Apple ships Aperture 1.1, reduces price
updated 09:00 am EDT, Thu April 13, 2006
Apple ships Aperture 1.1
Apple today released Aperture 1.1, a major update to the all-in-one post production tool for photographers that runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs. Aperture 1.1 features dramatically improved RAW image rendering and a new set of advanced RAW adjustment controls. Aperture 1.1 also delivers impressive speed gains on any Mac including desktop performance on a MacBook Pro with image adjustments and searching up to 4x faster, according to the company. Apple also reduced the price of the application to $300 to put it into "reach of anyone shooting with a digital SLR camera." In addition, early adopters of Aperture 1.0 can claim a $200 coupon ($100 for education users) redeemable at the Apple Online Store as a "thank you for their support," the company said.
"Since Aperture launched just over four months ago, we've been incredibly focused on improving image quality and performance, working closely with pro photographers to get it right in 1.1," said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of Applications Marketing. "With the RAW quality and overall speed of Aperture 1.1 and its new low price, there's never been a better time for pros and hobbyists alike to take the art and craft of photography to the next level."
The company said that RAW image rendering in Aperture 1.1 is greatly improved in areas such as noise reduction, sharpening, and highlight recovery. The tool now features new RAW Fine Tuning controls that allow photographers to tweak decode settings such as boost, sharpening and chroma blur. Version 1.1 also offers a new built-in color meter that displays pixel values in RGB, Lab or CMYK in the Adjustments HUD (heads up display) or in Aperture's Loupe magnifying viewer.
The update also brings enhanced export controls that make it easier to output images at specific resolutions and improve the handling of layered Photoshop files. In addition, Aperture 1.1 offers support for the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D, as well as dozens of reliability and performance improvements.
Apple also said that Aperture 1.1 delivers significant performance gains on both PowerPC-based and new Intel-based Macs. The company also touted performance gains on a MacBook Pro--on common repetitive workflow tasks such as Lift and Stamp and searching--of up to 4 times faster than on a PowerBook G4.
