If you haven’t already noticed, Aperture 2.1 has just shipped and is available for download via Software Update.

Aperture 2.1 has some really important updates and added features. This isn’t a minor bug fix but a major update to Aperture. First and foremost, Aperture 2.1 includes the hooks for third party edit plugins. In fact Apple has included a sample edit plugin called “Dodge and Burn” which allows you to make selective area adjustments to your images.

To try out the Dodge and Burn tool, once you have done the upgrade to 2.1, go to Images->Edit With and select the Dodge and Burn plugin. This will invoke a specialized dialog box displaying your image and allowing you to use a number of tools to make very subtle dodge and burn effects to any area of the image you desire. When you click save, Aperture will create a new TIFF file with your edits.

As I stated in my last post, this new plugin architecture opens up a new door for third party developers and I am sure we will begin to see all kinds of great and powerful add-ons for Aperture.

I will be blogging more about the new plugin architecture over at Aperture Plugged In very shortly. So stay tuned!

In addition to the new plugin architecture, Aperture 2.1 comes with the following updates and bug fixes. (According to Apple’s press release.)

Aperture 2.1 updates various features of the application and addresses issues related to performance and overall stability. The updates include the following:

• Dodge & Burn Plug-in. A sample plug-in is pre-installed, taking advantage of the Edit API introduced in Aperture 2.0. The plug-in adds brush-based tools for Dodge (Lighten), Burn (Darken), Contrast, Saturation, Sharpen and Blur.
• Customize Default Adjustment Set. You can now specify which adjustments appear by default in the Adjustments Inspector/HUD.
• Updated Crop Tool. A simplified UI makes it easier to preserve an image's original aspect ratio, match the aspect ratio of your display, or use one of the standard preset aspect ratios.
• Sorting in All Projects View. A contextual menu allows you to sort the All Projects view in ascending or descending date order.
• Show on Map. A contextual menu allows you to choose the Show on Map by right-clicking (or Control-clicking) on an image that contains GPS data.
• Access to Toolbar on Second Display. When using multiple displays in Full Screen mode, the Full Screen toolbar is now accessible on a second display.
• "Snapshots" book theme. This additional theme includes new "photo border" frames in which to place images.
• Flip Images. You can now flip images horizontally or vertically within Aperture.
• Vignette. The range of gamma and exposure settings available has been expanded.
• Save Books as JPEG or TIFF images. Automator actions have been added to Save as PDF pop-up menu in the Print Book window to automatically generate JPEG or TIFF images from book pages.
• Update EXIF from Master. This command allows Aperture to reread EXIF from a master images after they have been imported.
• Extended AppleScript support. The "Reveal" verb in the AppleScript dictionary has been extended to include containers such as projects and albums.
The update includes fixes that impact the a number of areas, including:
• Image import
• Image migration
• Erasing memory cards after import
• Quick Preview
• Batch Change
• Auto-stacking
• All Projects view
• Tooltips
• Smart Albums
• Tethering
• Adjustments inspector
• Viewer
• Loupe
• White Balance
• Definition
• Lift & Stamp
• Handling of externally edited images
• Reconnecting referenced files
• Keyboard customization
• Deleting images
• Metadata presets
• Book themes
• Borderless printing
• Web Page/Web Journal export
• Exporting versions
• Export Plug-in support
• AppleScript support
For further information about this update, see Late-Breaking News About Aperture 2, available here
The Aperture 2.1 Update is recommended for all Aperture 2 users.