Operation Manual

You can make and store as many complete backups of the library as you wish. If you want
to keep a historical archive of the library, you’ll need to devise a system of storing separate
backups in some regular chronological order.
You set Aperture to back up a copy of the library to a designated storage area called a
vault. For safety and redundancy, use external hard disks to hold your vaults. Aperture
lets you create as many vaults as you deem necessary. For example, you may want to
create one vault on an external hard disk for daily backups and a second vault on another
external hard disk that you keep offsite.
All masters for managed images, all versions, and all metadata, previews, and adjustment
information associated with your images are backed up. The versions, previews, and
metadata associated with referenced masters are also backed up in the vault.
Important: Referenced masters are not backed up in the vault with the library. Because
the masters for referenced images are stored outside of the library, you must manage
the backup and archiving of them yourself.
Although rare, mechanical failures and unexpected damage to your computer system
can occur. And from time to time you may upgrade your equipment and need to move
your portfolio to a new system. Aperture allows you to easily restore the entire Aperture
library from your backup disks onto your computer or a new system. For more information
about restoring images and projects, see Restoring Your Aperture System.
As you add to your photo library, Aperture automatically tracks which files have been
backed up to each vault. When there are image files in the library that are not backed up
in a vault, the Vault Status button appears red. When your vault is up to date, the Vault
Status button for the vault appears black. When you have made image modifications
(such as image adjustments or metadata or keyword changes) that have not yet been
backed up in a vault, the button appears yellow. Aperture does not automatically update
your vaults, but you can update your vaults at any time.
Important: Aperture does not back up your library automatically. You must tell Aperture
to back up your library by either clicking the Update All Vaults button, which creates a
mirror copy of your library on all connected vaults, or clicking the Vault status button for
a vault, which creates a mirror copy of your library on that vault.
Planning Your Backup System
As you begin working with Aperture, it’s important to perform regular backups of your
images. When you import new images from your camera, you should immediately create
a backup so that you have copies safely stored. As you routinely work with Aperture,
creating new image versions and making adjustments, you’ll want to make sure your
work is copied to disk and your backup vaults are up to date.
832 Chapter 26 Backing Up Your Images