Apple Aperture - 2.0 Exploring

Exploring Aperture

Apple Inc.

The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Aperture software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid for support services.

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7 Chapter 1: Exploring Aperture

Opening Aperture

Try This: Exploring the Main Window

Try This: Exploring Basic Procedures

Learning About the Projects Inspector

Basic Concepts You Should Know

21 Chapter 2: Importing Basics

Try This: Exploring Import Options

Learning About Where Your Image Files Reside

Try This: Selecting Version Names for Imported Images

Basic Concepts You Should Know

35 Chapter 3: Learning About the Browser

Try This: Exploring the Browser

Try This: Stacking Images

Try This: Displaying the Images You Want to Work With

Learning About Masters and Versions

Basic Concepts You Should Know

49 Chapter 4: Learning About the Viewer

Try This: Exploring the Viewer

Try This: Exploring Adjustment Tools

Try This: Displaying Metadata with Images

Learning About the Metadata Inspector

Learning About Badges

Basic Concepts You Should Know

63 Chapter 5: Adjusting Images in Full Screen View

Try This: Exploring Full Screen View

Try This: Adjusting Exposure with the Adjustments Pane of the Inspector HUD

Try This: Enhancing an Image

Try This: Adjusting White Balance

Learning About the Adjustments in the Inspector HUD and Adjustments Inspector

Basic Concepts You Should Know

81 Chapter 6: Applying Keywords to Images

Try This: Exploring the Keywords HUD

Try This: Working with Keywords in the Keywords HUD

Learning About the Lift & Stamp HUD

Basic Concepts You Should Know

Contents

93 Chapter 7: Presenting Your Images

Try This: Exploring Slideshows

Try This: Exploring Aperture Webpages

10 6

Try This: Exploring Aperture Books

111

Learning About Books

115

Basic Concepts You Should Know

117 Chapter 8: Printing Images

118

Try This: Exploring Printing

121

Basic Concepts You Should Know

12 3 Chapter 9: Backing Up Your Images

12 3

Learning About Making Backups

12 5

Try This: Exploring the Vault Pane

12 9

Basic Concepts You Should Know

131 Chapter 10: Getting Answers

131

Try This: Exploring Aperture Help

13 2

What’s Next?

Contents

Exploring Aperture

Welcome to Aperture. If you’re new to the Aperture digital image workflow, this guide is for you. Here you’ll open sample projects and learn by doing.

Each chapter of this book presents major features and guides you in trying things out. Feel free to explore on your own. Have fun learning the basics. Later, when you feel comfortable, you can bring in your own photos and begin serious work with Aperture.

This book assumes that you’ve installed Aperture on your computer and that you have the Aperture installation disc in your computer’s drive.

If you haven’t installed Aperture yet:

If you haven’t inserted the Aperture installation disc in your drive:

installation disc in your Aperture box and insert it in your disc drive now.

If you prefer to start by reading in-depth explanations of concepts and procedures used with Aperture:

Open Aperture, then choose Help > Aperture User Manual.

See the

Installing Your Software

booklet.

Locate the Aperture

Opening Aperture

You’ll start by opening Aperture and using a sample project.

To open Aperture:

Double-click the Aperture icon in your Applications folder.

The first time you open Aperture, you have several choices.

Click the Start Using Aperture button.

Click Continue.

When a dialog appears asking whether you want to import sample projects, click Import.

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After Aperture takes a few moments to import the sample projects, your screen will look similar to this:

These sample projects hold sample images and albums. Click a project or

Inspector button

Projects inspector

album to see its images in the Browser.

Toolbar

Viewer

Browser

On the left you see the Projects inspector, where you create and work with projects that hold your images. Now you’re ready to explore the main window.

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Exploring Aperture

Try This: Exploring the Main Window

First you’ll look at some images, and then you’ll explore some important parts of the Aperture interface.

Remember, you first select a project or album in the Projects inspector to display the images it contains.

Getting Ready

Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector.

Click the Nature project here to select it.

The project’s images appear in the Browser.

A selected image appears in a white border.

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Jumping In

Feel free to try out any of the following to see what happens.

Select images:

Click an image in the Browser. Press the arrow keys.

Shift-click images in the Browser.

Holding down the Shift key, press the arrow keys.

Change main window views:

Choose View > Browser Only to display the Browser only. Press the arrow keys.

Choose View > Viewer Only to display a selected image in the Viewer only. Press the arrow keys.

Press V (for view, and Viewer Only view.

Choose View > Browser Only from the View pop-up menu in the toolbar.

Double-click an image in the Browser to display it in Viewer Only view. Double-click the image in the Viewer to change back to the Browser Only view.

Chapter 1

view

) several times to switch between Browser Only view, Browser & Viewer

Exploring Aperture

Change Browser views:

Choose View > Browser & Viewer. Click the List View button to see images in the Browser in list view.

Filmstrip View button

Click the Grid View button to see images in the Browser in grid view again.

Click the Filmstrip button to see images in the Browser in filmstrip view, a single row of

List View button

Grid View button

images that you can use to navigate through images.

Press I to hide the Inspector pane. Press I again to show the Inspector pane.

Get to know the Metadata inspector:

Click the Metadata tab at the top of the Inspector pane. Select different images to see information about them. Enter a caption or keyword in the metadata fields. (You’ll learn more about this later.)

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Get to know the Adjustments inspector:

Click the Adjustments tab at the top of the Inspector pane. Click the disclosure triangle of an adjustment to see its options. Select an adjustment’s checkbox and try making changes. Deselect the checkbox to turn off the changes. Press I to close the Inspector pane.

Get to know the Keywords heads-up display (HUD):

Click the Keywords button in the toolbar. Use the HUD scroll bar to scroll through the keywords in the HUD. Click the disclosure triangles in the Keywords HUD to see the keywords associated with the different categories. Drag keywords to a selected image. Press Shift-H to close the Keywords HUD.

Switch to Full Screen view:

Click the Full Screen button in the toolbar (or press F for

full screen

). Position the pointer centered at the bottom of the screen to display the filmstrip. Select images in the filmstrip. Press the arrow keys.

Get to know the Inspector HUD:

Press H (for

HUD

). Drag the HUD to a convenient position. Click the Projects, Metadata, and Adjustments buttons at the top of the HUD to see the panes. Notice that this movable HUD provides the same options as the inspectors. Press H to close the Inspector HUD. Press F to exit Full Screen view. (You’ll learn more about Full Screen view later.)

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Exploring Aperture

Display the contents of albums in a project:

Press I to display the Inspector pane. Click the Projects tab to display the Projects inspector. Click the disclosure triangle beside the Nature project name to see all the folders and albums in the project. Open the folders and click the albums in the project to see the different albums.

Create a new album to hold a selection of images:

Shift-click five or six images in the Browser to select them. Choose File > New from Selection > Album. Give the new album any name you like.

You’ll learn more about many of these features later in this guide. Just explore and get accustomed to the different parts of the main window for now.

Try This: Exploring Basic Procedures

You probably have questions about how to do fundamental procedures. This section helps you try out some basic tasks yourself. The following list gives pointers to help you start a procedure without providing full explanations. If you prefer to know the details before trying something, you can find comprehensive explanations in Aperture Help.

Jumping In

Create a new empty project:

project using the import commands, or you can drag images from the Aperture Browser after selecting another project or album. A project is a basic container of your images and all versions of them.

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Choose File > New Project. You can import images into the

Import images from a camera or card reader:

Connect your camera or card reader to your computer. The Import dialog appears, allowing you to select the images you want to import. Select your new project in the Projects inspector. Your images will now be imported into this project. Select and import a few practice photos, if you want, or click Cancel to close the Import dialog. (You’ll learn the details of importing images in the next chapter.)

