Import Import prior Aperture library

[referee]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic version 11.3.1

Operating System

1. macOS 12 Monterey

I try to import the Aperture files on an external hard drive into Lightroom. It was suggested to use "File/Plug-in Extras/Import from Aperture Library" but when I use that feature I locate the Aperture library BUT it is greyed out and cannot be chosen. Currently I cannot even open that file in any manner because of the Aperture program being discontinued. Currently I have no access to any of those files (pictures). How can I import those files? I can see the names but they will not open.

 

[johnbeardy]

Are you able to copy the library onto your computer hard drive, if it's big enough? Might that resolve the problem?

Another thought is that when I got my current Mac with Monterey, I remember a series of permissions messages asking if I wanted LR to have access to Documents or whatever. Could this be causing the plugin, which is much older than Monterey, to regard the EHD as unavailable? Could this be fixed by putting some photos on the EHD and importing them the normal way, triggering any permissions message?

 

[referee]

I have copied the library to my hard drive in a specific folder. Lightroom cannot access that file because it is a Aperture Library. The EHD is available but not the Aperture pictures. I just do not see anyway to access that library to bring into Lightroom. I'm thinking now I may have to go through "Photos" to bring them into that program and then to Lightroom. Photos is at least a Apple program.

 

[johnbeardy]

There's also a program called Avalanche with one version for LR. I've never used it, but importing from Aperture is its raison d'etre so I would expect it to work.

Photos might be a good route. You should also be able to open the Aperture library package in Finder, and then dig down to the photos, but any keywords or other metadata is within the Aperture SQL.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I have copied the library to my hard drive in a specific folder. Lightroom cannot access that file because it is a Aperture Library. The EHD is available but not the Aperture pictures. I just do not see anyway to access that library to bring into Lightroom. I'm thinking now I may have to go through "Photos" to bring them into that program and then to Lightroom. Photos is at least a Apple program.

Lightroom Classic cannot import an Apple Photos library. Avalanche sounds like your best option. Otherwise, you could do everything manually. If you right-click on an Aperture library, you will get a contextual menu with ‘Show Package Contents’. If you choose that, the library will open as a folder, allowing you to manually move the original images out of the package. You can then import these in Lightroom Classic, but it means you will lose all added metadata such as keywords, and you will also not see your Aperture edits.

 

[johnrellis]

It was suggested to use "File/Plug-in Extras/Import from Aperture Library" but when I use that feature I locate the Aperture library BUT it is greyed out and cannot be chosen.

One of many glitches in that plugin: You need to have at least one photo imported in the catalog and at least one photo selected. The bug was reported along with others many years ago but Adobe hasn't addressed any of them.

Even if you get the plugin working, you'll very possibly encounter the other problems: Break your Aperture library into pieces of no more than 5,000 photos each, otherwise the plugin could take days or weeks to finish. The plugin could hang up on "poison" photos with no indication of what went wrong. It may not copy metadata correctly. It won't preserve Aperture edits as LR Develop settings.

Thus, I too recommend using Avalanche for Lightroom (€59, $62). More than a few LR users have reported satisfaction with it. Consider that money as the price of the last Aperture upgrade that Apple never delivered over the last many years.

 

[referee]

I used the program Avalanche and it did convert the pictures in Aperture to Lightroom. There were problems and had to read the entire website to try to fix it. Basically rebooted the program a few times and it did finally work. I GOT MY PICTURES!!