Apple launches Aperture 3

Apple Inc., Cupertino, Calif., has launched Aperture 3 after a nearly tw0-year wait since the last version. This version adopts features similar to Apple’s iPhoto ’09 amateur photo organization program, including Faces and Places. With the new version, Apple is making Aperture more consumer friendly: It’s billed as “It’s pro performance with iPhoto simplicity.” on the Aperture website.

Aperture 3 lets people organize large photo libraries using elements like Projects and the new Faces and Places features. Faces, for instance, uses face recognition technology to find and organize photos by the people in them. You can view faces across your entire photo library or view just the faces that appear in selected projects. In a new view, Aperture 3 displays faces that have been detected but haven’t yet been named. In all, Apple claims the new Aperture has 200 new features.

Aperture 3 allows you to organize large photo libraries with even more flexibility using Projects and the new Faces and Places. Faces uses face detection and recognition to find and organize your photos by the people in them. You can view faces across your entire photo library or view just the faces that appear in selected projects. In a new view that speeds up the organization process, Aperture 3 displays faces that have been detected but haven’t yet been named. Places lets you explore your photos based on where they were taken, and like in iPhoto, Places automatically reverse geocodes GPS data into user-friendly locations. In Aperture 3, you can assign locations by dragging-and-dropping photos onto a map or by using location information from GPS enabled cameras, tracking devices or your iPhone

Apple Aperture 3

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The new Brushes feature allows you to add professional touches to your photos by simply painting effects onto the image. Aperture 3 includes 15 Quick Brushes that perform the most popular tasks like Dodge, Burn, Polarize and Blur, without the complexity of layers or masks. Brushes can automatically detect edges in your images to let you apply or remove effects exactly where you want them. Aperture 3 includes dozens of Adjustment Presets that apply a specific style or look to the entire image with just a click. You can create your own custom presets or explore the techniques of other photographers by importing theirs.

Apple will offer the program at its own retail stores and Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $199. Existing Aperture users can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $99. A downloadable 30-day trial version is available. Aperture 3 runs as a 64-bit application on Mac OS X Snow Leopard on Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors.