Windows 10 Preview Build 18323 Improves Light Mode, RAW Image Support

[Guest]

Preview Build 18323 contains a massive list of fixed issues, but the real highlights are improvements to the new Light Mode and better support for RAW images.

Windows 10 Preview Build 18323 Improves Light Mode, RAW Image Support : Read more

 

[jaexyr]

PLEASE DO NOT MESS WITH DARK MODE

 

[CalHob]

"This is a huge boon for professional photographers"
I cannot disagree strongly enough! PROFESSIONAL photographers have been using professional photo and imaging software for so long now that adding this to Windows 10 is a mute point. This might be a nice addition for novice or casual users of digital images.

 

[voice.activated]

moot point

 

[philipemaciel]

What about light mode — comes Cortana-free and without bloatware like Candy Crush, One Drive, etc?

Anyone requiring these "features" could just install it afterwards.

 

[knowom]

Oh cool 1 new theme that seems exciting enough a reason to update so Microsoft can install Candy Crush again. Anyone remember when you could make many different themes variations to taste easily you know in the good old days.

For some reason Colors, hues, saturation, contrast, ect you know basic stuff became difficult for them along the way. Finding new ways to install stuff you uninstalled again though well that's easy for them.

 

[georgebaker437]

How about a Lite mode. Turn off all the useless, unnecessary crap, so I can fly my SIM or play my game without Skype, Cortana or some other idiot apps intruding!

 

[s1mon7]

I really don't like how dark and cold Windows 10 has become. I don't mind the dark mode for people who like it. I don't like not having a proper light mode. This is a small step in the right direction. I still miss how vivid and colorful XP and 7 were in comparison though, with 10 feeling very surgical. I can't even make taskbar bright, since the text still is white, and Windows 10 makes all colors you manually pick much darker to compensate, with no option to choose actual bright colors. You pick pastel blue - Windows makes it dark blue etc.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Light mode? Dark mode? These aren't important or useful features! These are distractions that are only needed since Microsoft seems hell bent on denying simple functionality that has been available in Windows for the last 30 years, rather than focusing it's engineers on what matters, such as making the platform stable and good for business.

When are they going to turn on the ability to change colors for a price, or start selling themes?

Are we really to the point where changing on-screen font colors is, "fixing an issue"? The engineers at Microsoft are really out of touch or desperate if this is the sort of important information they feel the need to share about updates. There are plenty of real complaints levied against Windows 10 that, trying to justify all of their wasted time with this idiocy seems like they are squirming in their seats trying to avoid serving the actual users of Windows 10.

What are the suits at Microsoft expecting to happen when Windows 7 and 8.x users reach end of support for their systems, or when the vast majority of hardware running those systems starts to be phased out due to age and use? If Microsoft continues to ignore the complaints concerning their major remaining OS product on offer, they might be in for a rude awakening when people start looking for alternatives.

 

[cryoburner]

"This is a huge boon for professional photographers"
I cannot disagree strongly enough! PROFESSIONAL photographers have been using professional photo and imaging software for so long now that adding this to Windows 10 is a mute point. This might be a nice addition for novice or casual users of digital images.

I disagree with your disagreement. Having native support for displaying thumbnails and file details for RAW images in File Explorer seems quite useful, even if it's been possible to find workarounds using other software. Even a professional photographer will likely need to use systems that don't have such third-party software installed, in which case, they may otherwise be stuck without thumbnails and other useful information about their files. I can also see the reasoning behind not natively supporting it up until now, since RAW actually encompasses a large number of brand and camera-specific formats, so support is bound to be more complex for a company that doesn't already specialize in digital imaging software.

Also, the proper expression would be "moot point" not "mute point".

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

"This is a huge boon for professional photographers"
I cannot disagree strongly enough! PROFESSIONAL photographers have been using professional photo and imaging software for so long now that adding this to Windows 10 is a mute point. This might be a nice addition for novice or casual users of digital images.

I disagree with your disagreement. Having native support for displaying thumbnails and file details for RAW images in File Explorer seems quite useful, even if it's been possible to find workarounds using other software. Even a professional photographer will likely need to use systems that don't have such third-party software installed, in which case, they may otherwise be stuck without thumbnails and other useful information about their files. I can also see the reasoning behind not natively supporting it up until now, since RAW actually encompasses a large number of brand and camera-specific formats, so support is bound to be more complex for a company that doesn't already specialize in digital imaging software.

How is this anything more than what we had with the already existing, plug-in codec nature of Windows? Is Microsoft abandoning modular design for more spaghetti and hard coded, built in formats? I'm hardly against broader format support, but if it's being done through adding overhead to File Explorer that a significant majority of users will not be using, rather than through a plug-in style method with which Explorer's content support can be extended, I would not consider this a "yay," moment.

Wait a minute, since when were significant numbers of professional photographers happily using Windows 10 on their workstation?

Also, this isn't exactly new. There was a camera codec pack available from Microsoft for Windows 8.1, and a similar codec pack available which supported both Windows 7 and Vista SP2, allowing the viewing of RAW camera files in Windows Explorer.

What's the real story here? No one seems to mention it, but is this just Microsoft finally porting a bit more legacy functionality over to UWP?

 

[USAFRet]

Also, this isn't exactly new. There was a camera codec pack available from Microsoft for Windows 8.1, and a similar codec pack available which supported both Windows 7 and Vista SP2, allowing the viewing of RAW camera files in Windows Explorer.

"image thumbnails, previews, and camera metadata of previously unsupported raw files right in File Explorer. You can also view your raw images – at full resolution – in apps such as Photos or any other Windows app"

Not all RAW files are the same. This presumably expands the types, and brings that to functionality to the rest of the windows applications.

And I expect a fair amount of pros are using Win 10. It's just the OS. Normal people focus on applications, rather than obsessing over Win 7 vs Win 10.
And with Win 7 support going away this time next year, I expect a lot of holdouts are proactively changing.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

There were multiple versions of the previous codec packs, supporting more file formats as time went on. Again, the whole RAW format support is just peddling old features as new, under the bonnet of Windows 10, as though regaining lost functionality is something to be excited about.

If folks can't otherwise use their RAW formatted files already, they have bigger issues than whether Windows 10 natively supports them in a few of it's built in utilities.

Frankly, Windows support can fall off the planet for all I care. I don't have any systems running 7, but do support plenty of folks still using it, and the software will continue to do it's job well into the future unless forcibly hobbled. Just because Windows 10 is gaining market share doesn't mean it's user base is a willing one, rather than one that has been coerced due to market restrictions. A lot of "normal" people aren't even aware they are running Windows 10 on their machines.

Who's obsessing? Windows 10 was a step backward in core OS functionality and user agency, not a step forward, and my personal opinion of the UI is that it's an inconsistent dumpster fire. As a long time Windows user, I shouldn't need to use the search function in the settings on a regular basis to find what should be readily accessible settings. Removing the volume mixer link from the left-click menu is another idiotic change for change's sake. Functional changes like this, without any sort of logically rational basis, is at the very least frustrating for those who use them.

 

[USAFRet]

"Support", as in security updates.

Just like you'd be a fool to run an exposed XP system today, Win 7 will be the same in the not too distant future.

 

[mcdoogan]

About time they added a cat tile set in Windows 10. Should fix my anger towards updates.

 

[cryoburner]

About time they added a cat tile set in Windows 10. Should fix my anger towards updates.

They're calling it "Cat Mode", which will enable such things as cat icons, cat wallpaper, cat titlebars, and meowing when you plug in a USB device.