Exploring Aperture www.apple.
K Apple Inc. Copyright © 2008 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Aperture software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid for support services. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate.
Contents 7 8 10 14 16 19 Chapter 1: Exploring Aperture Opening Aperture Try This: Exploring the Main Window Try This: Exploring Basic Procedures Learning About the Projects Inspector Basic Concepts You Should Know 21 22 28 29 33 Chapter 2: Importing Basics Try This: Exploring Import Options Learning About Where Your Image Files Reside Try This: Selecting Version Names for Imported Images Basic Concepts You Should Know 35 36 39 41 44 47 Chapter 3: Learning About the Browser Try This: Exploring the Brows
49 50 53 55 57 59 60 Chapter 4: Learning About the Viewer Try This: Exploring the Viewer Try This: Exploring Adjustment Tools Try This: Displaying Metadata with Images Learning About the Metadata Inspector Learning About Badges Basic Concepts You Should Know 63 64 69 73 74 76 79 Chapter 5: Adjusting Images in Full Screen View Try This: Exploring Full Screen View Try This: Adjusting Exposure with the Adjustments Pane of the Inspector HUD Try This: Enhancing an Image Try This: Adjusting White Balance Le
93 94 97 106 111 115 Chapter 7: Presenting Your Images Try This: Exploring Slideshows Try This: Exploring Aperture Webpages Try This: Exploring Aperture Books Learning About Books Basic Concepts You Should Know 117 Chapter 8: Printing Images 118 Try This: Exploring Printing 121 Basic Concepts You Should Know 123 123 125 129 Chapter 9: Backing Up Your Images Learning About Making Backups Try This: Exploring the Vault Pane Basic Concepts You Should Know 131 Chapter 10: Getting Answers 131 Try This: Explor
1 Exploring Aperture 1 Welcome to Aperture. If you’re new to the Aperture digital image workflow, this guide is for you. Here you’ll open sample projects and learn by doing. Each chapter of this book presents major features and guides you in trying things out. Feel free to explore on your own. Have fun learning the basics. Later, when you feel comfortable, you can bring in your own photos and begin serious work with Aperture.
Opening Aperture You’ll start by opening Aperture and using a sample project. To open Aperture: 1 Double-click the Aperture icon in your Applications folder. The first time you open Aperture, you have several choices. 2 Click the Start Using Aperture button. 3 Click Continue. 4 When a dialog appears asking whether you want to import sample projects, click Import.
After Aperture takes a few moments to import the sample projects, your screen will look similar to this: Inspector button These sample projects hold sample images and albums. Click a project or album to see its images in the Browser. Toolbar Viewer Browser Projects inspector On the left you see the Projects inspector, where you create and work with projects that hold your images. Now you’re ready to explore the main window.
Try This: Exploring the Main Window First you’ll look at some images, and then you’ll explore some important parts of the Aperture interface. Remember, you first select a project or album in the Projects inspector to display the images it contains. Getting Ready m Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector. Click the Nature project here to select it. The project’s images appear in the Browser. A selected image appears in a white border.
Jumping In Feel free to try out any of the following to see what happens. Select images: m Click an image in the Browser. Press the arrow keys. m Shift-click images in the Browser. m Holding down the Shift key, press the arrow keys. Change main window views: m Choose View > Browser Only to display the Browser only. Press the arrow keys. m Choose View > Viewer Only to display a selected image in the Viewer only. Press the arrow keys.
Change Browser views: m Choose View > Browser & Viewer. Click the List View button to see images in the Browser in list view. Filmstrip View button List View button Grid View button m Click the Grid View button to see images in the Browser in grid view again. m Click the Filmstrip button to see images in the Browser in filmstrip view, a single row of images that you can use to navigate through images. m Press I to hide the Inspector pane. Press I again to show the Inspector pane.
Get to know the Adjustments inspector: m Click the Adjustments tab at the top of the Inspector pane. Click the disclosure triangle of an adjustment to see its options. Select an adjustment’s checkbox and try making changes. Deselect the checkbox to turn off the changes. Press I to close the Inspector pane. Get to know the Keywords heads-up display (HUD): m Click the Keywords button in the toolbar. Use the HUD scroll bar to scroll through the keywords in the HUD.
Display the contents of albums in a project: m Press I to display the Inspector pane. Click the Projects tab to display the Projects inspector. Click the disclosure triangle beside the Nature project name to see all the folders and albums in the project. Open the folders and click the albums in the project to see the different albums. Create a new album to hold a selection of images: m Shift-click five or six images in the Browser to select them. Choose File > New from Selection > Album.
m Import images from a camera or card reader: Connect your camera or card reader to your computer. The Import dialog appears, allowing you to select the images you want to import. Select your new project in the Projects inspector. Your images will now be imported into this project. Select and import a few practice photos, if you want, or click Cancel to close the Import dialog. (You’ll learn the details of importing images in the next chapter.
Learning About the Projects Inspector Now, take a look at the Projects inspector, where your library of images, projects, and albums resides. At the top of the Projects inspector, you see the Library icon. Library Predefined Smart Albums Selected project opened to show its folders and albums Projects The Aperture library tracks every project, album, and image, no matter whether the images are stored in the Aperture library or in other hard disk or storage media locations.
