RAWviewer 0.5

RAWviewer is a fast, cross-platform RAW image viewer for photographers, offering instant previews, sharpness checks with 100% zoom, and quick culling via keyboard shortcuts. Supports major RAW formats

Razvan Serea News Reporter Neowin · Aug 24, 2025 14:34 EDT with 0 comments

RAWviewer

RAWviewer is a lightweight, cross-platform tool designed for photographers who need to quickly review and cull large sets of RAW images. Unlike Lightroom or Capture One, it skips lengthy imports and opens files instantly, making it ideal for fast-paced scenarios like airshows, wildlife, or sports photography.

The app supports a wide range of formats including Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, Fujifilm RAF, Panasonic RW2, Adobe DNG, and standard JPEG/HEIF. With a keyboard-driven workflow, users can flip through images, zoom to 100% for sharpness checks, and move unwanted shots to a discard folder or delete them permanently.

Built on PyQt6 and rawpy, it offers smooth performance, EXIF metadata display, and orientation correction.

RAWviewer features:

Cross-platform support: Windows and macOS
Wide RAW format support: Canon (CR2, CR3), Nikon (NEF), Sony (ARW), Adobe DNG, and many more
Automatic orientation correction: Reads EXIF orientation data and displays images correctly (portrait/landscape)
Intuitive navigation: Keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls
Zoom functionality: Fit-to-window and 100% zoom modes with smooth panning
File management: Move images to discard folder or delete permanently
EXIF data display: View camera settings and capture information
Session persistence: Remembers your last opened folder and image
Portable executable: No Python installation required for users
Threaded processing: Smooth, non-blocking UI

RAWviewer 0.5 changelog:

Smarter, Faster, and More Responsive RAW Viewing

Major RAW Processing Engine Overhaul
Brand new multi-threaded RAW processor – Up to 46% faster loading on large RAW files
Progressive image loading – See thumbnails immediately while full image decodes
Fallback thumbnail support – Uses embedded previews when decoding fails

Performance & Memory Improvements

Advanced image cache system – Speeds up switching and reduces repeated decoding
Smart preload logic – Preloads adjacent images to improve navigation flow
Memory-aware caching – Automatically clears cache based on system memory
Configurable cache budget – Fine-tune performance for low- or high-spec machines

EXIF & UI Enhancements