At the end of January 2019, Olympus launched the OM-D E-M1X camera. At the same time Olympus also launched its image editing software called Olympus Workspace. This program replaces the slow Olympus Viewer 3. I ever used Olympus Viewer 3 for a few times and stop using it due to its slow speed.
I am just only the Olympus camera user who owns OM-D E-M1 Mark II. The aim of writing this article is to learn how to use Olympus Workspace. In my opinion, reading the software manual alone is not enough to gain knowledge on how to use the program, but writing is also my way of learning.
Olympus Workspace works on both Windows (Windows 7 and above) and on Your Mac (OS X v10.9) and is compatible with ORF/ORI Olympus raw files and JPG and TIFF files. It also supports video files like MOV, MP4 and AVI. For audio files, it supports wav, mp3 and wma files. You can’t open other raw files including DNG.
The User Interface
The picture below is the interface of Olympus Workspace from Mac version which is slightly different from that of Windows version.
(Figure: 1)
Search
1 = Tool Bar
2 = Folder Tree
3 = Thumbnails
4 = Status Bar
Tool Bar – starting from the left side of the main window:
(Figure: 2)
1 = Import
2 = Export
3 = Time Lapse Movie
4 = Panorama
5 = Print
6 = Slide Show
7 = Update Camera
At the middle of the too bar there are the display formats of the image files.
(Figure: 3)
1 = List of Thumbnails
2 = Image: Top
3 = Image: Right
4 = Float View Window
5 = Full Screen
The last set of tool bar icon is at the right side of the main window.
(Figure: 4)
1 = Collection
2 = Filter
3 = Properties
4 = Edit
5 = History
To use the program, starting from import the image files into the program. We can import the images from the camera into the program either by connecting the camera with the computer or connecting the camera’s SD card with the computer.
The meaning of import in Olympus Workspace is different from that of in Lightroom. Olympus Workspace has no catalog system. Import in Olympus Workspace is only copying files from your SD Card or camera to your computer’s hard drive. But Olympus Workspace has its own database to save operation data in its system. It does not recommend the users to move or delete the database location by themselves but the users can change the location through option menu.
Normally, my workflow begins with importing files off the SD card and click the import function in the Tool Bar and select ‘Import from Sepecified Location’. All files from the SD card will be displayed in the main window. On the right side of the main window, there will be various options of ‘Import Destination’ to choose from as shown in the figure below.
(Figure: 5)
If you select ‘Advance Settings’, there will be an option to change the file name after import and add the IPTC information as shown below.
(Figure: 6)
If we select ‘Add IPTC information’, then we can choose ‘IPTC Information Edit’ which we can input information about the photographers such as copyright, keywords, categories, the country of shooting etc., as shown in the figure below.
(Figure: 7)
After filling out the information as required, we will return to the main window for importing images. Then we click ‘Import’ function. Anyway, I have to mention that the import process is quite slow.
I separate this article into 2 parts: file management and post- processing.
Image file management
Rating and Color Mark
Giving a rating means giving ‘stars’ to the image files. Color Mark is a color label for image files. This is useful for focusing or separating or classification of images files. We can do this by selecting the images, then click the star or color label that we want at the bottom of the main window of the program as shown below.
(Figure: 8)
1 = Selection
2 = Rating
3 = Color Mark
From Figure 8, I will describe only the no. 1 ‘Selection’ which we can select the image files and group them in the Selection A or Selection B or both groups. Both of these groups are classified as a temporary virtual collection. If we close the Olympus Workspace, this virtual collection will disappear. You have to think about it whether or not this function is useful for your workflow.
Collection
If you want to create a real collection that is not a virtual collection, click on the icon Collection (Figure: 4). Then the collection text box will appear as shown in Figure 9.
(Figure: 9)
There are 4 icon options (in the red oval). The ‘NEW’ icon is for creating a collection and the icon with the + sign is to add the image to the Collection. The trash can is for deleting the collection. The last icon is for toggle between placing the collection text box to the left side of the main window and floating it.
For a demonstration, I created a collection called Food & Fruits, then register 3 images in this collection. Another method of adding images to the collection, right-click on the image and select the ‘Add to Collection’ command. If you want to remove the image from the collection, just right-click on the image in the collection and select ‘Remove images from Collection’.
You cannot create a sub-collection under Collection or a nested collection as in Adobe Lightroom.
Filter
Filter icon at the Tool Bar (Figure 4) is for searching a file by its classification like rating, color mark and format. See the figure below.
(Figure: 10)
On the top right of the dialog box, it has the on-off icon. If you don’t click to close it and do not tick ‘Turn off filter when switching folders’, the Filter function is still working. It will display only the files you specified in the filter function.
Search
If you want to search for some files, you can do so by going to the Menu Bar, selecting ‘Edit’ and then choosing ‘Find’. The dialog box will be shown as in the figure below. You can set the details of searching such as searching files from any date, model of (Olympus) camera, lens, shutter speed, and F value.
(Figure: 11)
Video file
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, Olympus Workspace can read Mov, Mp4 and Avi files. But it has one important step. The program will not play video files unless connecting the Olympus camera to the computer. It only needs this connection for the first time only.
