Canon T1i Video Edited in Aperture 3

When Apple enabled video trimming in Aperture 3, my guess is they wanted to enhance the Slideshow module. And that they did. You can now combine still images, video, and separate audio tracks to create beautiful productions.

After playing with this module for a few hours, however, my message to Apple is that I would prefer even more video functionality (yeah, I know). But quite honestly, the task I often have at hand is to shoot video, cut it, then upload to YouTube -- as quickly as possible. Incorporating still images and soundtracks are fun, but not the normal project.

This short movie, "Mission St., SF" was captured with a Canon T1i, then imported directly into Aperture 3 for production and export. Click through to YouTube for the HD version.

So if you have your hopes up that there's a mini Final Cut Pro inside of Aperture, you might want to lower your expectations. The video tools are extremely basic. What you can do, however, is useful.

  • Add and manage DSLR video clips in the Aperture library. And thanks to the improved Import dialog box, you can choose which types of files you want to upload.
  • Select the video clips you want to work with, then go to New > Slideshow where you can organize their sequence, add a soundtrack, add title slides, and choose some basic parameters for your presentation.
  • Trim video clips by double clicking on them. This is very important because the one thing that all videos need is editing.
  • Export your production using one of the 5 presets or custom export settings. I used the HD 720 preset for this short movie.

I know it seems odd to use the Slideshow module for your video editing. But I think that's due to Apple's original concept for video management in Aperture. I wouldn't be surprised if up the road we see a dedicated module for handling movies. In the meantime, however, this is a huge addition to Aperture 3. And it will make my life more efficient and productive.

More Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture 3, check out my Aperture 3 Essential Training on Lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Focus Section. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.


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14 Comments

I was seen this video it is really a very nice and cool I am very glad about this things It is very nice functionality for me.

Derrick,

Does the upgrade to A3 imply that you revert back to your 2009 workflow, assuming that you made changes as you mentioned in one of your podcasts some weeks ago?

I think Aperture 3 does bring the bulk of my workflow back through this application. The one difference now, will be I'll continue to use the Referenced Library model instead of the Managed Library as I used in the past. But the ability to handle all of my assets, plus the major improvements in the Import dialog box, really adds up to the best of class.

It finally has a feature set that matches Lightroom, and adds a few features (Face, Places, which iPhoto has had for months). But while it seems to build thumbnails faster, regular functions don't seem any faster, and I don't see Apple claiming significant speed increases either.

I would seriously have preferred access to the non-destructive RAW data so plugins could make changes non-destructively (or have RAW converters as plugins) -- now THAT would have made it best in class.

I have to wonder whether this will gain the app marketshare or just stop the exodus....

My guess is that A3 will reclaim some of the market share it lost over the last year. And it will definitely prevent further exodus for now.

I'm running A3 on a 2.5 GHz MBP with 4 GBs Ram. Snow Leopard, of course.

What I'm seeing is that Apple was able to add all this new functionality without slowing down the application. But I don't see a performance boost either over version 2.

But I must say that I'm using it in the worst possible conditions: on stage, connected to a lousy projector with a bunch of people looking at me. And I'm still having a great time with it.

I have been playing with A3 and so far I feel very impressed. Hopefully the aperture team will have the resources to upgrade the application a little sooner next time. I had started to look at LR3 thinking A3 might never come. I am wondering if we will see a Derrick Story Aperture 3 training At Lynda.com anytime soon? and or a workshop?

I have started trying out A3 now as well. I tried A2 previously but it just could not get me away from LR. A few things.

All that commitment to DNG seems to have screwed me. A3 drops some function using DNGs vs using the full manufacturer RAW files. Specifically some NR stuff. This stinks!

I have had to hack some of my ratings in LR into tags so that I can process that bit of my workflow back into A3. The editing seems nice, but I have to say that I like the end image quality of LR3 better than that of A3.

I love that it can manage video, that is quite awesome.

I think in the end though, I'm still just going to continue to use LR3Beta and move to LR3 at release. Maybe they will surprise us with video management? :D

As a Lightroom user that has always wondered about Aperture then I'm finding the learning curve of Aperture to be much higher than expected. That's not a jab at the software, just a personal feeling after 6hrs of getting dizzy. File management, slow processing, crop/straighten tools etc just feel backwards from this side of the fence.

One thing that I absolutely love (and will hopefully win me over to the Aperture side) is the output options. Slideshows, video/photo projects, books etc are all fantastic and so darn easy.

When I first started using Aperture, there was a definite AhHa moment where everything made sense. You might be able to get to that moment yourself if you take a look at the free videos on the Apple site and on Lynda.com. After that moment, things fall into place.

I will be authoring an extensive Aperture 3 training on Lynda.com, and am planning private workshops at my studio.

Stay tuned...

Just played around with Aperture 3 and some videos I shot today.

What I found odd/interesting is that when one brings up the "Adjustments" pane while a video is selected it says "Audio / Video (Adjustments Disabled)".

The logical question would therefore be: is there a way to turn it on?

Color correction and some exposure correction would be nice to have. Add some trims and it's all one would need.

I've found myself working more with iMovie instead of FCP to assemble quickie slide shows with video. It's painful to incorporate the stills but I can quickly image edit the video - basic things such as color balance, exposure, etc. It even supports cropping.

I wonder if Aperture is using the iMovie editing engine and will incorporate these features.

When I first heard of the release of Aperture 3 I was excited. I waited long for this update to my favorite app. I looked at the system requirements and after seeing that my 2 years old MAC PRO with 4GB of memory met Apple requirements I quickly downloaded and installed it. It has some very nice and impressive new features. Everything I hope for and wanted to help me come back to Aperture. Everything, except one thing... the most important one... performance.

At first glance it seems like it is there. Everything seems to work better and faster until you zoom to 100% or pile up two or three brushes. At least for me, in my 2 yeas old, $4k MAC PRO, Aperture becomes totally useless.

Maybe if I buy a new MAC PRO... but wait.. why should I have to give Apple another $4k just to run a $199 software? After all, Adobe has consistently demonstrated in three releases of Lightroom that it can outperform Aperture event in a G4 or G5... Why can Apple get it right? I can run the latest version of Final Cut and Colors in my 2 years old MAC PRO but it cannot run Aperture?

Release after release Apple has demonstrated that they can get the bling in Aperture but cannot get the performance. Sadly, I am done with Aperture.

Awesome job on this video! I just might have to start making a video with my own T1i to experiement.

David, I'm running Aperture 2 on an early-2008 Macbook iwthout problems. Granted, I don't do much work with RAW images or video, but it runs pretty smoothly, except during certain edits.

I find that readers respond very well to Canon T1i Video Edited in Aperture 3 posts that present your personal weaknesses, failings and the gaps in your individual information relatively than those posts the place you come across as figuring out every thing there is to know on a topic. People are attracted to humility and are extra possible to answer it than a post written in a tone of somebody who would possibly harshly reply to their comments.