Basic components of aperture, What are digital master files, P. 72) – Apple Aperture User Manual
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Basic Components of Aperture
Aperture uses the following basic components in your image management system:
 Digital master files: The original image files imported from your camera, memory
card, computer, or external storage media.
 Versions: Files derived from the digital master files and used to display your images
with any changes you’ve made, including image adjustments or changes to metadata.
 Projects: Containers that hold digital master files, versions, and albums. Projects
can hold up to 10,000 digital master files, although it’s recommended that for
practical usage, you limit the number of files (both digital master files and versions)
below 10,000.
 Albums: Containers that hold versions. You can create albums to organize images
within projects or outside of them.
 Folders: Containers used to organize projects and albums.
 Library: The Aperture database that records and tracks your digital master files and
all corresponding versions. You can also create multiple Aperture Library files in
different locations. The Library tracks all the information about projects and albums
you create to organize your images.
 Managed and referenced images: Master files stored in the Aperture Library are called
managed images because Aperture manages the location of the images in its database.
Managed images are physically located in the Aperture Library file in the Pictures
folder. You can also import images into Aperture without storing the digital master files
in the Library. Images that are not stored in the Library file are called referenced images.
Aperture links to referenced images in their current locations on your hard disk,
without placing them in the Aperture Library file.
 Vaults: Containers that each hold a backup of the Library and all its images
and information.
The next sections explain details about each of these elements and how you work with
them in Aperture.
What Are Digital Master Files?
A digital master file is the original RAW, JPEG, TIFF, or PNG file that was imported into
Aperture from your camera, a memory card, a computer, or external storage media
such as an external hard disk drive or CD. Aperture never changes the master file, so
you always have originals to work from.
Important:
Digital master files—especially RAW files—tend to be quite large. Projects
consisting of several thousand digital master files require high-capacity hard disks.
For information about importing your digital master files, see Chapter 4, “