Microsoft releases RAW viewer for Windows XP

Microsoft debuted the RAW image thumbnailer and viewer for Windows XP, to give users the ability to view, organize and print photos captured in RAW image formats from supported digital cameras.

Often likened to a ‘digital negative,’ a RAW image is the native image format for a growing number of quality digital cameras. Because of the camera-specific nature of RAW files, they are not supported natively within Microsoft Windows. As a result, photographers shooting RAW have not been able to take advantage of the built-in features provided in Windows XP for viewing, organizing, and printing RAW photos--until now.

After installing the Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer Powertoy for Windows XP you will be able to view, organize, and print photos captured in RAW image formats from supported Canon and Nikon digital cameras.

This software offers the following benefits to digital photographers:

High image quality. This software uses the camera vendors' own processing libraries to provide the highest possible image fidelity for RAW images.

Superior color fidelity. Windows Image Color Management (ICM) is used to render images in the correct color space as determined by the photographer when the image was captured.

Familiar user experience. This software builds on the familiar Windows user experience and requires little or no learning curve.

Performance tuned for rapid previews. The software uses background processing and other techniques to ensure a good preview experience even for large images.

The RAW viewer can be downloaded here