f8lee Loc: New Mexico

As many of us have, I was forced off of Aperture when Apple made that decision some years back - and moved to Lightroom as at that time Capture One did not have nearly the organization capability. At that time, I used a utility that was written for just that purpose, but I have searched and not been able to find it any longer; it might have been replaced. In fact, a Google search of "convert aperture library to lightroom" will result in a plethora of article and videos pertaining to the subject, including this one:

https://www.cultofmac.com/683919/avalanche-app-convert-aperture-to-lightroom/

Using that utility, I remember having had to export any images where I had performed edits in order to preserve those edits - it may be that this new program will be able to convert the editing directions to LR directly (which will be far better if true). The programs are pretty similar in scope and concept, though LR is "modal" - that means you go into the "Develop" mode to edit or the "Library mode to organize and add keywords and other metadata (which is what pushed me towards Aperture back in the day). But once you overcome that difference, they are quite similar...both use pointers to track the image files, etc....what Aperture calls "libraries" are called "catalogs" in Lightroom.

Meanwhile, Adobe has added plenty of features over the ensuing years, like facial recognition, that make it easier to apply that kind of metadata (now I can pull up all images across al years and catalogs that have my dad's image in them, for instance). The $10 monthly subscription isa bargain, frankly - particularly considering Apple is planning on moving off the Intel chipset into something more proprietary (from ARM) in the next few years.

It might be a big job to move over, but essentially making it future-proof by using a subscription model (which is what AL software is moving towards anyway) is the only smart way to go.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

I am at that same point. I did go to the new Apple system on my Mac and ended up going back worth the help of an Apple Tech. We ended up cloning my old system from my Apple lap top. I too am looking for another system.

Bayou

I tried ACDSee when Adobe moved to the subscription model a few years ago...and never looked back. ACDSee (ultimate version) has essentially the same capabilities as the Lightroom/photoshop combo. I prefer it, regardless of price.

flasfill Loc: Sandy Springs GA

I also had to get over Aperture. I think Photoshop Elements would serve you well.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Another nice thing about the Adobe Suite is that it also includes Portfolio to create your own website. If you’re just looking to showcase your work and not sell through it you can create a nice professional looking website very easily.

Runninglate Loc: Saint Cloud, Florida

Thanks Jerry-------I will definitely be using this information to help me decide on a free program.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Get Photoshop Elements. It’s affordable and has most of the capabilities of the subscription Photoshop.

Stan

photoman43

I use DXO Photo Lab 3 Elite with the NIK Collection 3 plugins.

Download DXO PL and see if it works for you. It is free for 30 days.

There are lots of tutorials at DXO website to. I use it on a win 10 computer but it works on Apple too.

There are some webinars you can sign up for too. That is another way to see if it will work for you. These are at DXO website to.

newvy

Have you looked at the new IPhoto? I too used aperture and was perplexed at MAC for discontinuing it. Now iPhoto incorporates most of the functionality of aperture. You should check it out if you are looking for basic editing and storage.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

LrR is a multi-functional application that includes a database catalog system which the Library Module uses, a processing software application, a slideshow processing application, a book software application, a print software application, plus a couple of other software applications, seven modules in all. LrR does not store your images, the application simply links to your images. As others have said, you may be able to convert from Aperture to LrC. In addition, you get Photoshop which is wonderful for correcting and processing old worn photos. In addition, the small fee of about $120 a year, gets you access to hundreds of fonts and the ability to share slideshows online using Spark which lets you email others with a link to your created piece. Only you know what you want to do with your images and only you can decide, but as an LrC/PS user I'd highly recommend the software. If you do choose the Adobe package be sure to download LrC, not the cloud version (yes, you also get a cloud version of Lightroom and some cloud storage, too), and be sure to read the Adobe User Manual first, in particular anything on the Library Module, found online.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

For many years, I was an industry insider. In the mid-2000s, I was a beta tester for Lightroom version 2.0. I also was a member of the Digital Imaging Marketing Association, and attended their conventions. My role as Digital Products Manager at Herff Jones Photography, then a major school portrait company, was partly research into digital imaging trends and technologies.

