Table of Contents
RAW file handling in FotoStation
29. March 2025
Table of Contents
Overview
FotoStation has several mechanisms for rendering RAW files. They differ slightly on Windows and in macOS, so the article has been divided by platform.
RAW file support in Windows
FotoStation for Windows has two modes for rendering RAW files. These can be combined (installed side by side) without complications.
Adobe DNG Converter
Improved RAW file handling can be obtained by installing Adobe DNG converter on the computer running FotoStation.
This improves the extraction of thumbnails and previews from RAW files and has the added benefit of being able to render these according to settings made in Adobe Camera RAW. When DNG converter is installed, FotoStation will make full use of it for RAW file processing, for example for conversion from the camera's RAW format to other file formats.
Installing DNG converter
Adobe DNG converter can be installed by opening the Help menu in FotoStation and choosing Install DNG converter. The default web browser will be launched and direct you to the DNG converter download area on the Adobe website.
Simply download and install the DNG converter according to the instructions on the website and then restart FotoStation to begin using it.
Windows Imaging Component (WIC) Framework
The WIC framework is a plugin architecture that enables the installation of WIC-based plugins from a camera manufacturer to enable rendering of their RAW files natively in FotoStation. Some plugins are available in the Microsoft store, and may have to be purchased, others can be obtained from the manufacturer's website.
Download and install these plugins (a Windows restart may be required), and FotoStation will render the thumbnail and previews correctly.
RAW file support in macOS
macOS has RAW file support built-in, and Apple typically bundles updated RAW file libraries with their updates to macOS.
If using a more recent camera model than is supported by macOS, the alternative is to install the Adobe DNG Converter for macOS and then restarting FotoStation to begin using it.
An added benefit of using Adobe DNG Converter is that FotoStation will render thumbnails and previews according to the settings applied in Adobe Camera RAW.
When DNG converter is installed, FotoStation will make full use of it for RAW file processing, for example for conversion from the camera's native RAW format to other file formats.