A man sits against a lovely vintage car with his dog in the grass on a sunny day.
Image taken and edited by Tyler Nutter with Aphera.

We’ve not been precious about beta users sharing online. They’re doing it, unprompted (though we are encouraged and happy that they are).

Our goal is to be a warm hug for a wide spectrum of photographers. Aphera should be approachable to those getting their first proper camera, those who have dabbled and are returning to shooting RAW, and those like us who have been capturing for decades but are just weary of the behemoth apps and workflows.

Jen 🧶🏃🏼‍♀️🧗🏼‍♀️🏕️🧳 @jenschuetz

I am by no means an expert on color grading or photo manipulation, but I quite like how these images turned out by using @aphera. It's fun revisiting old photos that just sat on a hard drive.

January 2022, Table Top Wilderness, Arizona

#photography

Jen 🧶🏃🏼‍♀️🧗🏼‍♀️🏕️🧳 on Mastodon
Jen 🧶🏃🏼‍♀️🧗🏼‍♀️🏕️🧳 @jenschuetz

As a quitter of Lightroom due to its bulk and sluggishness, using @aphera is so refreshing. I use the minimal level of tools and spend a fraction of the time futzing to get wonderful results.

I may need to get a proper camera yet again.

Mojave Desert, California, January 2022

#photography

Jen 🧶🏃🏼‍♀️🧗🏼‍♀️🏕️🧳 on Mastodon
Jackson Hayes @jacksonhayes

Gotta say, this @aphera app is pretty great.

Jackson Hayes on Mastodon
Colin Devroe @cdevroe

I'm digging the editing workflow in the @aphera beta. This was my first time using the app and I was able to find my way pretty quickly. Here are three quick example edits; two from Virgina and one from Oregon.

#photography

Colin Devroe on Mastodon
ru @rudantu

dark

editing w @aphera

ru on Mastodon
ru @rudantu

Comparing 'just-imported' RAW interpretation - Aphera, Darktable, Lightroom (Adobe Color, Fujifilm Provia) head to head.

Aphera feels quite good with basic balancing alone. Darktable gets there, if you play with the AGX module a bit. Adobe Color always feels washed out and gray, esp in lower saturation areas. Fujifilm sims tend to feel too sweet/artificial, primaries too bright, reds too pink. @aphera @darktable@photog.social

ru on Mastodon
Jason Santa Maria @jasonsantamaria

I’ve really been enjoying playing with @aphera while also using a borrowed Fujifilm X100V. My photos aren’t anything special, but it’s nice to knock some rust off.

Aphera is sitting in the sweet spot for me. Capable and customizable under the hood, while also really quick for mild processing (not my strong suit). It’s really damn refreshing!

Jason Santa Maria on Mastodon

Building

It continues! We’ve gotten some great feedback that’s really helped frame where an app like ours sits. We’ve got opinions on how things can be, and should be, but realize that many are entrenched by Lightroom and its behaviors. We hope to be a soft landing for LR users.

Looking at the compiled feedback from our beta users is thankfully in line with the decisions we are making, and helps push decisions we haven’t made yet. User feedback is clarifying in a way that can never be underestimated.

You also need good testers! We’re fortunate to have them.