Windows thumbnails/preview support for PureRAW 6 High-Fidelity compressed DNG files

DxO PureRAW Feature requests
1

Hi DxO team,

I’m using PureRAW 6 and I really want to keep using the new High-Fidelity compressed DNG export option because the file size savings are excellent.

However, there is a major workflow problem on Windows: these compressed DNG files do not show thumbnails in normal Windows browsing workflows.

My current setup:

  • DxO PureRAW 6

  • Windows 11

  • Directory Opus 13 as my main file manager

  • PureRAW 6 DNG export using High-Fidelity compression

The problem:

  • High-Fidelity compressed DNG files do not show thumbnails in Directory Opus 13.

  • They also do not show thumbnails in regular Windows File Explorer.

  • Regular/uncompressed DNG files show thumbnails normally.

  • The issue appears specific to the newer High-Fidelity compressed DNG format.

I understand that this format may use newer DNG/JPEG XL-based compression and that third-party software may need time to support it. However, from a practical user workflow perspective, this makes the feature difficult to use on Windows. The compression is extremely useful, but if I cannot visually browse folders of images, the format becomes much harder to adopt.

Feature request:

Could DxO please consider adding one or more of the following?

  1. A DxO Windows thumbnail/preview codec or shell extension for PureRAW/PhotoLab High-Fidelity compressed DNG files.

  2. An export option to include a Windows-readable embedded JPEG preview/thumbnail that File Explorer and third-party file managers can use.

  3. A “High-Fidelity compressed DNG + maximum compatibility preview” option.

  4. Clear technical documentation for third-party developers so programs such as Directory Opus, ACDSee, FastStone, etc. can support thumbnails for these files more easily.

I am committed to using the High-Fidelity compressed DNG format because of the storage savings, but I need a practical way to browse these files visually on Windows.

I can provide sample PureRAW 6 High-Fidelity compressed DNG files if useful.

Thanks.

2

Windows doesn’t have native support for JPEG XL, but you can add support through the Windows Store. Try that and see if it works for a DNG wrapper also. I believe it will, but can’t verify. Check DxO’s release notes and support.dxo.com for more info.

3

An update for anyone with the same frustration…. I temporarily found a solution which is to use the FastPIctureViewer Codec Pack and it absolutely now shows compressed DNG thumbnails in Windows 11 and DirectoryOpus. Note it’s like $15 to purchase and hasn’t been updated since 2017. But it works. Then I use FastStone Image Viewer as the default viewer for DNG images. Works great as well. LIghtweight and quick.

Hopefully at some point Windows 11 will natively support this format… but this workaround restores my workflow and allows me to seamlessly used PureRAW-produced compressed DNG files in the regular Windows shell.