Rate images:

In the Browser, select an image you want to rate and press a number key from 1 to 5 to apply a rating from one to five stars. Press 0 (zero) to remove a rating. Press 9 to reject an image. Press plus sign (+) to increase the rating by one star, or press minus sign (–) to decrease the rating by one. Rate several images five stars. (You’ll learn more about rating later.)

Display a selection of images based on their rating:

Choose a rating level from the search field pop-up menu. Aperture shows only those images with the rating you chose. Choose Show All to show all the images again.

Search field pop-up menu

Search field

Delete a project:

Select the project that you created. Choose File > Delete Project. (Don’t delete the sample projects, which you’ll be using throughout this guide. If you already deleted one, reimport it from the Aperture Installation disc by choosing File > Import > Projects.)

Chapter 1

Exploring Aperture

Learning About the Projects Inspector

Now, take a look at the Projects inspector, where your library of images, projects, and albums resides.

At the top of the Projects inspector, you see the Library icon.

Library

Predefined Smart Albums

Selected project opened to show its folders and albums

Projects

The Aperture library tracks every project, album, and image, no matter whether the images are stored in the Aperture library or in other hard disk or storage media locations. When you imported the sample projects, all the project information, images, and albums were placed in the library.

16 Chapter 1

Exploring Aperture

Aperture creates a library in the Pictures folder on your hard disk the first time you open Aperture. You can choose to import images into the library or have Aperture access them from other locations on different hard disks.

When you click the disclosure triangle beside the Library icon, you see predefined Smart Albums that gather images automatically based on specified criteria. For example, the Smart Album named “5-star” displays all images rated five stars. The Smart Album named In the Last Week gathers all the images taken in the last week.

You can create your own Smart Albums that gather images based on any criteria you want. For example, you might create a Smart Album that automatically gathers all images that have the keyword

Portrait

Headshot

You organize your images into projects. A project is a container that holds digital master files, called

masters

, and their corresponding image versions. A master is the

original image imported from your camera or other source.

As you work with and change images, Aperture creates versions from the master. A version file is much smaller than the master that it’s based on. This means that creating new versions doesn’t fill up your hard disk by duplicating all the information in the master. As you work with Aperture, you are always working with versions; you never change masters. Your original masters are always preserved just as you shot them.

A project can hold tens of thousands of masters and even more versions, and you can create as many projects as you wish up to the limitations of your disk space. For example, you can create a new project for each of your shoots. Projects are the most fundamental component of Aperture because they contain your masters.

Chapter 1

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An album is a container in a project or in the Projects inspector that organizes versions of your images. You create albums for a specific purpose. For example, you might create an album of photos of a specific type of bird. You use albums to organize images, making your selections of versions easier to manage.

Albums

To place a version into an album, drag the image from the Browser into an album in the Projects inspector.

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Basic Concepts You Should Know

Masters:

The original image files imported from your camera, memory card, computer, or external storage media. The masters are never changed by Aperture, so that the original image is preserved and can be used again.

Versions:

The images you see and change in Aperture are called based on the original master, and you can change, copy, and adjust them any way you want.

Projects:

Containers used to hold masters, versions, and albums. When project files

are moved, the contents are moved with them.

Albums:

Containers used to organize versions for a specific purpose. You can create albums within projects or outside them. Types of albums include Smart Albums, Light Table albums, webpage albums, web journal albums, and book albums.

Library:

A database that manages your files from import to image adjustments and final distribution. Once you import images, the library records and tracks your masters and corresponding versions. The library also tracks projects and albums you create to organize your images. Changes that you make to images, including adjustments and metadata, are stored in the library no matter whether the master is stored in the library or another disk location.

Â Heads-up display (HUD): A floating window that you can move to a convenient

position on the screen and use to change images.

Next, you’ll learn more about importing images into Aperture.

Chapter 1

Exploring Aperture

versions

. Versions are

2 Importing Basics

Aperture provides a variety of import options designed to suit the needs of advanced photographers.

In this chapter, you’ll experiment with importing selected images and familiarizing yourself with basic import features. You’ll create a test project and import images into it, trying out different methods of assigning names and preparing images for import. After you’ve had some basic experience importing sample images, you can begin envisioning how to import your own images.

Important: Make sure to get acquainted with the Aperture import methods and plan

the structure of your Aperture library before you begin importing your images in earnest. You’ll be building an organized system for tracking thousands of images, and planning ahead can make file management easier in the long run. For a detailed explanation of planning an import strategy and setting up an Aperture system, see the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu.

Try This: Exploring Import Options

Aperture provides easy ways of selecting images to import, naming files, assigning identifying information called metadata, and storing images.

When you connect a camera or insert a card of images into a card reader connected to your computer, the Import pane and Import dialog appear. You then select the images you want to import and specify import options.

Import pane

Toolbar

Import dialog

Import Images button

22 Chapter 2 Importing Basics

Getting Ready

Rather than importing images from a camera or card reader, for now you’ll just import some sample images from a folder on your hard disk. If you have five or six images of your own that you feel comfortable experimenting with, place them in a folder on your desktop.

If you’d prefer to experiment with images from the Aperture sample projects, export five or six images to a folder on your desktop.

To export sample images to a folder on your desktop:

1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector.

2 Select five or six images in the Browser.

3 Choose File > Export > Masters. Press Command-D to select the desktop as the

destination for your exported images.

4 Click the New Folder button, type Samples as a folder name, and click Create.

5 Click the Export Masters button.

Aperture exports the selected images to the folder on your desktop. Now you can import these images again, trying out Aperture filenaming and other import options.

Chapter 2 Importing Basics 23

To open the Import dialog and get ready to import sample images:

1 Choose File > New Project to create an empty project. Give the project a name such as

Import Test, then press Return.

2 Click the new project in the Projects inspector to select it, if necessary.

3 Click the Import button in the toolbar to open the Import pane.

4 Click Local Files in the Import pane.

24 Chapter 2 Importing Basics

The Import dialog appears.

Select a camera, card reader, hard disk, or other storage device that holds your images.

Select disk and folder icons to navigate to the images you want.

Image file information

Select the destination of the image files here. You can place them in the library or leave them in another hard disk location.

Specify the types of metadata you want added here.

Import Images button

The Import arrow points to the selected project, where the images will be stored.

Chapter 2 Importing Basics 25

Auto-Stack slider

Jumping In

Navigate to your images:

m Click Desktop in the Import pane and select the folder that holds your sample images.

You see the sample images appear as thumbnails.

Select images to import:

m Click a thumbnail to select it. Inspect the Image Information area to see information

about the image. Press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key to select other images.

m Hold down the Shift key and press the arrow keys to select multiple images.

Command-click specific images to select or deselect them. To select all the images again, choose Edit > Select All, or click the gray area between images to deselect everything.

Select a project to hold your images:

m Click the Soccer project in the Projects inspector. Notice that the Import arrow moves

to indicate that images will be imported into this project. Click the new empty project that you created in the Projects inspector to select it again.

Choose where masters will reside on your hard disks:

m Select five or six images in the Import dialog. Open the Store Files pop-up menu to see

its options. Choose In the Aperture Library to store the files in the Aperture library on your hard disk. You can also choose to store files in a different location on your hard disk, or, if the files already reside on a hard disk, you can choose to leave the files in their current location.

26 Chapter 2 Importing Basics

Choose an image-naming convention:

m Choose Custom Name with Index from the Version Name pop-up menu. Type a name

that you want applied to each image in the Name Text field. Aperture will give each newly imported image that custom version name and add an index number. Look at the red Adjusted File Name field in the Image Information area to see how the version names will appear. Applying custom names to imported images is optional; you can also simply accept the filenames the images currently have.

