Adobe, Canon, Fujifilm and Nikon are working with Microsoft to provide seamless digital camera RAW support in current and future versions of Windows.

 

June 2, 2005: Adobe, Canon, Fujifilm and Nikon are working with Microsoft to provide seamless digital camera RAW support in current and future versions of Windows.
In addition, Microsoft is also planning to release the Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP, allowing consumers to view thumbnails and preview and print Canon and Nikon RAW files from Windows Explorer in Windows XP. These features, as well as the ability to organise and edit Canon and Nikon RAW files, will also be available in a future version of Microsoft’s Digital Image Suite.
Microsoft has also announced it is developing a certification program for third-party RAW image codecs that will ensure their solutions provide a consistent experience for consumers who are using RAW image files. This will provide RAW support across the Windows platform and products giving photographers a seamless experience when working with RAW image files. It will also deliver an extensible architecture for hardware and software industry partners.
The move to support RAW has been driven by increased sales of DSLR cameras and a rising interest in RAW file capture among both professional and enthusiast photographers. However, because RAW file formats are proprietary and each new camera model introduces changes to RAW image files, digital imaging applications must also be updated to support these changes. The next-generation Microsoft OS, code named “Longhorn”, will deliver dramatic innovation in RAW support for independent software developers, camera manufacturers and consumers.
Hardware and software partners will benefit from the standardised architecture for image codecs, which allows them to contribute their own codecs to be certified and implemented in Windows. This architecture enables software applications to seamlessly support new image types upon codec certification by Microsoft. In addition, “Longhorn” will provide an application programming interface (API) that enables software vendors to exercise a higher degree of control over the RAW conversion in their applications, while enabling market opportunities for professional-level conversion tools.
Photographers will benefit by being able to work with RAW image files just as easily as with JPEGs today. They will also have more choices as new camera models are introduced because the new architecture in “Longhorn” makes it possible for all software programs on Windows to easily work with RAW image files. The Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP will soon be available for free download at http://www.microsoft.com.