# rob Galbraith on Aperture 2.1



## rcannonp (Apr 4, 2008)

Rob Galbraith DPI: Image editing plug-ins the centrepiece of Aperture 2.1

As I understand it, Aperture has to process out the file to apply plugins. I went and watched the Dodge and Burn tutorial on Apple's website. I don't understand why I would want to bother with that. If I have to process out the file anyway, then I figure that I might as well just open it in Photoshop. The whole process doesn't seem a whole lot different than exporting from LR to PS and then bringing the file back into LR. With LR2's new exporting features, Aperture 2's plugin support just makes me think "So what?"


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## Ian Farlow (Apr 4, 2008)

The only comment I would make to this is that most people are misunderstanding this plugin. The plugin provided by Apple in Aperture 2.1 is an example, but is not meant to be the definitive way in which the plugin editing works. There has been talk that the plugin architecture will handle RAW files passed to it, for example. Additionally, Dodge & Burn (and everything else available in the current example plugin) is going to be available in a "brick" in the non-destructive editing tab, just like white balance, etc.

I'm not trying to defend Aperture as much as just trying to provide additional information for those that are interested.


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## rcannonp (Apr 4, 2008)

I get that the Apple D&B plugin is just a rather small example, but it shows the basic process for how other image editing plugins like Viveza and Noise Ninja would work. It's a destructive editing process outside of Aperture's built in adjustments. The article suggests the possibility to create non-destructive plugins, but none of the announced plugins work this way. I just think that if I have to process out a file to send it to Viveza, I might as well send it to Photoshop to be applied to a smart object there.

If 3rd party raw converters(ACR???) can be incorporated into Aperture's plugin architecture, it will be interesting to see how bringing the file back into Aperture is dealt with, especially if you wouldn't have to process out a tiff to make the round trip. I bet that it won't work that way though.


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