At one of the DIMA conferences, I took a four-hour course from Apple on Aperture, and another four hour course on Adobe Lightroom. This was introductory research for a deeper review of options we could recommend to our lab customers and our own retail territories. They needed a plan to quickly cull edit and process candid photos for yearbooks, along with a recommendation for hardware and software.

Subsequently, I bought Mac copies of Aperture and Lightroom and played around with them for a while until my research project for my employer was satisfied.

Here is the conclusion — Aperture was slicker, but Lightroom was quicker. Adobe automatically had the advantage from the start, too, because their cross-platform (Mac and Windows) approach reached about ten times as many users. The fact that they have had beta testing teams and professional input from tens of thousands of professional photographers for every version since, does not hurt, either!

In the end, I recommended either software, with sets of reasons to pick each. Since the vast majority of customers and employees had Windows XP machines at the time, most setups were PCs with Lightroom. But there were a few die-hard Mac users who insisted on Aperture. That was fine.

Fast forward to 2020. We UHH users see a lot of resistance to the concept of software subscription plans, but those who do the math and understand the reasons and motivations behind the switch eventually change their minds.

If you use the software on a regular basis, spending $10/month total for Photoshop, Lightroom CLASSIC (the desktop version, greatly advanced from the stand-alone), Lightroom CC (the mobile, cloud-connected version evolved from Lightroom Mobile), and Adobe Bridge is very reasonable. To buy all these apps in 2020, if you could, would cost over $1000 — well over $1000! That isn't something easy for most folks, without putting it on a credit card. In the corporate world, it makes accountants cringe to shell out chunks of change like that for multiple seat licenses (even with their discounts). Then, of course, you either shell out a lesser upgrade fee for each application every few years, or risk not being able to upgrade a seat license when you replace aging hardware. And corporate IT inevitably has issues with security on older computers, which slow down with a newer operating system.

The advantages of the subscription are very real:

> The software is always kept up to date with the latest version that runs on your hardware and OS.

> The software is always secure. Adobe responds to any threats that can attack your computer through holes in their software... something that wasn't nearly as practical to do with stand-alone software. Their latest code is made compatible with the newest OS, perhaps not in lock-step, but within a few months at worst.

> The "drip feed" of new features as they are developed is easier to keep up with, from a training standpoint. Adobe updates the Photography Bundle about every quarter or so, adding compatibility with new cameras, adding features, fixing bugs, etc. (Bug fixes are pushed out ASAP, too.)

> Adobe support is better when they don't have to support multiple stand-alone versions that behave differently or have different interfaces and capabilities. Their techs always have access to the latest training aids, FAQs, technical bulletins, and are more informed when you ask them questions.

Simply put, there is little reason not to like the subscription model. You can stop and start the subscription at any time. It isn't an annual lease contract. For less than a decent bottle of wine, or a couple of beers in the pub, or a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks, or a couple of fast food meals, you get a month to use the best and most ubiquitous software for imaging.

If you stop and restart the subscription, your software and catalog data are updated automatically. Stopping does not cut off access to your original image files. They remain where they are. You can still get exports with previous changes applied, although you cannot edit parameters (change the look of an image) with a system that isn't currently subscribed.

All this is to say, if you want to use the latest OS that will run on your computer, subscribe. You'll have the latest, greatest tools that will run on that OS. And if you put your hobby on the shelf for several months, you can pause your subscription and resume it when you wish. Your budget (cash flow) will be much smoother to live with.

Software is intellectual property. It is owned by the developer. You LICENSE it. The license does not guarantee it will run forever. When you understand the nature of computer and Internet security in the modern environment, you understand that using old computers, operating systems, and software with a computer connected to the Internet is inherently risky. Once Apple or Microsoft drops support for your OS, various vulnerabilities become exploitable by hackers. If your computer is still online, the risk is real.

