A new Creative Color Strategy from Olympus - Part 1

Last update:- 8th March 2025.

Olympus presented a new Range Finder camera during a January 2016 press event. It's interesting to review the M43 communities' reaction versus what we learned about the new Olympus "Creative Color and Computational" strategy that made the Pen F so unique. The M43 community was surprised by the new Creative Dial because they expected a camera with more megapixels, a faster image processor, and more Pro lenses. Let's explore this unique strategy Olympus cemented with the Pen F.

Social media photographers reacted by saying they prefer Photoshop and don't need the Creative Dial or the Creative Color strategy. Looking back at my own experience, my initial barrier was a lack of creative photography and not knowing enough about color. The artist Color Wheel was new to me and I had little experience with Olympus ART filters or using color and monochrome profiles.

The fascinating part is the Pen F became a popular camera. It's sought-after today and used prices are high for a 2016 camera. What are the reasons for its popularity? It's difficult to say whether it's the Creative Dial or unique Color and Monochrome functions. The closest alternative is the E-P7. In fact, the Pen E-P7 is a streamlined version of the Pen F with some exciting improvements.

The revolutionary Olympus PEN F - the camera that separated creative photographers from the rest.

This 6-part series reviews the importance of developing your creative and color skills. I am focussing on the Pen F, E-P7, and Workspace to assist Olympus photographers in exploring the Olympus Creative Color strategy. The current update to this 6-part series is 7 years after the first iteration in January 2018. My experience with Creative Color techniques improved over the past 5 years as it became part of my daily photography with Olympus Pen F, E-P7, OMD cameras, and Workspace.

Here is a list of the other articles in this six-part series:

• A new Creative Color Strategy from Olympus - Part 1
• Digital Cameras, WB, and Color Accuracy - Part 2
• Artist Color Wheel and Olympus Color - Part 3
• Discussing Olympus' Color Profile Function - Part 4
• Examples of Editing Images with WorkSpace - Part 5
• Color and Creative Photography with Olympus - Part 6

Would you say the Olympus Pen-F and E-P7 are popular cameras, or will they only become a faint memory? The Pen-F was a success judging by its popularity and the high prices enthusiasts are paying. My articles about Creative Color and Computational Photography are my most-read articles.

See this article discussing the Olympus Color Creator.

Olympus Color Creator

Some reviewers praised the PEN-F with comments like a "Gold Award Product, Great Product, Editors Choice, Remarkable, Great Design, and Retro Design." Other reviewers evaluated the Pen-F through the lens of "must-have" marketing "filters" like sensor size, image noise, dynamic range, articulated display, and EVF resolution. Most forum experts followed the latter group and complained about the placement of the Creative Dial, the lack of 4K, and no MIC input and Headphone output.

Olympus PEN F Creative Dial was too much for most...

Olympus was always known for its unique film-like photos, Canon for its color "science" and silky smooth images, Nikon for the D4 and the popular D850, and Sony for its A7 full-frame cameras with high-resolution Stacked BSI sensors. Fuji created a large following with the XT-Series and became a leading manufacturer of "old school" mirrorless cameras with great film simulations.

Olympus never supported the "size and capture" theory but developed innovative photography options like Creative Color and Computational photography. If you recall, Olympus placed IBIS on the map and was the first to introduce High-resolution photography with the E-M5 II and a working Live View with the E-330. Olympus and Panasonic shared the same vision by launching the M43 mirrorless segment in 2008. Today all cameras are mirrorless, and Canon and Nikon DSLRs are forgotten used cameras. The Olympus brand is associated with innovation, new technologies, and quality cameras.

EM1 II image edited with WorkSpace.

This 6-part series will teach you more about the Olympus Creative Color functions, such as the Color Creator, Color Adjust, and Monochrome Profiles. Photographers will also learn more about the reason and value of Olympus selecting the artist Color Wheel to manage their color features.

How does the camera create photos with the Image Processor?

Only some photographers know the image sensor records "black & white" data. To explain this, we will take a closer look at the image signal path from the subject to the sensor:

1. The image signal enters the lens and goes through the lens to the image sensor
2. At the sensor, it goes through an RGB filter to remove all the color (RGB) data
3. The image sensor records the remaining grayscale data and sends it to the CPU
4. The CPU processes the WB, RGB filter info, plus the sensor data into a Jpeg file
5. The only "Color" Variable photographers could control is the White Balance

Digital Camera Sensor and RGB Filter.

Let's review the image signal from the sensor to the SD card? The sensor's recorded grayscale data is converted to a digital image and saved on the camera's SD card. That means the TruePic Processor, not the sensor, creates the digital image from the sensor's recorded Image data, WB data, and RGB filter information. Why is this description important? Because it explains how the Olympus engineers designed a new creative color and tonal (Gamma) curve feature set with access to the TruePic and Workspace imaging processors. Creative Color functions such as the Color Creator, Color Adjust, Monochrome Profiles, and Tonal Adjustments are now part of the Enhanced Raw File.

The above description explains the Olympus RAW file. A basic RAW file consists of grayscale image data, RGB filter, and the camera's White Balance information. The TruePic Image Processor (CPU) or Workspace converts this raw data into a jpeg image. One of the best-kept secrets is the propriety Color profiles manufacturers use to convert raw data into a digital photo. The inclusion of AI in future camera image processors will destroy the unique supplier image "look and feel."

Figure 1

The regular use of my Pen-F, E-P7, and Workspace, gave me enough experience to comfortably use the different Olympus Color, Tonal, and Creative features. This includes tweaking the camera's image-creation process via the TruePic ART Processor or Workspace. Olympus gave us a new window into the camera's image processing sequence. Also, known as Live View editing in Workspace, this is one of the most exciting lessons I learned with my Pen-F and Workspace. This experience means a new photography workflow with Workspace, OMD, and Pen cameras.

Knowing this, it's even more significant how Olympus linked new features like the Color Creator, Tonal Curves, and the Creative Dial to the TruePic image processor. This gives photographers a unique photo creation experience and results with cameras like the Pen F, E-P7, and OM-3. Did OM System squeeze the OM-1 II into a smaller body or is the OM-3 a continuation of the Pen F?

Knowledge of B&W and the early days of color photography is enough to appreciate the digital imaging process. Olympus linked its Color and Monochrome profile functions to the camera's image processor. This determines how future Olympus (Pen F) photographers grow into a unique photo style. We now have tremendous control over the final JPEG image with Olympus cameras.

The PEN-F and E-P7's color and monochrome functions are replicated in WorkSpace (WS). In fact, WS and the TruePic image processor are basically the same thing. Olympus introduced a completely new digital photography concept. The mainstream view is sensors do everything and all photographers need editing software like Photoshop, PhotoLab, ON-1, Luminar, or Topaz.

Taken with the PEN F at island Mainau, Bodensee.

The secret to growing with the Pen F, E-P7, and OM-3 is to add these Creative, Tonal, SAT, and Color options to your daily photography. Pen F enthusiasts enjoy a more hands-on experience with these creative features. The first step is to master the flow diagram in Fig. 1 and the Color Wheel.

What is the catch? There is no real catch, only some weaknesses. The biggest weakness is we cannot edit or change parts of the image in the camera or WS. OM System has a limited solution (OM-1 II and OM-3). An ideal solution would be the ability to isolate objects from the graduated ND filter.

There are more videos on YouTube explaining the artist's Color Wheel. Please take the time to study the basics of "painting with light" and Color Control. The presenter in the video below is a well-known Photographer. The Color Wheel is the foundation to master your Pen F, E-P7, and OM-3.

Powerful video explaining the Color Wheel and photography.