# Moving from Aperture 3 to Lightroom 4



## BD-430 (Apr 1, 2012)

Hello,
This is my first post to this forum, and I don't know if this has been discussed here or not, and if so please point me to the appropriate threads.

I recently purchased Lightroom 4 (I'm new to Lightroom) and I've been importing my photos (RAW) into Aperture 3. I'm trying to figure out the best way to move my photo library from Aperture to Lightroom without the photos being converted to jpeg - I want them to remain as RAW images.

Also, do most people convert the photos to the DMG format.

If there are any good articles on these subjects I would appreciate anything you can point me to.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.


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## clee01l (Apr 1, 2012)

BD, Welcome to the forum.  I would not recommend Converting your proprietary RAW images to DNG. It is not really necessary.  And if you do, you have to decide what to do with the originals and whether to essentially double your storage requirements if you do plan to keep the original RAW files too. 

Second, Proprietary RAW files require LR to keep an XMP Sidecar file should you choose to store metadata with the master image.  DNGs are not proprietary and LR can and will update the metadata in each file header if that option is selected.  While this latter option might seem cleaner, it also means that your backup system will be replacing a large DNG file instead of a small XMP file each time there is a metadata change recorded.  Another option that is transparent is to not update metadata at all in the master file but rely upon the LR catalog to keep all of the metadata (which it will do regardless of how you treat metadata in files). 

Apple obfuscates the image storage process in iPhoto and (I'm almost certain) Aperture.  You will need to determine where Aperture has hidden your originals and only import these, not any thumbnails and not any other versions of the master images.  I think you will find that Aperture has buried your master images in a clever (to Apple) folder tree that might look something like this one for an iPhoto master image "/Users/{OSXuser}/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/2012/03/24/20120324-223106/"  On import to LR you could leave these master original images in place but I think you will be better served copying or moving these images to a simpler folder structure.

There are some current and former Aperture users here and hopefully they will offer help in navigating the complexities of Aperture's file labyrinth.


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## johnbeardy (Apr 1, 2012)

While I would recommend using DNG, treat that as a totally separate matter from getting your raw files out of Aperture. Put it to one side for now.

For moving from Aperture, see http://lightroomsolutions.com/migrating-from-aperture-to-lightroom-where-do-i-begin/

John


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## Kiwigeoff (Apr 1, 2012)

I use DNG as well and dispute Cletus's statements. If your files are backed up, all that needs backing up is your catalog.
John has the best solution for the move.


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## BD-430 (Apr 2, 2012)

johnbeardy said:


> While I would recommend using DNG, treat that as a totally separate matter from getting your raw files out of Aperture. Put it to one side for now.
> 
> For moving from Aperture, see http://lightroomsolutions.com/migrating-from-aperture-to-lightroom-where-do-i-begin/
> 
> John




Thanks - this is exactly what I was looking for!  The files are being imported into Lightroom right now.

Thank you to everyone for your input!

Next - what are the pros and cons of converting to DNG vs. leaving the RAW files as is?  Does converting to DNG do anything for jpg files?


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