The Olympus Color Profile function - Part 4

Last Update:- 10th April 2021

Olympus EM1 with Lumix 14-140mm MKII - ISO200, f9, 1/800 - Enhanced Raw converted in WS, Soft ART filter, Color Creator, Curves, Clarity, Contrast...

We reviewed the Color and Creative Photography strategy from Olympus in the first 3 articles of this 6-Part series. We also learned more about the Olympus Pen F and EP-7 cameras. We discussed the basics of color and how to select color combinations. We also learned that the image conversion process includes adjustments from the Color Creator, Color Profiles, and Monochrome Profiles.

This article takes a closer look at the Olympus Color Profile function with the Pen-F, the EP-7, and Workspace. You will learn more about color profiles and why the Olympus Color Profile function is different. 

To better understand how Olympus applies the different color adjustments from the Color Profile function in the camera's Image Processor, study this article. Picture modes, saturation, contrast, WB shift, and sharpness sliders can be used with any camera to create "Color Profiles." The Pen-F and the EP-7 are unique because photographers have access to specific color adjustments with the Color Creator, Color Profile function, and Monochrome Profile function.

The image below shows the raw file on the left and the edited version on the right. The inserts show the adjustments to the image on the right. You can now save these adjustments in a Batch Processing file in WorkSpace. The batch processing file is really your new Color Profile. This example shows that the settings added to your Color Profile are all the adjustments made to the image. 

That means it's a good idea to plan your color profiles. You will now also appreciate why the Pen F profiles will in most cases be a smaller version of the profiles you can create for WorkSpace.

For more on how to save your image adjustments or batch-processing files in WorkSpace, see my how-to page  on WorkSpace (See Tip No. 5)

When you think about it, Olympus named the Color Profile function incorrectly. Color Profile is confusing as it lets one think, this is the tool I will use to create color profiles. 

With the examples below, you will see how to do basic adjustments with the Color Profile function. That said, the Color Profile tool adjusts only the selected color or colors and not the rest of the colors like the Color Creator. This is why we can use color templates and work with color groups like harmonious or complementary colors in the Color Profile tool.

When you work with any of the color functions like:- 

• The Color Creator, 
• The WB compensation sliders, 
• The individual Red, Green, and Blue (Tone Curve) colors, 
• Color filters, 

You will see your target and the corresponding opposite colors are your primary colors and the rest of the colors are the secondary colors. The main difference between these color functions and the Color Profile tool is how these functions change the primary versus secondary colors.

It's important to experiment with each of these color functions and to familiarize yourself with how they adjust the image. The real power of these different color functions is when using two to three of them at the same time when editing an image.

Olympus EP3 with 12mm f2.0 Lens - f6.3, 1/800, ISO200

I edited the above Olympus EP3 raw file in WorkSpace. I adjusted the WB, did a Keystone correction, and small corrections to the image brightness before saving it as a jpeg file. It is not possible to use the Color Profile function on EP-3 raw files in WorkSpace. It is only possible to use it on the jpeg files.

This is important because not all of the different Olympus raw files have access to the Color Profile function in WorkSpace. This is disappointing because now each photographer needs to establish which functions are available and which are not for his or her Olympus camera...

The Color Profile function in Viewer 3 and the Pen-F/EP-7 adjusts the saturation. WorkSpace adjusts the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance. This is big because it offers more creative control in editing.

Looking at the settings on the right and the above image, you will see I shifted the Hue 2 steps to the right and upped Luminance to create a unique look in the final step. I created the pastel look by desaturating the image in Workspace. 

One can save these adjustments as a "Light Pastel" profile. When you study the original image you see CYM colors are dominant. This will be a good place to start when creating different-looking profiles...

With this example, I targeted the "Secondary" CYM colors. Hue and luminance stayed as-is. One could also decide to focus on different colors. Study the image and list the colors you will target.

Always practice studying your images first and how to target selected colors. Practice with the different color templates and how to edit using color groups.

Before you start editing, list the changes you like to see in the hues, luminance, and saturation. You will also see creating your own profiles are different for B&W and color images. The key is to experiment with all the WorkSpace color adjustments until you find a technique or sequence that works for you.

