Suggestion for Enhancing HIF File Browsing Speed

[daozhao]

Currently, when using XnView to view HIF files shot with the Fujifilm XT50 camera, the loading speed is relatively slow, taking close to 1 second. In contrast, viewing RAW (RAF files) feels almost instantaneous, likely because XnView loads the embedded thumbnail for RAW files instead of the full image.

Suggestion:

Could XnView prioritize loading the preview image in HIF files instead of the full-resolution image during browsing?
From my observation, HIF files appear to include low-resolution thumbnails (e.g., 1920×1280), as Windows Photo Viewer only displays low-res images for the same file (approx. 10MB in size).
When viewing the same HIF file in XnView, it loads the full-resolution image (7728×5152), which results in longer load times.
Would it be possible to display the preview image first for HIF files, allowing users to quickly view the content, while decompressing the full-resolution image in the background? The high-res version could replace the preview when ready, only if the user lingers on the image.
This approach could significantly enhance browsing efficiency, especially for users rapidly switching between images, as it avoids the need to decompress every full-resolution image.
Looking forward to this feature, and thank you for your hard work!