How I Edit OM-1 Mark II High Res RAW Photos in OM Workspace and DxO PhotoLab
In my previous OM-1 Mark II High Res Shot video, I showed how I set up the camera for an 80MP tripod High Res Shot and compared the RAW and JPEG results. I also talked about using OM Workspace when image quality matters, then moving into DxO for the rest of my editing. A subscriber asked a good question that made me realize I hadn’t shown that second part clearly enough.youtube
So, let’s finish the conversation. For this example, I photographed the Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Ohio, with my OM-1 Mark II, M.Zuiko 12–100mm f/4 PRO, a polarizer, and a tripod. Then I took the High Res RAW file into OM Workspace, exported a TIFF, and finished the image in DxO PhotoLab.
This is my workflow, not a rule that says you must use two programs. I want to show you what I’m looking for at each stage so you can decide whether it makes sense for your own photographs.
First, check whether the shot worked
Before I touch a slider, I check the photograph itself. High Res Shot combines multiple captures into one image by moving the sensor between them. The OM-1 Mark II’s tripod mode can produce an 80MP RAW file measuring 10,368 × 7,776 pixels, but a moving subject can still cause trouble while the camera makes that composite.learning.omsystem
I got a useful example of that trouble while photographing the building: a car entered one of my frames. In the standard shot, the car looked relatively normal. In the High Res version, its movement was much more obvious. No amount of careful editing was going to turn that into the clean architectural photograph I wanted.
Fortunately, I took more than one frame. That’s the first lesson from this shoot: take a few High Res Shots when you can, especially if there are cars, people, branches, or anything else moving through the scene. Check for artifacts before you spend time editing the wrong file.
Why I start in OM Workspace
My previous video focused partly on how OM Workspace displays these High Res files. In this follow-up, I’m using it for a practical first step: reviewing the camera’s files and making a TIFF from the High Res RAW image I want to edit.youtube
I look at the composition, exposure, and areas where movement might have affected the result. I’m not trying to complete the whole edit here. For the Golden Lamb photograph, I found a frame I liked, made sure the obvious motion problem wasn’t in the shot I chose, and kept my initial adjustments minimal.
When I’m ready to move on, I export a TIFF with the image’s metadata included. That gives me an image file I can take into DxO PhotoLab while keeping my original RAW file intact.
There’s an important distinction here: I prefer the way OM Workspace handles this first stage of my OM System High Res workflow, but that doesn’t mean every other RAW editor produces a bad result. Nor does comparing previews at an extreme zoom level, by itself, prove which final image will print better. Judge the finished files at a useful viewing size—and, if prints are your goal, make a test print.
Finishing the photo in DxO PhotoLab
Once the TIFF is in DxO PhotoLab, I can focus on the look of the photograph rather than on the initial file conversion.
For this image, I used local adjustments to bring a little more light into parts of the building that felt too dark. I made a small adjustment to the sky, gave the scene some added definition, and darkened the road slightly so it wouldn’t pull as much attention away from the Golden Lamb. I wanted the building to stand out without making the edit feel heavy-handed.
That’s one reason I like working this way: I can make targeted changes, see whether they help, and back off when they don’t. The edit doesn’t need a hundred adjustments to be worthwhile.
The cars parked in front of the building are still there. I could spend more time trying to remove them, but for a photograph I’d want to print, I’d rather return and make the clean frame in camera.
Is the 80MP file worth it?
For an everyday photo, I don’t automatically need an 80MP file. But when I’m photographing a mostly still subject and thinking about a larger print or a tighter crop, I appreciate having that extra resolution. The Golden Lamb is exactly the sort of detailed building that makes me want to try High Res Shot.
The trade-off is that the scene needs to cooperate. A tripod helps keep the camera steady; it cannot stop a car from driving through the frame. That’s why my workflow starts with checking the result, not immediately editing it. The OM-1 Mark II also offers a separate 50MP handheld High Res option, while the 80MP mode discussed here is the tripod setting.learning.omsystem
My process is simple: capture more than one frame, inspect the High Res result in OM Workspace, export the keeper as a TIFF, and make the finishing adjustments in DxO PhotoLab. If you missed the camera setup and RAW-versus-JPEG comparison, watch the first video here. This post is the next step after you’ve taken the picture.youtube
Have you tried editing OM System High Res files in OM Workspace, DxO, or both? Tell me what has worked for you in the comments.