Add metadata:

m Choose General from the Add Metadata From pop-up menu. Fields appear that allow

you to specify metadata to be recorded about the imported images.

m Type the caption “Import test” in the Caption field. This caption will be added to each

imported image.

m Type “Test, Sample” (no quotation marks, but separated by a comma) in the Keywords

field. All imported images will now have these two keywords automatically assigned.

m Add any other metadata you like in the other fields.

Import the images and review them in the Browser:

m Click the Import Images button in the lower-right corner of the Import dialog to import

the selected images.

Import Images button

m Select the imported images in the Browser. Press Control-D to display the Metadata

inspector, and examine the metadata you assigned. Notice that you can change the metadata if you want.

Chapter 2 Importing Basics 27

Learning About Where Your Image Files Reside

When you import images, you can choose whether to store the masters in the Aperture library or store them on a hard disk outside the library.

Managed images are physically placed in the Aperture Library file on your hard disk, and the files and all information about them are managed and backed up by Aperture.

Referenced images are images whose masters are not stored in the library. They are located elsewhere on a hard disk or other media, and Aperture merely refers to the masters in that location. The advantage of using referenced images is that you can import your portfolio of legacy images as they are currently stored on disk, without having to physically copy or move them into the Aperture library. You can also give Aperture access to images on different hard disks. You can simply allow Aperture to refer to the files, using your current file organization and image filenames. Aperture doesn’t back up or change referenced images; you must maintain them yourself.

It’s important to plan how you want to import your existing portfolio of digital images. The Aperture library can easily track any mix of managed and referenced images. Because you may have many thousands of images previously stored on disk, you can decide which images to import into the Aperture library and which to import as referenced images, leaving them in their current hard disk locations. You can also copy or move images into a different hard disk location when importing them.

28 Chapter 2 Importing Basics

After importing images as referenced images, you can work with versions of those images just as you can with the managed images in the Aperture library. All adjustments and metadata applied to referenced images are tracked in the Aperture library just the same way they are for managed images.

Important: If you remove or disconnect a hard disk drive or other media that contains

referenced masters, Aperture can still display and track the versions of those images that you’ve created. However, if you want to make adjustments to those images, you must reconnect the hard disk or media to give Aperture access to the masters. Aperture can automatically find and access the files when you reconnect the hard disk or media.

Try This: Selecting Version Names for Imported Images

Now it’s time to look a little deeper into how you assign names to your images.

When you import images, you can have Aperture use the original name assigned by the camera, or use a filenaming convention that you choose or create. Aperture provides a number of preset name formats, and you can also create your own naming conventions to suit the different types of shoots you do. You can choose a preset name format when you import new photos.

Chapter 2 Importing Basics 29

Aperture provides the following preset name formats.

Preset name format Example

Master Filename IMG001

Image Date/Time 2005-10-14 09.03.25 PM

Version Name IMG001

Version Name and Date/Time IMG001 - 2005-10-14 09.03.25 PM

Version Name with Sequence IMG001 (1 of 2), IMG002 (2 of 2), and so on

Version Name with Index IMG001 1, IMG002 2, and so on

Custom Name with Index Thailand 1, Thailand 2, and so on

Custom Name with Counter Thailand 001, Thailand 002, and so on

You can apply names to your image files when you import them and when you export them. For example, when you import images from your camera, you can specify that a name format be applied to each image version that Aperture creates. You can also apply the same names to the masters as they are stored in the library or on a hard disk. Next, try importing the same images several times, applying a different filenaming convention each time.

Note: Aperture provides a “Do not import duplicates” option in the Import dialog that you can select to prevent importing duplicate photos. Leave this option deselected to try out importing images in this section.

30 Chapter 2 Importing Basics

Jumping In

m Assign a version name and index number: Press Command-I to open the Import dialog.

Shift-click to select the first six images in the Import dialog to import. Choose Version Name with Index from the Version Name pop-up menu. Click the Import Images button in the lower-right corner of the Import dialog. Inspect the version names by selecting the images in the Browser. (Press Control-D to show the Metadata inspector, if necessary.) After examining the images, choose Edit > Select All to select the images and then delete them by choosing File > Delete Versions. In the Delete Master Images and All Versions dialog, click Delete.

m Assign a version name and sequence number: Press Command-I to open the Import

dialog. Shift-click to select the first six images again. Choose Version Name with Sequence from the Version Name pop-up menu. Click the Import Images button in the lower-right corner of the Import dialog. Inspect the names of the imported files. After examining the images, choose Edit > Select All to select the images and then delete them by choosing File > Delete Versions. In the Delete Master Images and All Versions dialog, click Delete.

Chapter 2 Importing Basics 31

m Assign the image date and time as a version name: Press Command-I to open the Import

dialog. Shift-click to select the first six images again. Choose Image Date/Time from the Version Name pop-up menu. Click the Import Images button in the lower-right corner of the Import dialog. Inspect the names of the imported files. After examining the images, choose Edit > Select All to select the images and then delete them by choosing File > Delete Versions. In the Delete Master Images and All Versions dialog, click Delete.

You can create your own custom name formats, called preset name formats. When you create your own preset name format, it appears as a choice in the Version Name pop-up menu in the Import dialog.

Tethered Shooting

You can now connect certain types of cameras to your computer and have images imported automatically into Aperture, where they appear immediately on your computer display. Ideal for studio shoots, tethered shooting allows you to immediately inspect full-resolution images in Aperture. For more information about tethered shooting and the types of cameras supported, see the chapter on importing in the Aperture User Manual, available from the Aperture Help menu.

32 Chapter 2 Importing Basics

Basic Concepts You Should Know

Â Managed image: An image whose master resides in the Aperture library.

Â Referenced image: An image whose master resides outside the Aperture library in

another disk location. Aperture simply refers to the file in its current location, and the hard disk drive or media holding the file must be accessible for Aperture to make adjustments to the image.

Â Preset name format: A name format that you can create and save. You can then use it

to assign version names and master names to imported images. You can also use preset name formats to assign names to exported files.

Â Metadata: Data that describes information about an image and how it was collected

and formatted. Aperture can record and track many different types of metadata commonly used by photographers to identify and track their images, including both Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) and International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) metadata. You can view and change metadata using the Metadata inspector.

Next, you’ll explore using the Browser to discover more of its features.

Chapter 2 Importing Basics 33

3 Learning About the Browser

The Browser provides efficient ways to review and select images in your projects.

In this chapter, you’ll explore some of the features of the Browser.

Images displayed in grid view in the Browser

Try This: Exploring the Browser

When you select a project or album in the Projects inspector, thumbnails of its images appear in the Browser. You select images in the Browser to work with them. You can then move and rearrange the images, rotate images, make new versions, and delete images from the project.

Sorting pop-up menu

Sort Direction button

Shuttle control

Thumbnail Resize slider

36 Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser

Getting Ready

1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector.

2 Choose View > Browser Only, if necessary, to switch to Browser Only view.

Use the illustration above to locate the Browser items you want to try next.

Jumping In

Select images to display:

m Command-click images that are not adjacent to select them. Command-click to

deselect selected images.

m Choose Edit > Select All to select all images in the Browser. Choose Edit > Deselect All

to deselect all images.

Change the image order:

m Drag an image in the Browser to a new location. Drag until you see a green bar appear

where you want the image to be located. Notice that the Sorting pop-up menu now indicates that you’ve created a custom image order.

m Use the Sorting pop-up menu to sort images by image date, rating, or keywords. Click

the Sort Direction button to sort images in ascending or descending order.

Change the Browser display:

m Drag the Thumbnail Resize slider to change the size of the thumbnails.

m Choose Aperture > Preferences, then click Appearance. Drag the Browser Background

Brightness slider to the background brightness you prefer. You can always change this later. Close the Preferences window.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser 37

Rotate images:

m Select an image in the Browser and then click the Rotate Left or Rotate Right button

to rotate the image in 90 degree increments. Select several images and click the rotate buttons.

