Last Updated:- 3rd February 2023.
The Color Creator is one of the more underrated functions from Olympus. The article was written to give M43 photographers a new perspective on this unique function. The Color Creator multitasks as an innovative tool to adjust the color and ambiance of our photos while teaching us more about color and creative techniques. For example, the Enhanced Raw Format makes it possible to use the Color Creator in the field and keep or deselect it in Workspace.
The Color Creator and Color Adjust tools are unique to Olympus and give us a broader range of color and creative options. I appreciated the uniqueness of these features when I realized how much Fuji photographers do with less. More about this in a future article.
Try the following exercise with your Color Creator.
Select a similar image from your collection and recreate the above color and ambiance for your photo. Use a raw image because the Color Creator is unavailable for jpegs. Open the raw file in Workspace and select the Color Creator from the Picture Mode menu. The Color Creator was available for all 16MP and 20MP (OM-D and PEN) cameras from Olympus.
Start by identifying the colors in your image when it's your first time. Use the Adjust Color function to find the colors. Move the mouse over the image and follow the highlighted colors on the color sliders (below). The colors below the mouse pointer will be highlighted on the color sliders.
I found yellow and blue with the above method and selected yellow for the opening example. Be aware of creating color casts with colors not found in the photo. That said, the Color Creator is good for removing color casts. Photographers might also prefer specific color effects.
This is an example of using blue (the opposite of yellow)
A brief explanation of the Olympus Color Creator
The Color Creator is my go-to function for color creations, and I prefer the Adjust Color tool for Color Grading or Profiles. The conditions for the above image were a late afternoon sundown scene. It's good to practice selecting the best time of day and photo opportunities for the Color Creator. The next step in the above example was to "create" orange with the Color Creator.
The above illustration shows the Color Creator (CC) to the right and the Color Wheel (left). The colors in the Color Wheel mimic the colors in the Color Creator. The primary colors are RGB in the Color Wheel. It helps to keep a copy of the color wheel on your phone.
A basic explanation of how the Color Creator works.
Summary notes for the Color Creator (CC):-
- Always divide the CC into 2 halves, the Color Pointer half and opposite colors.
- Focus on the colors below and opposite the color pointer when turning it.
- The vivid "slider" creates color while the opposite side desaturates the colors.
- The image changes to B&W (desaturate) when the vivid slider is in the center.
- Except for the B&W cases, the colors to the left/right are impacted the least.
Pen-F with the 17mm f1.8 - ISO200, f5.0, 1/1000 - Color Creator (11:0) - Opposite colors with the greens desaturated.
The Color Creator is good for creating positive reactions from your audience. Regular practice and hands-on experience are essential for having good results with the Color Creator. This video talks about color harmonies and how they are used to change the mood of the audience.
We can change the Color Creator settings with the Enhanced Raw Format. Activate the Color Creator in WorkSpace to see the color effects you created in the field? See my article on the Enhanced Raw Format and how to activate your camera settings in Workspace.
Example 1 (Workspace, Color Creator, and layers in Photoshop)
- I targetted orange/red to simulate an analog film look with Workspace
- I use the Color Creator and Color Filters at the same time in Workspace
- I exported the image to Photoshop and applied Soft Blending in Layers
Olympus Pen F with 9-18mm f4-5.6 lens, ISO200, 1/1250, f5.6
Example 2
- Color Creator, Highlights/Shadows, Tone Curves, and PS
- I targetted magenta with +1 Vivid in the Color Creator
- I used a Soft Look ART filter to create the soft ambiance
- I used layers and blending modes to add a little definition
- See my main Workspace adjustments below the image
Olympus EM1 II with 35-100m f2.8 Lumix - ISO200, f2.8, 1/800
Example 3
- Pop ART Filter, Color Creator, and Color Filters
- See my Workspace settings below the image
- I used photoshop and Blending Modes
Olympus Pen F with 12mm f2.0 Lens - ISO800, f4.5, 1/80
Example 4
This is an example of editing two Enhanced Raw Files with Workspace. How does one target colors in Workspace? Start by identifying the colors and opposite colors in the image. Focus on them and use the Color Creator to create color and ambiance effects. Use the Tone Curves function in Workspace as a curves function or complimentary colors to the Color Creator. A third level of augmenting the Color Creator is the WB Presets. All these benefits from gaining more experience...
The two examples below demonstrate the power of the Color Creator.
The first raw image
The second raw image
The above example is interesting because I purposely increased the vividness to highlight the colors in the scene. I do not typically saturate colors this much. I had to adjust the sky because the Color Creator desaturated the blues (the opposite color). I used my "WB Preset" to correct the blues. This technique of combining two functions makes Workspace more interesting.
Example 5
- This example uses multiple filters in Workspace
- Practice with opposite colors and color harmonies
- I started with the Instant Film ART Filter because I wanted a film look
- I used opposite colors and color harmonies with my different filter settings
- See my editing steps and the different filters I used in WS for this image
What do we learn from the above examples?
- Work with colors found in the scene or the image
- It's good to use harmonizing colors - See this article
- The concept of working with opposite colors is key
- Practice using multiple color functions in Workspace
Additional editing steps:-
- I adjusted my final contrast with the highlights/shadows (curves) function.
- ART Filters work great with the Color Creator and Highlights/Shadows
- I use the Unmask Filter in Workspace or Smart Sharpen in Photoshop
- I often do my final brightness, contrast, and cropping in Photoshop
The Color Creator is a creative tool. Use it as often as possible in the field. Also, practice with the Color Creator in WorkSpace, and try the Color Creator with WB (Preset) combinations.
Additional reading:-
There is a general misunderstanding about iEnhance in Picture Mode. Search for more information if you haven't. Olympus added its most advanced imaging technologies into the iEnhanced Picture Mode. It has three intensity levels with instantaneous benefits for the camera and Workspace
Olympus Pen F with 75-300mm Lens - ISO200, f6.7, 1/400 (Raw edited with PhotoLab 4 & PS)
