Apple Releases Aperture 3.0.2, iMovie 8.0.6

Apple’s Support Downloads area has been updated with two new maintenance releases for Aperture 3 and iMovie ‘09. The updates, also available via the automatic Software Update mechanism, are recommended for all Aperture and iLife ‘09 users, as they improve the overall stability and reliability of the programs. Read on for the full scoop.

Aperture 3.0.2 marks Apple’s second attempt to fix some of the issues plaguing Aperture 3, the newest version of Apple’s professional photography software for Mac users. “This update improves overall stability and fixes issues in a number of areas,” the company stresses on its website. It goes to mention the key areas that this update addresses, listing them as follows:

- Upgrading Aperture 1.x and 2.x libraries;
- Importing libraries from iPhoto or from earlier versions of Aperture;
- Importing hierarchical folders of photos into a library;
- Adding names and confirming matches in Faces;
- Reordering snapshots on the Faces corkboard;
- Creating and saving print presets;
- Duplicating metadata presets;
- Adjustments using Curves, Straighten and Retouching;
- Navigation of photos in the Viewer using scrolling;
- Importing ratings, color labels and GPS data from XMP sidecar files;
- IPTC metadata compatibility;
- Deleting photos when emptying the Aperture Trash;
- Exporting versions and libraries.

Recommended for all users of Aperture 3, update 3.0.2 is 69.83 MB in size and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard) and Mac OS X 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard). Additional information on this release is provided by Apple over at its Support area, where a knowledge base article lists the entire set of changes delivered in this update.

Download Aperture 3 Update (Free)

Apple’s second recent update, iMovie 8.0.6, is a tad lighter, in terms of changes, as it only improves reliability when working with videos from Aperture. As with the former update, this release is recommended for all users of iMovie ‘09, and requires at least Mac OS X version 10.5.6 (Leopard). In terms of file size, iMovie 8.0.6 is also slimmer, weighing in at just 35.84 MB. No additional documentation is provided for this release.