When you study the image below you will see blue, yellow, brown, cyan, and magenta. Select the colors you like to target for your profile plus the harmony template that will work best for you. When making adjustments, start with small adjustments and monitor the effect before making the next adjustment. Building your own Color Profile takes time, practice, and patients.

With this image, I kept the hues and the luminance the same. I only increased saturation.

Nothing about working with the Color Profile function and color is really new. Anyone familiar with Photoshop has been doing this for years. What is new is WorkSpace now also has this functionality.

So what is the benefit of using WorkSpace and not Photoshop? Apart from no prescription costs, the biggest benefit is WorkSpace uses the same Olympus color processing engine as Olympus cameras.

WorkSpace is a great editing option for photographers with Olympus cameras. It's the perfect option when you are new to image editing. Photoshop is something completely different and more powerful.

Another advantage for Olympus photographers is the common feel between WorkSpace and Olympus cameras. Whether you using the SCP (Super Control Panel) on the camera, the Color Creator, or the Color Profile tool in the camera, they are all the same in WorkSpace.

See the example below of how I used the Color Profile and other adjustments in WorkSpace to edit the before/after image below. 

The different WorkSpace adjustments

The Color Wheel and Olympus Color - Part 3

Last Update:- 11th April 2021

Olympus EM1 II with 7-14mm f2.8 - ISO64, f8, 1/160 (Edited with Viewer 3)

Introduction to Olympus

Hobby photographers are typically forced to work on their portrait skills when asked to do a wedding or photo shoot. They consider portrait locations, colors, and the clothes they like to see for the photo shoot. This article reviews the different color features we have with Olympus.

The first article in this series hinted that photographers focus too much on camera specifications. For example, most digital photographers want more Dynamic Range, perfect IQ (details), perfect lenses, less image noise, and 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 offer a broad range of creative possibilities. They offer a collection of Creative features that help us create impressions of our daily experiences.

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

1. ART Filters (EP-7 has the latest features)
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
7. Shadows and Highlight adjustments (Tweaking the Tone 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
13. High Res Imaging - (Pen F only - Functions also as a creative feature)
14. Standard image adjustments (Saturation, Sharpness, Contrast)
15. Gradation (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 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 selected a regular Color Wheel to enable functions like the Olympus Color Creator. That means we can access lots of experience from the existing Color Wheel. It was challenging to familiarize myself with most new concepts like Color Harmonies. The Enhanced Raw Format and Workspace helped me to experiment with the different color functions from Olympus. I use the Color Creator, Color Filters, and Adjust Color tools each week in my camera or Workspace...

For example, I thought it was only another feature when I first saw the Color Creator on my EM-5 MKII. Like any new function, I could not see the value of the Color Creator. Studying color and basic concepts like color harmonies was similar to always using Auto Exposure and changing to Manual Exposure. It's always a process of learning and trying new techniques and features.

This Color Wheel mimics the color wheel in Olympus cameras. The outside diameter shows different hues (colors) at 100% saturation. This color wheel is based on an Additive Model and is white in the center. This Color Wheel's primary colors are Red, Green, and Blue, and the secondary colors are Magenta, Cyan, and Yellow. You will find the monochrome colors market on the outside diameter. The top half of the Color Wheel shows warm colors and the lower half cold colors.

I also added the Olympus White Balance information on the Color Wheel. This enables us to visualize the effect of adjustments like CWB (Custom White Balance). I also added the WB compensation "sliders" to this Color Wheel. See the camera's SCP (Super Control Panel).

The Color Wheel helps us to create color harmonies. We can use the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations (further down) for our photo shoot. Most OMD and PEN cameras from Olympus have the Color Creator (Color Wheel) function.

I learned about color harmonies when I created my first website in 2007. Some designers claim that colors impact your views more than content. Golden sunrise or sunset photos create positive reactions, and pastel colors are more pleasing to younger viewers than bright colors. Do you only focus on your subject, or do you also consider the colors in the background of your photo?

Why do we have RGB, CYM, or RYB (Painter) Colors? Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) are the Primary Colors in the above Color Wheel, and Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta (CYM) are Secondary Colors. You will find a short summary of the Color Wheel in the video below.

An interesting video explaining the Color Wheel.

