Aperture Tutorial: Tethered Workflow
By Jonathan Briggs
The ability to see your pictures on the fly as a shoot gathers pace is the ultimate advantage of a tethered set-up. Aperture can be tethered to your camera and you can create a simple workflow that will import pictures into an Aperture project in real time, leaving you free from flash cards and camera displays.
Furthermore, the set-up procedure is quick and easy. And if you happen to see that candid shot but can’t make it back to the lens in time, the camera can be fired from your laptop, too. Jonathan Briggs takes you through a simple workflow to get your pictures flowing directly into Aperture.
Step 1: Download Aperture Hot Folder v1.1, a free script that runs quietly in the background on your Mac. It can be found at www.automator.us/aperture. Simply move the app to a suitable place on your hard drive then drop it into the Dock — this will ensure that you have easy access to it when you’re working within Aperture.
Step 2: The function of the Aperture Hot Folder application is to keep an eye on the contents of the folder on your Mac that you have specified as your image download location. As soon as a new file is added to that folder, the script senses its presence and sends the file to a chosen location in Aperture. Once you’ve set up this process, it simply runs in the background whilst you’re shooting — leaving you free to do what you do best.
Step 3: Even if you’re already working within Aperture, you don’t need to stop what you’re doing to set up tethered shooting. Just double-click the icon in the Dock then press Continue to make the program active. It will remain active in the background until you quit it, just like any other application. You now need to make the app communicate with Aperture in the desired fashion. So create a new folder which will house all the images from your tethered camera. It makes sense to give this folder an obvious name to avoid any confusion in the future. Note that this workflow will result in the files that are imported from your camera being present on your Mac in two different locations: the Aperture Library and your specified download folder.
However, once the Hot Folder program has sent these files into Aperture, there’s no need to maintain this duplicate set — assuming that you use Aperture’s Vaults to backup your images.
Step 4: Next, you’re asked how the Script should interact with Aperture. Select New to create an individual project in Aperture for the files coming in from this shooting session, give it a name and this will now appear in your Aperture Projects list. The set-up is now complete and the script will run in the background in this form until you quit it.
Step 5: On the other hand, if you wish to add images to a project that already exists in Aperture, select Existing and a list of your existing Aperture Projects will appear, select from this list and once again you’re done with this part of the set-up process.
Jonathan Briggs is a former MD of The Association of Photographers (AOP). Now a director of Magic Bean — a company set up to offer technical training and event logistics for companies working within the creative industry — Briggs has over ten years’ experience working with Macs and associated software across the design, imaging and photographic sectors. This series of guides offers a real-world user perspective on how you can get the most out of Aperture.
The images seen here are by fashion and sports photographer Mark Newton, shot on location using a Canon EOS-1Ds Mk II tethered to Aperture running on a MacBook Pro. Newton works for international brands such as Speedo, Fila, Timberland and New Balance, focusing on sports, swimwear and lifestyle advertising campaigns. He is also involved in editorial projects with the world’s top swimmers and striking fashion-based projects. To find out more about how Mark Newton uses the Mac and Aperture, 