Even though my Macs are behind a firewall on my router, and the firewall in MacOS is also enabled, and I run them all in Stealth Mode, and use very secure passwords, and run McAfee anti-malware given to me by my ISP, I will only put a CURRENTLY SUPPORTED OS on the Internet. Apple supports only the most recent few. I'm currently using OS 10.14.6, because I still have a 32-bit app I need. When they release MacOS 11.0, I will upgrade to 10.15.x and then 11.0 soon after, having found a suitable replacement for my scanner driver.

That's a lot to think about, and probably won't change your mind, but know this: I was once where you are. I had spent thousands of dollars on stand-alone licenses. I had a file cabinet full of disks and manuals. It was hard to accept that I really didn't own anything other than some plastic and paper, and that it would all be dangerous to use at some point if I didn't upgrade.

I was skipping upgrades and getting every other one or two. When I finally did upgrade, the learning curve was usually daunting. But I'm in a happier place with the Adobe Photography Bundle.

If you still want a stand-alone, I don't see a direct replacement for Aperture. Serif Affinity Photo is a cheap alternative to Photoshop. Photoshop Elements is another inexpensive alternative to Photoshop. But Lightroom Classic is the closest thing to Aperture, and switching over makes the most sense of any options I've seen.

Good luck!

photoman43

If you do decide to go the Adobe route and do not need or want to deal with a catalogue, just use Adobe Camera raw and Bridge to do all of the basic stuff and then use Photoshop for special stuff. That way you do not need to use LR.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I cannot think of any reason that someone would get the Adobe subscription and not use one of the best software applications on the market today. That just does not make sense to me, to not use LrC. The application allows a user to organize thousands of images and find one instantly, it allows a user to batch edit hundreds, if need be, images. It allows a user to find images in tens of ways, via text or metadata. It allows a user to organize images in myriad ways to meet their needs. It saves so much time once someone figures out how to correctly use it. It's not about dealing with a "catalogue," which is only a small part of what the application offers. To the original poster, be sure to use the software once you decide to pay for it, just take the time to learn how the software operates.

30west

Like you and many others who loved Aperture, I hunted far and wide for a replacement. I had also used LR up through the last permanent licenses (LR6). I refuse to play the “rental” model, even though there is a constant drum beat of how it is just as affordable as annual upgrades. That’s fine, but I “vote” with my feet on products like that. The “replacement” (Apple Photos) was arguably terrible in the beginning, but has quietly gotten much better. The addition of extensions and “edit with” allow a smooth use of other editors such as Luminar, Affinity Photo etc all within the workflow. THEN, the “game changer” for me is the addition of Raw Power Photo, from the original Apple developer of Aperture closes the loop. With it, you can do much much in raw, add star ratings etc. Using the combination of Apple Photo, plus Raw Power in conjunction with iCloud became my solution. I have nearly 200gb of photos in iCloud, but using the “optimize storage” feature, my devices (Macs and iPad) are getting benefit of the full library and using about 7gb of local storage. Everything really does stay in sync on all devices with no limit on how many devices can use the software since it it built in to the operating system. ON1 just released ON1 360, which attempts to do a cloud synchronization, but also requires an annual storage subscription. ON1 is a nice program and fills a lot of squares, but has been super buggy for me. I attempted to resolve some issues with their tech support, which was always “helpful”, but they admitted that they could not solve my issues. Luminar has very nice fast edits, but it’s data management is massively unusable for any sharing or export / import of metadata.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

That’s crazy talk. The most important part of the Adobe suite is Lightroom. I love having access to Photoshop but I probably use it on less than 5% of my photos. The one nobody ever mentions is that my $10 a month also includes Portfolio which gives you the capability to easily create a pretty sweet website.