Opposite Colors are used with the color functions available in Olympus cameras. For example, the Color Creator and the White Balance function use Opposite Colors. For example, how do we identify color casts, and how do we correct them? We use opposite colors to correct color casts. A unique difference between photography and videography is photographers typically like to have neutral colors, and videographers are more inclined to use Color Profiles.

Photographers work with subtractive and additive colors. Electronic equipment (TVs) use RGB colors to create color. This is called an Additive System. CYM colors are reflected (Reflected Light) from paint or printed media when illuminated. This is called a Subtractive System. 

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

What happens if we mix RGB and CYM colors equally? The resulting RGB mix will be white, and the CYM mix black. See the above image. Also, see this article. Which other Color Combinations are available to Olympus photographers if the Color Creator and the White Balance function are based on opposite colors? See this website for more information on color pallets.

There are 6 handy Color Combinations in the above illustration. They are primary, analogous, secondary, complementary, intermediate, and split complementary color combinations. Photographers create color pallets to harmonize the color combinations for an image. Photographers use complementary or opposite colors for projects when they target two colors. For example, magenta with green or yellow with blue are complementary colors. Yellow with green or red with magenta are analogous colors. Study this "must-see" video.

Why would photographers create a color cast? 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 lighting. We can also correct warm color casts with the Color Creator.

Tiny color adjustments are more effective...

It's critical to apply tiny steps with functions like the Color Creator. Study the effect first before making another adjustment. The Pen-F gives us a choice between 4 or 6 adjustments. That means each step equates to an adjustment of 25% or 15%. These are NOT increments, especially 2 steps.

WorkSpace offers a great way to familiarize yourself with functions like the Color Creator, the Color Adjust (Profile), and the Monochrome Profile. The visual feedback with Workspace is also superior. It's simply impossible to effectively practice on a camera display...

Different Image manipulation options

I edited the above image in Photoshop. The yellow subject in the front was edited separately from the background. The final image style consists of a vivid subject against a desaturated background. This was a popular image style for Instagram. It's not possible to create similar results with Workspace.

Different Image effects for the Olympus Color Creator? 

You will see the Color Creator works best with opposite colors. One typically targets a dominant color in the image. A quick test is to decrease the targetted color's vividness with -4 steps. You will see both the targetted and opposite colors change.

Study the following examples with 2 colors:-

The above image has two dominant colors. Both can become targetted colors. I selected the color blue as my targetted color in this example. The Color Creator's effect is instantaneous. The vividness of the targetted color increases and the opposite color will be less vivid. These effects increase with each adjustment. Always check and evaluate your image after each adjustment.

I increased the vivid setting by one step in the above image. The targetted color is a mix between the colors blue and cyan. We can see the effect of this adjustment in the sky and the leaves. The opposite color is a mix between the colors yellow and orange. The colors green and brown are more when we decrease yellow and orange. One can see this effect in the above image...

I targeted the color yellow in the above example. That means the color blue was the opposite color. You can test your knowledge by explaining the effects in the above image. The changes will be the opposite of what we saw in the first image...

I increased the vivid setting of yellow/orange to +2. This lightened the cyan/blue (sky) while adding more yellow/orange to the leaves. The colors cyan and orange were the more dominant colors.

The above image is an interesting example. I increased the Color Creator setting with one step and used the WB compensation sliders to up the color blue. It's possible to explain the above effects as we did with the first three examples. Also, see the article I did on the Color Creator.

My next article will focus on Color Profiles and how to use Color Harmony Templates to create image profiles. Until the next time, have fun and have fun practicing.

Which color functions are available in WorkSpace and Olympus cameras? We can activate the used camera functions in WorkSpace. All the adjustments are available when we edit jpegs in Workspace. See the RAW file compatibility list below:

I haven't had an opportunity to test the EM5 III or the EM1 III, or the EM1X

Digital cameras and Color Accuracy - Part 2

Last update:- 28th July 2023

Cape Town (2013) - Taken with the original OMD EM-5 and the MZuiko 12mm f2.0 Lens

Was Olympus overconfident, or did they take a chance with the new Olympus PEN-F? To review this question, we need to discuss the different creative features of a selection of cameras? For example, how does the Olympus Pen-F compare to the Fuji X100F? A fair comparison needs a good understanding of different manufacturers and a hands-on evaluation of the various cameras.

