Apple Aperture Getting Started User Manual

Aperture

Getting Started

Apple Computer, 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.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Apple is not responsible for printing or clerical errors. Because Apple frequently releases new versions and updates to its system software, applications, and Internet sites, images shown in this book may be slightly different from what you see on your screen.

The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws.

Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Cinema Display, ColorSync, FireWire, iPhoto, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Aperture and Finder are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

.Mac is a service mark of Apple Computer, Inc.

Adobe and Photoshop are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products.

Chapter 1 9 An Overview of Aperture

Using Aperture in Your Workflow

Elements Used in Aperture

Chapter 2 21 Setting Up an Aperture System

Setting Up a Basic System

Setting Up Your System with Two Displays

Using Additional Hard Disk Storage and FireWire Drives

Chapter 3 29 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Basics of Working in Aperture

The Aperture Main Window

Additional Parts of the Aperture Interface

Configuring Your Workspace

Working Efficiently

Chapter 4 49 Working with Projects

Controls in the Projects Panel

Creating and Naming Projects

Opening and Closing Projects

Creating and Showing Favorite Projects

Deleting Images from Projects and Albums

Deleting Items from the Projects Panel

Chapter 5 55 Importing Images

An Overview of Importing

File Formats You Can Import into Your Library

Importing from Your Digital Camera or Card Reader

Importing Image Files Stored on Your Computer

Dragging Image Files from the Finder into a Project

Importing Folders of Images from the Finder Importing Your iPhoto Library

65 67

Transferring Projects from Another Aperture System

Making an Immediate Backup

Chapter 6 69 Working with Images in the Browser

An Overview of the Browser

Viewing Images in the Browser

Navigating Through and Selecting Images

Rearranging Images in the Browser

Rotating Images

Displaying Specific Metadata with Your Images

Creating Versions of an Image

Copying Images and Moving Images to Different Locations

Working with Referenced Images

Chapter 7 83 Displaying Images in the Viewer

An Overview of the Viewer

Adjusting the Background of the Viewer

Choosing the Number of Images Displayed in the Viewer

Comparing Images

Viewing Images with the Loupe

Viewing Images at Full Resolution

Viewing Images on Multiple Displays

Displaying Metadata Associated with Images

Chapter 8 93 Viewing Images in Full Screen Mode

An Overview of Full Screen Mode

Entering and Exiting Full Screen Mode

Using the Filmstrip in Full Screen Mode

Working with the Toolbar in Full Screen Mode

10 2

Using HUDs in Full Screen Mode

10 4

Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Full Screen Mode

Chapter 9 105 Stacking Images and Making Picks

10 5

An Overview of Stacks

10 6

Creating Stacks Automatically

10 7

Creating Stacks Manually

10 8

Working with Stacks

111

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working with Stacks

Contents

Chapter 10 113 Rating Images

113

An Overview of the Rating System

11 4

Rating Images

11 5

Sorting Images by Rating

117

Comparing and Rating Images

11 9

Keyboard Shortcuts for Rating Images

12 0

Keyboard Shortcuts for Displaying Images with Specific Ratings

Chapter 11 121 Applying Keywords to Images

121

An Overview of Keywords

12 2

Applying Keywords Using the Keywords HUD

12 9

Applying Keywords Using Keyword Controls and Keyword Presets

13 4

Applying Keywords Using the Lift & Stamp HUD

13 6

Viewing Keywords Applied to Images

13 8

Removing Keywords from an Image

Chapter 12 139 Searching for and Displaying Images

13 9

An Overview of the Query HUD

141

Searching by Image Name, Caption, or Other Text

14 2

Searching by Rating

14 3

Searching by Keyword

14 4

Searching by Date

14 6

Searching by IPTC Information

14 7

Searching by EXIF Information

14 8

Searching by File Status

14 9

Searching by a Combination of Criteria

15 0

Saving Your Search Results

Chapter 13 151 Grouping Images with Smart Albums

151

An Overview of Smart Albums

15 2

Collecting Images in a New Smart Album

15 4

Revising the Contents of a Smart Album

15 4

Deleting a Smart Album

Chapter 14 155 An Overview of Image Adjustments

15 5

An Overview of Adjustments in Aperture

15 6

Displaying the Adjustment Controls

Contents

Chapter 15 159 Creating Slideshow Presentations

15 9

An Overview of Slideshows

160

Creating a Slideshow Using Presets

161

Controlling a Slideshow

161

Changing a Slideshow’s Images

Chapter 16 163 Using the Light Table

163

An Overview of the Light Table

164

Creating a Light Table Album and Adding Images to It

165

Adding Images to the Light Table

166

Moving and Resizing Images in the Light Table

167

Aligning and Arranging Images in the Light Table

169

Adjusting the Light Table View

17 0

Printing a Light Table Arrangement

Chapter 17 171 Printing Your Images

171

Settings in the Print Dialog

17 3

Printing Single Images

17 3

Printing a Series of Images

174

Printing a Contact Sheet or Series of Contact Sheets

17 5

Printing a Book

17 5

Creating a PDF File of a Book

Chapter 18 177 Exporting Images

17 7

An Overview of Exporting Your Images

17 8

Exporting Copies of Digital Master Files

17 9

Exporting Image Versions

18 0

About Export Presets

18 2

Adding a Watermark to Exported Images

Chapter 19 183 Creating Web Journals and Web Galleries

An Overview of Web Galleries and Web Journals

183 18 4

Creating and Working with Web Galleries

18 6

Creating and Working with Web Journals

18 8

Viewing and Navigating Your Webpages

18 9

Changing the Appearance of Your Webpages

191 Posting Your Webpages to the Web

Contents

Chapter 20 193 Creating Books

19 3 An Overview of the Book Creation Process 19 4 Creating a Book Album 19 5 Controls in the Book Layout Editor 19 8 Placing Images in a Book 19 8 Adding Pages to a Book 19 8 Removing Pages from a Book 19 9 Resizing and Aligning Images on a Page

19 9 Adding Text to Pages 200 Changing the Theme 200 Ordering a Printed Book

Chapter 21 201 Backing Up Your Images

201 An Overview of Backing Up Your Files 203 Controls in the Vaults Panel 204 Creating a Vault 205 Updating Vaults 206 Removing a Hard Drive from Your System 206 Deleting a Vault Permanently 207 Restoring Your Aperture System

Appendix 209 Credits

Index 211

Contents 7

1 An Overview of Aperture

Aperture is a powerful and easy-to-use digital image management system that can track thousands of digital images and provides professional-quality tools for working with your photos.

Aperture is a nondestructive image processing and database application that lets you efficiently acquire digital images, perform photo edits, adjust and retouch images, publish images on the web or in print, export images, and back up your images for safekeeping.

Before starting work, you need to understand how Aperture is used in your workflow. You’ll also need to find out about the basic elements used as you work with your images in Aperture.

Using Aperture in Your Workflow

The following illustration shows the basic workflow steps you generally follow when using Aperture. Keep in mind that workflows can vary, either from person to person or from project to project. As you work in Aperture, you may not always proceed in strict linear order, and you may choose to overlap some steps.

Aperture Workflow

Acquire Images

Import from

card/camera

Import from hard disk or

media

Sort

• Rate

• Apply keywords

• Compare

• Stack

Import from

iPhoto

Create Projects

Before or during import

Photo Edit

• Using Query HUD

• Using Smart Albums

Apply Adjustments

• Exposure

• Levels

• White balance

Import folders

(maintaining

structure)

Group

Drag from

Finder

Export

10 Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture

Distribute

Create

slideshow

Back Up

• Set up vault

• Back up to vault

Publish

webpages

books

Elements in Aperture That Correspond to Workflow

Import images using the

Import panel.

Create projects in the

Projects panel.

Photo edit using the

Viewer...

...and the Browser.

Apply adjustments using the Adjustments Inspector.

As you photo edit, you can view information about an image using the Metadata Inspector.

Use the Vaults panel for backing up your images.