Aperture creates a library in the Pictures folder on your hard disk the first time you open Aperture. You can choose to import images into the library or have Aperture access them from other locations on different hard disks. When you click the disclosure triangle beside the Library icon, you see predefined Smart Albums that gather images automatically based on specified criteria. For example, the Smart Album named “5-star” displays all images rated five stars.
An album is a container in a project or in the Projects inspector that organizes versions of your images. You create albums for a specific purpose. For example, you might create an album of photos of a specific type of bird. You use albums to organize images, making your selections of versions easier to manage. Albums To place a version into an album, drag the image from the Browser into an album in the Projects inspector.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Masters: The original image files imported from your camera, memory card, computer, or external storage media. The masters are never changed by Aperture, so that the original image is preserved and can be used again.  Versions: The images you see and change in Aperture are called versions. Versions are based on the original master, and you can change, copy, and adjust them any way you want.  Projects: Containers used to hold masters, versions, and albums.
2 Importing Basics 2 Aperture provides a variety of import options designed to suit the needs of advanced photographers. In this chapter, you’ll experiment with importing selected images and familiarizing yourself with basic import features. You’ll create a test project and import images into it, trying out different methods of assigning names and preparing images for import. After you’ve had some basic experience importing sample images, you can begin envisioning how to import your own images.
Try This: Exploring Import Options Aperture provides easy ways of selecting images to import, naming files, assigning identifying information called metadata, and storing images. When you connect a camera or insert a card of images into a card reader connected to your computer, the Import pane and Import dialog appear. You then select the images you want to import and specify import options.
Getting Ready Rather than importing images from a camera or card reader, for now you’ll just import some sample images from a folder on your hard disk. If you have five or six images of your own that you feel comfortable experimenting with, place them in a folder on your desktop. If you’d prefer to experiment with images from the Aperture sample projects, export five or six images to a folder on your desktop.
To open the Import dialog and get ready to import sample images: 1 Choose File > New Project to create an empty project. Give the project a name such as Import Test, then press Return. 2 Click the new project in the Projects inspector to select it, if necessary. 3 Click the Import button in the toolbar to open the Import pane. 4 Click Local Files in the Import pane.
The Import dialog appears. Select a camera, card reader, hard disk, or other storage device that holds your images. Select disk and folder icons to navigate to the images you want. Image file information Select the destination of the image files here. You can place them in the library or leave them in another hard disk location. Specify the types of metadata you want added here. Import Images button The Import arrow points to the selected project, where the images will be stored.
Jumping In Navigate to your images: m Click Desktop in the Import pane and select the folder that holds your sample images. You see the sample images appear as thumbnails. Select images to import: m Click a thumbnail to select it. Inspect the Image Information area to see information about the image. Press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key to select other images. m Hold down the Shift key and press the arrow keys to select multiple images. Command-click specific images to select or deselect them.
Choose an image-naming convention: m Choose Custom Name with Index from the Version Name pop-up menu. Type a name that you want applied to each image in the Name Text field. Aperture will give each newly imported image that custom version name and add an index number. Look at the red Adjusted File Name field in the Image Information area to see how the version names will appear. Applying custom names to imported images is optional; you can also simply accept the filenames the images currently have.
Learning About Where Your Image Files Reside When you import images, you can choose whether to store the masters in the Aperture library or store them on a hard disk outside the library. Managed images are physically placed in the Aperture Library file on your hard disk, and the files and all information about them are managed and backed up by Aperture. Referenced images are images whose masters are not stored in the library.
After importing images as referenced images, you can work with versions of those images just as you can with the managed images in the Aperture library. All adjustments and metadata applied to referenced images are tracked in the Aperture library just the same way they are for managed images. Important: If you remove or disconnect a hard disk drive or other media that contains referenced masters, Aperture can still display and track the versions of those images that you’ve created.
Aperture provides the following preset name formats. Preset name format Example Master Filename IMG001 Image Date/Time 2005-10-14 09.03.25 PM Version Name IMG001 Version Name and Date/Time IMG001 - 2005-10-14 09.03.
Jumping In m Assign a version name and index number: Press Command-I to open the Import dialog. Shift-click to select the first six images in the Import dialog to import. Choose Version Name with Index from the Version Name pop-up menu. Click the Import Images button in the lower-right corner of the Import dialog. Inspect the version names by selecting the images in the Browser. (Press Control-D to show the Metadata inspector, if necessary.
m Assign the image date and time as a version name: Press Command-I to open the Import dialog. Shift-click to select the first six images again. Choose Image Date/Time from the Version Name pop-up menu. Click the Import Images button in the lower-right corner of the Import dialog. Inspect the names of the imported files. After examining the images, choose Edit > Select All to select the images and then delete them by choosing File > Delete Versions.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Managed image: An image whose master resides in the Aperture library.  Referenced image: An image whose master resides outside the Aperture library in another disk location. Aperture simply refers to the file in its current location, and the hard disk drive or media holding the file must be accessible for Aperture to make adjustments to the image.  Preset name format: A name format that you can create and save.
