Summary: Want to get back Aperture app on your macOS? Or looking for ways to recover lost Aperture photos? This post addresses all your problems related to Aperture app recovery. It will guide you on how get Aperture app photos in macOS Big Sur/ Catalina. Also, recover photos from Aperture, just in case they are lost or deleted due to any reason.
Aperture was discontinued by Apple after macOS Mojave. The withdrawal came as a shock for many users, especially the photographers. The photo organizer app was hailed for its extremely user-friendly workflow. Although Apple did try to amp up the features with the launch of Photos app in the new macOS versions, it doesn’t often meet the users’ expectations. A majority of them want to do Aperture recovery on their macOS.
Addressing the issue, this post will guide you on how to do Aperture recovery in macOS Big Sur/ Catalina. In addition, know how to recover photos from Aperture, if lost after macOS upgrade or deleted due to some reason.
Part 1. Migrate Aperture Libraries to Photos app in new macOS
Part 2. Use Aperture app on the latest macOS
Part 3: Recover deleted photos from Aperture on macOS
Contents
You can get your photos from Aperture on new macOS by migrating Aperture libraries to Photos app.
Steps: How to migrate Aperture library to Photos app when you are using macOS Mojave or below version:
There are other apps as well to which you can migrate Aperture Library, such as Lightroom Classic. Your Aperture library’s photo organization, edits, and metadata are not disturbed on migration. However, RAW files are imported without your Aperture edits. And, Custom metadata and Smart Albums are not imported to Lightroom.
Get Retroactive app for Aperture Recovery on macOS Big Sur or Catalina. Hosted on Github, Retroactive software can bring back Aperture on the new macOS. It is an open-source free app by a developer, Tyshawn Cormier that can unlock the apps stopped by Apple.
Retroactive modifies the codes to sync Aperture with the latest macOS Catalina or Big Sur. The complete installation process takes about a few minutes.
Steps: How to recover Aperture using Retroactive app
Although Aperture starts to run as normal on macOS, but with some limitations. You can’t play and import videos. Plus, exporting slideshows is not possible in Aperture on macOS Catalina or Big Sur.
Note 1: If RAW image files don’t open on Mac in the app, giving error ‘Unsupported Image Format’, reprocess them. Open the ‘Photos’ menu and select ‘Reprocess original’. You will be able to view all the photos in Aperture.
Note 2: If Aperture can’t render JPEG photos after macOS Catalina 10.15.7 update and photos are greyed out, reinstall Catalina. In addition, install Catalina Security Update 2021-003. This should recover photos in Aperture on Mac.
Use a photo recovery software if you have deleted or lost files from Aperture on Mac. Although deleted, your pictures and videos may still be present in the Macintosh drive.
Recommended here is a smart Stellar Photo Recovery tool for macOS. The software can retrieve JPEG, RAW, TIFF, MP4, MOV, and other files on Mac in most data loss situations, including accidental deletion, formatting, photos lost after macOS upgrade, etc.
You can use Stellar Photo Recovery to restore photos in macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, El Capitan, and Yosemite.
Steps: How to recover photos from Aperture using macOS photo recovery software
Step 1: Download Stellar Photo Recovery on Mac.
Step 2: Select Photos in the ‘Select What to Recover’ screen.
Step 3: Select the location from where you lost/ deleted photos. Toggle ‘Deep Scan’ at the bottom. Click Scan.
Step 4: Preview recoverable photos and click Recover.
If Aperture photos are missing or deleted after macOS upgrade or other reasons, look for them in Time Machine backup. It’s the simplest way to recover photos in Aperture on Mac. You can restore complete Aperture library from Time Machine.
If you are moving to the latest macOS, migrate your Aperture Library to Photos app. You can migrate complete projects and access them in Photos app on macOS Big Sur or Catalina.
In case you decide to stay away from the Photos app and instead use Aperture on your new macOS, get a Retroactive software to restore Aperture.
However, in any situation of loss of files due to transfer, macOS update, or malware attack, you can recover photos from Aperture using a Stellar Photo Recovery software. It’s advisable to go for the free trial of the software to be assured if it can restore lost Aperture pictures from your Mac.
Nishat Paiker is an expert technical writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. She has deep knowledge about data recovery and loves to explore new technology and DIY tools. Nishat has keen interest in photography. You will often find her giving photography tips and hacks.