Step 1: Set up your Aperture system

For this beginning stage, you set up your Aperture system by connecting the hardware you need. For most users, it’s fairly straightforward: simply connect your camera or card reader to a FireWire or USB port on your computer, then turn on your computer and open Aperture.

Step 2: Acquire images and create projects

Once you’ve set up your Aperture system, you need to import your images into Aperture. Acquiring, or importing, images is the process of getting the images from your camera, a card reader, external storage media (such as a CD, DVD, or external hard disk drive), or folders on your computer into Aperture. You can choose to acquire many images, such as all the ones on a card, or selected images only. Before or during the import process, you have the option to create a new project to store your images. You can also create projects after importing, or at any stage in the process.

You can also import all or just a portion of your iPhoto Library. When you import your iPhoto Library, Aperture maintains the structure as well as all adjustments and information, also known as metadata, applied to the images.

Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture 11

Step 3: Photo edit

For this stage, you’ll sort through your images and choose which images you want to work with and further adjust. You can add keywords, captions, or other text to your images to help you sort and organize them, as well as apply ratings and stack related images together.

You can also group images to further organize them. You can find images using the Query HUD (heads-up display), a floating panel with search options. You can also create containers, such as folders and albums, within projects to further manage your images. Aperture also uses Smart Albums, which are albums that can be dynamically generated and updated based on specific search criteria you specify in the Query HUD. This can save you time and effort finding just the right images.

Step 4: Apply adjustments

With Aperture, you can make adjustments to images, including adjusting exposure, levels, and white balance and eliminating red-eye. You can also crop, rotate, and resize images. If you want to make adjustments that involve compositing, you can easily work with your images in another application, known as an external editor, such as Adobe Photoshop; adjusted images automatically appear in Aperture when the image is saved. You can apply different adjustments to multiple versions of the same image.

Step 5: Distribute your images

Aperture provides several options for distributing your images. You can print images directly to a printer, export images for delivery to a professional photo lab, or create a book of images for printing using the printing service supplied by your .Mac account. Aperture also includes tools that allow you to publish photos on the web and create online journals without having to know any HTML. You can also use slideshows to present work to clients or provide a background of images and music during an event.

Step 6: Back up your images

You can make a backup copy of your Aperture Library and store it in one or more vaults located on external hard disk drives—usually FireWire drives. The Library includes your projects, digital master files, and any versions you’ve created.

12 Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture

Elements Used in Aperture

In Aperture, you use projects, albums, and folders to organize your images as you work. Other important elements are the Library, used to manage your files, and the vault for storing backup copies of your Library.

Â Digital master files: The original image files imported from your camera, memory

card, computer, or external storage media. The digital master files are never changed, so that the original image is preserved and can be used again.

Â Versions: These are files used to display the master files, as well as store any changes

you’ve made to images (such as image adjustments or changes to metadata).

Â Projects: Container files used to hold digital master files, versions, and albums. When

project files are moved, the contents are moved with them.

Â Albums: Used to organize versions. You can create albums within projects or outside

of them. Types of albums include Smart Albums, Light Table albums, web gallery albums, web journal albums, and book albums.

Â Folders: Used to organize projects and albums within projects.

Â 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 digital master files and corresponding versions. The Library also tracks projects and albums you create to organize your images.

Â Managed and referenced images: Master files stored in the Aperture Library are

called managed images because Aperture manages the location of the images in its database. Managed images are physically located in the Aperture Library file in the Pictures folder. You can also import images into Aperture without storing the digital master files in the Library. Images that are not stored in the Library file are called referenced images. Aperture links to referenced images in their current locations on your hard disk, without placing them in the Aperture Library file.

Â Vaults: A vault holds your backed-up images and is a copy of your Library.

For details about each of these elements and how you work with them in Aperture, see the next few sections.

What Are Digital Master Files?

A digital master file is the original RAW, JPEG, TIFF, or PNG file that was imported into Aperture from your camera, a memory card, a computer, or external storage media such as an external hard disk drive or CD. Aperture never changes the master file, so you always have originals to work from.

Important: Digital master files—especially RAW files—tend to be quite large. Projects

consisting of several thousand digital master files require high-capacity hard disks.

For information about importing your digital master files, see Chapter 5, “Importing

Images,” on page 55.

Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture 13

What Are Versions?

Once you have digital master files on your hard disk, you can review and make adjustments to your images. For example, you can change the exposure, contrast, or saturation, or add information to an image, such as the photographer’s name, event, and location. To work with images, Aperture creates a “version” of each master file that includes your adjustments and embedded information, and leaves the master file unchanged. A version refers to the master file on your hard disk, but it is not the master file itself. Versions store only the thumbnail image, adjustments, and embedded information. A full image file is not created until you are ready to print or export, saving valuable storage space on your hard disk.

Versions

from Master 1

Versions from Master 2

Versions from Master 3

Computer

Pictures

folder

Aperture

Library file

Master

When you create a version, several things occur:

Â Aperture reads the original master file on disk and displays it on the screen.

Â As you make adjustments or add information to the image, Aperture uses floating-

point calculations to display the image with those changes, but the original master file is never changed.

You can create as many versions of an image as you need. For example, a client may request color, sepia, and black-and-white versions of the same wedding shot. Instead of saving multiple copies of that image, as you would with other applications, you simply create different versions of the master file.

14 Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture

What Are Projects?

You organize your digital master files and versions using projects. A project is a container file consisting of up to 10,000 master files and as many versions as you like. 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. Or if you do several shoots of the same subject, you may want to create a project that encompasses all of the shoots. Projects are essential elements because they maintain your digital master files and track all changes to versions.

You can easily transfer projects from one Aperture system to another. All links between versions and their master files are maintained when projects are transferred. This is particularly useful if you use a portable computer when on location or away from your studio, and a workstation at your studio. For more information, see “Transferring

Projects from Another Aperture System” on page 67.

Examples of items in the Projects panel

Projects

What Are Albums?

An album is a type of container in the Aperture Library that holds only versions (not the digital master files to which they refer). Albums help you organize images in the Library, making your versions easier to manage. You can create albums at the Library level or within a project.

Albums created at the Library level are used to organize versions from multiple projects. For example, you can create an album at the Library level to consolidate your favorite images, known as selects, from multiple clients (each represented by a project). You can then publish this collection of selects on your website or export the album’s contents and burn them to a DVD for review by a prospective client.

Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture 15

Three albums created

within one project

You can also create albums within projects to help you organize your images into relevant groups. For example, images in your Antarctica project can be divided into three albums: Antarctica Selects, On Land, and Underwater.

Note: You can also place versions from other projects in an album that resides within a project.

There are two main types of albums, each suited to a particular function:

Â Album: A type of folder containing image versions. You can view only the versions

that you’ve placed in the album.

Â Smart Albums: This type of album contains image versions as well, but the contents

are controlled by search criteria that you specify. When you change the criteria associated with a particular Smart Album, the contents of the Smart Album automatically change. For more information about Smart Albums, see Chapter 13, “Grouping Images with Smart Albums,” on page 151.

Changes made to versions in albums have no effect on the original digital master files on your computer’s hard disk. If you delete a version from one album, the digital master file is not deleted from the hard disk.

16 Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture

These folders organize

images based on what

year they were shot.

What Are Folders?

In Aperture, folders are used to help organize projects and albums. For example, you can import images into projects and then organize the projects into folders based on the year, such as 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. And if you shoot multiple projects for the same client, you can create a folder that contains separate projects for that client.

Note: Folders only contain albums, projects, and other folders.

What Is the Library?

The Aperture Library tracks every project, album, master file, and version no matter whether the images are stored in the Aperture Library file or in other hard disk locations. Aperture automatically creates a Library file in your Pictures folder the first time you open Aperture. You can choose to import images into your Library or have Aperture access them from other locations on different hard disks. The Library tracks all your images and the information recorded about them, as well as information about where backup files are stored. You can access images in the Library by clicking Library at the top of the Projects panel.

Projects that you transfer from other Aperture systems to your Aperture system are also added to the Library. And when you back up your digital master files to your vaults on external FireWire drives, those actions are tracked by the Aperture Library as well.

