Here's what to expect from Apple's new Photos app coming to the Mac

Apple announced a few months ago that it would halt production on Aperture and iPhoto, two of its most well-known photography programs, in favor of its new Photos app. The app isn't available just yet, but we're seeing the first wave of previews begin to surface.

The new Photos app is made to look and feel a lot more like the camera roll on your iPhone. Here are a few early impressions so far:

• Yahoo Tech's David Pogue says the app is clean and easy to navigate. The best feature, according to Pogue, is Apple's iCloud Photo Library, which automatically syncs your entire photo library in real time across all of your Apple gadgets.
• There are a few things you'll have to be willing to give up if you're switing from iPhoto or Apterture, as Pogue notes. You won't be able to sort albums by keywords, titles or ratings, and flags and star ratings are also missing.
• If you love adjusting every nitty-gritty setting in Aperture, you won't get the same level of customization with the new Photos app, as The Verge points out. It is, however, much more lightweight and similar to iOS that iPhoto and Aperture. It has all the same filters, effects, and controls you'll find in the iOS app.
• There's also a new feature that lets you sort between speciality videos, such as those taken in panoramic or timelapse mode, when viewing photos and videos on your Mac.
• Apple has also added a new zoomed-out collection view for Years too.

The main takeaway is that Apple is clearly designing its new Photos app to feel more familiar to those who primarily use their iPhones or iPads for photography. We expect to get our hands on it soon, but you can check out in-depth previews from Yahoo, Engadget, and The Verge for now.