3 Learning About the Browser 3 The Browser provides efficient ways to review and select images in your projects. In this chapter, you’ll explore some of the features of the Browser.
Try This: Exploring the Browser When you select a project or album in the Projects inspector, thumbnails of its images appear in the Browser. You select images in the Browser to work with them. You can then move and rearrange the images, rotate images, make new versions, and delete images from the project.
Getting Ready 1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector. 2 Choose View > Browser Only, if necessary, to switch to Browser Only view. Use the illustration above to locate the Browser items you want to try next. Jumping In Select images to display: m Command-click images that are not adjacent to select them. Command-click to deselect selected images. m Choose Edit > Select All to select all images in the Browser. Choose Edit > Deselect All to deselect all images.
Rotate images: m Select an image in the Browser and then click the Rotate Left or Rotate Right button to rotate the image in 90 degree increments. Select several images and click the rotate buttons. Rotate buttons Find images: m Click the Reset button (with an X) in the search field and enter text, such as a keyword, to display only images associated with that text. Try typing the words “owl”, “jay”, and “hawk” one at a time to locate images in the Nature project.
Try This: Stacking Images Aperture can automatically group related photos into stacks when you import them and as you work with them in the Browser. For example, if you shoot a series of images in quick succession (such as at a sports event) or if you bracket images to allow for differences in lighting or exposure, you most likely will want to view those images together. Aperture can automatically stack those images based on the time interval in which they were captured by the camera.
You can also manually select images in the Browser and stack them. The image that represents the stack, called the pick, is displayed on the left of the open stack. You can drag the images in a stack into any order, changing the pick image when you want. The Stack button, in the upper-left corner of the pick image in the stack, indicates the number of images in the stack. The Stack button indicates the number of images in the stack. This stack is shown expanded, or open.
Jumping In m Automatically stack images: Choose Stacks > Auto-Stack. In the Auto-Stack Images HUD, drag the slider to specify the maximum length of time for a series of shots. Inspect the stacks to determine if the time interval should be shortened or lengthened. m Create a stack manually: In the Browser, select the images you want to stack. Choose Stacks > Stack. m Select the pick: Drag the image you want into the pick (or leftmost) position in the stack.
Getting Ready 1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector. 2 Click the Query HUD button beside the search field in the Browser. Query HUD button The Query HUD appears. Match pop-up menu Search field Add Filter pop-up menu Query HUD Action pop-up menu New Smart Album button New Album With Current Images button The Query HUD is preset to display all images that are unrated or better. This means that images that have a rating from five stars down to no stars (unrated) appear in the Browser.
Jumping In m Display only images with a specific rating in the project: In the Query HUD, select the Rating checkbox, change the Rating pop-up menu to “is,” and drag the Rating slider to the four-star position. Now all images that are rated four stars appear in the Browser. m Display images that are unrated or better in the project: Change the Rating pop-up menu to “is greater than or equal to,” and drag the Rating slider to the Unrated position.
Learning About Masters and Versions When you import a photo into Aperture, the original file is the master. You never work directly with or change the master. Instead, Aperture always displays a version of the master onscreen for you to work with. Any changes or adjustments you make are applied to the version. A version is not a copy of the master; it’s a smaller file that derives most of its information from the underlying master.
To create a new version based on the master: 1 Select the image whose master you want to copy. 2 Choose Images > New Version From Master. You can also duplicate a selected version and make more changes. To duplicate a selected image version: 1 Select the image you want to duplicate. 2 Choose Images > Duplicate Version. When you create multiple versions of an image, Aperture places the versions in a stack. You can open a stack and see the different versions you’ve created for an image.
To delete a version from a project: m Select a version in a project, then hold down the Command key and press Delete. If the selected image is one of several versions of a master, the selected version is deleted immediately, leaving all other versions unaffected. If the selected image is the only version of a master, a dialog appears asking if you want to delete the master as well. Clicking Delete removes the master and its version from your Aperture system.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Stack: A group of images that can be collapsed or expanded in the Browser. Aperture can automatically create stacks based on the time interval in which a group of images is shot, and you can manually create stacks by selecting and grouping them yourself.  Query HUD: An Aperture HUD that allows you to specify search criteria that determine which images appear in the Browser.
4 Learning About the Viewer 4 You can use the Viewer to view an image in incredible detail or view several images at once. Next, you’ll use the Viewer to inspect details of images, compare images, and rate images as you display them. You’ll also use simple tools to rotate, crop, and straighten images. The Viewer shows the selected image. You can set the Viewer to show metadata such as the version name, rating, and keywords.
Try This: Exploring the Viewer You can set Aperture to display images in both the Browser and the Viewer or in the Viewer only. When you select images in the Browser, the Viewer immediately displays a detailed view of your selection. You can display one image at a time, three images at a time, or a selection of multiple images. You can also use a software loupe like a magnifying glass to examine enlarged portions of images.