You can change the location of the Library file to a different folder or a different disk. You can create multiple Library files. For more information about working with multiple Library files, see the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu.

Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture 17

What Are Managed Images and Referenced Images?

Aperture lets you choose how you organize your photos on disk. You can store your photos in the Aperture Library, or you can import images by simply linking to the image files in their current locations, without placing them in the Library.

Images whose digital master files are stored in the Aperture Library are called managed images. These master files are stored in the Library exactly as they were in previous versions of Aperture. Aperture manages master image files in the Library, keeping them always accessible, and provides benefits such as one-click backup of digital master files to vaults.

Imported images whose digital master files haven’t been placed in the Library are called referenced images. Using referenced images in your Aperture system can provide a number of substantial benefits to your photography workflow. You can incorporate your existing portfolio of images into Aperture without changing the current location of the files. Importing images by reference does not result in a duplication of your image files in the Aperture Library, thus saving hard disk space. You can also connect and disconnect hard disks holding your referenced images’ master files as you need them. This allows you to keep master files for less-used images offline or to make specific types of images available for editing or adjustments as needed. Using referenced images in your Aperture system provides a means of building a flexible image management system customized to your work style.

You specify that an image will be a managed image or a referenced image when you import it. When importing images, you can:

Â Specify that master files be stored in the Aperture Library.

Â Import images as referenced images, so that their master files remain in their

current locations.

Â Move or copy image files to a new location. For example, you might decide that a

certain group of referenced image files, such as wedding photos, will always be placed in one hard disk location, while other groups, such as sports photos, will reside in a different hard disk location.

You can work with referenced images—creating versions, making adjustments, cropping, and adding metadata—just as you can with images whose master files are stored in the Library. Versions that you create from a referenced image are stored in the Library. In order for you to make adjustments to a version from a referenced image, the referenced image’s master file must be available on your hard disk or other storage device. For example, if you delete a referenced image’s master file in the Finder, Aperture no longer has access to the master file and so no longer allows you to change your versions or create new ones.

18 Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture

To help you identify referenced images, Aperture marks referenced images with a badge overlay that you can display or hide. When a referenced image’s master file is missing or offline, its badge changes to show that the image is not accessible. For example, if you disconnect a hard disk that holds master files for many referenced images, Aperture automatically marks the referenced images in the Browser and Viewer as offline. If you reconnect the hard disk or other storage device later, Aperture accesses the master files automatically and you can work with and change their versions again.

You can also relocate master files, moving them out of the Library or moving referenced master files to different hard disk locations. If needed, you can also move referenced master files into the Aperture Library by choosing the Consolidate command.

You can search for images based on whether they are managed images, referenced images, or online or offline images. Aperture also provides robust file-management tools that let you quickly determine which images are offline and easily reconnect images that have been moved to different volumes.

What Is a Vault?

A vault is a container consisting of an exact copy of your Library. This includes your projects, managed digital master files, and any versions you’ve created. You can easily create and update a vault to back up your Library. It’s best to store your vaults on multiple external hard drives connected to your computer, usually via FireWire. A Vault Status button changes color when your vaults need updating.

You can have as many vaults as you deem necessary. Creating more than one vault is useful if you work at different locations; you can always keep one vault on a FireWire drive onsite and another one offsite. All vaults and backup files are tracked by the Library so that even if you disconnect the external hard drive that contains your vault, Aperture will synchronize it the next time you reconnect the drive and update your vault.

All the managed master file images, versions, and all metadata, previews, and adjustment information associated with your images are backed up. The versions, previews, and metadata associated with referenced images’ master files are also backed up in the vault. Referenced images’ master files are not backed up in the vault with the Library.

Chapter 1 An Overview of Aperture 19

2 Setting Up an Aperture System

You can use Aperture with just your computer and display, or you can set up a system with two displays for extra screen space to view and adjust images.

This chapter provides instructions for connecting a digital camera or card reader to your computer and setting up a dual-display system.

Setting Up a Basic System

The following are basic instructions for connecting a digital camera or card reader to your computer.

Computer

Camera

Card reader

A basic Aperture system consists of the following equipment:

Â A computer and display

Â A digital camera or card reader (a FireWire card reader is strongly recommended

because it’s faster)

Â A cable to connect your camera or card reader to your computer (typically a USB 2.0

cable or a 4-pin-to-6-pin FireWire cable that came with your camera or card reader)

For information about setting up a computer and display, see the documentation that came with the computer and display.

To connect a camera or card reader to your computer:

m Connect your camera or card reader to your computer using the USB or FireWire cable

that came with your camera or card reader.

USB 2.0

FireWire 400 (6-pin) FireWire 400 (4-pin)

To ensure proper setup, see the documentation that came with your camera or card reader.

22 Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System

Setting Up Your System with Two Displays

Using two displays gives you additional screen space to view and adjust images, play slideshows, and present your full-color, full-size images.

Connecting a Second Display to Your Computer

You can connect two displays to the graphics card on your computer and use both displays at the same time.

For connecting a second display, you’ll need the following:

Â Power adapter for the display

Â Display cable to connect the display to the graphics card on your computer

Power adapter Apple Cinema Display cable connectors

DC power

DVI

FireWire

USB

Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System 23

Note: You may also need to purchase an adapter to connect the display cable to the graphics card on your computer.

ADC to DVI adapter

Macintosh computers come with two possible display ports: Apple Display Connector (ADC) ports to connect ADC displays, and Digital Visual Interface (DVI) ports to connect digital displays that have DVI connectors (such as a flat-panel Apple Cinema Display).

ADC display port DVI display port

Â If your second display is an ADC display, connect it to an available ADC display port

on your computer, or use a DVI to ADC adapter to connect the display to a DVI display port.

Â If your second display is a DVI display, connect the display to an available DVI display

port on your computer, or use an ADC to DVI adapter to connect the display to an ADC display port.

See the documentation that came with your computer or graphics card for more information on the type of display cable or adapter you need.

To connect a second display to your computer:

1 Turn off the computer.

2 Connect a display cable (and adapter, if necessary) from an available display port on

your computer or graphics card to the display.

Depending on your displays, you may have one or more cables to connect. Refer to the documentation that came with the display and your computer for detailed information.

Important: Make sure the cables are connected firmly, or you may not be able to see

an image on the display.

24 Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System

The following illustration shows one possible scenario for connecting two displays to a computer.

Power Mac G5

Apple Cinema Display

Second Apple Cinema Display

ADC to DVI adapter

ADC display port

DVI display port

USB ports

FireWire 400 port

Power

adapter

Power

adapter

Power outlet

AC plug

DC plug

Power outlet

AC plug

DC plug

FireWire connector (not used)

3 Turn on the displays (if necessary) and start up your computer.

You’ll now want to adjust your displays for proper viewing.

Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System 25

Configuring Mac OS X for Multiple Displays

If your computer is connected to two displays, you can set them up to show a continuous desktop that extends across both screens. This is known as extended desktop mode.

Because Aperture controls the second display, you must keep your computer in this mode for the application to operate properly. If you work in mirroring mode, where the same contents appear on both displays, Aperture may not work properly.

To exit mirroring mode:

1 Choose Apple (K) menu > System Preferences.

2 Click Displays, then click Arrangement.

Note: If the Arrangement button does not appear, click the Detect Displays button. If the Arrangement button still does not appear, make sure the second display is properly connected to your computer. For more information, see “Setting Up Your System with

Two Displays” on page 23.

3 Deselect the Mirror Displays checkbox.

After you connect a second display, your displays may show the arrangement of the desktop out of order. For example, the display that shows the hard disk icon and menu bar is typically on the left, so that your desktop extends out to the right on the rightmost display.

To rearrange the position of the displays:

1 Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.

2 Click Displays, then click Arrangement.

Two Displays” on page 23.

26 Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System

3 Drag one of the blue rectangles, representing one of the displays, to match the

position of the display on your desk.

The red outline indicates the screen of the display you are moving.

The display screens temporarily refresh to accommodate the new arrangement.

