Apple today released Aperture 2, the second generation of its Photoshop alternative.

Aperture 2 adds over 100 new features, including:

• A streamlined user interface;
• New imaging tools for highlight recovery, color vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and RAW fine-tuning;
• Directly post portfolios on the .Mac Web Gallery;
• Export photos to Flickr, SmugMug, Gallery, Zenfolio, or Picasa.
• Sync directly to iPhone, iPod, or Apple TV.
• Show the location of your photos on Google Maps if your camera embeds GPS data.
• Access your entire iPhoto library, directly in Aperture 2.

Aperture also has a new lower price – $199. This could put a lot of pressure on Adobe.

Details:

Featuring a new, easier user interface designed to be more intuitive and accessible, Aperture 2 now lets users navigate between Viewer and Browser modes with a single key command.

Screen real estate is maximized for images with an all-in-one heads up display that allows users to toggle between library, metadata and adjustment controls in a single tabbed inspector. The All Projects view, modeled after iPhoto���s Events view, provides a poster photo for every project and the ability to quickly skim through the photos inside, and the integrated iPhoto Browser offers direct access to all the events and images in the iPhoto library.

Performance has been enhanced in Aperture 2 so it���s faster to import, browse and search large volumes of images. Embedded previews let photographers caption, keyword and rate images as they are being imported, and with the ability to export images in the background, photographers can continue working while images are processed to JPEG, TIFF, PNG and PSD file formats.

Quick Preview allows users to browse RAW images in rapid succession without having to wait for files to load, and the Aperture library database has been re-architected to provide fast project switching and near instantaneous search results, even when working with extremely large libraries of 500,000 images or more.

New tools for improving and enhancing images include Recovery for pulling back ���blown��� highlights, Vibrancy for selectively boosting saturation without adversely affecting skin tones, Definition, which offers local contrast for adding clarity to images, Vignette & Devignette filters for providing professional visual effects and a true soft-edged Repair and Retouch brush for quickly and easily removing blemishes, cleaning up sensor dust and cloning away problem areas.

Pricing & Availability

Aperture 2 is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) through the Apple Store.