Getting Ready 1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector. 2 Choose View > Browser & Viewer. Use the illustration above to locate the Viewer items you want to use. Jumping In Change the number of images displayed in the Viewer: m Choose View > Main Viewer > Three Up to display up to three images at a time. Select different images. m Choose View > Main Viewer > Show One to display single images only, even when multiple images are selected in the Browser.
Inspect images using the Loupe: m Click the Loupe button in the toolbar. Drag the Loupe to different locations. Choose Focus on Cursor from the pop-up menu in the lower-right corner of the Loupe. Move the pointer over the portions of an image that you want to inspect. To change the Loupe magnification, choose different zoom percentages from the Loupe pop-up menu. To show color values, choose Color Values from the Loupe pop-up menu. To change the Loupe size, drag the lower-right corner of the Loupe.
Display images quickly in Quick Preview mode: m Choose View > Quick Preview. Press the arrow keys quickly to rapidly display images in the Viewer. In Quick Preview mode, Aperture displays JPEG previews instead of loading all the master and version information. You can use Quick Preview mode when you want to rapidly navigate through many images. For example, you can use Quick Preview mode to quickly select and rate images.
Jumping In m Straighten an image that’s framed at an undesirable angle: Select the Straighten tool. Position the tool over the image in the Viewer and drag slightly until the yellow grid lines appear. Using the grid lines as a guide, drag slowly to rotate the image. Release the mouse button when you have the orientation you want. Press Control-A to show the Adjustments inspector. Notice that the checkbox of the Straighten adjustment is selected to show that the image has been straightened.
Try This: Displaying Metadata with Images You can quickly display specific types of information with your images. For example, you can have Aperture show the EXIF or IPTC metadata associated with your images. You use the Metadata pane of the Preferences window to specify the information shown with images in the Viewer and Browser. The Viewer’s metadata display settings appear here. The Browser’s metadata display settings appear here.
Jumping In Set the display of metadata in the Viewer and Browser: 1 Choose Aperture > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,). 2 Click the Metadata button. 3 Select the Viewer checkbox to specify Viewer settings. 4 Click the Set 1 button and choose General from the Set 1 pop-up menu. 5 Choose Below from the Placement pop-up menus. 6 Select the Browser checkbox to specify Browser settings. 7 Click the Set 1 button and choose General from the Set 1 pop-up menu. 8 Choose Below from the Placement pop-up menus.
Learning About the Metadata Inspector You can view and change specific metadata for a selected image in the Metadata inspector. To show the Metadata inspector, press I to display the Inspector pane and then click the Metadata tab. Choose a metadata view for the inspector from the Metadata View pop-up menu. Edit and arrange your metadata views using this pop-up menu.
You can change the combination of metadata that appears in the Metadata inspector by choosing a metadata view from the Metadata View pop-up menu. You can change those metadata items that are editable, and you can also customize the metadata views, adding or deleting metadata fields as you like. Click the buttons at the bottom of the inspector to customize the metadata used in a metadata view. You can also add the actual metadata you want applied to your images to the fields of a metadata view.
Learning About Badges When you apply adjustments, keywords, or other changes to an image, Aperture marks the image with an icon, called a badge, to indicate a change. These badges indicate that keywords and adjustments have been applied to this image.
For example, here are a few of the badges that may appear on your images. Badge or Definition One or more adjustments have been applied to the image. One or more keywords have been applied to the image. Images are contained in a stack. The number indicates the number of images in the stack. The image has been changed using an external editor. Indicates the number of times an image has been placed in the Light Table and in book pages and webpages.
 Compare image: An image selected to be compared against other images in the Viewer. To select a compare image, select an image and press Return. Press Command-Return to turn off the comparison feature.  Metadata inspector: A pane in the Inspector pane that lists the metadata and metadata options for a selected image. To display the Metadata inspector, choose Window > Show Inspector and click the Metadata tab.
5 Adjusting Images in Full Screen View 5 You can view and work with your images in Full Screen view. Full Screen view provides a broad workspace and a detailed view of your images that makes working with them easy.
Try This: Exploring Full Screen View Full Screen view displays your images on a simple black background and can be used with one or two displays. Full Screen view includes a toolbar and filmstrip to help you view, organize, and adjust your images. Toolbar available in Full Screen view Filmstrip available in Full Screen view In this chapter, you’ll view images in Full Screen view and use the filmstrip, the toolbar tools, and the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD.
Getting Ready 1 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector, if necessary. 2 Press F to switch to Full Screen view. You can turn Full Screen view on or off by pressing F. Search field Query HUD button Images shown in the filmstrip Scroll bar Thumbnail Resize slider Shuttle control Use the filmstrip illustration above to locate the items you want to use.
Jumping In Use the filmstrip to display images: m Click an image in the filmstrip. (Position the pointer at the bottom of the screen to display the filmstrip, if necessary.) m Press the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys. m Hold down the Shift key and press an arrow key several times. Command-click images that are not adjacent in the filmstrip to select them. m Drag the Shuttle control left or right to shuttle through images in the filmstrip. m Press L or J to shuttle through images. Press K to stop shuttling.
