very powerful tool for moving your masters while preserving all links to your library. Along the way, you can use Aperture's automatic renaming, and even tell it to generate a hierarchy of folders. After moving, your Aperture library will still look exactly the same. Aperture will simply reference your images in the new location that you specified.

This, to me, sounds like an excellent feature for archival purposes.  Let me explain:

The setup I have (or at least, will have very shortly) is this:

Laptop: MacBook 1.83Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 120Gb HDD
Hackintosh: Pentium D920, 1Gb RAM, 100Gb SATA boot disk, 160Gb SATA RAID Mirror set (2x 160Gb drives)

My workflow, as i've outlined before, uses Aperture mainly as a processing tool - a 'digital darkroom' as well as an archive of all my shots.  Once processed, I export each shoot or project to iPhoto, for viewing in Front Row and for uploading to the web.

What I plan to do is this:

- Install Aperture 1.5 on the MacBook, and put my entire Aperture library on there (currently 20+ Gb of data).
- Connect MacBook to Hackintosh via GigE crossover cable, mount Hackintosh's RAID set
- Create Vault on the RAID array, perform full backup.

Thereafter, my ongoing process would be:

- Process shoots on the MacBook (connected to my CRT for dual-display goodness).
- For each processed shoot, export to iPhoto, then perform a 'Relocate Masters' as indicated above, to a directory named 'Archive' on the RAID array.
- Keep the Vault on the RAID array up to date.

This I think gives me the best of both worlds - allowing me to have processed, finalised images in my iPhoto library for viewing, and having my entire stock library with me at all times, albeit with the processed originals offline.  It might even be possible to connect to my RAID array using AFP-over-SSH, if I really, truly, desperately need to get the original RAW when i'm not at home.

This also means that all of my data is duplicated redundantly - either its in the Vault and therefore is backed up to the RAID mirror, or its archived data on the RAID mirror.  Either way there are at least two copies of every file, as well as the Aperture library itself.

The beauty of the Relocate Masters command is that it removes the original from being part of the Vault.  This might not suit some people, but it suits me down to the ground with this setup.

Anyway... any thoughts?  How are other folks tackling backup and redundancy?

[phi]

On monday this week Adobe Lightroom Beta 4 has been released. It was great because it was the same day I returned from hollidays (Sardinia) and had to do something with my new 788 RAWs. In the hollidays I put them in my usual Folder structure and made some HDRs and Panoramas with Photoshop. Also, I edited some over-/underexposured photos to make them accepteble.

So, when I returned and saw the new Lightroom announcement in my Mail, i used the opportunity to test it completely out with my new shoot. The experience was amazing! This is one of the pieces of software the digital photography world was waiting for. It is one of the most user friendly software! Perfect UI! And amazing functionality! The predifined presets (especially Direct Positive) made 95% of all 788 photos perfect. For the hard cases there are some features like "Fill Light", "Blacks" or the user friendly "Tone Curve". There were a lot of hard cases, which I couldn't manage with 15 minutes photoshop to look like oneclick in Lightroom. Ratings, Quickcollection, Diashow and Keywords are great comfortable features to use now for me. And the best it imports my folderstructure perfect. I didn't have to do anything for importing a 20k+ Library.

Today I tried Aperture 1.5, and I tried 1.0 and 1.1.1 before and erased them. The biggest bugs are now resolved, like the Library or the speed. It has really good speed improvements, but this confusing user interface is the horror in contrast to Lightroom. It has a lot functionality for professionals, or Apple claims that professionals need it, what is really hard to believe! This kind of workflow is egoistic and really not userfriendly. And i'm not dumb or so, I'm working with real complex software and simulations as engineer, and think that I have enough software experience to claim this. In case of the preciseness of the adjustments this is really poor, and a copy of what Adobe did 5 days ago (in case of colour controls).

For me Aperture died until at least Version 5.0 or so and Apple absolutely lost the challege against Adobe in RAW processing.

If it sounds to you that I'm pro-adobe, you are wrong. After the buggy slow and bad coded CS2, the "excelent" Intel support and the price politics, I don't like and support Adobe.

[munky]

Do you mean MY workflow is 'egoistic' ?  Or Aperture's?

[phi]

No,no, not your workflow is egoistic. Its YOUR workflow. I would never say something like this. Everyone should do things in the best comfort for yourself.

What i meant in the last post, than Apples perception of a professional photography workflow is egoistic.

At photokina I could also listen to some feedback at the apple-stand and many professionals seem to think like this, too.

[munky]

fair enough.  i have tried lightroom, but i just cant get 'into' it.

i guess im a sucker for apple software    but aperture is working for me, which is all i really care about

thanks for your thoughts tho.