FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, retouching and color adjustments. Its innovative but intuitive full-screen mode provides quick access to EXIF information.
- Nikon RAW image viewer - NEF Viewer. Fuji RAW image viewer - RAF Viewer. ARW Viewer is a combination of all these RAW viewers mentioned above and beside ARW also supports other RAW image formats as CR2, CRW, NEF, RAF and DNG.
- IrfanView is one of the most popular third-party image viewing apps and it is even our pick for the best photo viewer for Windows 10. It is named after the creator Irfan Sklijan and is free to use. The software is pretty light, intuitive and supports a large graphics file format base.
Be sure to read the following notes:
The NEF Codec
The effects of the NEF Codec are not reflected when NEF (RAW) images are displayed in the Microsoft Photos application supplied with Windows 8.1 and later.
Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Photo Viewer, and other applications that use the Nikon NEF Codec to display pictures will show the previews embedded in the NEF (RAW) files.“Camera Model” and “Camera Manufacturer”
Do not change the “Camera model” and “Camera Manufacturer” fields in the “Details” tab of the NEF file properties. Operation of Nikon applications and the NEF Codec is not guaranteed if these fields are changed.
Rotating NEF Images
NEF images cannot be rotated in the Explorer, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Photo Viewer, or Windows Live Photo Gallery.
NEF (RAW) Thumbnails
Thumbnails for NEF (RAW) files may not display correctly in the Explorer, Windows Photo Gallery or Windows Photo Viewer. If this occurs, use Disk Cleanup as described below.
- 1) Right-click the system disk in Computer and select Properties.
- 2) Select Disk Cleanup in the General tab.
- 3) Under Files to delete in Disk Cleanup, check Thumbnails and uncheck all other options.
- 4) Select OK to start disk cleanup; when a confirmation message “Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files?” is displayed, select Delete Files.
Note: Click here for more information
Capture NX 2 Version 2.3.0 or Later
If NEF images saved in Capture NX 2 version 2.3.0 or later are opened in Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, or Windows Photo Viewer:
- • A message may be displayed stating that the file is corrupt and cannot be opened
- • Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, or Windows Photo Viewer may not function normally after the file is opened
Many digital camera users find that they cannot preview RAW image files on Windows computer, which makes it inconvenient to browse or edit RAW files. Saving captures in JPEG + RAW format is a workaround, but it will increase the burden of memory card space. What’s the perfect solution for viewing RAW images on Windows 10? In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to view RAW thumbnails with camera codecs and open RAW pictures with RAW viewer on Windows 10.
View RAW Files with Microsoft Camera Codec Pack on Windows 10
Best Nef Viewer Software
You may have found that Windows 10 allows users to preview thumbnails of some RAW images, like ARW, DNG and CR2, and open these RAW pictures with Photos app. As a matter of fact, Windows 10 is built-in with Microsoft camera codec pack, which automatically recognizes those device-specific file formats and allows users to preview RAW files in Windows Explorer without third-party apps.
With thumbnail preview, it would be super convenient to find or edit RAW image files with professional editing tools. Nevertheless, since Microsoft has stopped updating the codec pack, there are still plenty of RAW formats that Windows 10 doesn’t support, like NEF and ORF.
Tip: If you want to view RAW files on Windows 7 or Windows 8, please download Microsoft camera codec pack manually.
View RAW Images on Windows 10 with Codec for Specific Camera
If Windows 10 doesn’t support the RAW image format of your camera, then it will only show the default image icons instead of thumbnails of your images. In this case, you need to install a specific codec for the RAW format or camera model, which will work like Microsoft camera codec pack and display thumbnails of the specific RAW file type.
Best Nef Viewer 2019
Normally, you should be able to find the codec on manufacturer’s website, but there are also several useful third-party codec websites. Here we’re going to show how to install Nikon NEF codec to Windows 10 from such a codec site.
- Step 1. Visit http://www.free-codecs.com
- Step 2. Input “NEF codec” in the top-right search box and hit Enter.
- Step 3. From the results, click link: NEF Codec 1.31 Free Download.
- Step 4. View the information page, then click Download button on the right section and another download button on the new page.
- Step 5. Click the downloaded .exe file to start installing camera codec with setup wizard.
- Step 6. You may need to reboot your computer to make the codec work.
Now, your Windows 10 computer should show thumbnails of NEF images. In the meantime, you should be able to open NEF photos with Photos app. Just search for more codecs if you have another kind of RAW pictures that Windows 10 doesn’t support. Camera model info might help you find codec quickly. Please include it into searching keywords.
Open RAW Photos with RAW Image Viewer on Windows 10
If installing various of codecs hassles you, you can use RAW image viewer which usually support most RAW formats. For example, ACDSee is one of the most famous RAW image viewer software.
Premium RAW image viewers may charge you for using advanced functions, but usually less expensive than Lightroom. Another drawback is that there is no thumbnail of the device-specific RAW images in Windows Explorer, which means quick preview is not available. Instead, users need to open the RAW viewer to check all RAW images in the same folder and manage them as you like. Overall, it is still a great choice if you don’t need another professional editor program.
Best Nef Viewer For Mac
Pros:
- Support a wide range of RAW formats as well as common images with one tool
- Provide advanced editing functions and management options
Cons:
- No thumbnail display in Windows Explorer
- May need payment
There are many more ways to view and open RAW images, but the above three methods should work for most cases in a Windows 10 computer. In case you lose precious RAW pictures by accident, try a photo recovery software to get them back as soon as possible.