When OSX Yosemite drops in later this year it will mean the end of Apple’s two current image editing apps, Aperture and iPhoto.
An Apple representative confirmed a statement first reported by the Loop that Apple’s next operating system will replace both pieces of software with its new Photos application.
The Cupertino company is doing away with Aperture and iPhoto in favor of a iCloud Photo Library that will allow users to store their images in the cloud and access them anywhere.
Demoed earlier at WWDC 2014, the Photos app built into OSX 10.01 will allow users to tweak their photos non-destructively and save all their changes though the cloud.
Exit ramp
Photographers still using Aperture won’t be left out to pasture. As the Apple representative said “When Photos for OSX ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OSX.”
In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple also promised it will make Aperture compatible with the next version of OSX.
Adobe is also working to make the transition from Aperture to Lightroom easy and software maker just “so coincidentally” started a Creative Cloud Photography plan last week. For $9.99 (about £8.79/AU$9.99) a month users will receive Photoshop CC and Lightroom for Mac and Windows.
Additionally the deal bundles Lightroom Mobile on iPad and iPhone for free as well as Photoshop Mix on iPad.
Out with the old
It’s no surprise Aperture is going away after all it’s been nearly four years since Apple introduced a new full numbered release. Since Aperture 3.0 dropped in February 2010, the photo-editing app has languished over time only receiving fixes and OS compatibility updates.
The transition should not hit iPhoto users as hard as many of the same features, such as face tagging and simple edits, will most likely be ported over to Photos.
The Apple representative has also remarked this does not signal the end of its other professional production software such as Final Cut Pro.
