Who needs more?
OK, I have resolved that Aperture is after all the best compromise today as a foundation of my software toolbox. It takes care of storage, backup, editing, sorting, searching, cataloguing and RAW conversion so well it is enough to justify it already.
I still need PhotoShop, but I realize I use it as a stop gap until Aperture gets what is missing like local adjustments, a more developed print module where I could put arbitrary text on the print, and something usable for spotting. Seriously, that’s all I use PhotoShop for. And maybe when I get the Mac Pro spotting will turn out to be usable in Aperture too.
LightZone is great, but, as said before, using two external editors with Aperture is a mess and better avoided. So I’ll stop using it.
Given my PhotoShop usage, I seldom see the point of upgrading to CS3. CS3 will be faster on my Intel Mac but CS is already faster than on my previous 1 Ghz G4 and I never found it too slow. On the Mac Pro I’ll have all the speed I can dream of.
So Aperture and my ancient PhotoShop do it all for me, greatly reducing the software needs.
I wonder if many other photographers out there arrive at the same conclusions and what impact this could have on the photography software market.