Compare and rate images: m Click an image, then press Return. Press the arrow keys to compare the original image against another image. Press Return to select another compare image. Press Command-Return to stop comparing images. m Select an image. Click the rating buttons to rate the image. You can also press the number keys and the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–) to change ratings. Search field Query HUD button Rotate buttons Rating buttons Rotate images: m Select an image and click the rotate buttons.
Use the toolbar and select tools: m Position the pointer at the top of the screen until the toolbar appears, if necessary. Choose Three Up from the Viewer Mode pop-up menu. Choose Multi from the Viewer Mode pop-up menu, then select a group of images in the filmstrip. Viewer Mode pop-up menu Loupe button Zoom Viewer button Inspector HUD button m Select a single image and click the Zoom Viewer button to enlarge the image to a 100 percent pixel-for-pixel view.
Try This: Adjusting Exposure with the Adjustments Pane of the Inspector HUD Full Screen view is ideal for making changes and adjustments using Aperture heads-up displays (HUDs). One of the main HUDs used with Aperture is the Inspector HUD. In this section, you’ll use the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD to change exposure. HUDs are available for use in Full Screen view and can make adjusting images easier.
You use the Exposure adjustment controls to set exposure, recover highlight details, and adjust the blacks of images in shadow. You can also correct the exposure of images shot in difficult lighting conditions. Feel free to make any adjustments you like to the sample images; you can always simply turn off or remove the adjustments later. Thoroughly teaching the use of Aperture adjustments is beyond the scope of this short guide.
2 Click the Adjustments button in the Inspector HUD. Auto Exposure button Use the Adjustments pane in Full Screen view to remove flaws and make adjustments to your images. Auto Levels Combined and Auto Levels Separate buttons Exposure slider Click the disclosure triangle to see an adjustment’s controls. 3 Drag the HUD to a convenient position onscreen where you can select and change options while viewing their effect on an image.
Jumping In m Automatically adjust images: Select an image that needs an exposure adjustment. Click the Auto Levels Combined button and Auto Levels Separate button to see how Aperture can automatically adjust images for you. m Change exposure manually: Click the disclosure triangle of the Exposure adjustment to display the Exposure controls, and select the Exposure checkbox. Drag the Exposure slider. You can also click a location along the slider control to move the slider to that point.
m Recover details in shadows: Select an image with shadows. Click the disclosure triangle of the Exposure adjustment to display its controls, and select the Exposure checkbox. Drag the Black Point slider to change the look of details in the shadows. Use the Black Point slider and value slider to adjust the brightness values in the image’s shadows.
Getting Ready m Select an image. In the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, click the disclosure triangle of the Enhance adjustment to display the Enhance controls, and select the Enhance checkbox. Jumping In m Change contrast: Drag the Contrast slider. m Change definition: Drag the Definition slider. m Change saturation: Drag the Saturation slider. m Change vibrancy: Drag the Vibrancy slider. m Turn your Enhance adjustments on or off: Select or deselect the Enhance checkbox.
Jumping In m Use the White Balance eyedropper to change color balance: Select the White Balance eyedropper. The Loupe opens, and positioning the pointer shows a magnified view of the target area. Position the eyedropper over the pixels in the image that represent a neutral gray, then click. Select the White Balance eyedropper tool to activate the Loupe.
Learning About the Adjustments in the Inspector HUD and Adjustments Inspector You’ve now experimented a bit with using the adjustments in the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. The Adjustments pane has exactly the same adjustment options as the Adjustments inspector in the main window.
Some adjustments always appear in the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD and the Adjustments inspector, whereas others are added as you need them. For example, as you straighten an image with the Straighten tool, the Straighten adjustment controls are added to the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD. You can also add adjustments to the inspector or HUD by choosing adjustments from the Add Adjustments pop-up menu.
Adjustment Function Enhance Adjusts the contrast, definition, saturation, and vibrancy of an image, as well as black, gray, and white tints. Levels Selectively adjusts the tonal range of an image. Highlights & Shadows Selectively adjusts the exposure in the shadows and highlights of an image. Color Adjusts hue, saturation, and luminance on a color-by-color basis, as well as chromatic range.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Adjustment: Any change to the appearance of an image.  Inspector HUD: A HUD that provides project, metadata, and adjustment options. It contains the same options and controls as the inspectors.  Value slider: Value sliders are controls commonly used for changing parameter settings, either by clicking arrows that increase or decrease a value, dragging the slider, or entering the precise values you want in the value field.
6 Applying Keywords to Images 6 Aperture allows you to efficiently assign keywords to images. A once time-consuming task, assigning keywords is remarkably simplified using a Keywords HUD. You can easily select keywords and assign them to individual images and groups of images. In this chapter, you’ll try out Aperture keyword options.
Try This: Exploring the Keywords HUD You can quickly add keywords to images using the Keywords HUD. Close button Search field Keyword list Keyword group Disclosure triangle Add Keyword button Lock button Remove Keyword button The Keywords HUD contains a library of predefined keywords that you can assign to images. You can easily browse and search for keywords in the Keywords HUD, and you can also add your own keywords as well as remove keywords.
