Blackmagic RAW Player : no thumbnails on Windows anymore

Hi,

I'm part of the team working on BRAW Studio a Blackmagic RAW importer for Adobe CC

It seems to me that the latest Blackmagic RAW Player 1.7 installed by Blackmagic RAW SDK 1.7 on Windows is not shipping and registering BlackmagicRawShellExtension.dll anymore hence there are no thumbnails anymore in Windows Explorer (but old thumbnails are still there, loaded from cache).

Why did you do that ? Are you going to bring this feature back ?

Did you have trouble / interactions issues between shell thumbnail generation and the Blackmagic plugins for Adobe ? We've seen file error access issues (on both our plugin and Blackmagic official Adobe plugins), it might be related and need to know. Also, some users are still using an older version of the Player / SDK with the thumbnail generation so if there are issues they're still out there happening we need to address them

Thanks,
Antoine

[CaptainHook]

We had to remove it to workaround a last minute bug that was found in 1.7 just before release. We do plan to bring it back in future releases, yes.

We had to remove it to workaround a last minute bug that was found in 1.7 just before release. We do plan to bring it back in future releases, yes.

This slows down my workflow tremendously, having to check all files one for one. I've got around 160 shots from a shoot last weekend and organizing them is a true hell right now. Any workaround to get this working again please? Even if that bug is trying to delete Windows, I'd rather have that than missing this.

Steven, you could always install back again 1.6

We had to remove it to workaround a last minute bug that was found in 1.7 just before release. We do plan to bring it back in future releases, yes.

Thanks for the feedback. Will the next update be released soon ?

[CaptainHook]

In general we can't comment on future releases/plans sorry so I can't say when this may get re-introduced.

Always worth trying

What needs to be setup so that thumbnails of braw files 6K in windows 10 work again?

As said earlier in the topic, reinstall BRAW SDK 1.6.1

As said earlier in the topic, reinstall BRAW SDK 1.6.1

Files Recorded in braw 4K 50p OK. Files recorded in braw 6K 50p are not visible thumbnail (windows 10)

123123.JPG (132.35 KiB) Viewed 43324 times

For anyone wondering here, BRAW Studio doesn't make Windows Explorer thumbnails, you need to either go back to Blackmagic RAW SDK 1.6.1 or wait for the next update 1.7.1 (or 1.8 ?)

For anyone wondering here, BRAW Studio doesn't make Windows Explorer thumbnails, you need to either go back to Blackmagic RAW SDK 1.6.1 or wait for the next update 1.7.1 (or 1.8 ?)

This didn't work for me. Uninstalled all BM software, installed BMRaw SDK 1.6.1. Nothing... deleted thumbnails, restarted etc etc.

For anyone wondering here, BRAW Studio doesn't make Windows Explorer thumbnails, you need to either go back to Blackmagic RAW SDK 1.6.1 or wait for the next update 1.7.1 (or 1.8 ?)

This didn't work for me. Uninstalled all BM software, installed BMRaw SDK 1.6.1. Nothing... deleted thumbnails, restarted etc etc.

Maybe try with version 1.6 then. I'm not from Blackmagic Design so I don't know when they removed the feature

Files Recorded in braw 4K 50p OK. Files recorded in braw 6K 50p are not visible thumbnail (windows 10)

123123.JPG

I don't think it's about 4K vs. 6K it's about : if thumbnails were generated with a previous version (that had thumbnails generation enabled) then they were cached (Thumbs.db), all new .braw that appeared after the new version was installed don't have thumbnails generated anymore.

Would there be a reason why neither version 1.6.1 nor 1.4 display any thumbnail for me?

I'm on Windows 10 Pro version 1909 (18363.836) and the clips are UHD 8:1 BRAW clips out of a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K with the latest firmware.