4 Drag the white rectangle to move the menu bar to the display on the left.

Drag the menu bar to the display on the left.

The display screens temporarily refresh to accommodate the new arrangement. The contents of the screen may be rearranged to accommodate the new position of the menu bar.

Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System 27

Using Additional Hard Disk Storage and FireWire Drives

The disk that contains your computer’s operating system is called the startup disk. In addition to the operating system, the startup disk also stores your applications (such as Aperture), application preferences, system settings, documents, and image files. The more hard disk space you have, the more images Aperture can store. Because you’ll be shooting and storing many images, you should have at least one high-capacity hard disk.

Aperture can also uses external FireWire drives to store and back up image files. These external drives can be “daisy-chained,” meaning that you can connect one drive to another and another. The first drive in the chain is connected to your computer. FireWire drives are “hot-swappable,” meaning that you can connect and disconnect them from your computer without having to shut it down first. FireWire drives are also a great way to add storage space if you are using Aperture on a portable computer.

28 Chapter 2 Setting Up an Aperture System

3 Learning About

the Aperture Interface

Aperture provides an outstanding interface designed to allow professional photographers to efficiently import, manage, edit, and distribute images.

This chapter provides basic information about the Aperture main window and tells you how to customize your workspace layout to work more efficiently.

Basics of Working in Aperture

You may want to open Aperture so you can view the main window and familiarize yourself with its elements as you read.

Opening Aperture for the First Time

The first time you open Aperture, you have several choices as to what to do, depending on your workflow.

To choose an option when you first open Aperture:

1 Click the button next to the option you want.

2 Click Continue.

The Aperture Main Window

This is the main window that you’ll routinely use in Aperture.

Viewer

Toolbar

Projects panel

Browser

Example of a tooltip.

You can press Control-G

to switch the Browser

to grid view.

Adjustments Inspector

Metadata Inspector

Control bar

Note: The inspectors are not shown when you first open Aperture. To show or hide the Inspectors panel, press I. You can also double-click an image to open the Inspectors panel.

To help you learn Aperture, you can hold the pointer over a control in Aperture and a small box called a tooltip appears with a description of the control. Next to the description is the keyboard shortcut for using the control. You can turn the display of tooltips on or off in the Preferences window.

30 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Projects Panel

You use the Projects panel to organize your imported images using projects, folders, and albums. You can create webpages (photo galleries and online journals) and specially formatted books for printing. You can also create Smart Albums that automatically find and store images based on search criteria you specify (for more information, see Chapter 13, “Grouping Images with Smart Albums,” on page 151).

Projects pop-up menu

Project Action pop-up menu

A project

Add to Library pop-up menu

Â Projects pop-up menu: Provides options for showing all projects, your favorites, or

recently selected projects. You can create as many projects as you like.

Â Add to Library pop-up menu: Provides a quick way to create new elements, such as

projects, folders, and albums.

Â Project Action pop-up menu: Provides options for adding or removing selected items

from a list of favorites and exporting them.

The Projects panel is shown by default.

To hide the Projects panel:

m Choose Window > Hide Projects (or press W).

To show the Projects panel if it’s hidden:

m Choose Window > Show Projects (or press W).

For more information, see Chapter 4, “Working with Projects,” on page 49.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 31

The Viewer displays

a detailed view of

selected images.

The Browser displays

images in a selected

project or album.

Browser and Viewer

You use the Browser to display images in projects and albums. When you select an image in the Browser, a detailed view of the image appears in the Viewer. You can quickly select other images by pressing the arrow keys.

The white outline indicates the selected image.

You can move, copy, and sort your images in the Browser. You can drag images from the Browser into other projects and albums in the Projects panel. You can also classify your images by applying ratings and keywords to them.

You can display images in the Browser in grid view or list view. In grid view (shown above), thumbnails are displayed for every image contained in a project or album. In grid view you can identify your images by sight, working with the thumbnails. In list view, your images are listed by file information, such as filename, pixel size, file size, and rating. List view provides an easy way to sort your images by category. For more information about the Browser, see Chapter 6, “Working with Images in the Browser,” on page 69.

The Viewer displays a detailed view of images selected in the Browser so you can make adjustments, compare similar images, and inspect images at full resolution. In the Viewer, you can see a magnified view of specific image details. You can also apply adjustments to your images in the Viewer. You can set the Viewer to display one, three, or multiple images at a time. For more information, see Chapter 7, “Displaying Images in

the Viewer,” on page 83.

32 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Control Bar

The control bar at the bottom of the Aperture main window has buttons that allow you to quickly rotate, rate, and navigate through images. There are also buttons to control how images are displayed and to apply keywords to your images. The control bar is shown by default, but you can hide it at any time.

To hide the control bar:

m Choose Window > Hide Control Bar (or press D).

To show the control bar:

m Choose Window > Show Control Bar (or press D).

The following sections provide descriptions of each button and control in the control bar.

Display Controls

Show Master Image button

Viewer Mode

pop-up menu

Primary Only button

Zoom Viewer

button

Full Screen button

Â Viewer Mode pop-up menu: Choose how to view your images and arrange your

displays from this pop-up menu. For more information, see Chapter 7, “Displaying

Images in the Viewer,” on page 83.

Â Zoom Viewer: Click this button to move between viewing an image at actual size and

fitting the image to the Viewer’s screen size.

Â Show Master Image: Click this button to see an image of the original digital master file.

Â Full Screen: Click this button to switch to Full Screen mode. For more information, see

Chapter 8, “Viewing Images in Full Screen Mode,” on page 93.

Â Primary Only: Click this button to temporarily change between making metadata

changes to all selected images or the primary selection only.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 33

Rotate Buttons

Rotate Left button Rotate Right button

Â Rotate Left: Click this button to rotate the selected image to the left.

Â Rotate Right: Click this button to rotate the selected image to the right.

Rating Buttons

Increase Rating button

Reject button

Previous Image button

Select button

Decrease Rating button

Â Reject: Gives the selected image a Reject rating.

Â Decrease Rating: Decreases the rating of the selected image.

Â Increase Rating: Increases the rating of the selected image.

Â Select: Gives the selected image a Select rating (five stars).

For more information, see Chapter 10, “Rating Images,” on page 113.

Navigation Buttons

Next Image button

Â Previous Image: Click this to go to the previous image.

Â Next Image: Click this to go to the next image.

34 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Keyword Controls

Add Keyword field

Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu

Individual keyword buttons

Â Individual keyword buttons: Click a keyword button to apply a preset keyword to a

selected image or group of images. Shift-click the button to remove a keyword.

Â Keyword Preset Group pop-up menu: Choose a preset group of keywords to display or

edit an existing group.

Â Add Keyword field: Enter a new keyword, then press Return. Aperture creates a new

keyword and applies it to the selected image.

Note: If the Adjustments and Metadata Inspectors are open, there may not be enough room to show the entire control bar. In that case, the keyword controls are not shown.

For more information, see Chapter 11, “Applying Keywords to Images,” on page 121.

Toolbar

The toolbar is a collection of buttons and tools located at the top of the Aperture main window. Buttons and tools are grouped by function. There are buttons for creating projects, organizing images, and configuring the Aperture workspace, as well as tools for applying adjustments. The toolbar is shown by default, but you can hide it at any time.

Toolbar

To hide the toolbar:

m Choose View > Hide Toolbar (or press Shift-T).

To show the toolbar:

m Choose View > Show Toolbar (or press Shift-T).

If you want to customize the toolbar based on your preferences, see “Customizing the

Toolbar” on page 45.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 35

Import and Project Buttons

Import Panel button

New Project

button

Import Panel:

New Smart

Album button

New Album button

Click this button to reveal the Import panel. When you select either the

New Book Album button

New Light Table Album button

New Web Gallery Album button

camera, a memory card, or a mounted drive, the Import dialog appears. For more information, see “Import Panel” on page 41.

New Project:

New Album:

New Smart Album:

Click this to create a new project.

Click this to create a new album with your current image selection in it.

Click this to create a new Smart Album. For more information, see

Chapter 13, “Grouping Images with Smart Albums,” on page 151.

