Apple’s photo editing software, Aperture will stop working on your Apple Mac after Mojave. Apple made the announcement on an Apple support page on April 29, 2019. 

Apple stopped the development of Aperture in 2014, but users have been able to continue using the software. However, since 2014, the Mac operating system has undergone many updates and can now no longer support Aperture once the current version of the operating system is updated. Therefore, Aperture will stop working in September when the expected update to Mojave is released.

If you are a Mac user who still uses Aperture to edit and catalogue your photographs, you have three choices:

  1. Do not update your MacOS beyond Mojave 10.14. Ignoring updates to your operating system is too desperate and a reckless option. You should always keep your operating system up to date for security reasons;
  2. Migrate your Aperture library to the Photos app that comes bundled with the MacOS;
  3. Migrate your Aperture library to Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. 

It is no secret that the Photos app included in the MacOS is not up to the task of proficient image manipulation in the way Aperture is, or was. So, if you need a suitable replacement for Apple’s Aperture, you are left with little choice but to migrate your library to Adobe Lightroom Classic CC.

Migrate Your Aperture Library to Lightroom Classic CC

Both Apple and Adobe have made it easy for you to migrate your Aperture library into Lightroom. If you have the latest version of Lightroom Classic CC, you can migrate your Aperture library by:

  1. In Lightroom Classic CC, choose File > Plug-In Extras;
  2. Select either Import from iPhoto Library or Import from Aperture Library;
  3. Your iPhoto or Aperture library will be automatically detected. You have the option to select a different library, if applicable. Your images will be copied to a new location. A default location is listed, but you have the option to choose a different folder.Additional options are available for how Lightroom Classic CC will work with available previews, keywords, colour labels, and stacks.

For more detailed instruction, see “You can import your Apple iPhoto and Aperture libraries into your Lightroom Classic CC catalog. Here’s how.” on the Adobe support page.

Migrating your Aperture library to Adobe Lightroom Classis CC does mean that you will be required to sign up to the Adobe subscription service. I know there are a lot of photographers who dislike the idea of having to pay a monthly subscription to use the software, but I think it represents fantastic value. The Photography subscription is £9.98 inclusive of VAT per month. For that you get:

  • Lightroom Classic CC;
  • Lightroom CC;
  • Photoshop CC;
  • 20GB of storage space.

Conclusion

There is a reason why Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are the industry standards; the software is magnificent. It’s not perfect, but it is the best.

If you are serious about your photography, and you are still using Aperture as your primary software for editing and cataloguing images, I would recommend that you migrate over to Adobe Lightroom quickly.