Wow. So much help! xD

At least if we could know when BRAW 1.8 will get out that would be helpful

Since this is affecting our users in all Adobe apps, especially After Effects we published an article to warn our users :

Blackmagic RAW 1.7 Bug : no thumbnails and file access issues


https://www.autokroma.com/blog/Blackmag ... ess-Issues

1.8 was released a day ago.
And the thumbnail issue still continues.
The worst part is if my premiere project was saved with a 1.7 then installing 1.6 will cause vertical red lines to appear on the footages.

Blackmagic PLEASE fix this issue on Windows!!

1.8 was released a day ago.
And the thumbnail issue still continues.
The worst part is if my premiere project was saved with a 1.7 then installing 1.6 will cause vertical red lines to appear on the footages.

You can use BRAW Studio to avoid glitches decoding Blackmagic RAW in Adobe

return thumbnail

Captain Hook has indicated that a BETA of BRAW API 2.0 should be coming soon for Windows. Let's hope thumbnails will be back !

+1
Please bring thumbnails back

Thumbnails are back in the Windows BETA2 of Blackmagic RAW SDK 2.0. Could anyone from Blackmagic confirm this has been fixed in this version ?
Thanks

[CaptainHook]

Yes it was addressed in the 2.0 Beta2 release.

Thanks for the confirmation, that's great !

Yes it was addressed in the 2.0 Beta2 release.

I still don't see the thumbnails.
I've uninstalled the old version of the player, cleaned the cache, rebooted my system, installed the new version, rebooted again, and I still just see the player's logo as a thumbnail.

Seems to work for me. Matteo what if you copy paste a .braw does the newly created .braw has a thumbnail ?

[CaptainHook]

Yes it was addressed in the 2.0 Beta2 release.

I still don't see the thumbnails.
I've uninstalled the old version of the player, cleaned the cache, rebooted my system, installed the new version, rebooted again, and I still just see the player's logo as a thumbnail.

Have thumbnails for Blackmagic RAW ever worked for you? (on 1.6 etc?) Do thumbnails for other media types work for you?
What are your machine specs (CPU/GPU)? Is Windows set to english on your system or another language?

Have thumbnails for Blackmagic RAW ever worked for you? (on 1.6 etc?

I seem to remember that they have, although the last time they did must have been at least one year ago, and since they started not to work, they haven't worked anymore with any version (even the oldest ones) of Blackmagic RAW.

Do thumbnails for other media types work for you?

Yes, they do.

What are your machine specs (CPU/GPU)?

OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (build 19041.450)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight-Core Processor, 4150 Mhz
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 590 Series, 8 GB VRAM, GDDR5 2000 Mhz
RAM: 64 GB

Is Windows set to english on your system or another language?

No, it is set in European Spanish.

[CaptainHook]

Thanks for the details, we will try to reproduce it.
Are there any non-standard English chars in the path names to where your Blackmagic RAW clips are? We had an issue before where some characters in other languages could cause some problems but we believe we fixed that issue - we haven't had a report like yours for thumbnails not working at all even with older builds so just trying to narrow down the differences in your setup. Thanks!

Thanks for the details, we will try to reproduce it.
Are there any non-standard English chars in the path names to where your Blackmagic RAW clips are? We had an issue before where some characters in other languages could cause some problems but we believe we fixed that issue - we haven't had a report like yours for thumbnails not working at all even with older builds so just trying to narrow down the differences in your setup. Thanks!

So, the short answer is no (and I know which issue you're referring to, and it affected me in the past, but not anymore). Moreover, I don't think that's it, because my boyfriend (with another European Spanish OS) has downloaded 2.0 and can perfectly see the thumbnails. It doesn't even seem to be connected to old clips: I've just downloaded new BRAW trial clips from the official website and they appear as icons and not thumbnails, too. My system must keep a cache somewhere...