New Book Album:

Click this to create a new book album with your current image

selection in it. For more information, see Chapter 20, “Creating Books,” on page 193.

New Web Gallery Album:

Click this to create a new web gallery album with your current image selection in it. For more information, see Chapter 19, “Creating Web

Journals and Web Galleries,” on page 183.

New Light Table Album:

Click this to create a Light Table album with your current image selection in it. For more information, see Chapter 16, “Using the Light Table,” on page 163.

Email and Slideshow Buttons

Email button Slideshow button

Email:

Slideshow:

36 Chapter 3

Click this to open your email program and attach selected images.

Click this to initiate a slideshow of the selected images.

Learning About the Aperture Interface

Version Buttons

Duplicate Version

button

Stack button

Selection tool

New Version From Master button

Â Duplicate Version: Click this to create a version, or duplicate, of a selected image.

Â New Version From Master: Click this to create a new version from a selected image’s

digital master file.

Stacking Buttons

Stack Pick button

For details about working with stacks, see Chapter 9, “Stacking Images

and Making Picks,” on page 105.

Â Stack: Click this to group the selected items in a stack.

Â Stack Pick: Click this to mark a selected image as the stack’s pick, or best image.

Adjustment Tools

Rotate Left

tool

Straighten

tool

Red Eye tool

Lift tool

Stamp tool

Rotate Right tool

Crop tool

Spot & Patch tool

Â Selection: Use this to select projects, albums, and images.

Â Rotate Left: Use this to rotate an image to the left. You can use this tool to rotate an

image displayed in the Viewer or Browser.

Â Rotate Right: Use this to rotate an image to the right. You can use this tool to rotate

an image displayed in the Viewer or Browser.

Â Straighten: Use the guides to help manually straighten (or level) the selected image.

Â Crop: Use this to crop the selected image.

Â Spot & Patch: Removes imperfections in the image, such as sensor dust, by either

copying the pixels around the blemish (Spot tool) or copying pixels from another area of the image (Patch tool).

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 37

Â Red Eye: Use this to correct red-eye, occurring when the subject’s retinas reflect light

from your camera’s flash.

Â Lift: Use this to copy a set of adjustments, including cropping and straightening, and

metadata from a selected image.

Â Stamp: Use this to stamp, or apply, a copied set of adjustments or metadata to one

or several images.

Loupe and Keywords HUD Buttons

Loupe button

Adjustments Inspector

button

Keywords HUD button

Â Loupe: Opens the Loupe tool, which zooms in on your image.

Â Keywords HUD: Click this to show or hide the Keywords HUD.

Adjustments Inspector and Metadata Inspector Buttons

Use these buttons to reconfigure your workspace layout. For more information, see “Choosing Your Workspace Layout” on page 46.

Keywords Inspector button

Â Adjustments Inspector: Click this button to show or hide the Adjustments Inspector in

the Inspectors panel.

Â Metadata Inspector: Click this button to show or hide the Metadata Inspector in the

Inspectors panel.

Adjustments Inspector

You can use controls in the Adjustments Inspector to apply, edit, and remove adjustments to a selected image, such as exposure, levels, and white balance. Controls in the Adjustments Inspector are grouped according to the type of image adjustment they perform. You can see the controls for an adjustment category by clicking its disclosure triangle.

Note: By default, the Adjustments Inspector and Metadata Inspector are shown at the same time. You can also show them individually in the Inspectors panel by choosing Window > Show Metadata or Window > Show Adjustments.

38 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Adjustments Inspector

Click the disclosure

triangle for an adjustment to

see its controls.

To show the Adjustments Inspector, do one of the following:

m Double-click an image (or press I) to open the Inspectors panel.

m Choose Window > Show Adjustments (or press Control-A).

Press I to hide the Inspectors panel again.

If the Adjustments Inspector is open when you view your images, you can easily see a summary of the adjustments that have been applied by clicking the disclosure triangle for each adjustment. To edit an adjustment applied to an image, click the disclosure triangle for the adjustment and use its controls to make your changes. To remove an adjustment, deselect the checkbox for the adjustment. For more information, see Chapter 14, “An Overview of Image Adjustments,” on page 155. For in-depth explanations of adjustments, see Performing Image Adjustments in the Aperture Help menu.

Note: Although you can apply initial adjustments with the Adjustments Inspector, it’s often more convenient to use the Adjustments HUD in Full Screen mode. For more information, see Chapter 8, “Viewing Images in Full Screen Mode,” on page 93.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 39

Metadata Inspector

The Metadata Inspector can display an image’s caption text, keywords, version number, filename, and file size. You can also view EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) and IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) data associated with your image, as well as image keywords and other information. EXIF metadata is embedded with an image file by the digital camera and includes camera settings such as shutter speed, date and time, focal length, exposure, metering pattern, and flash information. IPTC information can be embedded in a digital image with most software programs used to edit photos, and can include a caption, the place and date a photo was taken, and copyright information.

You can create your own views of the types of metadata displayed with an image and create metadata presets that you can use to apply combinations of metadata repeatedly to multiple images.

Note: By default, the Adjustments Inspector and Metadata Inspector are shown at the same time.

To show the Metadata Inspector, do one of the following:

m Double-click an image (or press I) to open the Inspectors panel.

m Choose Window > Show Metadata (or press Control-D).

Press I to hide the Inspectors panel again.

Metadata Inspector

Click one of these

buttons to display the

associated text.

40 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Import panel button

Additional Parts of the Aperture Interface

As you work in Aperture, you will use other panels, such as the Import and Vaults panels, as well as specialized panels called inspectors and HUDs. There is also a Full Screen mode that provides a full-screen view of your images and a Light Table feature that allows you to arrange images.

Import Panel

The Import panel displays a list of connected card readers and external hard disk drives, as well as local hard disks and mounted servers. If you want to import images into Aperture, you select one of these devices, and the Import dialog appears. You specify settings in that dialog to import images from that device to your Library or a selected project.

To show the Import panel, do one of the following:

m Choose Window > Show Import Panel (or press Shift-I).

m Click the Import Panel button in the toolbar.

Import panel

This list displays all locations from which you can currently import images, including internal disks and connected drives.

To hide the Import panel, do one of the following:

m Choose Window > Hide Import Panel (or press Shift-I).

m Click the Import Panel button in the toolbar.

For more information, see Chapter 5, “Importing Images,” on page 55.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 41

Vaults Panel

The Vaults panel is where you set the location of your vaults, which are designated storage areas for backup copies of your Library. Typically, an external hard disk drive, such as an external FireWire drive, serves as a vault.

To show the Vaults panel:

m Click the Vaults Panel button.

To hide the Vaults panel, click the Vaults Panel button again.

Vaults panel

Vault Status button

Click the Vaults Panel button to show or hide the Vaults panel.

As you store managed images in the Library, Aperture automatically tracks which files have been backed up to your vault. When your vault is up to date, the Vault Status button appears black. When a change to at least one version occurs, such as an adjustment, the Vault Status button appears yellow. When Aperture determines that even a single master file has not been backed up, the Vault Status button appears red. You can have Aperture update your vaults whenever you want.

For more information, see Chapter 21, “Backing Up Your Images,” on page 201.

HUDs

HUDs, or heads-up displays, are collections of related controls contained in a floating panel. You can open and then move a HUD wherever you wish, based on your display setup. You can use HUDs in regular and Full Screen mode. Many of the adjustment tools have HUDs, which are shown when you select the tool in the toolbar. Other HUDs, such as the Keywords HUD and Adjustments HUD, are also available from the Window menu.

You’ll frequently use the Query HUD to search for images based on specific criteria, such as ratings and keywords. For more information, see Chapter 12, “Searching for

and Displaying Images,” on page 139.

42 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

To show the Query HUD:

m Choose Edit > Find (or press Command-F).

Query HUD

Full Screen Mode

The Full Screen mode available in Aperture allows you to view your images on a simple black background, with no other interface elements shown, such as the Browser or Projects panel. For more information, see Chapter 8, “Viewing Images

in Full Screen Mode,” on page 93.