Rotate buttons

Find images:

m Click the Reset button (with an X) in the search field and enter text, such as a keyword,

to display only images associated with that text. Try typing the words “owl”, “jay”, and “hawk” one at a time to locate images in the Nature project. Delete the text in the field to see the rest of the images again.

Reset button in the search field

38 Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser

Try This: Stacking Images

Aperture can automatically group related photos into stacks when you import them and as you work with them in the Browser.

For example, if you shoot a series of images in quick succession (such as at a sports event) or if you bracket images to allow for differences in lighting or exposure, you most likely will want to view those images together. Aperture can automatically stack those images based on the time interval in which they were captured by the camera.

This stack shows a series of images taken in quick succession.

Click this button to open or close the stack.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser 39

You can also manually select images in the Browser and stack them. The image that represents the stack, called the pick, is displayed on the left of the open stack. You can drag the images in a stack into any order, changing the pick image when you want. The Stack button, in the upper-left corner of the pick image in the stack, indicates the number of images in the stack.

The Stack button indicates the number of images in the stack. This stack is shown expanded, or open.

Getting Ready

m Select the Wedding project in the Projects inspector.

40 Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser

Jumping In

m Automatically stack images: Choose Stacks > Auto-Stack. In the Auto-Stack Images HUD,

drag the slider to specify the maximum length of time for a series of shots. Inspect the stacks to determine if the time interval should be shortened or lengthened.

m Create a stack manually: In the Browser, select the images you want to stack. Choose

Stacks > Stack.

m Select the pick: Drag the image you want into the pick (or leftmost) position in the

stack. When you see a green bar appear, release the mouse button.

m Rearrange images in a stack: Drag images in the stack to change their order. Add

images to or remove images from the stack by dragging them into or out of the stack.

m Unstack a selection of images: Select a stack, then choose Stacks > Unstack.

Try This: Displaying the Images You Want to Work With

You can set the Browser to display only those images that you want to work with. For example, you can display images taken on a specific date, images that have a specific rating, or images that have specific metadata such as keywords associated with them.

To set the Browser to display specific images, you click the Query HUD button and specify the search criteria you want. You can search by text, rating, keyword, date, IPTC information, EXIF information, export session, other metadata, file status, or a combination of any of the above.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser 41

Getting Ready

1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector.

2 Click the Query HUD button beside the search field in the Browser.

Query HUD button

The Query HUD appears.

Match pop-up menu

Search field

Add Filter pop-up menu

Query HUD Action pop-up menu

New Smart Album

button

New Album With Current Images button

The Query HUD is preset to display all images that are unrated or better. This means that images that have a rating from five stars down to no stars (unrated) appear in the Browser. Images that have been rejected, which have an “X” rating, are hidden. These hidden images have not been deleted. You can display them again by choosing Show All from the search field pop-up menu.

42 Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser

Jumping In

m Display only images with a specific rating in the project: In the Query HUD, select the

Rating checkbox, change the Rating pop-up menu to “is,” and drag the Rating slider to the four-star position. Now all images that are rated four stars appear in the Browser.

m Display images that are unrated or better in the project: Change the Rating pop-up menu

to “is greater than or equal to,” and drag the Rating slider to the Unrated position. Now only images that are unrated or better appear in the Browser. Rejected images are hidden. Deselect the Rating checkbox to turn off the rating search criteria.

m Display images taken on a specific date: In the Query HUD, select the Calendar

checkbox. Display the month of December 2006 and click different dates to display images taken on that date. For example, click December 8. Hold down the Shift key and click another date to specify a range of dates. You can also Command-click nonadjacent dates to select them. Deselect the Calendar checkbox to turn off the date search criteria.

m Display images that have a specific keyword: In the Query HUD, select the Keywords

checkbox. A list of keywords used in the project appears. Select a keyword checkbox to display images with that keyword. Deselect the Keywords checkbox to turn off the keyword search criteria. Close the Query HUD by clicking the Close (X) button in the upper-left corner.

For a complete explanation of the Query HUD and specifying search criteria, see the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser 43

Learning About Masters and Versions

When you import a photo into Aperture, the original file is the master. You never work directly with or change the master. Instead, Aperture always displays a version of the master onscreen for you to work with. Any changes or adjustments you make are applied to the version. A version is not a copy of the master; it’s a smaller file that derives most of its information from the underlying master. So when you create multiple versions of a photo, you are not filling up your hard disk with repeated copies of the larger master.

Although you never work with it directly, the master is associated with the project into which you first imported it. You can change the location of the master by dragging a version from one project to another project. The master and all versions of the image are transferred to the new project destination. At the same time, Aperture keeps versions of the image wherever they appeared in other albums, so no versions disappear from albums that you’ve created.

Creating Multiple Versions

Occasionally, you may want to create multiple versions of an image. For example, you might copy an image to apply different exposure settings or change it for a specific use, such as for placement in a webpage or print book. When you create a new version, you have a choice of starting from the original master or from the currently selected version with any changes you’ve made. For example, if you’ve made adjustments to an image and now you’d like to start over from the master and make different adjustments, you can copy the appearance of the master image and start with a fresh, unchanged version.

44 Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser

To create a new version based on the master:

1 Select the image whose master you want to copy.

2 Choose Images > New Version From Master.

You can also duplicate a selected version and make more changes.

To duplicate a selected image version:

1 Select the image you want to duplicate.

2 Choose Images > Duplicate Version.

When you create multiple versions of an image, Aperture places the versions in a stack. You can open a stack and see the different versions you’ve created for an image. You can also remove an image from the stack, deleting it or placing it elsewhere.

About Deleting Images

You can remove individual versions of an image from an album or project. You can also delete the master, removing the master and all versions from the Aperture library.

To remove a version from an album (not a project):

m Select a version in an album and press the Delete key.

The version is removed from the album, and all other versions of the image and master are left unchanged in the Aperture library.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser 45

To delete a version from a project:

m Select a version in a project, then hold down the Command key and press Delete.

If the selected image is one of several versions of a master, the selected version is deleted immediately, leaving all other versions unaffected.

If the selected image is the only version of a master, a dialog appears asking if you want to delete the master as well. Clicking Delete removes the master and its version from your Aperture system.

What Happens to Deleted Image Files?

When you delete a version, that version and all the information about it, including metadata and adjustments, is deleted from the library. You can choose Edit > Undo to restore the deleted version. If you have copied the library to a vault, the version information still exists in the vault until the next time the vault is updated.

When you delete a managed master that resides in the library, the master is moved to the Trash. You can open the Trash and recover the file, if necessary. You’ll find it in a folder named for the project that contained the image.

When you delete a referenced master that resides outside the library, you can choose to leave the original image file unchanged in its disk location. Although the file has been removed from the Aperture system, it’s not deleted from your hard disk unless you specifically direct Aperture to do so.

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Basic Concepts You Should Know

Â Stack: A group of images that can be collapsed or expanded in the Browser. Aperture

can automatically create stacks based on the time interval in which a group of images is shot, and you can manually create stacks by selecting and grouping them yourself.

Â Query HUD: An Aperture HUD that allows you to specify search criteria that

determine which images appear in the Browser. You can display a selection of images within a project based on any metadata associated with the images, including ratings, keywords, IPTC information, EXIF information, and combinations of metadata.

Next, you’ll explore using the Viewer to work with images in detail.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Browser 47

4 Learning About the Viewer

You can use the Viewer to view an image in incredible detail or view several images at once.

Next, you’ll use the Viewer to inspect details of images, compare images, and rate images as you display them. You’ll also use simple tools to rotate, crop, and straighten images.

The Viewer shows the selected image.

You can set the Viewer to show metadata such as the version name, rating, and keywords.

