thomas fitzgerald.net

Undoubtedly in response to pre-empt any traction by Apple’s rapidly updated Aperture 2 software, Adobe has released a beta of the next version of its competing Lightroom, now at 2.0. As always, comparisons abound, and as always fans of either software will draw their respective lines in the sand. Among the new features for Lightroom are Multiple Monitor Support (which Aperture has always had) and smart collections (like Aperture’s Smart Albums). The update also ads some localized corrections much like Aperture 2.1’s new doge and burn plug in, although in Lightroom it remains non destructive, definitely an advantage to Lightroom, but then Aperture’s ability to have filter plug-ins offers far more capabilities in the long run. There is no mention of anything like Aperture’s plug in architecture in the Lightroom 2.0 Beta.

The Library filter bar is much like the similar option in Aperture, although it takes up a good portion of the screen in Lightroom (some may prefer this, as it makes the options easier to read) Another interesting feature is that the software now runs in 64bit on both OSX and Windows (presumably requiring Leopard for that one). This is of particular note because as far as I can tell, none of Apple’s current software is 64bit although what difference this will make is yet to be known.

Another new option is tighter integration with Photoshop CS3 with the ability to send directly to CS3 without writing a tiff or psd first, and also the ability to open an image in photoshop as a smart object.

Over all both Aperture and Lightroom remain similarly specced. this release brings Lightroom’s organizational tools closer to Lightrooms, while recent releases of Aperture have brought it closer to Lightroom’s develop options. Aperture has a major advantage of having a newly released plug in architecture, which down the line could see some powerful third party tools working right inside Aperture, negating the need to go to photoshop for many functions, although the process is destructive and creates another version of your image. Lightroom has the benefit of the Adobe pedigree and brand name and that seems to have done much for its adoption so far. I suspect giving the beta away for free will help too.

In my opinion both tools offer a powerful workflow solution for Photographers, but personally, having gone back and forward between the two I prefer Aperture. I find Aperture’s non modal workflow more intuitive, and I find the results of its Raw Decoding to be superior to Lightrooms and I think its interface is more professional and less cluttered (seriously Adobe, what’s with the flourish at the end of the panels in Lightroom) I think many of Lightroom’s creativity advantages were negated with 2.0 and 2.1 added a whole new world of possibilities with the plug-in SDK. Having said that, there are many who swear by Lightroom and I respect their opinions, so at the end of the day while I still recommend Aperture over Lightroom, try both out and see which one works best for you.