The Artist Color Wheel and Olympus Color - Part 3

Last Update:- 6th March 2025

Olympus EM1 II and 7-14mm f2.8 M.Zuiko Pro lens - ISO64, f8, 1/160 (Edited in Viewer 3)

Introduction to Olympus cameras

Hobby photographers work hard on portrait shoots or when asked to photograph a wedding or photo event. They will consider and discuss portrait locations, colors, and the clothes clients plan to wear for an event. This article reviews the different creative color options we have with Olympus.

The first article in this series hinted that photographers focus too much on specifications (The sensor, image processor, and lens). For instance, most digital photographers focus on Dynamic Range, perfect image quality (details), perfect lenses, no noise, and absolutely NO highlight clipping.

It is OK to ignore those "perfect" specifications and regard your camera as the ultimate 
creative tool. You should always experiment with your camera to develop your 
unique skillset. That said, it's no secret why younger photographers

 dominate social media with mostly their mobile phones.

Olympus OMD and PEN cameras plus Workspace offer several creative options. Knowledge, patience, and practice are all we need to create wonderful impressions of our daily experiences.

List of Olympus' Creative options: (All of these are available with the Pen F & EP-7)

1. ART Filters (EP-7 offers the ultimate ART filter control)
2. SCN Modes (Pen F, you need to assign SCN modes to C4)
3. Color Creator (Pen-F - Creative Dial, EP-7 - AP Button)
4. Color Profile (Pen-F - Creative Dial, EP-7 - Color/Mono Lever)
5. Monochrome Profile (Pen-F - Creative Dial, EP-7 - Color/Mono Lever)
6. Different White Balance options & fine-tuning options
7. Shadows, mid-tones, and highlight control (Tone or Gamma Curve)
8. Several options to adapt SCN and ART filters
9. Various in-camera HDR Modes
10. Video and Time Lapse options & filters
11. Multiple images and the Image Overlay function
12. Several blue-hour options or long-exposure photography options
13. High Res Imaging - (Pen F only - Functions also as a creative option)
14. Standard image adjustments (Saturation, Sharpness, Contrast)
15. Gradation or SAT (High Key, Low Key, Normal, and Auto)
16. In-camera RAW editing (other editing options also available)
17. My Clips video mode (including slow motion)
18. Image storytelling with different image templates - Pen F
19. Standard PASM exposure and iAuto modes
20. e-Portrait for softer skin tones
21. Various Bracketing options (HDR, Focus Stacking, and more)
22. Multiple Flash photography options

A quick introduction to Color with Olympus

Olympus used the standard Color Wheel to create functions like Color Adjust and the Color Creator. That means we can access lots of information and experience about the Color Wheel. It was a steep learning curve familiarizing myself with new color concepts, like Color Harmonies. The Enhanced Raw Format and Workspace made it easy to experiment with these new color functions from Olympus.

When Olympus introduced the new EM5 II, the Color Creator looked like just another "gimmick." Like any new function, I did not immediately see the value in the Color Creator. I only started using the Color Creator after studying basic color concepts like color harmonies and opposite colors. The more I use the unique Olympus color features the more I see the value in having them.

The above illustration shows the standard "Olympus" Color Wheel. The outside diameter has different colors (hues) at 100% saturation. This color wheel is based on the Additive Model which desaturates and goes white in the center. The primary colors are Red, Green, and Blue, and the secondary colors are Magenta, Cyan, and Yellow. I also marked monochrome colors on the outside diameter. One half shows warm colors and the other half is cold colors. I also added Olympus' White Balance information on the Color Wheel. This lets us pre-visualize white balance selections, like CWB (Custom White Balance), and the effect it will have on the image. You will also find the White Balance compensation "sliders" on the Color Wheel. You are welcome to download and use the color wheel.

TIP: You can select the Color Creator from the SCP or Picture Mode.

The Color Wheel helps us identify color harmonies (further down), such as complimentary or primary colors. Most OMD and PEN cameras come with the Color Creator function. The Color Adjust function is unique to the Pen F, E-P7, and Workspace. It's good to practice pre-visualizing Color Creator and Color Adjust image effects. Use Workspace to improve your skills with the Color Wheel.

I was introduced to color harmonies when I did my first website in 2007. Some designers say color has a more profound impact on people than content. Golden sunrise or sunset scenes create positive emotions, and pastel colors are more pleasing than bright colors to younger viewers. Would German car owners have different color preferences to US drivers? Do you only focus on the subject, or do you treat background colors as an integral part of the final image?

Why do we have RGB, CYM, or RYB color pallets? Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) are the Primary Colors in the above Color Wheel, and Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta (CYM) are the Secondary Colors. It's important to master the Color Wheel. The video below is a short summary of the Color Wheel.

