When you use Windows Photo Gallery or Windows Explorer in Windows Vista to edit the metadata for an image file that uses the RAW image format, the file may be corrupted. The problem only occurs if the image file uses the TIFF image standard and was copied to the computer from either of the following digital SLR camera models:

• Canon EOS 1D
• Canon EOS 1DS

For example, this problem may occur in the following scenario:

• In Windows Photo Gallery or in Windows Explorer, you right-click the image file, and then click Properties.
• You click the Details tab, and then you change the information in any of the listed fields.

In this scenario, the file is truncated and cannot be restored. The image file can no longer be viewed.

Note: The metadata of an image file includes the following items:

• title
• subject
• author
• date details

When you try to use Windows Photo Gallery or Windows Explorer on a Windows Vista-based computer to add metadata to a Canon RAW file that has a .tif file name extension, the file is corrupted.

More metadata issues with RAW files. If I were a professional photographer I think I’d be waiting a bit more before using Vista for my work. Keep reading →