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Why ARW feels especially slow
Sony files are large, and many photographers produce several hundred of them per shoot. Even when Windows can generate a preview, it only starts when the folder opens, and then for every file at once. The folder visibly builds itself top to bottom while you are already trying to scroll.
What the preloader does differently
It moves that work to a moment where it does not get in the way: while you are doing something else. After the import the preparation runs in the background, and by the time you sit down to cull, the folder is done.
- Preparation in the background instead of on open.
- Delta prewarm: newly added files are handled first.
- Speed modes so preparation never slows your editing down.
The video from that same card
People shooting Sony often film with the same body. MP4 and MOV files run through the same process and appear as images too.