Oly Master 2 Help

[tbob]

I'm trying to learn Oly Master 2, which I am finding adequate although clunky and slow.

When I edit an image, a message comes up that reads, " Automatic compensation will not be applied to edited image when printing."

What does that mean?

Thanks for any help. Man, taking the photos isn't much of a learning curve from my 35mm days, but the image storage, handling, editing and printing is a labyrinth.

[Greg McCary]

I suppose it means if you print from Oly master 2 you get what you see. No color or contrast corrections will be applied. Your best bet is to get Lightroom. It is an awesome program.

[Photo-John]

I'm trying to learn Oly Master 2, which I am finding adequate although clunky and slow.

Heh heh - that's a pretty fair evaluation

Greg is right about Lightroom. It's way better - it's more intuitive, more powerful and just a generally more confortable work environment. I am using Olympus Master right now because I'm shooting with the Oly E-30 and Lightroom doesn't support it yet. I went through the same thing with the E-520. As soon as Lightroom supported it, I stopped using Olympus Master. The good news about Olympus Master is that as far as image quality is concerned, it does a great job. I compared a difficult RAW conversion in both Lightroom and Olympus Master and the images were pretty much the same. So if money is an issue, Oly Master gets it done. But if you can swing it, Adobe Lightroom will make time spent processing a lot more pleasant.

I haven't seen the notice you're referring to. When exactly are you seeing it? Which camera? RAW or JPEG? Tell me a little more and I'll see if I can replicate it.

[tbob]

I get the message when I have edited a SHQ jpeg: " Automatic compensation will not be applied to edited image when printing."

And another curious thing I have noted that every time I take the xD card to Walgreens to have prints made, the images on their monitor ALWAYS look way darkert han what they look like on the 510's screen.

I always have to apply a compensation to them to lighten up the photo. And the resulting prints look great.

[tbob]

Another question; is Lightroom a separate program from Photoshop? Do I have to have Photoshop as well?

And can I assume that Lightroom supports Olympus RAW?

[Greg McCary]

Yes Lightroom is a separate program. Just do a Google. There is a free 30 day trail and if you are a student, or know one. You can get a nice discount on the price. Last time I checked with the discount it was like $100.00. Lightroom gives you better control of exposure, color, lights, darks, fill light ect that PS. No you don't need PS. I think you should look for an older version of PS if you don't have it. You can find it much cheaper and PS7 is still a very powerful tool to own.
You can't really go with the LCD screen on the 510 but at one time I think there was a firmware upgrade to improve that. Sometimes when shooting at night I think I nail exposure if I look at the LCD only to come home disappointed.

[tbob]

[QUOTE=
You can't really go with the LCD screen on the 510 but at one time I think there was a firmware upgrade to improve that. Sometimes when shooting at night I think I nail exposure if I look at the LCD only to come home disappointed.[/QUOTE]

I just bought this camera a couple months ago and am thinking maybe it had all the latest upgrades. Do you know how I can check for a firmware upgrade? Seems like I have a dim memory of seeing that as a function of Oly Master, or am I mistaken?

[Greg McCary]

I don't see one that improves the LCD screen. I must have confused it with another camera. But you can check here.
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...p?id=1295&os=w
The latest firmware is 1.3. You plug the camera into the computer, while Oly Master in running and then click camera on the menu bar and go from there. You can also check your cameras current firmware from the camera menu.

[Photo-John]

You can't really go with the LCD screen on the 510 but at one time I think there was a firmware upgrade to improve that. Sometimes when shooting at night I think I nail exposure if I look at the LCD only to come home disappointed.

Never trust the LCD display on your camera! You should only use it for general reference regarding composition. It's not an accurate display of what your camera is capturing. And that does for all digital cameras. For a scientific, trustworthy image reference tool, learn to use your camera's histogram display. Here's a link to an article on the histogram. It's the only thing you should trust for exposure evaluation:

How To Use Your Camera's Histogram >>

Learning to use the histogram display will make a huge difference in the accuracy of your exposures. The next step to controlled, predictable image quality is getting your computer monitor properly calibrated. This is critical if you want to get prints that look like what you see on your computer monitor. Here's a recent review for a monitor profiling device. Reading the article will give you an idea of what's involved and why it's important:

X-Rite ColorMunki Photo Review >>

Hope that helps. Remember - never trust what you see on your LCD as an accurate representation of color and exposure. You can only accurately check on a properly calibrated computer monitor.

[Greg McCary]

Thanks PJ, Another usefull tool is the Highlight and Shadow feature on the LCD. If you push the info button until it reads Highlight in the lower right the image will blink on areas that are overexposed in the image. Then you can correct for this on the next shot. This is also true with the shadows. Plus the live histogram is another useful tool as well.

[Photo-John]

Thanks PJ, Another usefull tool is the Highlight and Shadow feature on the LCD. If you push the info button until it reads Highlight in the lower right the image will blink on areas that are overexposed in the image. Then you can correct for this on the next shot. This is also true with the shadows. Plus the live histogram is another useful tool as well.

Oh yeah - thanks for mentioning that, Greg. That's my favorite display mode for the Olympus DSLRs, and any other camera that offers it. It gives me a big image to look at and lets me know if I've totally blown the exposure. The Highlight / Shadow display also lets you evaluate your exposure really quickly by just telling you where clipping is happening. Sometimes the histogram is a little slower to read.

[Greg McCary]

Not to mention that once you blow a highlight there really is not much fixing it. I had rather shoot for the highlights and bring up the shadows in PPing if I need to. But there is nothing like nailing exposure and looking at the LCD and nothing is blinking at you. LOL

[tbob]

Okay guys, I think I am slowly getting it. I appreciate the time and patience of all who have offered advice and information on this thread.

Another question: What is "clipping"? And ow does it occur? Overexposure, underexposure? Both?