Image by Tyler Nutter, edited with Aphera.

This is Formation, the newsletter from Aphera, the upcoming photo editor for Mac. We are really glad you’re here. You get the first scoop on things.

Beta

Thank you to everyone who replied in about getting beta access. It was much more than we imagined! We’re approaching it slow: about 10 people at a time so we’re not overwhelmed with feedback, and can develop a good rapport with our testers. We’ll open it up again to another batch soon.

In the Wild

We’ve not been precious about beta users sharing online. They’re doing it, unprompted (though we are encouraged and happy that they are).

Our goal is to be a warm hug for a wide spectrum of photographers. Aphera should be approachable to those getting their first proper camera, those who have dabbled and are returning to shooting RAW, and those like us who have been capturing for decades but are just weary of the behemoth apps and workflows.

Jen Schuetz:

Jen 🧶🏃🏼‍♀️🧗🏼‍♀️🏕️🧳: "I am by no means an expert on color grading or ph…" - Mastodon

Attached: 4 images I am by no means an expert on color grading or photo manipulation, but I quite like how these images turned out by using @aphera. It's fun revisiting old photos that just sat on a hard drive. January 2022, Table Top Wilderness, Arizona #photography

Jen 🧶🏃🏼‍♀️🧗🏼‍♀️🏕️🧳: "As a quitter of Lightroom due to its bulk and slu…" - Mastodon

Attached: 4 images As a quitter of Lightroom due to its bulk and sluggishness, using @aphera is so refreshing. I use the minimal level of tools and spend a fraction of the time futzing to get wonderful results. I may need to get a proper camera yet again. Mojave Desert, California, January 2022 #photography

Jackson Hayes:

Jackson Hayes: "Gotta say, this @aphera app is pretty great." - Mastodon

Attached: 4 images Gotta say, this @aphera app is pretty great.

Colin Devroe:

Colin Devroe: "I'm digging the editing workflow in the @aphera b…" - Mastodon

Attached: 3 images I'm digging the editing workflow in the @aphera beta. This was my first time using the app and I was able to find my way pretty quickly. Here are three quick example edits; two from Virgina and one from Oregon. #photography

Ruben Dantuma with some comparisons and lovely shots:

ru: "dark editing w @aphera" - Mastodon

Attached: 4 images dark editing w @aphera

ru: "Comparing 'just-imported' RAW interpretation - Ap…" - Mastodon

Attached: 4 images Comparing 'just-imported' RAW interpretation - Aphera, Darktable, Lightroom (Adobe Color, Fujifilm Provia) head to head. Aphera feels quite good with basic balancing alone. Darktable gets there, if you play with the AGX module a bit. Adobe Color always feels washed out and gray, esp in lower saturation areas. Fujifilm sims tend to feel too sweet/artificial, primaries too bright, reds too pink. @aphera @darktable@photog.social

Jason Santa Maria:

Jason Santa Maria: "I’ve really been enjoying playing with @aphera@ma…" - typo.social

Attached: 3 images I’ve really been enjoying playing with @aphera@mastodon.social while also using a borrowed Fujifilm X100V. My photos aren’t anything special, but it’s nice to knock some rust off. Aphera is sitting in the sweet spot for me. Capable and customizable under the hood, while also really quick for mild processing (not my strong suit). It’s really damn refreshing!

Building

It continues! We’ve gotten some great feedback that’s really helped frame where an app like ours sits. We’ve got opinions on how things can be, and should be, but realize that many are entrenched by Lightroom and its behaviors. We hope to be a soft landing for LR users.

Looking at the compiled feedback from our beta users is thankfully in line with the decisions we are making, and helps push decisions we haven’t made yet. User feedback is clarifying in a way that can never be underestimated.

You also need good testers! We’re fortunate to have them.

Kelvin-based White Balance

White balance is now expressed in Kelvin. Kelvin is the actual unit of color temperature, not an abstraction of it. As you may be familiar, tungsten is around 3200K, daylight around 5500K. With real values, you can dial in precise control, with repeatable settings, in a shared language among photographers.

All Exports should now include metadata

We know EXIF data is important to photographers, and we use it in many different ways. We use it to learn, log, and carry context. With newer cameras and Fuji’s compressed formats, getting it right requires real work under the hood. Exports should now reliably include it.

New Camera Support

The Sony a7V currently now has initial support: Lossless Compressed mode is working. We handle camera compatibility with our own system, evaluating thousands of file formats and staying current with the latest LibRaw. And we add patches on top of it. Expect us to be fast when new cameras ship.

Till the next!