Plug-ins for Aperture 2?

[biggambi]

Hello,
I am taking the digital plunge. I just purchased an M8 yesterday. I also purchased Aperture 2 along with Nik Silver Efex. Since, I am new to digital. My inclination is to play with these and learn what they can do for me. Before, I start adding something else to the puzzle. But, I am curious about color as well as other useful editing tools. Any guidance would be great, as I know it won't be long before I expand my tool set. So, my question is - What plug-ins are your favorite and why?
Thanks

 

[Rogier]

Aperture is great. You will find that you can do 90% of the work in Aperture. And only if you really want (need.....) to refine or modify (rescue ;-) an image you want to use Photoshop.
The plug inns are nice, that can save you time. Perhaps boost some creative idea's by just fooling around with them.

As far as learning Aperture.
1 Get the Book from Peachpit Printing
2 Go to Lynda.com and use their excellent menu based tutorials starting with Aperture 1.0

 

[biggambi]

Thank you for the reply. I have to say that the Lynda.com tutorials are great. I also ordered the book you have recommended.

Do you have any experience with Noise Ninja or Dfine, Sharpener Pro, or Ozone? Do these tools offer more capability than what is included with Aperture? Or, maybe I should be asking what advantages does Photoshop offer me, over adding these plug-ins?

Historically, I have shot mostly transparency film, with some black and white on occasion. I am use to filling a trash can with images that don't meet my standards. I believe this will remain to be, even with digital. When you say, "save an image", what do you mean? Would these be images that I would have tossed in the past? (i.e. slightly unsharp, exposure slightly off, sky washed out, etc.) I was impressed with the Ozone comparisons when it came to salvaging washed out sky; and, what I percieved to be bringing leaves back to what was originally seen at the time of the picture.

Sorry, that this is all over the place. I just have so many thoughts going through my head.

 

[Rogier]

No I don't have much experience with the various plug inn filters.
I have used the Tiffen one and found it very interesting and fun to use it. However definitely not worth the huge price they are asking.

Aperture offers the same capability's to make all the general corrections on the image. Like one would find under "Image - Adjustments". You can also fix some local sport with the various repair tools.
Aperture offers no layers but does do all the work in RAW witch reduces the need for layers substantially since manny PS users. Create layers in order to undo / change certain changes they made on an image. Since you are working in RAW one can always change/undo. Or just create a new version of the same image without duplicating it. This is a significat feature that will keep your originals untouched and prevent your need for a ever greater hard drive...

When It comes to making selective changes to an image one needs a tool like Photo Shop. Aperture however makes it very easy to convert the image to TIFF or PSD and open it autimatically in your external editing application. While keeping the image in the same workflow!

Perhaps I should have started with this;
Aperture is NOT a replacement for Photoshop. Is a very good tool for your workflow. Managing your image in the total process. The new 2.x version has the tools to make corrections on the images that will cover 90% of the work most photographers use an application like Photo Shop for.

With regards to my comment about "saving or rescue and image":
Here starts the debate. PS enables the photographer or artist to dramatically change an image. Either to rescue an image that would otherwise be trashed. Or to enhance it by doing artistic work to it.

Almost everything PS can do. Can also be done in the darkroom. However its much easier and faster. Problem is to learn this bitch of a program. Personally I avoid using PS as much as I can....

Hope this helps 🙂

Smiles across the wires,

Rogier

 

[Rogier]

You can find a series of free trips on the iTunes podcasts!
Look for Aperture Quick Tip

 

[palker]

I guess it depends on your level of expectation regarding the different applications out there. I for one dropped Photoshop at CS2 - well I still have it i just never upgraded from that point. I can't remember the last time I opened Photoshop.
I use Aperture 100% of the time.
I now sold my M8, but didn't have any issues with exposure to need any more treatment than offered with the White Balance, a little colour Enhancement, Shadow/Highlight and Edge Sharpening - not always at the same time 🙂

I also started with slides and I'm more used to having to frame the picture in camera and never had the option to dodge and burn, of course slide film has more dynamic range than digital but I still think more about total exposure than tweeking specfic parts.

Like you have already said, play with the software you have and then decide.

good luck.