Getting Ready 1 Press F to exit Full Screen view, if necessary. 2 Select the Nature project in the Projects inspector, if necessary. 3 Close the Inspector HUD. 4 Click the Metadata tab in the Inspector pane. 5 Select an image, then click the Keywords HUD button in the toolbar. Jumping In Get to know the Keywords HUD: m Drag the Keywords HUD to a convenient location on the screen. m Press Shift-H twice to hide and show the Keywords HUD. m Scroll to view keywords in the HUD.
Select and apply keywords: m Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to the image in the Viewer. Notice that the keyword now appears in the Metadata inspector and on the image in the Viewer. Keywords Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to an image in the Viewer or Browser. Keywords applied to the image m Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to an image in the Browser. Select the image to see that the keyword now appears in the Metadata inspector and on the image in the Viewer.
m Hold down the Shift key while pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to select several keywords. Drag the keywords to a selected image. You can also Shift-click keywords. m Command-click keywords that aren’t adjacent. Drag the keywords to the selected image. m Shift-click or Command-click several images in the Browser. Drag a keyword from the Keywords HUD to one of the selected images in the Browser. Notice that Aperture assigns the keyword to all the selected images.
Try This: Working with Keywords in the Keywords HUD You can add new keywords to the keyword library and organize keywords in keyword groups. Now that you’re familiar with the Keywords HUD, you can try adding and removing keywords in the keyword library. Jumping In m Add a new keyword to the keyword library: Click the Add Keyword button. Type the new keyword and press Return. A new, untitled keyword appears in the keyword list. Click this button to add a new keyword.
m Remove a keyword from the keyword library: In the Keywords HUD, select the keyword you want to remove and press Delete (or click the Remove Keyword button). Confirm that you want to remove the keyword. Close the Keywords HUD. Click this button to remove a keyword. Important: Removing a keyword from the keyword library removes it from any images to which it’s already applied. Note: You can also apply keywords by clicking keyword buttons in the control bar.
Learning About the Lift & Stamp HUD If you have images that share many of the same keywords, you can use the Lift and Stamp tools to quickly apply all or some of the keywords to images. Using the Lift and Stamp tools is an efficient way to quickly transfer keywords to a large number of images. If you like, you can try these techniques for lifting keywords from one image and stamping them on another image or group of images.
The image information, including applied metadata, adjustments, and keywords, appears in the Lift & Stamp HUD. All information for the selected image appears here. 3 To apply just the image’s keywords, deselect all image information checkboxes except the Keywords checkbox. Make sure the Keywords checkbox is the only one selected.
4 Select the images that you want to stamp with the metadata. 5 Click the Stamp Selected Images button. The keywords from the first image are applied to the selected images. You can continue to select images and use the Lift & Stamp HUD to apply the lifted keywords to other images. 6 Close the Lift & Stamp HUD. In many cases, you may not want to copy all keywords from one image and paste them onto other images.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Keywords HUD: The Keywords HUD is used to quickly apply keywords. The HUD provides a list of preset keywords, and you can customize the keyword library with any additional keywords you need. You can apply keywords to individual images and to groups of images.  Lift and Stamp tools: The Lift and Stamp tools allow you to easily select keywords and ratings from a selected image and apply them to other images.
7 Presenting Your Images 7 With Aperture, you can present images in slideshows, create webpages for viewing over the Internet, and create books that you can have professionally printed and bound. Next, you’ll display a slideshow and work with Aperture webpages and a book.
Try This: Exploring Slideshows When you create an Aperture slideshow, you can choose how many images to display on the screen, how they are arranged, how long each image is displayed, and much more. Getting Ready 1 Click the Projects tab in the Inspector pane. 2 Click the disclosure triangle beside the Nature project in the Projects inspector. Select the “Slideshow selects (Five Star)” album. Jumping In Display a slideshow: m Click the Slideshow button in the toolbar. Click Start.
Try playing your slideshow several times, choosing different slideshow presets from the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu. Â Dissolve: Displays each image for 3 seconds, with a 2-second cross fade. Â Fade through Black: Displays each image on a black background for 3 seconds, with a 2-second cross fade. Â Manual: You control this slideshow’s progression with the Right Arrow and Left Arrow keys. Â Slow Dissolve: Displays each image for 5.1 seconds, with a 5-second cross fade.
Learning About Slideshow Presets You use the Slideshow Presets dialog to create and modify slideshow presets. Take a look at some of the slideshow options that are available. You don’t need to master these options; for now, just understand that they are available to you when you need them. To open the Slideshow Presets dialog: m Choose Aperture > Presets > Slideshow. The Slideshow Presets dialog appears. Choose how the slideshow duration is determined. Select a preset to change here.
You can now select a preset to change, or you can create a new one by clicking the Add (+) button. Specify the slideshow options you want in the right side of the dialog. Once you create a new preset, it appears in the Slideshow Preset pop-up menu in the Run Slideshow dialog the next time you begin a slideshow. Try This: Exploring Aperture Webpages Photographers around the world benefit from web distribution of their works, providing clients with online access to galleries of their best images.