Full Screen mode

provides a full-screen

view of images on

a simple black

background.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 43

allows you to freely view, compare, and

position images.

Light Table

The Light Table provides an open, freeform workspace where you can arrange images. When you create or select a Light Table album, the Light Table appears in place of the Viewer. Use the Light Table to review and compare images, create mockups of webpages, compare color values in a selection of images before making adjustments, or do anything else that involves viewing and comparing your images. For detailed information, see Chapter 16, “Using the Light Table,” on page 163.

The Light Table

Configuring Your Workspace

The Aperture interface is highly configurable, and it’s easy to show and hide areas of the interface. Aperture also offers several workspace layouts created to accommodate different workflows.

Showing and Hiding Areas of the Interface

To see which areas of the interface are currently shown, look at the items in the Window menu (in the menu bar at the top of the screen). Many Window menu items start with Hide or Show so you can easily detect which ones are shown and which are hidden.

Â Show: If you see this in front of a menu item, you can view the interface element by

choosing the menu item.

Â Hide: If you see this in front of a menu item, you can hide the interface element by

choosing the menu item.

44 Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface

Customizing the Toolbar

You can customize the toolbar based on your workflow and preferences, selecting which buttons to include, their arrangement, and whether or not to display a button’s name along with its icon.

Note: The adjustment tools appear as a set in a particular order and cannot be individually rearranged.

To customize the toolbar:

1 Do one of the following:

Â Choose View > Customize Toolbar.

Â Control-click the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu.

2 In the dialog that appears, make any necessary changes:

Â To add buttons to the toolbar: Drag a button’s icon from the dialog to the toolbar.

Â To remove buttons from the toolbar: Drag them out of the toolbar, or Control-click the

button you want to remove and choose Remove Item from the shortcut menu.

Â To change the order of the buttons in the toolbar: Drag a button to a new position.

Â To set the toolbar to a default configuration: Drag the default set of buttons and tools

to the toolbar.

Â To control whether each button’s icon and text appear in the toolbar: Choose Text Only,

Icon Only, or Icon & Text from the Show pop-up menu in the lower-left corner, or Control-click the toolbar and choose an option from the shortcut menu.

3 When you’ve finished configuring the toolbar, click Done.

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 45

Choosing Your Workspace Layout

Aperture provides three workspace layouts for working with your images.

Basic layout:

work with stacks of images. This workspace shows the Projects panel on the left for selecting projects that you want to work with. The images in a selected project appear in the Browser in grid view, where you can quickly select and review them. Images selected in the Browser appear in the Viewer above.

Maximize Browser layout:

provides a large view of the Browser, simplifying the screen to make selecting and working with images easy. You can quickly open different projects in the Projects panel and review and make changes to projects as needed.

Maximize Viewer layout:

Light Table. When you choose this workspace layout, the Viewer (or specialized interface elements that replace the Viewer, such as the Light Table) is enlarged to its maximum size.

To choose a layout, do one of the following:

Choose Window > Layouts, then choose the preset layout you want.

Press Command-Option and the letter corresponding to the layout you want: S for Basic, B for Maximize Browser, or V for Maximize Viewer.

Used to review images, perform initial rating passes, and create and

Use this to work with multiple projects. This workspace

Use this workspace layout when working with images in the

Viewing and Specifying Preferences

Aperture has various preferences that allow you to modify how a particular feature behaves. The settings you specify affect all projects you create, although most of them can be overridden for individual projects. Taking time to specify your preferences can make creating and working with your projects faster and easier.

To open the Preferences window:

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

The Preferences window appears.

46 Chapter 3

Learning About the Aperture Interface

Working Efficiently

To perform many tasks in Aperture, you can use keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcuts let you perform actions on your computer using the keyboard instead of by pointing and clicking.

For example, to create a new folder, you press Command-Shift-N; this means you hold down the Command key and the Shift key, and then press N. For a list of keyboard shortcuts, see Quick Reference in the Aperture Help menu or refer to the printed Aperture Quick Reference card.

Quickly Accessing Commands

You can also quickly access commands via a shortcut menu, as an alternative to using the menu bar at the top of the screen or pop-up menus within a window.

To view a shortcut menu:

m Position the pointer over a project or image, or in an area of the main window, then

hold down the Control key and click. (This is called Control-clicking.)

Note: Although accessing these shortcut menus can help you work more quickly, keep in mind that not all commands are available in shortcut menus.

Using the Undo Command

When you’re working in Aperture and you make a change you don’t like or didn’t mean to make, it can usually be undone.

To undo the previous action:

m Choose Edit > Undo (or press Command-Z).

You can choose Undo multiple times to undo a series of changes that you’ve made.

To redo an action that you have undone:

m Choose Edit > Redo (or press Command-Shift-Z).

Chapter 3 Learning About the Aperture Interface 47

4 Working with Projects

Projects are one of the main building blocks used to manage your images in Aperture.

This chapter covers how to create projects, as well as open them, save them as favorites, and delete them.

Controls in the Projects Panel

There are several controls in the Projects panel that you’ll use when working with projects.

Projects pop-up menu

Disclosure triangle

Project Action pop-up menu

Add to Library

pop-up menu

Â Disclosure triangle: Click this to see all items within the Library, project, or folder.

Â Projects pop-up menu: Choose to display all projects, favorites, or recent projects.

Â Add to Library pop-up menu: Click this to add a new item, such as a project or Smart

Album, to the Library or selected project.

Â Project Action pop-up menu: Click this to add the selected item to your favorites or

remove it.

A new, untitled

project appears in the

Projects panel.

The project now has the

name you entered.

Creating and Naming Projects

You can create projects at any time, although typically you create them when you import images. When you import images and no project is selected, a new project is created to contain those images. For more information, see Chapter 5, “Importing

Images,” on page 55. However, you can create a new empty project at any time.

To create a new project:

1 Choose File > New Project (or press Command-N).

2 Enter the name you want for the project, then press Return.

Opening and Closing Projects

To start working in Aperture, you must have a project open. You can also open and work on more than one project at a time, each represented by its own tab in the Browser. When you finish working and quit Aperture, Aperture remembers which projects were open. The next time you open Aperture, all projects that were open at the end of your last session open automatically.

50 Chapter 4 Working with Projects

Select a project to view

its images in the Browser.

All images in the project

appear in the Browser.

To open a project:

m Select the project in the Projects panel.

To open additional projects in the Browser:

m Command-click a project in the Projects panel.

The newly opened project appears in the Browser with its own tab, in front of any other open projects.

To open another project in its own pane:

m Option-click a project in the Projects panel.

The newly opened project appears in the Browser in its own pane.

To switch between several open projects:

m In the Browser, click a project’s tab.

Projects are identified by their tabs.

Chapter 4 Working with Projects 51

To close a project:

1 Click the project’s tab to bring it to the front.

2 Do one of the following:

Â Choose File > Close Tab (or press Command-W).

Â Click the tab’s close button.

Close button in a tab

Creating and Showing Favorite Projects

If you have certain projects that you work on most often or at the same time, you can make them favorites to quickly view them all at the same time.

To make a project or folder a favorite:

m In the Projects panel, select a project, then choose Add to Favorites from the Project

Action pop-up menu.

To view favorite projects or folders:

m In the Projects panel, choose Show Favorites from the Projects pop-up menu at the

top-left corner.

To remove a project or folder as a favorite:

m In the Projects panel, select a project, then choose Remove From Favorites from the

Project Action pop-up menu.

52 Chapter 4 Working with Projects

Deleting Images from Projects and Albums

Aperture allows you to delete versions separately from their digital master files. You can also delete a master file and all its versions in a project. If you delete a version in an album (not a project), its master file and related versions are not deleted.

To delete a master file and all its versions from a project:

1 Select the image, then choose File > Delete Master Image and All Versions.

A dialog appears asking if you want to continue.

2 Click the Move to Trash button.

The digital master file and all versions are deleted. If you delete a managed image file, the master file is removed from the Library. If you delete a referenced image file, the digital master file is removed from Aperture but left on your hard disk.