Try This: Exploring the Viewer

You can set Aperture to display images in both the Browser and the Viewer or in the Viewer only. When you select images in the Browser, the Viewer immediately displays a detailed view of your selection. You can display one image at a time, three images at a time, or a selection of multiple images. You can also use a software loupe like a magnifying glass to examine enlarged portions of images.

Toolbar

Loupe button

Tool strip

50 Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer

Getting Ready

1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector.

2 Choose View > Browser & Viewer.

Use the illustration above to locate the Viewer items you want to use.

Jumping In

Change the number of images displayed in the Viewer:

m Choose View > Main Viewer > Three Up to display up to three images at a time. Select

different images.

m Choose View > Main Viewer > Show One to display single images only, even when

multiple images are selected in the Browser.

m Choose View > Main Viewer > Show Multiple to display multiple images when you

select them. Select several images. Shift-click and Command-click images to view and compare them in the Viewer.

Compare two images side by side:

m To compare images, select an image and press Return. Press the arrow keys to display

different images next to the compare image. Press Return to change the compare image. To stop comparing images, press Command-Return.

Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer 51

Inspect images using the Loupe:

m Click the Loupe button in the toolbar. Drag the Loupe to different locations. Choose

Focus on Cursor from the pop-up menu in the lower-right corner of the Loupe. Move the pointer over the portions of an image that you want to inspect. To change the Loupe magnification, choose different zoom percentages from the Loupe pop-up menu. To show color values, choose Color Values from the Loupe pop-up menu. To change the Loupe size, drag the lower-right corner of the Loupe. To hide the Loupe, choose View > Hide Loupe.

Show images at full resolution:

m Select an image and press Z to see the image at full resolution. To navigate within an

image that is too large for the screen, drag the red rectangle within the small gray box that appears on the image in the Viewer. Hold down the Space bar and drag the image in the Viewer to reposition the image. Press Z again to turn off full-resolution display.

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Display images quickly in Quick Preview mode:

m Choose View > Quick Preview. Press the arrow keys quickly to rapidly display images in

the Viewer. In Quick Preview mode, Aperture displays JPEG previews instead of loading all the master and version information. You can use Quick Preview mode when you want to rapidly navigate through many images. For example, you can use Quick Preview mode to quickly select and rate images. When Aperture is in Quick Preview mode, some features that require access to the masters, such as making adjustments, are turned off. So be sure to turn off Quick Preview mode when you need to use those features. To turn off Quick Preview mode, choose View > Quick Preview again. You can also press the P key to turn Quick Preview mode on or off.

Try This: Exploring Adjustment Tools

Now you’re ready to try making some simple changes to images, such as straightening and cropping them. To perform these changes, you’ll use the following tools in the tool strip.

Straighten tool

Selection tool Crop tool

Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer 53

Jumping In

m Straighten an image that’s framed at an undesirable angle: Select the Straighten tool.

Position the tool over the image in the Viewer and drag slightly until the yellow grid lines appear. Using the grid lines as a guide, drag slowly to rotate the image. Release the mouse button when you have the orientation you want.

Press Control-A to show the Adjustments inspector. Notice that the checkbox of the Straighten adjustment is selected to show that the image has been straightened. Click the disclosure triangle of the Straighten adjustment to see the straightening options and settings. Try using these straightening options to change the amount of rotation applied to the image. (You must have the Straighten tool selected to change these settings.) Deselect the Straighten checkbox to remove the adjustment.

m Crop an image to a specific size: Select the Crop tool. The Crop HUD appears, and you

can select a specific size and orientation for the final cropped image. Drag a rectangle over the image to indicate the area that you want included within the cropped image. Choose different crop sizes and orientations from the “Constrain cropping tool to” pop-up menu to see how different options affect the cropping rectangle. When the cropping rectangle has the size and position you want, press Return or close the Crop HUD. The cropped image appears in the Viewer at the size and aspect ratio you selected. If you want, you can select the Crop tool again to adjust the crop.

To show the Adjustments inspector, press Control-A or press W several times until the Adjustments pane appears. Notice that the checkbox of the Crop adjustment is selected to show that the image has been cropped. Click the disclosure triangle of the Crop adjustment to see the cropping options and settings. Try using these options to change the size and positioning of the crop applied to the image. Deselect the Crop checkbox to remove the crop.

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Try This: Displaying Metadata with Images

You can quickly display specific types of information with your images. For example, you can have Aperture show the EXIF or IPTC metadata associated with your images.

You use the Metadata pane of the Preferences window to specify the information shown with images in the Viewer and Browser.

The Viewer’s metadata display settings appear here.

The Browser’s metadata display settings appear here.

Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer 55

Jumping In

Set the display of metadata in the Viewer and Browser:

1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).

2 Click the Metadata button.

3 Select the Viewer checkbox to specify Viewer settings.

4 Click the Set 1 button and choose General from the Set 1 pop-up menu.

5 Choose Below from the Placement pop-up menus.

6 Select the Browser checkbox to specify Browser settings.

7 Click the Set 1 button and choose General from the Set 1 pop-up menu.

8 Choose Below from the Placement pop-up menus.

9 Close the Preferences window.

Inspect the images in the Viewer and Browser to see the combination of metadata now displayed there.

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Learning About the Metadata Inspector

You can view and change specific metadata for a selected image in the Metadata inspector. To show the Metadata inspector, press I to display the Inspector pane and then click the Metadata tab.

Choose a metadata view for the inspector from the Metadata View pop-up menu.

Edit and arrange your metadata views using this pop-up menu.

Metadata inspector

Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer 57

You can change the combination of metadata that appears in the Metadata inspector by choosing a metadata view from the Metadata View pop-up menu. You can change those metadata items that are editable, and you can also customize the metadata views, adding or deleting metadata fields as you like. Click the buttons at the bottom of the inspector to customize the metadata used in a metadata view.

You can also add the actual metadata you want applied to your images to the fields of a metadata view. For example, you can add your name to the Credit field and have it appear automatically on all the images that you import. To do so, you click the IPTC button at the bottom of the Metadata inspector. You then enter your name in the Credit metadata field.

After customizing the metadata fields with the information that you routinely use, you can save the metadata view and the information you entered as a metadata preset. You can then use that metadata preset to apply combinations of metadata to images whenever you want. For example, if there is a specific combination of metadata that a stock photography service always requires, you can create a metadata preset for that service. Then whenever you import images destined for that service or prepare images to send to that service, you can apply the metadata you need using the preset you created.

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Learning About Badges

When you apply adjustments, keywords, or other changes to an image, Aperture marks the image with an icon, called a badge, to indicate a change.

These badges indicate that keywords and adjustments have been applied to this image.

Rating

Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer 59

For example, here are a few of the badges that may appear on your images.

Badge Definition

One or more adjustments have been applied to the image.

One or more keywords have been applied to the image.

Images are contained in a stack. The number indicates the number of images in the stack.

The image has been changed using an external editor.

Indicates the number of times an image has been placed in the Light Table and in book pages and webpages.

Badge visibility is determined by the metadata view that is displayed. You can control whether badges are visible by choosing a metadata view that includes badges in the Metadata pane of the Preferences window.

Important: Badges appear only in the Aperture application; they do not appear on

images exported or printed from Aperture.

Basic Concepts You Should Know

Â Adjustment: Any change to the appearance of an image.

Â Adjustments inspector: A pane in the Inspector pane that lists the adjustments and

adjustment options for a selected image. To display the Adjustments inspector, choose Window > Show Inspector and click the Adjustments tab.

60 Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer

Â Compare image: An image selected to be compared against other images in the

Viewer. To select a compare image, select an image and press Return. Press Command-Return to turn off the comparison feature.

