Aperture 2 [With DVD-ROM]

I have been using Aperture for some time and felt that I was not getting as much out of it as I could have. I ordered this book based on the positive reviews here. The book has given me some great ideas about how to manage my work more effectively. Some of the ideas are reviews and some were new to me. The book provides interesting step-by-step examples that teach the various concepts. The included photo files allow the reader to create results just like the examples in the book. I believe that just about anyone can learn from this book, regardless of experience level.

I have only finished the first 2 and half chapters but this book has been very useful in expanding my knowledge and increasing my efficiency with Aperture. I recently went to an Apple store workshop about Aperture and was told I'm a fairly advanced user but there are still lots of tricks and shortcuts that this book teaches. The exercises show multiple ways to achieve the same results, enabling the reader to choose what works best with their own work flow. I wish I had gotten this book earlier so I could have avoided making such a mess of the keyword HUB.

The book is the official Apple Pro training course for Aperture, Apple's all-in-one post-production tool for photographers. It's a book-DVD training combination which starts with the basics of image management and takes you step by step all the way through Aperture 2's powerful photo-editing, image-retouching, proofing, publishing, and archiving features. The book is designed to teach you how to use Aperture in the context of a professional workflow, using 12 project-based, step-by-step lessons and accompanying media files. It's almost 100% hands on. Running through all the lessons will take you about 17 hours. It's divided into three main sections: importing and organising, image editing, and printing and publishing. The first topics are exploring the Aperture workflow, evaluating images: compare and select, and organising your project. The image editing section is sub-divided into basic edits, working with RAW images, correcting tone, correcting colour, and repairing and enhancing your images. Finally, section three covers delivering images for client review, delivering final images, showcasing and promoting you work, and Aperture automation. I have worked through the first three lessons myself. The DVD material is easy to use. Lessons are structured very clearly in manageable steps with brief, clear explanations about the context of what you are doing. I liked the lesson review questions and answers at the end of each lesson. At the beginning of each lesson there's a list of lesson files, time and goals spelling out how long it will take to complete the lesson, followed by a list of what is to be achieved. This is a comprehensive, practical and well organised training course written by those who know what they are talking about. If you take the trouble to complete all 12 lessons, you'll find yourself amply rewarded: perhaps even an Aperture whiz. [...]

This book and accompanying CD provide an excellent, hands-on tutorial for anyone using Aperture to process digital images. Both the professional and amateur photographer will find it beneficial. I not only learned how to add impact to my photos, I learned how to take better photos as well. The lessons are easy to follow and readers can pace the instruction to their level of experience. For those using PhotoShop, the book also address editing with PhotoShop while working in Aperture.

As an Apple Certified Aperture trainer, and well-traveled Aperture instructor, I had high hopes and expectations for this book. And Rich, Ben and Orlando didn't disappoint me. This is the book that trainers train from and it is much better organized than the original Aperture 1 book. The logical flow from section to section more clearly mirrors the real-world approach one should take when using Aperture to organize a photo library. The exercises are clearly written and they make sense. There's no mindless repetition and the authors cover all the areas of the program that most photographers would need to know. You can't ask for anything more than good information, cogently presented, in an easy-to-read and understand manner. The Aperture 2 Pro Training Book delivers on all of this and more. Highly recommended.