Raw Codec -- WIC Codec report Help

[scfonline]

I just tried the WIC Codec report for the first time.  I used an image from a Panasonic DMC-LX10 for the test which outputs an .rw2 file.

I'm using the default of "NO" in the photools.com raw processing setting.

I can view the file as a thumbnail and in the viewer.

I'm using the latest update of Win10 and it does not show the thumbnail in file explorer.  It does for my .NEF files (I have not manually installed the latest WIC that Mario sent out a message on, but thought that the LIbraw codec would catch it if it was missing the Windows codec.

So, I'm wondering what it means in the line below, which I've increased the font size.  Does this only indicate that it cannot find a codec in the Windows WIC file?

________________________________________________________________________________

WIC Codec Report - for diagnostic purposes.

List of installed WIC codecs:
   Codec 'BMP Decoder' for extensions .bmp,.dib,.rle
   Codec 'GIF Decoder' for extensions .gif
   Codec 'ICO Decoder' for extensions .ico,.icon
   Codec 'JPEG Decoder' for extensions .jpeg,.jpe,.jpg,.jfif,.exif
   Codec 'PNG Decoder' for extensions .png
   Codec 'TIFF Decoder' for extensions .tiff,.tif
   Codec 'DNG Decoder' for extensions .dng
   Codec 'WMPhoto Decoder' for extensions .wdp,.jxr
   Codec 'DDS Decoder' for extensions .dds
   Codec 'Microsoft HEIF Decoder' for extensions .heic,.heif,.heics,.avcs,.heifs
   Codec 'Microsoft Camera Raw Decoder' for extensions .ARW,.CR2,.CRW,.ERF,.KDC,.MRW,.NEF,.NRW,.ORF,.PEF,.RAF,.RAW,.RW2,.RWL,.SR2,.SRW,.DNG
   Codec 'Nikon .NEF Raw File Decoder' for extensions .nef


WIC: Testing file 'D:\Photography Files\My Photos\2019\2019_01\2019_01_14\_1000338.RW2'
   Thumbnail: Codec ''
      (CreateDecoderFromStream failed (88982F07 The image format is unknown.).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.
   Preview: Codec ''
      (CreateDecoderFromStream failed (88982F07 The image format is unknown.).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.
   Full resolution: Codec ''
      (CreateDecoderFromStream failed (88982F07 The image format is unknown.).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.

WIC Result: It looks like no WIC codec is installed which can handle this file.


IMatch Integrated RAW Processing.

Analyzing image 'D:\Photography Files\My Photos\2019\2019_01\2019_01_14\_1000338.RW2'
    Preview: (Format:1, Dimensions: 1920x1280) in 0ms. Result: 0
    Original Image: (5488x3664 5488x3664) in 3984ms. Result: 0[/color][/color][/color][/color]

[Mario]

None of the WIC codecs included in Windows supports the RW2 format variant you use. You may want to contact Microsoft support about this.

The general idea of WIC (Windows Imaging Component) was:

1. Microsoft provides all the infrastructure and plumbing in Windows to support RAW files.
2. Camera vendors provide a WIC codec which understands their proprietary RAW format and makes it available for WIC.

Camera vendor insist on proprietary and undocumented RAW formats. Which is of course bad for users. But users don't care or don't understand this.
With WIC Microsoft offers a way for camera vendors to integrate support for their proprietary formats in Windows, without the need to reveal or document their file formats.

If your camera vendor (Panasonic) does not provide a WIC codec, they don't care much about their customers. Did you ask them?

When no WIC codec is installed, IMatch falls back to the awesome LibRaw project, which tries to support as many proprietary RAW formats as possible, in open source.
IMatch should show your files just fine.

[DigPeter]

I have had several Lumix cameras and they all use RW2 raw format which IM has accepted, even before I installed WIC.  Is the LX10 a very new model?

[Mario]

I don't think so. I think it came out about 2016-ish?

[DigPeter]

I don't think so. I think it came out about 2016-ish?

That is after I installed WIC.

[Mario]

I don't think so. I think it came out about 2016-ish?

That is after I installed WIC.

WIC is a part of Windows 8 and later. Windows updates also (occasionally) update the standard Windows WIC codecs. But they don't support all RAW formats / variants in use. Some vendors have produced a dozen or more formats variations, all with the same file extension. An long-term archival nightmare waiting to happen.

Supporting them would be a responsibility of the camera vendors. But many don't give a poop. People still buy their products.

It's the same with EXIF. Modern cameras are basically smart phones with a more or less better sensor and much better optics. They have enough computing power to produce a proper XMP record in-camera. Still, camera vendors insist on using the 30 year old EXIF metadata format, with its many issues and shortcomings. Camera vendors don't care. People are buying their products anyway.

[scfonline]

Thanks for all the comments its starting to make more sense to me now.  I checked the Panasonic web site and they haven't updated their codec for several years.

Thanks,

Stan