FAQ

A color recipe is a combination of in-camera color settings for OM SYSTEM and Olympus cameras. It includes choices like Picture Mode, color profile, saturation, contrast, sharpness, highlight/shadow adjustments, and white balance shifts.

Think of it like a film stock: each recipe gives your photos a distinct look straight out of the camera, without needing to edit in post. Recipes are a way to explore creative color grading using only your camera’s built-in tools.

There are two ways to add a color recipe to your camera.

1. Load the color recipe through OM Workspace (Recommended). OM SYSTEM has a good page and video on how to do this: https://explore.omsystem.com/us/en/creative-recipes
   
2. Color recipes are applied manually through your camera’s menu. You enter each setting by hand.
   Find a recipe you like on OM Color Lab.
   • Open your camera’s Picture Mode settings.
   • Select the base Picture Mode listed in the recipe (e.g., Vivid, Natural, Flat, i-Finish).
   • Adjust each parameter — sharpness, contrast, saturation, white balance shift, etc. — to match the recipe’s values.
   • Save the configuration to one of your camera’s custom preset slots (e.g., Myset1–4) for quick access.

Once saved, you can switch to your recipe preset any time without re-entering the settings.

Creating a recipe means experimenting with your camera’s color settings until you find a look you love. Here’s a starting point:

1. Choose a Picture Mode as your base (Vivid, Natural, Flat, Monotone, etc.).
2. Adjust parameters like sharpness, contrast, saturation, and gradation to taste.
3. Fine-tune the white balance shift (amber/blue, green/magenta) for color cast.
4. Shoot test photos in different lighting to see how the recipe performs.
5. When you’re happy, note down all the settings — that’s your recipe.

To extract the exact settings from a photo you’ve already taken, use the free OM Recipe Studio app. It reads the recipe metadata directly from your JPG files.

You can share your recipes with the OM Color Lab community in a few steps:

1. Create an account on OM Color Lab (free).
2. Go to the Submit Recipe page and upload your .jpg from your camera. Make sure you don’t touch it, as the exif on the jpg is where the recipe is stored. The website should be able to read your jpeg and fill out the information for you.

Your recipe will be reviewed by a moderator before it goes live. You can also edit or update your recipes any time from your account dashboard.

No. OM Color Lab is an independent community project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OM Digital Solutions (OMDS), OM SYSTEM, or Olympus Corporation.

All product names and trademarks mentioned on this site belong to their respective owners. We’re just photographers who love these cameras and want to help others get the most out of them.