ORF file managers

Please read first

Paul Dempsey seems to have disappeared. I get emails from time to time asking if his ORF processor will work with ORF files from other models of Olympus camera besides the E10. The answer appears to be no.

However, there are now (October 2007) other programs that allow you to view, read and manipulate ORF files (for most models of Olympus) as well as RAW files from other makers (Canon CR2, Nikon NEF etc).

Two such programs are available free for private use from FastStone.

These are FastStone MaxView and FastStone Image Viewer.

My impression is that they work very well, but you will need to check and make up your own mind.

Latest ORF processor from Paul Dempsey

Please note: I have left the content below to keep it available for anyone still wanting to use Paul's applications.

Standalone program to work with ORF files. ORF.exe is a much superior tool for working with .ORF files than the ORF import filter.

Orf.ex update: version 1.25 with Saturation control and a fix for Next/Prev file, 1 October 2002 [zip file - 187KB] (note: this file does not contain the full suite, just the .exe update)

ORF suite v1.24, latest release (full suite), 25 September 2002 [zip file - 338KB]

What's New in Version 1.24:

  • Implemented fast fixed-point versions of the best interpolation algorithms and deleted the rest.
  • Add JPEG and Bitmap output, Add Save Format tab
  • Add Fudge option to separate out this tweak from Scale, freeing scale for other uses.
  • For Convert All, spawn ORF2TIFF if it is found in the ORF dir. otherwise convert in-process like before
  • Added extensive file format options - annotations, exif, JPEG
  • File.Open: Rotation (carries down to conversion). Option for embedded thumb (faster, but cropped).
  • Fixed mouse wheel image scrolling
  • Add wheel mouse support for spin-edit boxes, make hi, lo, and gamma options spin-edit boxes
  • ORFDump: Add Exif from JPEG files, -a (append), -b (bare) options, version banner
  • ORF2TIFF: bug fixes, version banner, JPEG

Download ORFSuite124.zip [zip file - 338KB]

Previous versions:

New in Version 1.21:

  • Faster - cut about 40% off many operations.
  • Preview in File.Open with Exif info. This is not yet a full thumbnail browser, but it's still very useful. The thumbnail is generated -- it's not the embedded JPEG.
  • Live option preview: All option changes are reflected immediately in the thumbnail (no more RAW exclusion).
  • Display texture defect status of files (green dot next to thumbnail).
  • Save as Windows BMP format available.
  • WB from reference image for Scale. Lets you take the WB settings from another shot and apply it to this one.
  • New default options (scaling hack) to improve color. I added and tweaked the scaling in the default options (Ctrl+D) to help resolve the cast that you get otherwise. Your mileage will vary.
  • Selectable sampler size: 1, 3x3, 5x5. I was working on eyedroppers for color correction in Curves, but it's not ready.
  • Camera black point. Takes advantage of an obscure entry in the Oly makernote tag. Can reduce a small amount of dark noise in long/high ISO exposures.
  • Raw histogram.
  • New keys to access channels in dialogs: RGB:Ctrl+F1, Red:Ctrl+F2, Green:Ctrl+F3, Blue:Ctrl+F4.
  • Annotations for Artist and Copyright can be added to the TIFFs.
  • Some bugs fixed.

1.20 has a glitch in the TIFF output that causes problems for some programs, but not Photoshop. This 1.21 fixes it, and a silly bug Ok-ing an empty Annotation dialog.

Version 1.19 fixes some big problems with USM.

1.19 - April 23, 2002
- Fix USM bugs (much better USM!).
- Remove useless Default WB menu item.
- Display Exif summary on main window.
- Window navigation on context menu.

New in version 1.15:

  • Changes to allow better operation with 800x600 screen size

New in version 1.14:

  • Includes Win2K fixes
  • UnSharp Masking
  • New batch mode command line utility ORF2TIFF, with HTML docs
  • ORF:File.Convert All converts all the images in a directory
  • OIS file format documented in ORF2TIFF.html

New in version 1.13:

Unsharp masking

New in version 1.12:

New: Enhanced histogram display: choice of interpolated and fully processed image, tune clipped data, add tick marks, standard deviation. Added tab navigation keys Ctrl+F5...Ctrl+F8. Added window navigation key F9. Added File.Snap Settings for the benefit of ORF2TIFF and add ORF2TIFF -c. Display pixel sample next to thumbnail (no more Info Palette).

Tuneup: Added feedback cursors for menu buttons. Refined splash when loading at startup. Fixed wait cursors.

Bugs: Fixed many focus problems (makes keyboard much more usable). Fixed garbage initial filename for save. Fixed always saving to same directory and base name. Fixed backwards (BGR) pixel sampling for 8-bit info display. Refined batch convert, especially better interlocks while converting. Fixed minor bug recognizing Texture prompt change. Fixed point sampling in rotated/flipped case.

ORF.exe

  • Separate histograms for interpolated only and fully processed
  • Enhanced menu of options for Scaling (color balance)
  • Use the wrong WB setting?
      Change it here without re-shooting the picture!
  • /nologo command line option
  • File.Default Settings

ORFDump

  • Easily recreate .THM files
  • Now extracts Exif information in a
  • friendly text format
  • Now accepts wildcards
  • Now defaults to Exif extraction
  • Documentation in the last section of the ORF docs

Olympus® RAW File (.ORF) Import Filter for Photoshop

The plugin and associated files on this page are provided by Paul Dempsey.

Note: ORF.exe is a much later development that the Phootshop plugin and includes many more features.

Photoshop plugin (latest update: 17 April 2001):

The zip file contains:

  • ORFImport.8ba - the Photoshop plugin file itself [140KB]
  • ORFImport.txt - a text file that explains the plugin [4KB]
  • ORFImport.acv - a file to set curve corrections [1KB]

Please note I cannot provide technical support for any of these programs. This page was intended as a mirror site for Paul's own site, which is no longer available.

The usual liability provisos apply. It's your resposibility to make sure the programs are suitable for your purpose.

- David Nicholls

Photoshop plugin, ORFDump and ORF.exe files Copyright © 2001, Paul Chase Dempsey.

Page last updated 9 October 2007