Overdue Review: Aperture 2

I'm a huge fan of Apple's iLife suite, and as a longtime user of iPhoto, I wanted something along those lines when I started doing more serious photography.  iPhoto worked for some stuff (and it's gotten more powerful), but I needed something professional grade.  I first used Aperture when it was originally released at version 1.  At the time, I didn't feel quite comfortable, and the interface wasn't intuitive enough for me.  I moved on and tried other solutions, such as Lightroom, never really finding what I wanted.  With the release of Aperture 2, I decided to give it a more serious go, making myself sit down with some tutorials.  Aperture 2 was a big step up from 1 for me.  I'm very comfortable using it, the interface makes sense, and the tools are powerful.  Adjustments are a snap, the stacks work very well for organization, and importing couldn't be easier.  I quickly learned to take command of even the most difficult of tasks, and I'm still learning more every time I use the program.  As with most professional photography programs, all edits are reversible, and the original is never changed.  Aperture also supports 3rd party plugins, which greatly extends it's ability.  You can also create dynamic web galleries with MobileMe.  I have a feeling that most Mac photographers out there are already using (or have at least tried) Aperture, so I won't make an appeal for you to do so unless you haven't already.  With a free trial, there's nothing to lose.  Aperture costs $199 (or $99 for upgrading from Aperture 1).  www.Apple.com/Aperture