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The upgrade boasts a streamlined user interface and entirely new image processing engine, as well as new imaging tools for highlight recovery, colour vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and raw fine-tuning.

Users can now navigate between Viewer and Browser modes with a single key command and screen space is maximised for images with an all-in-one heads up display that lets users toggle between library, metadata and adjustment controls in a single tabbed inspector. The All Projects view, modeled after iPhoto's Events, 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 improvements, including a redesigned database structure, mean faster importing, browsing and searching of large volumes of images, even those

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with more than half a million images, Apple says. Embedded previews let users caption, keyword and rate images as they are being imported, and images can now be exported to JPEG, TIFF, PNG and PSD file formats in the background. And Quick Preview allows users to browse raw images without having to wait for files to load.

New tools 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 removing blemishes, cleaning up sensor dust and cloning away problem areas.

Aperture 2 has been built to work seamlessly with Mac OS X, iLife, iWork, .Mac and Apple print products, so any image in the Aperture library can be accessed directly from within other applications, such as iMovie, Keynote and Pages, and from within Leopard Mail. Users can now post portfolios onto a .Mac Web Gallery for viewing on the web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV and order books with new theme designs, layout tools, customised dust jackets with full-bleed, and foil stamped covers.

For more information see apple.com/aperture.

UPDATE: Aperture 2 costs £129 (inc. VAT); owners of previous versions of Aperture can upgrade for £65 (inc. VAT).