Uploaded September 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Follow this easy step by step tutorial to learn how to open Raw camera files.
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In this tutorial we will guide you on how to open raw camera files in windows.
You will notice that windows doesn't open up the raw files by default, and therefore you would need to download specific codecs for this.
Step 1 -- Download Codecs
So let's log on to microsoft.com and search for the "Camera Codec Pack" here.
Step 2 -- Selecting the codec
From the search results, click on the first result. This will be directed you to Microsoft's download center. When you click on the Download button here, you will be redirected to a page where you can choose the file to be downloaded according to your operating system.
Step 3 -- Installing the codec
Once the file has been downloaded, simply run the installer, view and agree to the terms and conditions and install the codec pack on your system.
Step 4 -- Opening the Raw files
Once done, you will be required to restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
When the system has rebooted, you will notice that the icon of the raw files has now changed, and you can see the small thumbnail preview of the image.
Simply double click on the image, and it will open up the raw image in Windows Photo viewer.
Step 5 -- Alternate Method
An alternate way to view raw camera files is by opening them up with the camera raw feature in Photoshop.
With this feature, you can even edit the camera raw file without having to worry about making a mistake or ruining the image. This is because camera raw uses a non-destructive editing feature which allows you to play with different tones and use the many filters over here to enhance your image.
And that is how to open raw camera files in Windows.
Follow this easy step by step tutorial to learn how to open Raw camera files.
Don't forget to check out our site howtech.tv for more free how-to videos!
youtube.com/ithowtovids - our feed
facebook.com/howtechtv - join us on facebook
plus.google.com/103440382717658277879 - our group in Google+
In this tutorial we will guide you on how to open raw camera files in windows.
You will notice that windows doesn't open up the raw files by default, and therefore you would need to download specific codecs for this.
Step 1 -- Download Codecs
So let's log on to microsoft.com and search for the "Camera Codec Pack" here.
Step 2 -- Selecting the codec
From the search results, click on the first result. This will be directed you to Microsoft's download center. When you click on the Download button here, you will be redirected to a page where you can choose the file to be downloaded according to your operating system.
Step 3 -- Installing the codec
Once the file has been downloaded, simply run the installer, view and agree to the terms and conditions and install the codec pack on your system.
Step 4 -- Opening the Raw files
Once done, you will be required to restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
When the system has rebooted, you will notice that the icon of the raw files has now changed, and you can see the small thumbnail preview of the image.
Simply double click on the image, and it will open up the raw image in Windows Photo viewer.
Step 5 -- Alternate Method
An alternate way to view raw camera files is by opening them up with the camera raw feature in Photoshop.
With this feature, you can even edit the camera raw file without having to worry about making a mistake or ruining the image. This is because camera raw uses a non-destructive editing feature which allows you to play with different tones and use the many filters over here to enhance your image.
And that is how to open raw camera files in Windows.