Â Metadata inspector: A pane in the Inspector pane that lists the metadata and

metadata options for a selected image. To display the Metadata inspector, choose Window > Show Inspector and click the Metadata tab.

Â Metadata view: Aperture organizes the display of specific combinations of metadata

in sets called metadata views. By choosing a specific metadata view, you specify what combination of metadata appears with your images. For example, one metadata view may display IPTC field information, and another view may display version name, rating, and caption information. Aperture provides dozens of metadata views to choose from, and you can also create your own.

Â Metadata preset: A customized metadata view that also records specific metadata

information. For example, a metadata preset might include a specific combination of IPTC fields and the actual IPTC data you want to appear with your images. You can use metadata presets to apply combinations of metadata to images.

Â Badges: Small icon identifiers that appear on images to indicate that an image has

been changed or that it has a certain status. For example, if an image has had an adjustment made to it, the adjustment badge appears. Badges appear only when you’ve set Aperture to use a metadata view that displays badges.

Next, you’ll explore working with your images in Full Screen view.

Chapter 4 Learning About the Viewer 61

5 Adjusting Images

in Full Screen View

You can view and work with your images in Full Screen view.

Full Screen view provides a broad workspace and a detailed view of your images that makes working with them easy.

Full Screen view

Try This: Exploring Full Screen View

Full Screen view displays your images on a simple black background and can be used with one or two displays.

Full Screen view includes a toolbar and filmstrip to help you view, organize, and adjust your images.

Toolbar available in Full Screen view

Filmstrip available in Full Screen view

In this chapter, you’ll view images in Full Screen view and use the filmstrip, the toolbar tools, and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.

64 Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View

Getting Ready

1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector, if necessary.

2 Press F to switch to Full Screen view.

You can turn Full Screen view on or off by pressing F.

Search field

Query HUD button

Images shown in the filmstrip

Scroll bar

Shuttle control

Thumbnail Resize slider

Use the filmstrip illustration above to locate the items you want to use.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 65

Jumping In

Use the filmstrip to display images:

m Click an image in the filmstrip. (Position the pointer at the bottom of the screen to

display the filmstrip, if necessary.)

m Press the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys.

m Hold down the Shift key and press an arrow key several times. Command-click images

that are not adjacent in the filmstrip to select them.

m Drag the Shuttle control left or right to shuttle through images in the filmstrip.

m Press L or J to shuttle through images. Press K to stop shuttling. You can press L and J

multiple times to increase the shuttling rate.

m Drag the Thumbnail Resize slider to change the size of images in the filmstrip.

Work with the filmstrip:

m Choose Turn Hiding Off from the Filmstrip Action pop-up menu to keep the filmstrip

always displayed.

Filmstrip Action pop-up menu

m Choose the filmstrip position you want from the Filmstrip Action pop-up menu. You

can position the filmstrip on the left or right of the screen or at the bottom.

66 Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View

Compare and rate images:

m Click an image, then press Return. Press the arrow keys to compare the original image

against another image. Press Return to select another compare image. Press Command-Return to stop comparing images.

m Select an image. Click the rating buttons to rate the image. You can also press the

number keys and the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–) to change ratings.

Search field

Query HUD button Rotate buttons

Rating buttons

Rotate images:

m Select an image and click the rotate buttons.

Find images:

m Click the Query HUD button and search for images based on keywords. Type the

keyword “heron” in the Query HUD search field. Delete the word “heron” from the search field. Select the Keywords checkbox, then select the checkboxes of the keywords you want to search by. Deselect the Keywords checkbox and close the Query HUD.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 67

Use the toolbar and select tools:

m Position the pointer at the top of the screen until the toolbar appears, if necessary.

Choose Three Up from the Viewer Mode pop-up menu. Choose Multi from the Viewer Mode pop-up menu, then select a group of images in the filmstrip.

Viewer Mode

pop-up menu

Zoom Viewer button

Inspector HUD button

Loupe button

m Select a single image and click the Zoom Viewer button to enlarge the image to a 100

percent pixel-for-pixel view. Navigate within the image by dragging the red rectangle in the gray inset box, or hold down the Space bar and drag the image. Click the Zoom Viewer button again to reduce the image to its original size.

m Click the Loupe button in the toolbar to open the Loupe. Try using the Loupe. Click the

Loupe button again to hide the Loupe.

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Try This: Adjusting Exposure with the Adjustments Pane

of the Inspector HUD

Full Screen view is ideal for making changes and adjustments using Aperture heads-up displays (HUDs). One of the main HUDs used with Aperture is the Inspector HUD. In this section, you’ll use the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD to change exposure.

HUDs are available for use in Full Screen view and can make adjusting images easier.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 69

You use the Exposure adjustment controls to set exposure, recover highlight details, and adjust the blacks of images in shadow. You can also correct the exposure of images shot in difficult lighting conditions. Feel free to make any adjustments you like to the sample images; you can always simply turn off or remove the adjustments later.

Thoroughly teaching the use of Aperture adjustments is beyond the scope of this short guide. For now, just experiment with adjustment options, knowing you can learn the details later.

Getting Ready

1 Click the Inspector HUD button to show the Inspector HUD.

Inspector HUD button

70 Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View

2 Click the Adjustments button in the Inspector HUD.

Auto Exposure button

Use the Adjustments pane in Full Screen view to remove flaws and make adjustments to your images.

Auto Levels Combined and Auto Levels Separate buttons

Exposure slider

Click the disclosure triangle to see an adjustment’s controls.

3 Drag the HUD to a convenient position onscreen where you can select and change

options while viewing their effect on an image.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 71

Jumping In

m Automatically adjust images: Select an image that needs an exposure adjustment. Click

the Auto Levels Combined button and Auto Levels Separate button to see how Aperture can automatically adjust images for you.

m Change exposure manually: Click the disclosure triangle of the Exposure adjustment to

display the Exposure controls, and select the Exposure checkbox. Drag the Exposure slider. You can also click a location along the slider control to move the slider to that point. Click the left arrow or right arrow in the Exposure value slider to change the exposure of the image by tenths of an f-stop, or drag in the value field.

m Change brightness: Drag the Brightness slider.

m Recover lost detail in highlights: Select an image that has overexposed highlights. Click

the disclosure triangle of the Exposure adjustment to display its controls, and select the Exposure checkbox. Drag the Recovery slider to the right to change the highlight areas of the image, and drag the slider back to the left to reduce the effect in the highlights.

Use the Recovery slider and value slider to recover lost detail in the image’s highlights.

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m Recover details in shadows: Select an image with shadows. Click the disclosure triangle

of the Exposure adjustment to display its controls, and select the Exposure checkbox. Drag the Black Point slider to change the look of details in the shadows.

Use the Black Point slider and value slider to adjust the brightness values in the image’s shadows.

Note: You can also use the Highlights & Shadows adjustment controls in conjunction with the Recovery and Black Point controls to correct the exposure in images shot in complex lighting conditions.

m Turn your exposure adjustments on or off: Select or deselect the Exposure checkbox.

Try This: Enhancing an Image

You can use the Enhance adjustment to change contrast, clarity, saturation, vibrancy, and the tint of an image. Experiment with these adjustments to see how they work.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 73

Getting Ready

m Select an image. In the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, click the disclosure

triangle of the Enhance adjustment to display the Enhance controls, and select the Enhance checkbox.

Jumping In

m Change contrast: Drag the Contrast slider.

m Change definition: Drag the Definition slider.

m Change saturation: Drag the Saturation slider.

m Change vibrancy: Drag the Vibrancy slider.

m Turn your Enhance adjustments on or off: Select or deselect the Enhance checkbox.

Try This: Adjusting White Balance

You use the White Balance adjustment controls to change the color temperature and color tint of an image. If an image has pixels that are supposed to be pure white, you can use the White Balance eyedropper to automatically adjust the color temperature and tint, or you can adjust the color temperature and tint manually.

