Hello everybody. I'm new here. Sorry to bore you with uninteresting stuff but I could really use some help. A year and a half ago, my wife and I got separated and she kept the computer (newish imac). I had over 10k pics on Aperture Version 1, and I had invested quite a bit of time building and understanding the library. I am hoping to buy whatever latest version of Aperture that my computer can handle and get back into it. Any and all advice/support/warnings/handholding etc. would be appreciated. No information is trivial. I know very little. I didn't even know that I now have Snow leopard on my MBP. But in the past day I have begun to try to prepare and educate myself. Here are the specs of my computer: OSX 10.6.8, 2.4 GHZ intel processor 2 Duo, 4GB.
First question: can my computer handle the upgrade to Mountain Lion which evidently is coming soon, thereby being able to handle the latest version of Aperture? Or would I be better off finding an older version of Aperture and using that?
Second question: what is the easiest and safest way to actually complete this upgrade/transfer from one computer to the other with zero chance of losing everything? I find all of this VERY VERY daunting. If you can't already tell I am not very tech-savy. Thanks in advance for any and all of your help and suggestions.
You are here
Haven't used Aperture since V.1.something. Want back in.
#1
So, so, so, sorry to hear that you lost your computer! Would you have her back if she promised to bring the computer with her? (Just kidding!) Just wanted to let you know that your post has been seen, however I’m in the same boat as you when it comes to technology. I think your computer will handled the last version of Aperture which I am still using, awaiting the arrival of M.L. You will receive a reply shortly I’m sure from some of the more Techie members!
I'd much rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
Shawn,
Welcome back to Aperture.
For compatibility with Mountain Lion, check out this article on OXSDaily, as well as the Apple upgrade page.
To be clear, are you getting your old Aperture v1 library back, and upgrading that? You said “upgrade … everything” and if you’re referring to all the rest of the stuff in a Mac, I’d recommend visiting an Apple store and chatting with a Genius for that level of Mac support. However in regards to Aperture, we can certainly guide you through it.
If it’s an Aperture 1 library, I honestly don’t know how that will upgrade. I would like to think that Aperture 3.3 can handle the upgrade going all the way back to v1, but I can’t say that with any experience.
Assuming that it can, then the only thing to do would be to attempt to open this library with Aperture 3, and see what happens. The only real advice I can give there is to ensure that you have another copy of the original library stored elsewhere, so you can attempt the upgrade again should the first one fail.
When it comes to using learning 3 from the ground up, there is a ton of training available on this site. Go to the Store and check out Aperture Training. There is text and video training in a variety of formats, for all learning types and budgets.
And of course there are hundreds of free tips on the front page of this site, and when you have specific questions, this forum is always here.
@PhotoJoseph
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As far as Mountain Lion goes, it will be hard to give you a definitive answer without knowing a little bit more about your machine. If you go to the Apple menu > About this Mac > and click More Info, what does it say for your model number? It should be something like MacBookProX,Y. My guess is that you’ll be able to run mountain lion fine, but without that info I can’t say for sure.
For Aperture, here’s what I would do:
Once you get a copy of your older library, make a second copy for yourself and keep it somewhere safe. Then upgrade to the latest version of Aperture. If you’re on Snow Leopard, that’s going to be 3.2.3*, rather than the current 3.3.1. If you open your Aperture v1 library in Aperture 3, then it will ask you to upgrade the library to the current format and should handle everything just fine. Once you have a library in the new version of Aperture, you can backup that library by using the Vault, or any other backup program.
Right now, the problem is going to be getting Aperture 3.2 because currently, they don’t sell older versions on the App Store. Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way to get an older version. I would probably wait a week or two and try the upgrade to mountain Lion (if you can) and then upgrade Aperture at the same time. We should know soon when Mountain Lion is coming out.
Ok, everybody, thanks so much for your helpful replies. In answer to your question Michael, I have a Macbook7,1. Is that good or bad? Could someone please just very basically walk me through HOW one goes about getting a copy of my library. Is it just a matter of clicking and dragging into an external HD? And yes, Joseph,I am planning on getting the old library and upgrading it. I want my babies’ pictures back for sure. Ok now I’m going to check those links.
Shawn,
The easiest way to get your library will be to plug a hard drive into the other Mac, and copy the Aperture Library to that drive, then copy it from that drive to your new Mac.
It will most likely be in your Pictures folder, and be called simply “Aperture Library”.
You were most likely working managed, meaning that all the original photos are contained inside of the Aperture library. You’ll know once you open the Library on the new Mac; if all the photos are adjustable (meaning you can apply adjustments), then you have your originals intact. If however it says something like “offline images can’t be adjusted”, then your masters lived elsewhere. But let’s cross that bridge if we come to it.
@PhotoJoseph
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