Apple reminds Aperture users of upcoming removal from Mac App Store, impending Photos arrival

Today, Apple sent out an email to Aperture users informing them the program will no longer be available for purchase when Photos, its iPhoto/Aperture replacement program, goes live 'this spring'. 

Apple notes that Aperture will still be functional through OS X Yosemite, its latest operating system, but purchasing won't be an option. To help ease the pain, Apple reminds Aperture users that Photos is now available to try via Apple’s OS X public beta program and will be available in its final form in the coming months. 

The email also informs Aperture users they will be able to seamlessly migrate their Aperture library into Photos -- adjustments, albums, keywords and metadata intact. The migration is one-way only though, so even if you migrate, don't delete your Aperture library until you're confident Photos is right for you. 

For Aperture users still undecided on what platform to head to next, it’s worth noting that Adobe offers a seamless migration from Aperture to Lightroom via plugin. Additionally, you could try out Affinity Photo, a very capable Photoshop alternative -- it’s worth noting though that Affinity Photo lacks any sort of photo management option.

Below is the text of the email sent out by Apple:

Dear Aperture customer,

Last June, we introduced the new Photos apps for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, along with iCloud Photo Library, which lets you safely store all your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere.

When Photos for OS X launches this spring, Aperture will no longer be available for purchase from the Mac App Store. You can continue to use Aperture on OS X Yosemite, but you will not be able to buy additional copies of the app.

You can migrate your Aperture library to Photos for OS X, including your photos, adjustments, albums, and keywords. After migrating, your Aperture library remains intact. However, Aperture and Photos do not share a unified library, so any changes made after the migration will not be shared between the apps.

To learn more about Photos for OS X, click here. If you’re interested in trying the OS X 10.10.3 Public Beta, which includes Photos for OS X, click here.

We thank you for using Aperture and hope you will enjoy the new Photos for OS X app.

Sincerely,

Apple

(via AppleInsider)