Aperture import plugin now available

As promised in a blog post here, we are proud to introduce the Aperture and iPhoto import plugin for Lightroom 5.  The plugin allows Aperture and iPhoto customers to migrate their images and key metadata (such as keywords, events, project structure) into Lightroom catalogs in a seamless way.

For a limited time, Aperture users who subscribe to the Creative Cloud Photography plan get a free 3-month membership to KelbyOne training.  Please visit here for more details

EDIT: The Aperture and iPhoto import plugin is now integrated into Lightroom 5. Please ensure that you are using Lightroom 5.7 or later by using the Help->Check for updates menu option in Lightroom 5.

 

Installation:  There are 2 ways to install the Aperture plugin.

Creative Cloud members – please visit the Adobe Add-ons page here and follow the instructions to install:

  1. Ensure that you’re using Lightroom 5.6.  You can check your Lightroom version by going to Help->System Info inside Lightroom.  If not using Lightroom 5.6, please update to the 5.6.
  2. Close Lightroom.
  3. Click on the Install button on Adobe Add Ons.  This will launch the Creative Cloud Application, which will download and install the plugin.
  4. Launch Lightroom.

Note – if you are unable to install, first try restarting the Creative Cloud application.  If that does not work, then please follow the instructions listed for perpetual customers below.

Lightroom 5 Perpetual Customers – please follow the manual installation instructions below.

note – we’ve updated the plugin below, so please try this one if you reported problems earlier.

  1. Ensure that you’re using Lightroom 5.6.  You can check your Lightroom version by going to Help->System Info inside Lightroom.  If not using Lightroom 5.6, please update to the 5.6.
  2. Download the plugin zip file to a known location (such as your desktop)
  3. Double click on the downloaded zip file to extract it.
  4. Navigate to the Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom folder.  To do so, use the Go menu item within Finder.  Please note that the Library folder is hidden by default and that you will need to hold down the Option/Alt key to make it visible.
  5. Check to see if there is a Modules folder.  If not, please create this folder.
  6. Copy the extracted aperture_iphoto_importer.lrplugin file to the Modules folder.
  7. Start Lightroom.

Download link ->  aperture_iphoto_importer v1.0.1

Updated Download link -> here

Usage

1.  Open the Plugin

For Aperture Customers:  click on File -> Plugin Extras -> Import from Aperture Library

For iPhoto Customers:  Click on File -> Plugin Extras -> Import from iPhoto Library

2.  Verify that the Library location is correct.

3.  Click on the “Options” button to see additional Options.  Here you can select the options that work best with your personal setup.

4.  Hit the Import button.

Expected Behavior

The Aperture/iPhoto plug-in is expected to import the following data from an Aperture or iPhoto library into a Lightroom Catalog:

  • Flags
  • Star Ratings
  • Keywords
  • GPS Data
  • Faces (face naming tags are mapped to keywords)
  • Rejects (files designated as Rejects in Aperture will be imported into Collections > From Aperture > Photos Rejected in Aperture)
  • Hidden Files (files designated as Hidden in iPhoto will be imported into Collections > From iPhoto > Photos Hidden in iPhoto)
  • Color Labels (Aperture Only – Color Labels are mapped to keywords: Red, Orange, etc…, including support for custom label names)
  • Stacking (Aperture Only – Stacks information is mapped to keywords: Aperture Stack 1, Aperture Stack 2, etc…)
  • Aperture project/folder/album hierarchy will be mapped as closely as possible into Lightroom collection sets and collections
  • iPhoto events/folders/albums will be mapped as closely as possible into Lightroom collection sets and collections
  • Import ‘Full size’ previews from Aperture/iPhoto (optional, off by default), provided that they are up-to-date
  • Aperture ‘Versions’ will translate into Virtual Copies in Lightroom (without adjustments)
  • Metadata that can be entered in the ‘Info’ panel in Aperture

Information that is not imported into Lightroom:

  • Image adjustments
  • Smart Albums
  • Face Tag Region of Interest (face naming tags are mapped to keywords)
  • Color Labels (other than optionally as keywords)
  • Stacks (other than optionally as keywords)
  • Any kind of creation (books, web galleries, etc) other than the collections that correspond to them

 

Thanks and looking forward to the feedback!