I will compare different cameras in this article. I have experience with Panasonic, Olympus, and some Fuji cameras. I used Canon's 350D, 40D, and their Powershot compacts. I do not have experience with Nikon. Fortunately, my son used Canon professionally, and in 2016 he changed to Sony. I used the A7 II and the A7 III for a few months and tried the A1, A7R IV, and A7S III.

I decided to target cameras from 2016, like the Nikon D500, Canon 80D, Sony A7II, Panasonic GX8, and the Fuji X-T10. Please let me know if I misrepresented anything on these cameras.

I was surprised at the differences between these manufacturers after studying them. Especially the differences in configuring and the advanced features of each brand. At the same time, basic adjustments like white balance and shifting the white balance were similar for these cameras. I found it interesting how photographers and videographers manage color effects from little in-camera adjustments. It's also interesting to see the influence "Color Science" has on brand loyalty. For example, which of Fuji, Canon, or Olympus has the best "Color Science?"

The goal was NOT to determine which camera is the best... 

My goal was to compare the creative camera features of each brand. Spare a few minutes and watch the video below. Listen carefully to the 3 guys, identify their personal brand loyalties, and how this influence each of them. In fact, it's fun to watch them "objectively" discuss these cameras.

Comparing the Canon 5D IV and the Sony 7RIII.

The importance of setting the White Balance correctly and its part in achieving the right image colors are covered in the above video. The video also shows it's critical to always discuss the importance of variables like the correct exposure values and White Balance values. 

Why is the White Balance important?

Accurate image colors start with the correct Exposure and White Balance settings. It's so important to differentiate between Creative Photography and having accurate colors. You will find more information in my article discussing the Gradation Function of Olympus.

The first article of this 6-Part series explained the image creation process in the camera. We studied how the camera uses the white balance to create color images. Experienced photographers learned how to spot Color Casts or faulty white balance values. Each photographer should practice the art of spotting and identifying specific color casts with digital photography.

White balance settings are not only a critical setting for digital cameras, but they are also important when you convert your general raw or Olympus Enhanced Raw Files.

Making videos also highlighted the importance of using accurate WB values. For example, study the progress of Panasonic with the GH1 to the GH6. The video below is an example of videographers using the in-camera settings to create color profiles in the camera.

The takeaway from the above video is that most photographers need a unique style,

signature, or brand. The reason is customers like to know what to expect from

photographers. An inconsistent photography style is unprofessional. 

Videographers differentiate between in-camera color features and color grading the video in post. Each photographer should master in-camera color adjustments and the ability to edit or color-grade videos in post-processing. I found the following video while searching for information on Canon. It is an example of how the photographer used the digital camera and traditional color features to create in-camera color profiles. Does this apply to photographers? Yes, only the terminology is different.

White balance is critical if you need accurate colors. For example, photographers use the white balance to create color effects. The first steps in working successfully with color are knowledge and practice. Practice how to spot color or the white balance for different situations. It's good to practice and experiment by manually selecting the camera's white balance in different situations.

Any White Balance values impact JPEG files. All White Balance and WB shift adjustments can be

corrected with RAW files. This allows photographers to safely experiment with the WB.

Below is a summary of the comparison I did on the above cameras. I bundled the color features into groups. The standard in-camera adjustments are at the top, and all the specialized features on the bottom. I also listed the editing software options at the bottom. Click on the image for a large view.

Camera manufacturers are at a point where they produce excellent image quality. Higher-resolution sensors add more detail but do not improve image quality. We also established that the "size and capture" theory is part of a marketing strategy that sells more full-frame cameras. We also know all image sensors come with a noise floor. We also know that we control image noise with the SNR-to-ISO ratio. The main differences between cameras are the unique features that improve our success rate with a specific camera or brand. Our challenge is the right camera for the application...

Color and the ability to control color are critical differentiators for 2023. Fuji cameras are a great example. Olympus started its Color and Creative Strategy in the 90s. The Pen-F and EP-7 were the first cameras offering a "full set" of Creative Features. No other camera offers this level of control. Unfortunately, Olympus sold its camera business, and we might never experience the finish line...