Image size in viewer window

[tonyh43]

After being a Nikon user for many years I have changed to using a Sony A6000. Just imported my first few images into iMatch but find that the thumbnail size in the viewer window seems to be a very small 160x120 image which I presume is the embedded jpeg within the ARW file. When I process the image in DxO the thumbnail is much larger and shows a size of 6000x4000. What do I need to do to get the thumbnails to display at the larger size as a default

[Mario]

Please make sure that you have a working WIC codec installed for the RAW format you are using.
Then rescan the folders with the force update option.

To check:

+ Select a file
+ Help menu > Support > WIC diagnosis

This will tell you if you have a WIC codec installed.
IMatch should also display a corresponding message when you scan the folders (WIC codec required) unless you have already disabled this warning.

See this knowledge base article:

http://www.photools.com/1167/wic-support-codec-availability/

and the IMatch help on the WIC keyword for more info.

[tonyh43]

Have checked all of that and it appears that I have the required codec installed. The smaller thumbnails have a black border top and bottom if this is importance. I have attached the WIC reprt.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

You have installed the Microsoft codecs, but they fail to decode anything from your file:

Testing file 'J:\1 Working Raw files\2015\2015_05\2015-05-31_10-08-27.ARW'
   Thumbnail: Codec ''
      (CreateDecoderFromStream failed (88982F50 Unknown error 0x88982F50).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.
   Preview: Codec ''
      (CreateDecoderFromStream failed (88982F50 Unknown error 0x88982F50).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.
   Full resolution: Codec ''
      (CreateDecoderFromStream failed (88982F50 Unknown error 0x88982F50).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.


No thumbnail, preview or full-size file can be extracted.
Apparently the RAW format your camera produces is not supported by the installed codec version. Please note that Sony changes ARW frequently, breaking compatibility. That's the risk when you work with proprietary, undocumented file formats like ARW.

If Microsoft has no codec which supports your files uninstall the MS codecs or disable the ARW support in that codec (if this is possible). Then download and install the WIC codec provided by Sony - this one should work. If not, contact Sony support. The link for the download is in the KB article I've linked  to above. I'm not sure if this is still the most recenr (2014) so you may want to conatct Sony or search their site in your country for the most recent codec.

[tonyh43]

If Microsoft has no codec which supports your files uninstall the MS codecs or disable the ARW support in that codec (if this is possible). Then download and install the WIC codec provided by Sony - this one should work.

I have downloaded a codec from Sony and this has installed a file in my programs folder, but don't know how to proceed with any of the advice given above. I'm not too computer literate so need to have things laid out in easy to follow steps.

[Mario]

When a WIC codec is installed it becomes automatically available for the system so there should be no further action required.

Did you try to reboot and then try the WIC diagnosis again?
This will tell you if the WIC codec was properly installed and recognized by the system.
Pllease attach the log file.

If the Sony WIC codec is not working, it may be 'hidden' by the other codec for ARW you have installed. In that case you need to un-install the Microsoft codec pack to the Sony codec can take over control over the ARW format.

If all else fails, there is always the FastPictureViewer codec pack. Which is not free (about US$ 10) but works very well for a wide range of RAW formats.

Unfortunately, the 'not supported' problem is the price to pay when users work with ever-changing, undocumented, proprietary RAW formats. I see the camera vendors as being responsible for providing working and up-to-date WIC codecs for their various RAW formats. Now and in 20 years time. I wonder how many of today's RAW formats will still be readable in 20 years..I know JPEG and TIFF will.

Before WIC codecs I have spent literally months of my life trying to reverse-engineer RAW formats from major vendors, to support their formats in IMatch. And new camera models created different formats, and sometimes even firmware update caused the file format to change. Although the extension is still NEF or CR2, there are dozens of format variants behind it.

Then the camera companies started to encrypt parts of the RAW data to prevent other software from reading and displaying the format. Adding encryption makes reverse-engineering the image format illegal under U.S. law and that was not really helpful for folks like me who just wanted to display the files. You need a law department the size of Adobe's or Microsoft to deal with that.

[tonyh43]

Have tried to uninstall the Microsoft Codec pack but all I get is a warning as shown in the attached image. This also happens if I try to uninstall the downloaded Sony codec. Does this mean I'm going to have to edit the registry?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

Did you run the installer/un-installer under an Administrative account?
Did you check which codec is used after installing the Sony codec? The WIC diagnosis will show you. If the Sony codec overrides the MS codec, you don't need to un-install the MS codec.

[tonyh43]

As the only user on this PC I have an administrator  account. Having re-installed the Sony codec the WIC diagnosis is the same as the last one I sent you and the Sony codec does not seem to be recognised at all. May be time to try something else perhaps have look at the fast picture viewer offering or live with the status quo.

[ovrevid]

Just a thought: Did you reboot your computer after installing the codec? If not, do so! Always a good thing to do after installing (or removing) something.

[tonyh43]

Yes I did a reboot. As you say it's something I do as matter of course. I'd like to thank both you and Mario for any help given.

[Mario]

Did you contact Sony about this? They make the coded, they should be able to tell you how to install it, or what to check if it fails.
The FastPictureViewer codecs are an alternative. There is a demo when I'm not mistaken.

[thrinn]

The FastPictureViewer codecs are an alternative. There is a demo when I'm not mistaken.

Yes, there is a free 15 days trial version. Personally, I would give it a try. If it works, great! If you only need the FPV Codec Pack, there is not much to invest. Especially if it saves you hours of trial and error.

[Mario]

I know that the FPV codec pack is used by many IMatch users (including myself). It costs less than 10 US$ and is well worth the price.

[tonyh43]

I have been in contact with Sony but not too hopeful for a quick reply, in the mean time will give the FPV codec a try.

[tonyh43]

Bought and installed the FPV codec and now have a workable solution. Thanks again for your help.

[Ferdinand]

I had the same problem helping my brother get his Sony ARWs working properly in IMatch.  We couldn't get either the MS or Sony Codecs to work, so we uninstalled them both and installed the FPV ones and hey presto that worked!  I regard the FPV codecs as close to mandatory.

[tonyh43]

I tried uninstalling the Microsoft codec but all I got was an error message as shown in an earlier post.

[Mario]

Maybe the Sony codec is not kept up-to-date with the changes Sony introduces in their cameras and the formats they produce. By all accounts, it's something only Sony can fix.