I just got the latest version of Aperture and all I can say is WOW. I didn't think Apple could improve the RAW convertor but they managed to.
There a new interface which is vastly improved and they added plugin architecture so 3rd party developers can port all their PS plugins (like noise ninja) over to work with Aperture. This program will end up with a lot more photoshop like functionality in the future.
At $200 I believe it's cheaper then Lightroom as well.
3rd party app support, eh? That's not a real "apple" thing to do! That's the one thing about Lightroom that I miss. There is some noise reduction included in ACR, but it it's very light duty and isn't meant to compete with NN or anything like that. Still works well, though.
Have you used Lightroom at all, Rich? I'm still curious as to how they stack up. Lightroom is $300.
If you're a member of PhotoShop users you get a discount at Apple. The upgrade cost only $82.20 and purchasing the package new is $165.20 and free shipping.
Does anybody know what the differences are between iPhoto 8 and Aperture 2.0. I am currently using iPhoto 8, and I'm considering upgrading to Aperture, but I'm not sure it would be worth it. iPhoto 8 has some pretty good tools. Are these better with Aperture and what other refinements are useful?
I haven't used iPhoto since the good old days and the original versions but at a glance it appears Aperture has a much greater set of adjustments, a much better interface and the new plugin architecture. I tried adjusting one of my RAW CR2 files in iphoto and wasn't that impressed with the results. It's the same decoding engine as that's built into the OS but without all the refinement.
The difference between iPhoto and Aperture is like the difference between iMovie and Final Cut Pro. iPhoto is a great tool for being free, and purely use that if it is doing the job for you. But if your shooting any sizable amount of RAW images really Aperture is where you should be. Aperture handles large libraries of images better, allows you to categorize your photos better. Much better meta data handling, being able to adjust RGB and luminescence levels is a must for any color correcting work, being able to lift and stamp adjustments is huge, non-destructive RAW editing is probably the high point, and Aperture 2.0 has the new RAW 2.0 processing. Also while much less sexy being able to backup to a "vault" has saved my ass a number of times.
Basically nothing will be a magic bullet to make your images look that much better, Aperture will just allow you to be more precise and organize better in my opinion.
That's the one thing about Lightroom that I miss. There is some noise reduction included in ACR, but it it's very light duty and isn't meant to compete with NN or anything like that. Still works well, though. 
Linear Mode
