Open Aperture for the first time

The first time you open Aperture, a Welcome to Aperture screen presents you with two options, provided you have an iPhoto library:

  • Update and begin using your existing iPhoto library.

  • Start with a new, empty Aperture library and begin importing photos.

Important: Aperture can only open iPhoto libraries upgraded to iPhoto 9.3 or later. To upgrade your iPhoto library, open it in iPhoto 9.3 or later.

Open Aperture for the first time

  1. In the Applications folder in the Finder, double-click the Aperture icon.

    The Welcome to Aperture screen appears.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To update your iPhoto library and begin working with it in Aperture: Click the Update iPhoto button.

      After iPhoto is updated to the latest version, open your iPhoto library so that it is upgraded to the latest version as well. When the upgrade is complete, close iPhoto and open Aperture. The contents of your iPhoto library appear in the Library inspector in Aperture. For more information, see Library inspector overview.

    • To open a new, empty Aperture library: Click the Create New button.

      Aperture opens a new, empty Aperture library, and you can begin importing photos immediately. For more information, see Importing photos overview.

Tip: To set Aperture to use the keyboard shortcuts you’re familiar with using in iPhoto, choose Aperture > Commands > iPhoto, and choose your language. For more information, see Customizing keyboard shortcuts overview.