Aperture (#2): Inability to use other RAW converters, possible solution; Performance issues with libraries imported from iPhoto

Inability to open RAW converted files with other apps Perhaps the most lamented issue with Aperture 1.0 is an inability to convert RAW files from the camera with another application (such as the Adobe Camera RAW component of Adobe Photoshop) while still using Aperture's organization capabilities.

Several users have reported lackluster results from Aperture's RAW conversion engine, dependent on which camera model is being used. As such, some users desire to convert the RAW images with another tool, but Aperture does not allow this, only allowing export to other editors in TIFF or PSD formats.

A poster to Apple's Discussion Boards, tc has discovered an admittedly awkward way of getting access to the original RAW for editing in another application:

1. Choose your image and select "Open with External Editor".
2. When the image opens in the editor you've chosen CMD click on the document title in the window, where you would see DSC1234.TIFF for example. This shows you the path of this version created by Aperture.
3. Select the enclosing folder, in my example it would be DSC1234 1. This will open the folder in the Finder.
4. As you can see in the folder name, DSC1234 1, Aperture adds extra numbers to put the versions edited by external apps into a different folder from the original file. In the finder if you are in column view you should be able to see that the folder containing your original file, in this example the file DSC1234.NEF is in the folder DSC1234 which is right above the folder you just opened DSC1234 1.
5. Drag the original file, in this case DSC1234.NEF onto the dock icon of your editing app to open it.
6. You will now have the original and the tiff version open in your external editor. Close the tiff version and then make whatever changes you need to the original image.
7. When you've finished editing you can then export a tiff version of the image to overwrite the one which aperture created for the external editor to use. (In the directory DSC1234 1)
8. When you go back into aperture it will show you the version of the tiff you created as a version of your original file.

Performance issues with libraries imported from iPhoto Some users may experience significant performance degradation in Aperture if a large number of images are imported directly from iPhoto.

The solution, in some cases, is to first export the images from iPhoto, then import them into Aperture from the Finder.

Cannot recognize some DNG files A few readers have noted that, despite claims that Aperture supports the DNG file format, it in fact only supports this format on cameras for which it also supports the RAW format.

MacFixIt reader Keith Nolan writes:

"It is misleading for Apple to say that Aperture supports the DNG format. In fact it only seems to work on .dng for cameras where the RAW file is directly supported"

Apple has now posted a Knowledge Base (#302935) article admitting this deficiency. The article states:

"Aperture only supports DNG files originated from cameras for which Aperture also supports the RAW format. If you import other DNG files, you may see the 'Unrecognized File Format' message."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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