Last Updated: 11th April 2021
EM5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens - ISO200, f7.1, 5Sec plus Tripod - Enhanced Raw converted in WS and edited in PS.
This article studies some of my images taken with Olympus OMD or PEN cameras. They are a random selection from my photo collection. My experience with the Color and Creative features from Olympus was not enough. For example, we had cloudy conditions when visiting Prague in 2015, and I decided to use the Olympus ART filters on my EM5 II. I never saw any value in these ART filters.
All the Enhanced Raw Files were Converted with Viewer 3 or WorkSpace.
WorkSpace was not available when I wrote the original article. The previous image editor from Olympus, Viewer 3, came with two separate editing menus, the JPEG photo editor and a separate RAW converter. I preferred the RAW converter because it best mirrored the camera settings. I re-edited these images from Prague in 2023 and removed the Pop Art Filter from these images.
See this article.
EM5 II with 12-50mm EZ lens - ISO200, f6.3, 1/800, Tripod - Enhanced Raw edited with WS, + Color Creator, and Color Filters.
The above image is from our visit to Prague in December 2015. It was overcast with much rain and clouds. Prague is a lovely city and a photographer's dream. You can imagine our disappointment when we saw the poor weather. I decided to use the Olympus ART filters for Prague.
It worked well, but the Pop Art filter was too aggressive. One cannot apply ART filters and use the Color Creator simultaneously with the EM5 II. One can, however, use the curves (highlights/shadow) function to control the ART filter effect. I continued using the Pop Art filter in Prague because it looked good on the camera display, and I knew I could change the RAW file in Viewer 3.
EM5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens - ISO 100, f7.1, 25Sec plus Tripod - Enhanced Raw file converted in WS and edited in PS.
Taken with the O-MD EM-5 MKII and the 12-50mm EZ lens, Prague City
The above image was also taken in Prague. All my Prague images were re-edited in 2023. For example, I decided to remove the Pop ART from this image in Workspace. The pop ART filter can be a bit much. I prefer the look of the first image without the Pop ART filter.
Taken with the O-MD EM-5 II and the 12-50mm EZ lens, Prague City
The image below was taken with my first EM 5 in South Africa. When home I edited the RAW file in Photoshop. I used my standard post-processing routine. From the image, you can see my style is clear bright colors. I do use pastel colors in some of my images but prefer good colors and contrasts.
I use layers in PS to target specific parts of the image. As you know we cannot do this in WorkSpace. It will be great to see Olympus add layers in WorkSpace.
Taken with the O-MD EM-5 and the 12-50mm EZ Lens, taken in South Africa
The image below was taken in Locarno, Switzerland. The adjustments I made in Viewer 3 were Soft Focus, the Star ART Filter, Noise was set to High, Exposure comp to -1, the Color Creator, Curves (see image), Contrast to -1, and Sharpness to +1. The image was handheld with IBIS.
Olympus O-MD EM-5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens, Locarno Switzerland
The image below was taken in Emmental, Switzerland. I set the RAW file WB in Viewer 3, then used the Color Profile and Curves functions (see image).
Olympus Pen-F with 12-50mm EZ lens, Emmental Switzerland
The image below is from Locarno, Switzerland. The image was handheld relying on IBIS. The adjustments were Color Creator, Curves (see image), no Art Filter, and Keystone. I set the RAW file White Balance in Viewer 3. The Color Creator was more than helpful with this image. The reason is, that nighttime images often have challenging color casts.
Olympus O-MD EM-5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens, Locarno Switzerland
The image below was taken in Emmental, Switzerland. To respect the lady's identities, I edited the image with this look. I adjusted Soft Focus, Color Creator & Curves. The Color Creator and Curves functions are great for fine-tuning the Soft Focus Art Filter.
Olympus EM-5 MKII with 12-50mm EZ lens, Emmental Switzerland
The image below was taken in Bern, Switzerland. The editing settings I used were Light Tone Art Filter, Color Profile plus Curves. The image was taken handheld with my Pen F.
Olympus Pen-F with 17mm f1.8 lens, Bern Switzerland
The image below was taken on the Island Mainau of Germany. Adjustments used, Diorama Art Filter, Color Profile, and Curves (see image). I reduced the overall saturation with the Color Profile. The reason is the Diorama Art Filter adds too much saturation. The exposure was corrected with Curves. Contrast -1 and Sharpening +1
Olympus Pen-F with 25mm f1.8 lens, Insel Mainau Germany
The image below was taken in Emmental, Switzerland. Adjustments were Bleach Art Filter, Color Profile, and Curves. The bleach filter is becoming one of my favorite Art filters.
Olympus Pen-F with 25mm f1.8 lens, Emmental Switzerland
The example below is a Hi-Res image taken with the Pen-F. Preparing for this article I was testing the Pen F color profiles. I had some ND filters with me because I was trying the color functions in video mode.
The Hi-Res mode is great for simulating a slow shutter speed type water effect, especially in bright conditions. When changing over to Hi-Res mode it is important to check the camera RAW selection. My camera is always in RAW JPEG mode. When switching to Hi-Res I found the camera will go back to JPEG only.
Olympus Pen-F with 7-14mm f4.0 lens, Emmental Switzerland
The image below was created using the Monochrome Profile. I added the blue cast using the White Balance. The editing adjustments were the Monochrome Profile, Curves, Noise Filter set to High, Contrast to -1, and Sharpness to +1.
Olympus Pen-F with 12-50mm EZ lens, Emmental Switzerland
The picture below is another Hi-Res example. The High Res mode is great for product photography. In this example, I edited the RAW file in Photoshop CC. The resolution is enormous and the detail is impressive. When working with the EM-1 II it is possible to apply focus stacking in the camera. The complete image will then be in focus. Models like the EM-5 II and the previous EM-1 can also apply focus stacking in the camera.
Olympus Pen-F with 30mm f3.5 Macro Lens
The E-PL7 is probably an all-time bargain. I bought one 2nd hand and was pleasantly surprised by its image quality and functionality. Time-lapse movies are easy with the E-PL7, set it up & walk away and when done, collect it again. To edit the Olympus E-PL7 files in WorkSpace select the jpeg files. This will enable you to use the Color Creator, Color Profile, and MonoChrome Profile.
Like with the O-MD and Pen-F, the E-PL7 has "Live Composite" and Live Time" (Bulb) modes. Live Composite is probably one of the best-kept Olympus secrets. It is absolutely worth taking the time to master these functions, they are powerful and fun to work with.
See this link for more information when taking images of fireworks and star trails.
Olympus E-PL7 with 7-14mm f4.0 lens
The image below was shot with the EM1. My goal was to get the starlight effect. I then created the final image in Photoshop.
Olympus OMD EM1 with 17mm f1.8 ( I used f11 to get the star effect)
The image below was created with the Pen-F and the Monochrome Profile. I applied Curves to create additional contrast.
Olympus Pen-F with 25mm f1.8 lens, Insel Mainua Germany
I didn't discuss HDR photography in this series. The Olympus built-in HDR function is powerful and fun to work with.
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