Webpages are designed to display images without your having to lay out pages by hand. Aperture automatically creates the appropriate number of webpages and populates them with the selected images. You can then adjust the pages to make the images appear as you want them. You can also choose the metadata information that appears next to each image, such as captions, names, and ratings.
Web journal pages allow you to mix images and text manually on the page. Web journals are ideal for projects in which you show photos with narrative to support them. When working with web journals, you manually add pages, images, and text to your web journal. You can choose a theme to apply to all your pages, and you can change the layout of images and text on your web journal pages.
To create a webpage or web journal, you first create a webpage or web journal album. When you select the album in the Projects inspector, the Webpage Editor appears above the Browser. The Webpage Editor is where you design your webpages, including changing the theme, positioning images, and adding text.
After you’ve laid out your webpage or web journal pages in the Webpage Editor, you can export them to your MobileMe account or save them as HTML pages that you can post to your webpage server. Once the images are posted online, you can give clients the Internet address of the pages, and clients can view them remotely. Getting Ready 1 Click the disclosure triangle of the Nature project to display the albums it contains, if necessary. 2 Select the “Online portfolio” webpage album.
Use the illustration below as you try out different features of the Webpage Editor to see how they work.
Jumping In Select a webpage for viewing: m Click in the Gallery Pages pane to see a specific webpage. m Click the Previous Page and Next Page buttons to go to another webpage. Choose a different webpage theme: m Click the Theme button and then choose the theme you want. Try out the looks of different themes. Remove an image from the page: m Select an image in the Browser and press Delete. Add images to the webpage: m Select a project in the Projects inspector.
Change the information that appears with the images: m Choose the type of metadata that is included with each image in the webpage from the Metadata View pop-up menu. Metadata View pop-up menu Change the number of columns and rows of images on the page: m Use the Columns and Rows value sliders to specify the number of columns and rows you want on a page. Click the arrows to increase or decrease the number of columns and rows, or double-click in the number field and enter a new value.
Choose a basic aspect ratio for the images: m Choose an option from the “Fit images within” pop-up menu to choose how you want images to appear on the webpage. “Fit image within” pop-up menu Width and Height value sliders Change the column width or height: m Use the Width and Height value sliders to increase or decrease the column width or height. You can also double-click in the number field and enter a new value. This has been a brief introduction to the Webpage Editor for creating webpages.
Try This: Exploring Aperture Books Aperture provides options for creating print books in a variety of designs. When you create or select a book album in the Projects inspector, the Book Layout Editor appears above the Browser. You use the Book Layout Editor to set up the page structure of your book and place images and text on the pages. Use this button to choose a theme for your book. Use these controls to change your view of the pages, zooming in or out.
Getting Ready 1 Select the Wedding project in the Projects inspector. 2 Click an image in the Browser, then choose Edit > Select All. 3 Choose File > New From Selection > Book. 4 In the Theme dialog, select the Special Occasion theme, then click Choose Theme. The Book Layout Editor appears. 5 Choose Autoflow Unplaced Images from the Book Action pop-up menu. Choose Autoflow Unplaced Images from this pop-up menu.
Aperture automatically places the images in your book. You can also drag images to individual positions if you prefer. Pages pane Theme button Selected page in the Pages pane Display Size slider A larger view of the selected page appears here. Photo box Text box Use this pop-up menu to add pages to your book. The Pages pane on the left shows thumbnails of your book pages. You can scroll through the thumbnails and click one to select a page to work on.
Jumping In Select pages to display: m Click a page in the Pages pane to display it. Drag the Display Size slider to zoom in to or out of the page. Display Size slider Place images: m Drag an image from the Browser into a photo box on the displayed page. Drag a different image into the same photo box. Double-click the image and change the scale using the Image Scale HUD. When the Image Scale HUD is open, you can also drag the image to reposition it within the photo box.
Add a page: m Select a page in the Pages pane where you want a new page to appear, then choose Add New Page from the Add Pages pop-up menu. Choose a page design from the Set Master Page pop-up menu. Add Pages pop-up menu Choose a master page design from the Set Master Page pop-up menu.
Learning About Books When you create a new book album, you can choose a book theme that determines the overall look of the book. Aperture provides a variety of professionally designed book themes. You can click the Theme button to choose the one you want. Select the theme you want here.
When you choose a theme, the Book Layout Editor provides a set of master pages that determine how you mix text and images on the page. You’ll find master pages provide a fast and convenient method for quickly laying out a book. Selected page The new page format appears here. You can drag images into the gray photo boxes that appear on pages. Choose a master page design from the Set Master Page pop-up menu.
You can apply a master page design to any selected page. Pages appear with gray photo boxes to hold images and text boxes to hold text. To add images, you drag them into the photo boxes from the Browser. To add text, you select a text box and type or paste text into it. Photo box holding an image Text box holding text If you prefer, you can build a book page by page.
You can also select a group of images in the Browser and have Aperture automatically place them in pages in your book. Aperture creates as many pages as you need and fills them with your images. You can change the page design of individual pages later by applying different master page designs. As you work on a book, you may need to adjust the layout of individual pages. For example, you may discover that one image in a group should appear slightly larger.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Slideshow preset: A combination of predefined slideshow settings that you can invoke when you create a slideshow. The slideshow preset sets how many images appear onscreen, the duration of display, transitions between slides, and many more options, including the playing of music with your slides. Aperture comes with a set of slideshow presets, and you can also create your own.