[CaptainHook]

It does seem if you have tried with new clips and its still not working that the cache wouldn't be involved, but if you want to try fully clear the cache (which can be aggressively persistent) try these steps to clear the cache fully and let us know if it makes a difference:

• Type command prompt in the search bar on the Taskbar.
• Right click on the command prompt icon and select Run as administrator.
• Paste the following commands and press Enter after each command:
• ie4uinit.exe -show
• taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
• DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db"
• DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"
• shutdown /r /f /t 00

It does seem if you have tried with new clips and its still not working that the cache wouldn't be involved, but if you want to try fully clear the cache (which can be aggressively persistent) try these steps to clear the cache fully and let us know if it makes a difference:

• Type command prompt in the search bar on the Taskbar.
• Right click on the command prompt icon and select Run as administrator.
• Paste the following commands and press Enter after each command:
• ie4uinit.exe -show
• taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
• DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db"
• DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"
• shutdown /r /f /t 00

Nothing!
Thanks for suggesting it, though.

Matteo, when you double click on

Code: Select all

C:\Program Files (x86)\Blackmagic Design\Blackmagic RAW\Blackmagic RAW Player\BlackmagicRAWPlayer.exe

and go in the About do you see Version 2.0 written ?

Does the following file exists ?

Code: Select all

C:\Program Files (x86)\Blackmagic Design\Blackmagic RAW\Blackmagic RAW Player\BlackmagicRawAPI\BlackmagicRawShellExtension.dll

[CaptainHook]

Nothing!
Thanks for suggesting it, though.

Just to rule out the obvious, thumbnails are definitely enabled in explorer for you? You mentioned thumbnails for other media work so I assume so, but just to double check maybe check here for reference on how to make sure they're enabled:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/188 ... -10-a.html

Also, do previews in explorer work for you? Press alt+p when in Explorer to open the preview pane, and select a file.

You mentioned thumbnails for other media work so I assume so, but just to double check maybe check here for reference on how to make sure they're enabled:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/188 ... -10-a.html

I've just followed that guide. I have the options that are supposed to be checked, checked, and the options that are supposed to be unchecked, unchecked; but it isn't surprising as the result is what one would expect: all the image or video files show their respective thumbnails.
It's particularly evident in some of the folders where I stored my .braw files, where, at the very side of these, are .mp4 files with their correct thumbnails displayed.

Also, do previews in explorer work for you? Press alt+p when in Explorer to open the preview pane, and select a file.

Yes. .mp4 show a thumbnail in that pane, too, while .braw trigger a blank pane.

Once you answer my questions I will give you how to check in regedit the .dll is registered

Once you answer my questions I will give you how to check in regedit the .dll is registered

Sorry, Antoine! I didn't see your post! My bad!
The answer for both your questions is yes. I see version "2.0" written there and I see that file in that folder.

?

Press Windows key and R key then type "regedit", Enter key, CTRL+F, copy paste "BlackmagicRawShellExtension.dll" there and give us all the occurrences you find (the path on the left navigation bar), F3 to jump to next occurence.

What could help maybe is to click right "Export" the .reg related to each key you find. Maybe one is missing


Do you ever get the Windows Explorer crashing by the way ?

Since I didn't know where to click "export" (whether the main "category" where it's found that element or the exact folder inside the category), I've clicked both and generated two exports: --> https://we.tl/t-85484dpLZ4 .
These are the only instances it has found (please, see attachment, too).

Windows Explorer has never crashed on me, no.

Looks good... How weird.

Could you try re installing BRAW API v1.6 ? See if the thumbnails are back. then uninstall, install again v2.0 BETA to be sure.

Maybe CaptainHook will have more ideas of things to try

[CaptainHook]

We have tried to reproduce the issue with a similar CPU so far but no luck (thumbnails work on our test machines).
If you can think of anything else unique to your setup that may help us reproduce please let us know.

Looks good... How weird.

Could you try re installing BRAW API v1.6 ? See if the thumbnails are back. then uninstall, install again v2.0 BETA to be sure.

Maybe CaptainHook will have more ideas of things to try

No luck. I still only see the logo.

We have tried to reproduce the issue with a similar CPU so far but no luck (thumbnails work on our test machines).
If you can think of anything else unique to your setup that may help us reproduce please let us know.

