Jump to content

Aperture 3 workflow?


Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hello...

I have been looking for some guidelines/presets to get an good and speedy workflow for my M8 dng´s. My workflow is as follows:

1. having fun taking the pictures

2. import the pictures into Lightroom. Update dng and metadata.( This makes Aperture to read my lenses.....)

3 import into Aperture.

4 trying to get an speedy workflow.. with some automatic settings...to get things going...

 

I am having trouble with number 4... I have been looking for a good preset for my files.. but cant find any.

Please help.. or give examples how you do it..

 

Thanks

 

Kenneth:)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Dear Kenneth,

 

It's not really necessary to run your photos through LR, as EXIFtool is more than enough for that purpose, see here.

 

If you'd like to stick with Adobe products, the DNG Converter will do the same thing (except the well known errors in identifying a Summilux 35 pre-ASPH etc. on the M9 properly...

 

Best regards,

Michael

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello Michael.

 

I have tried exiftool, but think that LR is easier.. (then I don´t have to paste the terminal line...) And I can use LR if I want.

What I am really asking... I think... is how to get the best "start position" for a bunch of pictures. I am looking for a preset that give a good starting point for basic pictures.

 

When I for example have been on a holiday and shoot about 1000 pictures (having fun doing so..). I want to come home, fire up Aperture and "do" all 1000 pictures with "good" results. I know that if I want I can pic some pics and make them better, but I am looking for the best overall preset..

 

Is that possible to find?

 

Like on my D200 (or another camera..), I can set what I like in the camera-setting, and the camera does my postprossess based on my settings..(jpg...)

 

Thanks for any help on the topic.......

 

I have had my Silver M8 for 4 months and feel that I should have bought one a long time ago.... ;)

 

Best Regards to all

 

Kenneth

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I use LR, Bridge, PS and Aperture. I have been using Aperture more and more for my paid work. As with all of the above it comes down to workflow to speed things up.

 

It starts in camera with removing variables. ie Use Manual for consistent exposure and set a white balance, again for consistancy. Even if it is slightly out at this stage it is possible to batch adjust in Aperture for quick processing.

 

After import do a sweep to delete unrecoverable files or ones that are OOF etc. Any that are possible keepers get one star.

 

I then compare similar shots and the best one gets two stars.

 

At this stage I do global adjustments for exposure, WB cropping. If the fie exposure and WB has been consistent this stage is speeded up by adjusting one and then lifting and stamping.

 

The third stage is the "edit in" of files that will go for further processing in PS or Aperture. These get 3 stars. All stars are monitored by smart folders for each project.

 

The reason I use Aperture is that the highlight recovery leaves Adobe standing still. Try an over exposed file in both. Reduce exposure by 2 stops and compare. Likewise Highlights and shadows.

 

The other reason is the sharing facility in Aperture is so easy with a Mobile Me account from Apple.

 

They all do similar things, its the joy of processing that makes the difference. Hence your Leica choice, Omega choice or whatever.

 

Hope this helps.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Kenneth,

 

I played around for quite some time to get a good grip on file/data management.

The issue is to find the picture you were looking for and I think iPhoto is a good tool, the event – date arrangement makes it easy to search for pictures.

 

My workflow is currently …

Apple MacPro with internal 1TB (2) RAID disks, 1TB Time Machine disk and 500GB picture backup disk, external 500GB RAID GForce disk

 

- Create a DNG folder with YYYY-MM-DD date of the copy

- Copy pictures into that DNG folder.

- Backup pictures to backup drive

- Import into Aperture (setting is that Aperture creates a project with that folder name)

- Export all project DNG as JPG (medium resolution) to a target JPG folder with the same name

- Import into iPhoto

- Run Time Machine

 

Now the files are secure and you are ready to work.

 

My Aperture WF is mainly minor brightness and contrast adjustments. I work with plug in Nik Silver FX for B&W.

 

Hope this helps

 

btw … why do you have trouble with the lens info? Uncoded lenses or the aperture calculation?

I personally don’t care too much about the focal length.

 

Cheers

Uwe

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you for your answers and your help..

 

And will try the star wf... and your other tip....

 

I am still learning, and hopefully....always will, and I like to se what aperture I have used when I am pleased with a picture, or the dof is right og wrong....

 

Have used dslr with the easy to shoot many shots in a row method. When I use the M8 I find it really exiting to think about the shot I want (aperture, dof, focus....) before I push the trigger. And If I get the shot I am trying to get, it is really satisfying... ;)

 

I like Aperture more than I like Lr, but I think that it is really slow sometimes. It looks as it processes for ages... and I have to wait to se what effect the slider I used made....

I use an 3 year old macbook pro (core2duo 2.4, 4gb ram, nvidia 8600gt) and an "hackintosh" with retail snow leopard... (xenon 4*2.83, 4bg ram, nvidi gt8800 1bg...)