Although Aperture can set the white balance of the image with great accuracy, sometimes you have to use a combination of these two methods to have the image appear with the warm or cool tonality you intended.

Getting Ready

m Select an image that could use a white-balance adjustment. In the Adjustments pane

of the Inspector HUD, click the disclosure triangle of the White Balance adjustment to display the White Balance controls, and select the White Balance checkbox.

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Jumping In

m Use the White Balance eyedropper to change color balance: Select the White Balance

eyedropper. The Loupe opens, and positioning the pointer shows a magnified view of the target area. Position the eyedropper over the pixels in the image that represent a neutral gray, then click.

Select the White Balance eyedropper tool to activate the Loupe.

m Change the color temperature settings manually: Drag the Temp slider to the left to cool

the tonality of the image, or drag it to the right to warm the tonality.

Use the Temp slider and value slider to adjust the color temperature of the image.

m Change the Tint setting manually: Drag the Tint slider to the left to add a green tint to

the image, or drag it to the right to add a magenta tint.

Use the Tint slider and value slider to adjust the tint of the image.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 75

Learning About the Adjustments in the Inspector HUD and Adjustments Inspector

You’ve now experimented a bit with using the adjustments in the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. The Adjustments pane has exactly the same adjustment options as the Adjustments inspector in the main window.

Add Adjustments pop-up menu

Adjustment Action pop-up menu

Histogram (set to show red, green, and blue channels)

Available adjustments

Each adjustment in the Inspector HUD or Adjustments inspector contains individual properties, called parameters, for which you can specify a range of values.

76 Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View

Some adjustments always appear in the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD and the Adjustments inspector, whereas others are added as you need them. For example, as you straighten an image with the Straighten tool, the Straighten adjustment controls are added to the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. You can also add adjustments to the inspector or HUD by choosing adjustments from the Add Adjustments pop-up menu.

Aperture provides the following adjustments in the Add Adjustments pop-up menu.

Adjustment Function

Retouch Retouches imperfections in an image by applying brushed

Red Eye Correction Reduces red-eye in the eyes of the subjects in your images.

Spot & Patch Retouches imperfections in an image, such as sensor dust.

Devignette Removes vignette shading on an image.

Straighten Levels the image’s horizon. Used in conjunction with the

Crop Trims the image. Used in conjunction with the Crop tool.

White Balance Sets an image’s white balance by adjusting its color temperature

Flip Inverts the composition of the image horizontally and vertically.

Exposure Adjusts the exposure, highlight recovery, shadow black point

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 77

effects. Used in conjunction with the Retouch tool.

Used in conjunction with the Red Eye tool.

Used in conjunction with the Spot & Patch tool.

Straighten tool.

and tint.

setting, and brightness of images.

Adjustment Function

Enhance Adjusts the contrast, definition, saturation, and vibrancy of an

image, as well as black, gray, and white tints.

Levels Selectively adjusts the tonal range of an image.

Highlights & Shadows Selectively adjusts the exposure in the shadows and highlights

of an image.

Color Adjusts hue, saturation, and luminance on a color-by-color basis,

as well as chromatic range.

Monochrome Mixer Selectively controls the source red, green, and blue color

channels when a color image is converted to grayscale.

Color Monochrome Desaturates the image and applies a color tint of your choosing

to the midtones.

Sepia Tone Changes a color image to sepia. Allows you to desaturate the

color image and to apply the level of sepia coloring you want.

Noise Reduction Reduces digital noise in an image.

Sharpen Sharpens the image.

Edge Sharpen Sharpens the image based on luminance using multiple

sharpening passes.

Vignette Places vignette shading on an image.

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Basic Concepts You Should Know

Â Adjustment: Any change to the appearance of an image.

Â Inspector HUD: A HUD that provides project, metadata, and adjustment options. It

contains the same options and controls as the inspectors.

Â Value slider: Value sliders are controls commonly used for changing parameter

settings, either by clicking arrows that increase or decrease a value, dragging the slider, or entering the precise values you want in the value field.

Next, you’ll explore the Aperture methods for applying keywords.

Chapter 5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 79

6 Applying Keywords to Images

Aperture allows you to efficiently assign keywords to images.

A once time-consuming task, assigning keywords is remarkably simplified using a Keywords HUD. You can easily select keywords and assign them to individual images and groups of images. In this chapter, you’ll try out Aperture keyword options.

Keywords HUD

Try This: Exploring the Keywords HUD

You can quickly add keywords to images using the Keywords HUD.

Close button

Search field

Keyword list

Keyword group

Disclosure triangle

Add Keyword button

Lock button

Remove Keyword button

The Keywords HUD contains a library of predefined keywords that you can assign to images. You can easily browse and search for keywords in the Keywords HUD, and you can also add your own keywords as well as remove keywords.

The Keywords HUD is automatically updated with any keywords you add. For example, when you enter a new keyword in the Metadata inspector, that keyword also appears in the Keywords HUD. When you change a keyword, for example, by changing its spelling or capitalization, the keyword is updated on all images that have that keyword assigned.

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Applying Keywords to Images

Getting Ready

1 Press F to exit Full Screen view, if necessary.

2 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector, if necessary.

3 Close the Inspector HUD.

4 Click the Metadata tab in the Inspector pane.

5 Select an image, then click the Keywords HUD button in the toolbar.

Jumping In

Get to know the Keywords HUD:

m Drag the Keywords HUD to a convenient location on the screen.

m Press Shift-H twice to hide and show the Keywords HUD.

m Scroll to view keywords in the HUD. Click the disclosure triangles to see keywords

grouped by category.

Chapter 6 Applying Keywords to Images 83

Select and apply keywords:

m Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to the image in the Viewer. Notice that the

keyword now appears in the Metadata inspector and on the image in the Viewer.

Keywords

Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to an image in the Viewer or Browser.

Keywords applied to the image

m Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to an image in the Browser. Select the image

to see that the keyword now appears in the Metadata inspector and on the image in the Viewer.

m Click the Keywords HUD and press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to select

different keywords.

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m Hold down the Shift key while pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to select several

keywords. Drag the keywords to a selected image. You can also Shift-click keywords.

m Command-click keywords that aren’t adjacent. Drag the keywords to the selected image.

m Shift-click or Command-click several images in the Browser. Drag a keyword from the

Keywords HUD to one of the selected images in the Browser. Notice that Aperture assigns the keyword to all the selected images.

m Command-click several keywords in the Keywords HUD and drag the selection to one

of the selected images in the Viewer or Browser.

Find keywords:

m Type the letters “haw” in the Keywords HUD search field. Notice that as you type, the

Keywords HUD displays keywords that use those letters. Delete the “haw” and type “wil,” then drag the keyword Wildlife to the selected images. Delete the “wil” to see all the keywords again.

Remove all keywords from an image:

m Select a single image in the Browser. Press Shift-Option-9 to remove all the keywords

from the image. Choose Edit > Undo to restore the deleted keywords.

Add keywords using the Metadata inspector:

m In the Metadata inspector, type a new keyword in the Keywords field and press Enter (if

there are already keywords assigned, separate your entry by first typing a comma and then typing your entry). For example, type your name. Notice that the keyword is automatically added to the Keywords HUD. You can drag keywords into different categories in the Keywords HUD.

Chapter 6 Applying Keywords to Images 85

Try This: Working with Keywords in the Keywords HUD

You can add new keywords to the keyword library and organize keywords in keyword groups. Now that you’re familiar with the Keywords HUD, you can try adding and removing keywords in the keyword library.

Jumping In

m Add a new keyword to the keyword library: Click the Add Keyword button. Type the new

keyword and press Return.

A new, untitled keyword appears in the keyword list.

Click this button to add a new keyword.

