Aperture devotees have been smarting since Apple announced that it would no longer be supporting its pro photography application. Instead, we were told, a new application, Photos, would replace both iPhoto and Aperture.
I haven’t had a chance to play with the new Photos app but I admit I am sceptical about its suitability for photographic power users. I suspect that in merging iPhoto and Aperture, Apple has dumbed down many of the previous Aperture features in the quest for universal compatibility.
If you are wondering what to expect, MacStories has produced one of its usual excellent and detailed reviews of the new application. Author Alex Guyot admits he is not a photographic power user but he has some interesting comments, particularly on the seamless synchronisation of your photos across all devices:
Photos for OS X is an incredible step up from its predecessor. Its streamlined interface and easy initial import mean that if you’ve already been using iPhoto, there should be nothing but advantages in moving your existing habits over to the new app.
However, while Photos is built to support the past and present, it is also fully capable of handling the future. As people who have grown up with iOS devices start getting their first Macs, they’ll be bringing the libraries that they’ve spent years developing on their iPhones, iPads, or iPod touches, and they will love the familiarity that Photos will immediately offer.
Photos for OS X completes the promise of iCloud Photo Library: your photos, on all your devices, synced together perfectly and with no maintenance necessary. This is Apple at its best.
I am looking forward to using Photos as a portfolio management system, taking my favourite shots and making them available across my iPhone, iPad and various computers. But I am not about to abandon Lightroom and Photoshop as my main processing platforms.
You can read the full Macstories review here.
More reading
iMore.com: Taking the stress out of photo management