News 

RAW, as the name suggests, is the unprocessed image information sent directly from the CCD of the camera itself. Normally, the data is processed within the camera itself to create a .jpg file or some other format so it can be sent to a computer and displayed instantly.

The reason that RAW has become popular with professional and serious amateur photographers is that the pixel data contains subtle hues and shading that is lost in the transition to a .jpg. These users would much prefer to process the image themselves on a PC via a package like PhotoShop in order to get just the picture they want.

One problem with RAW is that at present every new camera produces slightly different RAW image files which means that picture editing applications have to be continually updated with support for each new model. Microsoft says it is working

ADVERTISEMENT

with its partners to produce some kind of standardisation to the format.

As with most standardisations based around Windows, Longhorn will set a standard definition for a RAW image codec. Manufacturers will submit their own codecs that will be certified by Microsoft before being implemented in Windows. Nevertheless, by handing over the RAW format to Microsoft, the manufacturers clearly think that it will hasten the mainstream adoption.

'Aggressive price moves... are expected to increase demand for digital SLR cameras to achieve an average annual growth rate of 12 percent between 2005 and 2009. IDC expects that significant growth will derive from consumers who desire higher-quality images,' claims IDC's Ron Glaz. 'Microsoft's implementation of the RAW file format in 'Longhorn' will simplify access to RAW files, and that is expected to increase the use of the RAW file format by various types of digital camera users.'

As part of the transition to support for the RAW format, Microsoft has also announced that it is to release a RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP. The applet will allow photographers and other creatives to view thumbnails and preview and print Canon and Nikon RAW files from Windows Explorer through Windows XP.

In addition, Redmond is also promising that the ability to manage and edit Canon and Nikon RAW files, will be available in a future version of Digital Image Suite.