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m Remove a keyword from the keyword library: In the Keywords HUD, select the keyword

you want to remove and press Delete (or click the Remove Keyword button). Confirm that you want to remove the keyword. Close the Keywords HUD.

Click this button to remove a keyword.

Important: Removing a keyword from the keyword library removes it from any images

to which it’s already applied.

Note: You can also apply keywords by clicking keyword buttons in the control bar. For more information about using the control bar, see the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu.

Chapter 6 Applying Keywords to Images 87

Learning About the Lift & Stamp HUD

If you have images that share many of the same keywords, you can use the Lift and Stamp tools to quickly apply all or some of the keywords to images. Using the Lift and Stamp tools is an efficient way to quickly transfer keywords to a large number of images.

If you like, you can try these techniques for lifting keywords from one image and stamping them on another image or group of images.

Jumping In

Lift the keywords from one image and stamp them on other images:

1 Select the image from which you want to lift metadata.

2 Select the Lift tool in the tool strip.

Lift tool

The Lift & Stamp HUD appears.

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The image information, including applied metadata, adjustments, and keywords, appears in the Lift & Stamp HUD.

All information for the selected image appears here.

3 To apply just the image’s keywords, deselect all image information checkboxes except

the Keywords checkbox.

Make sure the Keywords checkbox is the only one selected.

Chapter 6 Applying Keywords to Images 89

4 Select the images that you want to stamp with the metadata.

5 Click the Stamp Selected Images button.

The keywords from the first image are applied to the selected images. You can continue to select images and use the Lift & Stamp HUD to apply the lifted keywords to other images.

6 Close the Lift & Stamp HUD.

In many cases, you may not want to copy all keywords from one image and paste them onto other images. For this reason, you can lift a subset of keywords from an image and stamp just those keywords onto other images. To lift a subset of keywords from an image, remove any keywords you don’t want by selecting them in the Lift & Stamp HUD keyword list and pressing the Delete key.

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Basic Concepts You Should Know

Â Keywords HUD: The Keywords HUD is used to quickly apply keywords. The HUD

provides a list of preset keywords, and you can customize the keyword library with any additional keywords you need. You can apply keywords to individual images and to groups of images.

Â Lift and Stamp tools: The Lift and Stamp tools allow you to easily select keywords and

ratings from a selected image and apply them to other images. For example, you can repeatedly stamp different images with the same set of keywords using these tools.

Â Lift & Stamp HUD: The Lift & Stamp HUD is used to select the metadata, adjustments,

and keywords that will be transferred to images using the Lift and Stamp tools.

Next, you’ll explore some of the things you can do using special features in Aperture, such as creating slideshows, webpages, and books.

Chapter 6 Applying Keywords to Images 91

7 Presenting Your Images

With Aperture, you can present images in slideshows, create webpages for viewing over the Internet, and create books that you can have professionally printed and bound.

Next, you’ll display a slideshow and work with Aperture webpages and a book. Because Aperture provides many professional-level options, this chapter provides only brief introductions to the features—refer to the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu for complete information about working with the slideshows, webpages, and books.

Try This: Exploring Slideshows

When you create an Aperture slideshow, you can choose how many images to display on the screen, how they are arranged, how long each image is displayed, and much more.

Getting Ready

1 Click the Projects tab in the Inspector pane.

2 Click the disclosure triangle beside the Nature project in the Projects inspector. Select

the “Slideshow selects (Five Star)” album.

Jumping In

Display a slideshow:

m Click the Slideshow button in the toolbar. Click Start.

m Press the Space bar to pause the slideshow. Press the Space bar to resume playing.

m Press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key to move forward or backward through the

slideshow.

m Press Esc (Escape) to stop the slideshow.

You can also simply select images in the Browser and click the Slideshow button, and Aperture displays the images in a slideshow. To change the order of slides in a slideshow, drag the images into a different order in the Browser, select the images, and click the Slideshow button.

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Try playing your slideshow several times, choosing different slideshow presets from the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu.

Â Dissolve: Displays each image for 3 seconds, with a 2-second cross fade.

Â Fade through Black: Displays each image on a black background for 3 seconds, with a

2-second cross fade.

Â Manual: You control this slideshow’s progression with the Right Arrow and Left

Arrow keys.

Â Slow Dissolve: Displays each image for 5.1 seconds, with a 5-second cross fade.

Â 4-Up Slow: Successively displays four images one at a time, showing each image for 3

seconds and then transitioning with a 2-second cross fade. The first image is replaced with the fifth, and so on.

Â 4-Up Fast: Successively displays four images one at a time, showing each image for

1 second. The first image is replaced with the fifth, and so on.

Chapter 7 Presenting Your Images 95

Learning About Slideshow Presets

You use the Slideshow Presets dialog to create and modify slideshow presets. Take a look at some of the slideshow options that are available. You don’t need to master these options; for now, just understand that they are available to you when you need them.

To open the Slideshow Presets dialog:

Choose Aperture > Presets > Slideshow.

The Slideshow Presets dialog appears.

Choose how the slideshow

duration is determined.

Select a preset

to change here.

Drag the slider to determine the amount of time each image will be shown.

Select a button to specify image quality.

Adjust the fade time between images by dragging this slider.

Select a track from your iTunes library to accompany your slideshow.

Click this button to add a new preset.

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Drag these sliders to set the number of rows and columns of images.

Presenting Your Images

You can now select a preset to change, or you can create a new one by clicking the Add (+) button. Specify the slideshow options you want in the right side of the dialog. Once you create a new preset, it appears in the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu in the Run Slideshow dialog the next time you begin a slideshow.

Try This: Exploring Aperture Webpages

Photographers around the world benefit from web distribution of their works, providing clients with online access to galleries of their best images.

Using Aperture, you can create webpages and web journals. Both are based on themes, or page designs, are easily editable, and can be posted to the web.

Important: You can also use Aperture to publish photos easily in a web gallery through

your MobileMe account. Be sure to refer to the MobileMe online help for more information about creating web galleries.

Chapter 7 Presenting Your Images 97

Webpages are designed to display images without your having to lay out pages by hand. Aperture automatically creates the appropriate number of webpages and populates them with the selected images. You can then adjust the pages to make the images appear as you want them. You can also choose the metadata information that appears next to each image, such as captions, names, and ratings.

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Web journal pages allow you to mix images and text manually on the page. Web journals are ideal for projects in which you show photos with narrative to support them. When working with web journals, you manually add pages, images, and text to your web journal. You can choose a theme to apply to all your pages, and you can change the layout of images and text on your web journal pages.

Chapter 7 Presenting Your Images 99

To create a webpage or web journal, you first create a webpage or web journal album. When you select the album in the Projects inspector, the Webpage Editor appears above the Browser. The Webpage Editor is where you design your webpages, including changing the theme, positioning images, and adding text.

Webpage album in the Projects inspector

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Apple Aperture - 2.0 Exploring

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Exploring Aperture

Opening Aperture

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Jumping In

Learning About the Projects Inspector

Basic Concepts You Should Know

2 Importing Basics

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Learning About Where Your Image Files Reside

Jumping In

Tethered Shooting

Basic Concepts You Should Know

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Learning About Masters and Versions

Creating Multiple Versions

About Deleting Images

What Happens to Deleted Image Files?

Basic Concepts You Should Know

4 Learning About the Viewer

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Jumping In

Jumping In

Learning About the Metadata Inspector

Learning About Badges

Basic Concepts You Should Know

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Learning About the Adjustments in the Inspector HUD and Adjustments Inspector

Basic Concepts You Should Know

6 Applying Keywords to Images

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Jumping In

Learning About the Lift & Stamp HUD

Jumping In

Basic Concepts You Should Know

7 Presenting Your Images

Getting Ready

Jumping In

Learning About Slideshow Presets