An interesting video explaining the standard Color Wheel.

Opposite Colors play an important role when managing image colors with Olympus' color features. For example, the Color Creator and the White Balance functions use Opposite Colors. How do we identify color casts, and how do we correct them? Opposite colors will correct color casts. The difference between photography and videography is photographers pivot neutral colors, and videographers use unique Color Profiles to create a specific atmosphere or emotion in the scene or movie.

Photographers typically use subtractive or additive colors. Electronic equipment (TVs) use RGB colors to create images (frames). This is referred to as an Additive System. When illuminated, CYM colors reflect the light (Luminance) from paint or printed media. This is called a Subtractive System. 

How do we apply these two color models in digital photography? The image signal (Reflected Light) passes through the lens and consists of additive colors. The sensor captures reflected light, and the image processor converts it into RGB colors. Your PC screen uses RGB colors to display color.

How do we improve our creative results when the sensor receives both reflected light (luminance) and incident light? Do these two image signals have different WB values and colors?

What happens if we mix RGB and CYM colors equally? The resulting RGB mix will be white, and the resulting CYM mix will be black. See the above illustrations. Also, see this article. What other Color Combinations are available to Olympus photographers? Consider the Color Creator, White Balance, and opposite colors. See this website for more information about color harmonies (palettes).

The above illustration shows 6 Color Combinations: primary, analogous, secondary, complementary, intermediate, and split complementary. Photographers apply color combinations to create or focus on harmonizing the colors in the photo. They also use complementary or opposite colors in projects when targeting more than one color. Magenta, green, yellow, and blue colors are complementary colors. Yellow with green or red with magenta are analogous colors. 

Study this "must-see" video.

Why would photographers apply color casts? Color helps photographers to create specific emotions or emphasize unique situations. For example, we can set our Olympus cameras to warm or neutral colors in artificial light. We can also correct a warm color cast with the Color Creator. The Color Creator reminds me of the Fuji "Chrome" effect. Try and simulate Fuji Chrome effects.

Olympus E-620 and 12-60mm Zuiko lens. I converted the Enhanced Raw File in Workspace. I then applied a color profile to the Tiff file.

Tiny color adjustments are more effective than large...

It's good to apply small adjustments with the Color Creator. Start by scanning the colors in the scene and select those you like to work with. Select a color (or the opposite) on the Color Creator and visualize the effects before making adjustments. The Color Creator has 30 colors with 6 adjustments each. That means each step creates a 15% difference. These are NOT tiny increments.

Editing with WorkSpace is a great way of familiarizing yourself with the Color Creator, the Color Adjust function, and the Monochrome Profiles. The visual feedback from Workspace is also superior to the camera's display. It's simply impossible to effectively practice with the camera display.

Different or unique Image manipulation options

I created the above image with selections and partial Photoshop editing. The yellow subject (car) in the front was done separately from the background. The final image has a bright and saturated kiosk against a desaturated background. While Olympus didn't give us partial editing options, it is possible to simulate this street photography scene with the Olympus Color Creator.

How to create image effects with the Color Creator 

The Color Creator works well with opposite colors. One would start by targeting specific colors. This could be the orange cast of a sunrise or sunset or the greens of a forest. A quick test is to change the targetted color's vividness with a few +/-1 steps. Study the effect and select the final color combo for your scene. It's good to develop a feel for working with opposite colors. 

See the following examples of using opposite colors:-

The above image has 2 dominant colors. Both can be used as opposite colors. I targeted the color blue in the above example. This increased the saturation of the targeted color (blue) whereas the opposite color (yellow) is desaturation. These changes will increase with each +/-  VIVID adjustment.

I targeted the color blue in the above example. This changed both the sky and the tree (leaves). The sky is brighter with a chrome effect and the greens are desaturated (like a cold color cast). The best way to familiarize yourself with the Color Creator is to practice in Workspace. For example, the Color Adjust function helps us to practice finding specific image colors on the color wheel.

The target color was yellow in the above example. This means blue is the opposite color. You can test your knowledge by explaining the color effects in the above image. The result is the opposite of what we saw in the first example. We can do similar experiments in Workspace.

I increased the targeted color's vivid setting (Saturation) to +2 in the above image. This amplified the yellows in the above example. Small steps per adjustment create optimum results with any of the Olympus creative color tools. The above example also shows the Color Creator's effect on the adjacent colors to the left and right of the targeted and opposite colors.

The above example is an interesting iteration of the others. The Color Creator creates global effects and the Color Adjust function targets specific colors. You as an artist or creator decide when to switch from one to another. That said, you might like to control the Color Creator effect. For instance, I upped the Color Creator's VIVID setting to +3 and used my WB compensation sliders to control the effect on the sky (blue color). See this article for more info about the Color Creator.

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
• The 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