Apple today released Aperture 1.5, a major update to the all-in-one post production tool for photographers. Aperture 1.5 delivers a powerful new open library, seamless iLife ’06 and iWork ’06 integration, XMP metadata support, powerful new adjustment tools and an export API that makes it easy to extend the Aperture workflow to third party applications and services 

On the one hand, you have the application designed from the ground up to make working with RAW images as easy as working with JPEGs. On the other, you have the fastest, most feature-rich family of Mac computers ever.

Bring Aperture 1.5 and the the new Macs together, and you have the ultimate photographer’s workstation. The ideal systems on which to run the photo workflow application that delivers all the speed you need to work with and manage photos of any type. RAW, JPEG, or TIFF.

With its release, Aperture — enthusiastically adopted by some of the world’s finest professional photographers — set the standard for professional photo management applications. And the latest version, Aperture 1.5, introduces a wide range of new features. They include more flexible photo management options that let you store images wherever you’d like. XMP metadata export. An advanced Color adjustment tool. A new Edge Sharpen tool. Metadata presets that automatically add such critical data as copyright, credit, and captions. New options for the Loupe that make a great tool even better. Adjustment presets. And many other new and enhanced features.

Aperture 1.5 also provides RAW support for more than 50 camera models — from Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, and other leading manufacturers.

Supporting every member of the Mac family, Aperture 1.5 runs on every desktop — from Mac mini to iMac to Mac Pro — and every notebook — including both the MacBook and MacBook Pro. So you can run Aperture at home or in your studio. And you can take all your photos with you on location or to a client’s office. Aperture and the Mac make one unstoppable team.

Like to see how Aperture and the Mac are helping pros bring their best work to light? Then pay a visit to the Aperture Profiles page and see why such pros as Vincent Laforet, Steve Winter, and Bill Frakes have standardized on Aperture and the Mac.

If you’re not using Aperture yet, you can learn more about this groundbreaking photo application on the Aperture Overview page. Those of you already using Aperture should visit the What’s New page to see how much more productive and creative you can be with Aperture 1.5. Of course, you’ll want to download Aperture 1.5 when the free download becomes available later this week.