Warning: This action cannot be undone. Once you click the Move to Trash button, the

master file is moved to the Trash. All versions and their adjustments and metadata are permanently deleted. To permanently remove the master files from your hard disk, empty the Trash.

To delete only a version from an album:

m Select the image, then choose File > Delete Version.

The version is deleted. The digital master file and its other versions are not deleted.

Chapter 4 Working with Projects 53

Deleting Items from the Projects Panel

You can also delete items from the Projects panel. When you delete an item from the Projects panel, the contents of the item are deleted with it.

Note: If you delete a project or a project within a folder, the digital master files contained in the project are also deleted.

To delete projects and folders:

1 Select the item, then do one of the following:

Â To delete a project: Choose File > Delete Project (or press Command-Delete).

Â To delete a folder: Choose File > Delete Folder (or press Command-Delete).

A dialog appears asking if you want to continue.

2 Click the Delete button.

The selected item is deleted along with its contents.

Warning: This action cannot be undone. Once you click the Delete button, the master

files are moved to the Trash. All versions and their adjustments and metadata are permanently deleted. To permanently remove the master files from your hard disk, empty the Trash.

To delete an album, a Light Table album, a web gallery album, a web journal album, or a book album:

m Select the album, then choose File > Delete [Item], where “Item” is a type of album.

The selected item is deleted along with its contents.

54 Chapter 4 Working with Projects

Importing Images

Aperture provides tools and workflow options that make it easy to import your images.

This chapter discusses how you can import images into Aperture from a variety of sources.

An Overview of Importing

When you import from a camera or card reader, Aperture places the images in a project. If you don’t select an existing project, a new one is created automatically.

As Aperture imports images, it generates a version file and an image thumbnail corresponding to each digital master file.

Import

RAW

& JPEG

Aperture Library

(system disk)

Project

Versions

Digital master files

Importing

to Aperture

Camera

You can import digital master images directly from a camera or card reader and from your hard disk drives.

Vault

(FireWire drive)

Back up

When you import images, you can choose whether to have the digital master files stored in the Aperture Library or store them on your hard disk outside of the Library where they can be accessed as referenced images.

As you import images, you can have Aperture automatically name and record information about them. Aperture can assign filenames using custom naming conventions, as well as record metadata such as captions, keywords, dates, copyright and credit information, and IPTC information. You can even set Aperture to stack related images together, keeping bracketed shots or a series of shots taken in quick succession in groups that you can easily select and work with. For more information on stacks, see Chapter 9, “Stacking Images and Making Picks,” on page 105.

Before you import images into Aperture, it’s a good idea to plan the organization of your images. Eventually your image library may contain many thousands of images that you’ll want organized in a flexible and easy-to-manage system.

Plan how you want to import your existing portfolio of digital images. Because you may have many thousands of images previously stored on disk, you need to decide whether you’ll import them into the Aperture Library, or import them as referenced images, leaving them in their current hard disk locations. You can also copy or move them into different hard disk locations when importing them.

As an import strategy, it’s best to try out importing images in a series of steps. Make trial imports of a small group of images directly from your digital camera or card reader. Try out the different methods for importing individual files into your system. Once you’re familiar with how Aperture works, you can begin setting up your image management system for long-term use.

File Formats You Can Import into Your Library

Aperture is a QuickTime-compatible application, so it supports standard QuickTimecompatible still-image file formats, as well as some other file formats and file types. The following file types and formats can be imported:

Â GIF

Â JPEG

Â JPEG2000

Â PNG

Â PSD (8 and 16 bit)

Â RAW files from a variety of supported digital cameras

Â TIFF (8 and 16 bit)

Note: For a list of supported digital cameras, go to http://www.apple.com/aperture.

56 Chapter 5 Importing Images

Importing from Your Digital Camera or Card Reader

You can import all images from a camera or card reader into Aperture, or you can import selected images only. You can import your images into a new project or an existing project.

To import all the images from a camera or card reader into Aperture:

1 Connect your camera or card reader to your computer.

The Import panel and Import dialog appear, showing the images on the camera or card.

Note: If iPhoto opens when you connect your camera or card reader, quit iPhoto and then, in Aperture, choose Aperture > Preferences. Choose Aperture from the “When a camera is connected” pop-up menu. Disconnect and reconnect your camera to have Aperture open the Import dialog.

Import panel

Import arrow

Import button

Import dialog

Chapter 5 Importing Images 57

Select the project

into which you want to

import images.

2 Do one of the following:

Â If you want to import into a new, empty project: Choose File > New Project (or press

Command-N) to create a new project.

Note: You can also click the Library icon in the Projects panel, if necessary, to select it. When you select the Library (not a project), a new, untitled project is automatically created when images are imported.

Make sure the Import arrow is pointing to the Library to import the images into a new project.

Â If you want to import the images into an existing project: Select the project. The Import

arrow points at the currently selected project, indicating the destination for the import.

The top-left portion of the Import dialog updates, displaying where the images are being placed.

3 Choose a location for the imported images by doing one of the following:

Â To store imported master image files in the Aperture Library: Choose In the Aperture

Library from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in the Pictures folder on your

hard disk: Choose Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in a location other than the

Pictures folder: Choose “Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select the

folder you want. Choose “No folder” from the Subfolders pop-up menu to specify that the files be stored as separate individual files in the selected folder. You can also specify that Aperture create and store your files in a hierarchy of subfolders with specific folder names. For more information about specifying folders to hold your imported images, see the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu. Choose whether you want the image files moved or copied to a new location by clicking the “Move files” or “Copy files” button.

58 Chapter 5 Importing Images

4 Choose a naming convention from the Version Name pop-up menu to specify how you

want the images named.

For example, choose Master Filename from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your files stored using the current master filenames from your camera or card. Choose a name format from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your images stored using a specified name. If you choose a custom name format, enter the name you want in the Name Text field. You can also apply the name format to the master file as well. Choose Edit from the Version Name pop-up menu to define a new naming scheme. For more information about naming files, see the Aperture User Manual in the Aperture Help menu.

5 To add metadata to your images as they’re imported, choose a metadata preset from

the Add Metadata From pop-up menu.

6 With no images selected in the dialog, click the Import arrow or the Import button in

the lower-right corner of the dialog.

If you select images, only the selected images are imported. To reset the image selection so that no images are selected, click in the background beside a thumbnail.

The import process begins and an indicator appears next to the project’s name, showing the progress of the import. When images are imported, a dialog appears.

7 Click Eject Card, Erase and Eject Card, or Done.

As the images appear in the Browser, you can begin working with them. Images may temporarily appear as gray boxes until the loading is complete.

Importing a Selection of Images

You can also import a selection of images from your camera or card reader.

To import a selection of images:

1 Connect your camera or card reader to your computer.

The Import panel and Import dialog appear, showing the images on the camera or card.

2 In the Projects panel, do one of the following:

Â Choose File > New Project (or press Command-N) to create a new project.

Â Select an existing project to hold your images. (The Import arrow points at the

selected project.)

The top-left portion of the Import dialog updates, displaying where the images are being placed.

Chapter 5 Importing Images 59

3 Select the images you want to import by Shift-clicking to select a range of adjacent

images, Command-clicking to select nonadjacent images, or dragging a selection rectangle around the images you want.

The current number of images selected for import is displayed on the Import button in the lower-right corner of the dialog.

Import button showing the number of images selected for import

To reset the image selection so that no images are selected, click in the background beside a thumbnail.

If necessary, adjust the size of the thumbnails by dragging the Thumbnail Resize slider at the bottom of the dialog.

4 Choose a location for the imported images by doing one of the following:

Â To store imported master image files in the Aperture Library: Choose In the Aperture

Library from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in the Pictures folder on your

hard disk: Choose Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in a location other than the

Pictures folder: Choose “Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select the

folder you want. Choose “No folder” from the Subfolders pop-up menu to specify that the files be stored as separate individual files in the selected folder. You can also specify that Aperture create and store your files in a hierarchy of subfolders with specific folder names. Choose whether you want the image files moved or copied to a new location by clicking the “Move files” or “Copy files” button.