(Figure: 12)
I tested the program with many rendered video files. Regardless of rendering from any program, they can be played in Olympus Workspace without going through the connection process between the Olympus camera and the computer. I also tested with the video files from other brands of camera. My Nikon D750 video files cannot display their thumbnails in the main windows of Olympus Workspace and the program does not play these files.
The figure below shows the main windows for playing and editing video files.
(Figure: 13)
This program can edit a video file. But its ability is quite low at only a very basic level. I will not waste my time editing video by using this program.
Options
You can use the options menu to customize the program by clicking the cog icon on the Menu Title (Windows version) or Tool Bar (Mac version). The program will show the ‘Options’ the dialog box.
The customization of the program can be set up from the ‘Database Location’, using multiple monitors, editing the IPTC data, changing the background color of the thumbnail area, displaying the details of the files. You can also edit images and videos with the external program by registering the appropriate applications. Furthermore, you can manage the color management for monitor, printer and GPU management
The figure below is an example of registering the external application image and video post processing. I chose to register Affinity Photo for images and Davinci Resolve for videos.
(Figure: 14)
Image Post-Processing
Image post-processing can be done from adjusting the exposure, cropping images, adjusting white balance, adjusting the contrast, high light and shadow, etc. I can not elaborate all functions of Olympus Workspace but will explain only some of them.
If you select the image that you want to process, just press the icon ‘Edit’ on the Tool Bar (figure 4). The program will display the Editing Palette. You can use various functions such as Favorites, Crop, Basic, Effect, Details, Clone Stamp Tool, Red-Eye Reduction. Selecting ‘Basic’ as an example, the program will show the option to adjust the exposure, white balance, color, clarity, dehaze, highlight & shadow etc. as shown below.
(Figure: 15)
An example of the figure below is the saturation adjustment of the image.
(Figure: 16)
I used the ‘Clone Stamp’ function removing the objects at the bottom of the above image but the ‘Clone Stamp’ is not as smooth as clone stamp in Photoshop.
(Figure: 17)
Art Filter
‘Art Filter’ is a unique feature of Olympus users who shoot Jpeg. Olympus Workspace facilitates the RAW shooters to use the ‘Art Filter’ from the program.
Using ‘Art Filter’ by selecting the image file, then click the ‘Effect’ button on the ‘Edit’ icon on the Tool Bar (see Figure 4). Selecting the types of ‘Art Filter’ like Pop Art / Soft Focus / Pale & Light Color / Light Tone / Grainy Film / Pin Hole / Diorama / Cross Process, etc.
The image below is an example of using ‘Pop Art II’ with the image of bougainvillea flowers to increase the saturation and contrast.
(Figure: 18)
Picture Mode
This mode is important especially when shooting Raw. The Olympus Workspace that installed on my computer consists of the following picture modes: nature / vivid / muted / portrait / monotone / sepia / i-Enhance / color creator / underwater / monochrome profile.
Two pictures below are the examples of a vivid picture mode and a monochrome profile. For a monochrome profile, you can customize it in various ways.
(Figure: 19)
(Figure: 20)
Copy & Paste Edit Settings
You can copy settings from the final processed image and paste it into another image. After that you can register 4 sets of settings. The image below is a text box that registering the settings from the figure 20 which is a monochrome profile setting.
(Figure: 21)
Batch Editing
You can save the edit settings as a file for later use by clicking the save button on the edit palette. When you want to use this file, just click the ‘Load Batch Processing File’ button as shown below.
(Figure: 22)
Time Lapse
In creating a time lapse movie from my E-M1 Mark II camera, I can let the camera automatically create a mov file or shoot only still images. And then creating a time lapse movie from the images by using the program like Olympus Workspace. You have to select images and click time lapse movie button (Figure 2) or go to the menu bar/tools/time lapse movie. Then, the new screen is displayed as shown below.
(Figure: 23)
Export File
After post processing and you want to export the finished file, just click the export button on the Tool Bar (Figure 1). After that, a dialog box is displayed as shown below.
(Figure: 24)
Olympus never mentions whether its software is the non-destructive editing. But after testing this program I can say that editing in Olympus Workspace does not affect the original image data. The operation data is kept in the program’s database. You can reset or revert it to original anytime. The export function will save the processed image as a new file.
Conclusion
Olympus Workspace is a program for only users of Olympus camera. Therefore, using its picture mode and art filter can give the colors that matching the identity Olympus colors better than that of any other programs. In other words, when shooting raw files you can create the Jpeg image files with unique colors exactly the same as shooting Jpeg files from Olympus cameras.
Olympus Workspace does not have local adjustment. If you read my writing from the beginning you find that all of my writing about processing images is only for global adjustment. I only hope that the next version of Olympus Workspace will add local adjustment functions to it.
So I will only use this program as a starting point of my workflow in processing images, in other words, using this program for initial raw editing. Then I will further process images in Affinity Photo.
For those who want to download this program, please click here. You have to fill in the serial number of your Olympus camera before download it.