The only thing that has always been weird is that, at some point, I don't know when and how, .braw files have connected to uTorrent. I can't remember exactly if someone using the PC has selected uTorrent as the application to open every .braw file or if it was something else, but, since then, uTorrent seems to have become the default program to open .braw files, unless I manually select something else.
For instance: to follow Antoine's suggestion and try Braw 1.6, I had to uninstall the version I had in my PC. The very moment that happened, without selecting any other application myself, my PC "decided" that it would open .braw files with uTorrent and said application's logo appeared in the place of the Braw Player's logo for each .braw file.
I have tried everything to get rid of uTorrent from the list of "Open with" apps when I select a .braw file, but to no avail.
Even Adobe Bridge is "convinced" that uTorrent is the default application to open .braw and when I tell my OS to always open them with Braw Player, that doesn't have any change inside of Bridge, which keeps trying to open them with uTorrent.

Maybe this has something to do with what's happening?

[CaptainHook]

Could very well be the course of the problem, yes.
Have you tried this method?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/hel ... t-programs

Otherwise, could you try uninstall uTorrent from your machine completely, then remove/reinstall Blackmagic RAW?

Could very well be the course of the problem, yes.
Have you tried this method?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/hel ... t-programs

Otherwise, could you try uninstall uTorrent from your machine completely, then remove/reinstall Blackmagic RAW?

When going to that section of my settings, before uninstalling anything, Braw Player is correctly configured as the default app to use to open .braw files.
When I uninstall uTorrent, Adobe Bridge keeps trying to use it to open the files. It looks for uTorrent, and simply warns me that it can't find it in its normal path. There is absolutely no way to change the application within Bridge as the people at Adobe, after months of supporting Blackmagic's codec in Premiere Pro, have yet to add it in the list of file formats in Bridge...
I then uninstall Braw Player and the .braw files, obviously, turn "blank" (the standard white box in Windows that signals that there's no application to open a file).
Installing Braw Player again (before installing uTorrent again) doesn't change the end result: now I can play .braw video files again, but I still can't see their thumbnails.

[UPDATE]
One thing I was finally able to do was disconnecting uTorrent from .braw files: there was some old copy of the program hidden within the mess that is Windows' folders system (I really regretted giving it a try after 15 years with Macbooks) and now, after installing uTorrent again, my OS doesn't list the application in the "Open with" dialog of .braw files and Adobe Bridge correctly opens the files with Braw Player instead of uTorrent. Still no thumbnail, though.

Could very well be the course of the problem, yes.
Have you tried this method?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/hel ... t-programs

Otherwise, could you try uninstall uTorrent from your machine completely, then remove/reinstall Blackmagic RAW?

When going to that section of my settings, before uninstalling anything, Braw Player is correctly configured as the default app to use to open .braw files.
When I uninstall uTorrent, Adobe Bridge keeps trying to use it to open the files. It looks for uTorrent, and simply warns me that it can't find it in its normal path. There is absolutely no way to change the application within Bridge as the people at Adobe, after months of supporting Blackmagic's codec in Premiere Pro, have yet to add it in the list of file formats in Bridge...
I then uninstall Braw Player and the .braw files, obviously, turn "blank" (the standard white box in Windows that signals that there's no application to open a file).
Installing Braw Player again (before installing uTorrent again) doesn't change the end result: now I can play .braw video files again, but I still can't see their thumbnails.

[UPDATE]
One thing I was finally able to do was disconnecting uTorrent from .braw files: there was some old copy of the program hidden within the mess that is Windows' folders system (I really regretted giving it a try after 15 years with Macbooks) and now, after installing uTorrent again, my OS doesn't list the application in the "Open with" dialog of .braw files and Adobe Bridge correctly opens the files with Braw Player instead of uTorrent. Still no thumbnail, though.

So, "unfortunately", the only thing that did it was to completely wipe everything out, format the whole system and do a clean install of Windows 10: now I can see the thumbnails again!

[CaptainHook]

Glad you got it going but unfortunate that we never learned the cause of the issue. Thanks for reporting back.