5 Choose a naming convention from the Version Name pop-up menu to specify how you

want the images named.

For example, choose Master Filename from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your files stored using the current master file names from your camera or card. Choose a name format from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your images stored using a specified name. If you choose a custom name format, enter the name you want in the Name Text field. You can also apply the name format to the master image as well. Choose Edit from the Version Name pop-up menu to define a new naming scheme.

6 To add metadata to your images as they’re imported, choose a metadata preset from

the Add Metadata From pop-up menu.

60 Chapter 5 Importing Images

7 When you are satisfied with your image selection, click the Import arrow or the Import

button in the lower-right corner of the dialog.

The import process begins and an indicator appears next to the project’s name, showing the progress of the import. When images are imported, a dialog appears.

8 Click Eject Card, Erase and Eject Card, or Done.

As the images appear in the Browser, you can begin working with them. Images may temporarily appear as gray boxes until the loading is complete.

Importing Image Files Stored on Your Computer

You can import image files stored on your computer and other storage devices. You have a choice of storing imported images in the Aperture Library, importing images as referenced images and leaving them in their current locations, or importing images as referenced images and moving or copying them to a different location.

Note: If you have folders of images to import, you can import them using the Import Folders as Projects command.

You can import image files in many common image formats, including images scanned from nondigital sources such as film and photographic prints. Adding these image files to your Aperture database is as simple as navigating to the folder where they reside on your hard disk using the Import dialog.

Import Panel button

Select the disk where the

images you want to

import are located.

When you import images from a folder on your computer system, you have the choice of importing the images into a new project or an existing one.

To import image files stored on your computer’s hard disk or other storage device:

1 If the Import panel is hidden, click the Import Panel button in the toolbar to show it (or

press Shift-I).

2 Select the disk that holds the image files you want to import.

The Import dialog appears with the file browser at the top.

Chapter 5 Importing Images 61

3 In the file browser, navigate to the folder containing the image files you want to import.

Select the folder of images you want to import.

When you have selected the folder containing the image files you want to import, image thumbnails appear in the Import dialog.

4 In the Projects panel, do one of the following:

Â Select Library to create a new, untitled project or choose File > New Project (or press

Command-N). (The Import arrow points at the Library.)

Â Select an existing project to hold your images. (The Import arrow points at the

selected project.)

The top-left portion of the Import dialog updates, displaying where the images are being placed.

5 Select the images you want to import by Shift-clicking to select a range of adjacent

images, Command-clicking to select nonadjacent images, or dragging a selection rectangle around the images you want.

6 Choose a location for the imported images by doing one of the following:

Â To store imported master image files in the Aperture Library: Choose In the Aperture

Library from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To import the files as referenced images stored in their current locations on your hard

disk: Choose “In their current location” from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in the Pictures folder on your

hard disk: Choose Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in a location other than the

Pictures folder: Choose “Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select the

folder you want. Choose “No folder” from the Subfolders pop-up menu to specify that the files be stored as separate individual files in the selected folder. You can also specify that Aperture create and store your files in a hierarchy of subfolders with specific folder names. Choose whether you want the image files moved or copied to a new location by clicking the “Move files” or “Copy files” button.

62 Chapter 5 Importing Images

7 Choose a naming convention from the Version Name pop-up menu to specify how you

want the images named.

For example, choose Master Filename from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your files stored using the current master filenames from your camera or card. Choose a name format from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your images stored using a specified name. If you choose a custom name format, enter the name you want in the Name Text field. You can also apply the name format to the master image as well. Choose Edit from the Version Name pop-up menu to define a new naming scheme.

8 To add metadata to your images as they’re imported, choose a metadata preset from

the Add Metadata From pop-up menu.

9 When you are satisfied with your image selection, click the Import arrow or the Import

button in the lower-right corner of the dialog.

As the images appear in the Browser, you can begin working with them.

Note: If the folder contains subfolders of images and you want those imported too, choose File > Import > Folders as Projects.

Dragging Image Files from the Finder into a Project

You can drag image files from the Finder or desktop directly into a project. This is useful if you composited or created images in another application, and you want to use them in Aperture. You can also do this if you have image files scattered on your desktop or throughout folders on your system and you want to consolidate them in one place.

To quickly import image files from the Finder into a project:

1 In the Projects panel, create a new project or select an existing project.

2 Locate the image file or files in the Finder.

3 Select the image files and drag them to the project in the Projects panel.

Drag the selected image files to a project.

The import process begins and an indicator appears next to the project’s name, showing the progress of the import.

Chapter 5 Importing Images 63

Importing Folders of Images from the Finder

If you’ve spent time organizing your images into a meaningful hierarchy on your computer and you want to keep that organization, you can import a folder of images as a project or drag it directly into the Projects panel. When you import a folder of images or drag it into the Projects panel, the folder becomes a project and any subfolders become albums within the project.

Warning: When importing folders of images into Aperture, carefully plan how you

want your images organized before you begin. The top-level folder containing images becomes a project containing all the images in the subfolders as well. This means that if you import a folder with thousands of images contained within its subfolders, Aperture will create a project with thousands of images. You can import a maximum of 10,000 master images into a project. If you have over 10,000 images to import into Aperture, consider importing the subfolders individually instead. Each subfolder will then become its own project.

To import a folder of images from the Finder using the Import command:

1 In the Projects panel, select Library.

2 Choose File > Import > Folders into a Project.

3 Select the folder of images that you want to import.

4 Choose a location for the imported images by doing one of the following:

Â To store imported master image files in the Aperture Library: Choose In the Aperture

Library from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To import the files as referenced images stored in their current locations on your hard

disk: Choose “In their current location” from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in the Pictures folder on your

hard disk: Choose Pictures from the Store Files pop-up menu.

Â To store imported master image files as referenced images in a location other than the

Pictures folder: Choose “Choose” from the Store Files pop-up menu and select the

folder you want. Choose “No folder” from the Subfolders pop-up menu to specify that the files be stored as separate individual files in the selected folder. You can also specify that Aperture create and store your files in a hierarchy of subfolders with specific folder names. Choose whether you want the image files moved or copied to a new location by clicking the “Move files” or “Copy files” button.

64 Chapter 5 Importing Images

5 Choose a naming convention from the Version Name pop-up menu to specify how you

want the images named.

For example, choose Master Filename from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your files stored using the current master filenames from your camera or card. Choose a name format from the Version Name pop-up menu to have your images stored using a specified name. If you choose a custom name format, enter the name you want in the Name Text field. You can also apply the name format to the master image as well. Choose Edit from the Version Name pop-up menu to define a new naming scheme.

6 Click Open.

The top-level folder is converted to a project. If the folder you imported contains a hierarchy of subfolders and images, the subfolders appear as albums.

You can select multiple folders to import by Shift-clicking them.

When you drag folders into the Projects panel, Aperture uses the last import settings you specified to determine how the folders are imported and where they are stored.

To drag folders into Aperture:

1 In the Finder, locate the folder containing the images you want to import.

2 Drag the folder to the Projects panel.

The top-level folder is converted to a project. If the folder you imported contains a hierarchy of subfolders and images, the subfolders appear as albums.

Importing Your iPhoto Library

When you first open Aperture, a dialog appears that enables you to import your iPhoto Library. You can import your iPhoto Library, copying it into the Aperture Library, or you can simply allow Aperture to access the iPhoto Library as referenced images without storing it in the Aperture Library.

The organization of your iPhoto images and albums is maintained as projects in the Projects panel, as well as each image’s name, EXIF information, keywords, rating, and any applied adjustments. You cannot import slideshows, books, and Smart Albums from your iPhoto Library.

Note: You must upgrade to iPhoto version 5.0.4 or later before you can import photos from your iPhoto Library into Aperture.

If you choose not to import your iPhoto Library right away, you can do it later.

Chapter 5 Importing Images 65

To import your iPhoto Library:

1 Choose File > Import > iPhoto Library.

2 Select the iPhoto Library folder using the file browser in the Import dialog.