8 Printing Images 8 This chapter introduces some simple options you have for printing single images and contact sheets. If you’re not set up to print images yet, you can simply read these instructions and try them out later, or try printing some of the sample images from the Nature project. Instead of actually printing the images, you can view the results of your printing selections in Preview.
Try This: Exploring Printing You use the Print dialog to specify the printing options you want. You can print a single image per page, or you can print contact sheets of your images. When you print contact sheets, Aperture does all the layout work for you. Select a preset for a single image or a contact sheet here. Preview area Specify your printer, paper size, and other print options here. Select layout options here. Set the width of white borders that surround images here.
Jumping In Print a single image: 1 Select an image. 2 Choose File > Print Image. 3 In the Print dialog, select Sample Single Image Preset in the Preset Name list. 4 Click the Printer Settings button in the Printer Selection area and select the printer you want to use. Important: You must have the correct printer driver installed on your computer in order to use your printer. See the documentation that came with your printer for information about installing and updating the necessary printer software.
Print a series of images, each on its own sheet of paper: 1 In the Browser, select the images you want to print. 2 Choose File > Print Images. 3 In the Print dialog, select Sample Single Image Preset in the Preset Name list. 4 Specify the print options you want. 5 If you have a printer ready to print, click Print. If you don’t have a printer ready, click Preview to see the results of your print settings. Your images appear one image per page.
 Metadata pop-up menu: When you select a Contact Sheet preset, choose a metadata view to specify the metadata you want printed with your images.  Font Size pop-up menu: When you select a Contact Sheet preset, choose the font size of the metadata that will be printed. Verify the layout of your contact sheet in the preview area. 5 If you have a printer configured to work with your computer, click Print. If you don’t have a printer ready, click Preview to see the results of your print settings.
9 Backing Up Your Images 9 To safeguard your photography portfolio, it’s important to establish a reliable backup system and back up regularly. In this chapter, you’ll learn the fundamentals of how Aperture backs up the library. Aperture backs up the library to a designated storage area called a vault. You’ll create a vault and back up the current library as practice before you implement your own backup system for your images.
Aperture lets you create as many vaults as you want. For example, you may want to create one vault on an external hard disk for daily backups of your entire system and a second vault on another external hard disk that you keep offsite. As you add to the library and create new projects, Aperture automatically tracks which files have been backed up to your vaults.
If you keep a backup of your system on an offsite hard disk drive, you’ll occasionally need to bring it in for updating. Aperture keeps track of the hard disks that have been disconnected from their vaults. When you reconnect a hard disk drive, Aperture automatically detects the hard disk, determines which vault it’s assigned to, and reconnects the vault. A message appears asking if you want to update the hard disk with the latest library information.
Getting Ready m Click the Vault Pane button to open the Vault pane. Jumping In Create a vault: m Choose Add Vault from the Vault Action pop-up menu. In the New Vault Contents dialog, click Continue. In the Add Vault dialog, type the name you want for the vault in the Vault Name field, then choose the hard disk location where you want the vault stored. Click Add, and Aperture creates your first vault. Click the Vault Status button to update the vault.
The color of the Vault Status button indicates the state of the vault: black indicates that the library is up to date; yellow indicates that all the masters in the library have been backed up, but a change has occurred to at least one version that has not yet been backed up; and red indicates that at least one master in the library has not been backed up and the vault should be updated to protect against the loss of masters. The amount of free space available for your vault appears next to the vault name.
Update a vault after making changes to the library: m Select an image and choose Images > Duplicate Version. With a new version in the library, you can now update the vault. In the Vault pane, click the Vault Status button on the right side of your new vault. In the dialog that appears, click Update. Click the Vault Status button to update a specific vault. Click the Update All Vaults button to update all the vaults that you’ve created at once.
Basic Concepts You Should Know  Vault: A backup storage area located on a hard disk or other storage media that holds a complete copy of the library.  Vault pane: A pane that allows you to create, inspect, and update your backup vaults. You can also use the Vault pane to restore lost information in the case of equipment failure that damages the library. Next, you’ll learn to quickly find information about Aperture when you need it.
10 Getting Answers 10 Now that you’ve been introduced to the basics of Aperture, you probably have further questions about how to use Aperture in your work. You can use Aperture Help to find the answers you need. Try This: Exploring Aperture Help Aperture Help provides comprehensive explanations and instructions for using Aperture features. Jumping In Open the Aperture User Manual: m Open Aperture, then choose Help > Aperture User Manual.
Learn more about adjusting images: m Click An Overview of Image Adjustments in the Aperture User Manual bookmarks list. Learn about the latest Aperture technical discussions: m Open Aperture and choose Help > Aperture Support. Learn about issues with third-party software and other known issues: m Open Aperture and choose Help > Late Breaking News. View the Aperture online video tutorials: m Open Safari and go to http://www.apple.com/aperture/resources/tutorial.