 

It could be that the machines should be upgraded... but Lr is much faster when it comes to processing the pictures...

 

Best regards

 

Kenneth

Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Thank you for your answers and your help..

 

.... When I use the M8 I find it really exiting to think about the shot I want (aperture, dof, focus....) before I push the trigger. And If I get the shot I am trying to get, it is really satisfying... ;) ....

 

 

Kenneth,

 

A "good old trick" was to use a voice recorder and describe how you shot the scene.

Now, off course it will be your iPhone ... ;)

 

cheers

Uwe

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Aperture uses Preferences to control quite a bit of automatic image processing. Here are my non-default Preference settings: 1) under Previews be sure that you use the full resolution of your display; 2) under Advanced set hot area threshold to 100%, Cold Area threshold to 0%, Auto adjust White clip 0.1%, Auto adjust Black Clip 0.1%. I go in and set these after each major software upgrade of Aperture.

 

I have a set of standard corrections in a pseudo batch mode at the end of the shooting day. The key to this pseudo batch scheme is to use of the Presets pull down menu on the Adjustments Inspector. You can create a custom Preset by picking any image made with the correct camera in the format you is interested in working with. Here are my standard M8/M9 adjustments. Apply only the following adjustments to a selected image:

 

Exposure

Recovery 0.3

Black Point 1.0

Enhance

Definition 0.05

Saturation 1.05

Vibrancy 0.05

Curves

Use the little Gear pull down set

Type Gamma Corrected

Greyscale RGB

Click the Black and White (Luminance) Auto button

Highlights and Shadows

Highlights 30

Shadows 1

Under the Advanced triangle set

High tonal width 60

Low Tonal Width 60

Levels

Set the Channel to RGB

Click the Black and White Auto button

 

Once you have made these adjustments click the Presets tab, then click Save as Preset, give the Preset a name and click OK .

 

These corrections expand the luminance gamut to span the entire histogram, tone down highlights and bring up shadows. The Auto Curves and Auto Levels functions seem to use the Auto Adjust White and Black clips from the Preferences menu. That is why you need to reset them from the Preference defaults. My preferred set of corrections evolves as Aperture gets upgraded and as I learn more about the interaction of all the steps in the process.

 

This scheme will not capture slightly blown highlights. Aperture does that quite well but I have not been able to find a batch process that consistently does the job across a broad range of images. My approach to recovering highlights in a later cycle of processing is to use a combination of the following selected by trial and error:

a. Use a combination of slightly decreasing Exposure under the Exposure block,

b. Increasing Recovery under the exposure block,

c. Clicking Extended on the Curves tab and sliding out the maximum value

d. Increasing the value of Highlights under the Highlights and Shadows tab

e. Increasing High Tonal Width under the Advanced Highlights and Shadows tab.

 

 

My workflow for the M8 or M9 but at the end of a day is:

1) Download image (all are uncompressed dng) to working folder on my laptop

2) Use Adobe DNG converter to compress files and make calculated aperture visible) and store in a second working folder.

3) Load the lossless compressed dng files to predefined Project in Aperture.

4) Apply the standard set of corrections to the images via the preset.

a. To do this click on any image with the Adjustment Inspector open.

b. Click on the Presets Pull down menu and click on you preferred adjustments preset.

c. Go to the Lift and Stand Icon and click on the Lift

d. Select all the images you want to adjust

e. Click on the Stamp Selected Images icon on the Lift and Stamp Menu

f. Wait, your computer is going to be busy making all the adjustments

5) Quickly scan the images for any technical issues to be resolved before next days shooting including if the M9 sensor needs to be dusted off.

6) Back up the Aperture project on a separate portable hard drive and delete the temporary files used as input and output of Adobe DNG converter. Note that at this point I have three copies of every image (one on the SD card, one on the hard drive of my computer in Aperture) and a third in a separate hard drive.

 

At a later time, I go through the images one-by-one make to crop, correct color, adjust the luminance range, remove dust spots, apply keywords and rank each image. After each major session I resave the Aperture Project on the portable hard drive. When it comes time to reuse the SD card with the original image, I back up the Aperture Project on my long term back up drive on a desktop. This way I preserve the three copies of each image.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Dear Kenneth,

 

It's not really necessary to run your photos through LR, as EXIFtool is more than enough for that purpose, see here.

 

If you'd like to stick with Adobe products, the DNG Converter will do the same thing (except the well known errors in identifying a Summilux 35 pre-ASPH etc. on the M9 properly...

 

Best regards,

Michael

 

+1 ... I would avoid using more than one program unless absolutely necessary. Thus, I would cut the LR step and place my time and efforts into learning how to do all things in Aperture. Or, in contrast, you could drop Aperture and do all things in LR. I use Aperture, and it serves all of my needs.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...