A program for viewing and editing photos. Photo Viewers: Which is Better?

In our review we decided to consider free apps to view digital images with high-quality functionality, wide possibilities editing and good performance. Selection best programs to view photos will help you become more familiar with the viewers and choose the one that will meet your requirements.

Rating of programs for viewing photos on a computer

Free image viewers

A high-quality utility with editing functions for more than 100 graphic formats and conversion to convenient formats. Allows you to print images, create photo albums, burn photos to disk, protect photos in a directory with a password, batch rename and apply a large set of effects and tools.

The viewer is convenient and functional, has all the options for convenient viewing and high-quality processing. The user has access to settings for sepia, blur corners, rotate, resave, reduce, enlarge, etc. Modified pictures can be saved, printed or burned to discs. The functions of slide show, cataloging, setting up “hot keys” and adjusting the position of the material on the sheet are available. The only disadvantages of the editor are the English-language menu and a sufficient load on system resources.

The software allows you to conveniently view and edit images with high quality. Supports popular graphics formats, performs conversion, has RGB settings and batch processing. In the application, the user can create a business card and manipulate the image using a variety of effects.

Functions available for auto color enhancement, watermark installation, red-eye removal, create slideshows using more than a hundred transitions, music and effects. When editing a picture, you can change its name and size, delete fragments, adjust or change color, use a magnifying glass, and remove shadows. Also available are histogram building, tag processing, drag-and-drop file transfer, and JPEG file annotation.

This feature-rich utility's options allow you to view and edit images, import various files, convert objects to graphics formats, and print finished work. The user has more than 80 viewer actions at his disposal, application quality tools and effects, import into hundreds of formats and convert to various graphics formats.

The user can scan and print material without loss of quality, configure the desired appearance of the resulting picture, organize a slide show, screenshot a picture, create a web page and use search. The program can be integrated into the Total Commander shell using special plugins.

This Google utility was created for editing, organizing and processing images available on a PC. Picasa has tools for editing photos in comparison, using retouching and other tools to improve photos.

Using the photo organizer, you can quickly find, view, improve and print material, create collages and slide shows using adjustments and effects. The photo editor scans a specific area of ​​the system or HDD, indexes found video files and images for further sorting into visual albums ordered by date. In addition, you can send photos and clips to Google+.

Multifunctional image viewers

A convenient application for structuring and organizing images according to various parameters, applying filters and effects, removing duplicates and downloading GPS tracks.

The viewer catalogs pictures according to selected parameters (location of shooting, date of creation of the photo, unsorted, marked, etc.), so the user can view the material in chronological order, distribute the image by geotags and create your own travel map. Sharing on social networks and smart search are available in Karambis.

The software works with images of most known formats and has functions for editing and conversion. Able to quickly open a file in different modes viewing, recognize audio and video content and expand capabilities by adding plugins.

The user has access to built-in editor options, opening little-known video and audio, batch conversion, inserting text, resizing a picture, extracting an image from an icon, and more. You can work in the utility via the keyboard, enable thumbnail preview and create screenshots.

The utility converts graphic images in the required format and size, supports popular and RAW formats digital camera, integrates into Windows and has a batch mode.

The converter allows you to quickly change the size of a photo, compress files, manage and process images, publish on the Web, send by mail, change expansion and compression, import from memory cards, set up templates for renaming and apply watermarks. There are versions for 32 and 64 different OS.

Developed by Nero for playing, burning to discs or searching for files in a media catalog. Allows you to edit pictures, create images in ISO and NRG formats, play Blu-Ray and HD movies, and record mp3 files.

Nero Quick Media works with most known formats and provides the ability to share material in in social networks and on video hosting sites. In the utility, the user can create a video presentation and slide show, as well as use a face recognition algorithm.

The multifunctional application allows you to view, organize and edit your photos. It has batch processing, an advanced editor, synchronizes photos with the Android version of the program, uploads material to online galleries and social networks.

The built-in editor is not inferior in functionality to professionals in this industry; it intelligently sorts collections, quickly displays them, and edits efficiently with a wide range of options. The user can adjust the color depth and palette, overlay captions, open RAW images, create 3D buttons, layouts and collages.

What is the best photo viewer? Built-in Windows tool– not an option if you have tried at least something more interesting. But among the numerous alternatives, it is difficult to choose the ideal one for yourself, unless, of course, you spend time testing everything. Therefore, we offer you a description of the best programs for viewing photos.

We fundamentally decided to consider only free software. The programs offered are, of course, not ideal, but neither are commercial ones. All applications in question have general set of advantages:

• Compatible with Windows 10 and other current versions, up to Windows 7
• A richer set of functions than the standard “peeper” offers
• Individual “superpower” for every decision

FastStone Image Viewer

At the end of the 2010s, this program’s popularity can only be compared with ACDSee in the early 2000s. The difference is that ACDSee was mostly hacked among post-Soviet users, but there is no need to hack FastStone. Based on user reviews and the positive/negative ratio, FastStone is the best photo viewer these days.

The program works quickly, has a built-in editor, and can convert photos in batch mode. Note unusual design interface: in full-screen mode, just move the cursor over the edge of the display to access various menu sections.

FastStone supports a variety of image formats, from mainstream to professional. The only thing missing is built-in support for .webp, but soon this format, invented by Google programmers, will be supported in Windows at the system level.

Advantages:

• Decent Russification
• Contains a built-in editor with a wide range of functions

Flaws:

• Unusual editor logic
• Minor bugs in the batch conversion function

Another super hit of the market of free photo viewing programs. Visible from the start of installation rich story: in the list of plugins that are suggested to be installed, there is even a plugin for burning pictures to disk in Nero (who remembers this dinosaur?)

The interface of the program resembles the classic approach of ACDSee or the same FastStone: a browser with photo thumbnails, a more detailed view of the selected image in the same window, and a full-screen view by double click.

However, there is interesting feature– working with tabs. On each tab, you can open a separate folder or photo and switch between them.

Advantages:

• Small size
• Fast work
• Support large number formats
• Good Russification

Flaws:

• Slightly outdated style
• Inconvenient keyboard controls

A classic program that Bosnian developer Irfan Skilyan created back in 1996 and named after himself. The program is in demand even more than two decades after its creation. Installers for 32- and 64-bit versions are available separately. This way you can choose the one that is more suitable for your system.

The program is loved because there is nothing superfluous in it - only viewing and basic photo editing. For other needs, the photo can be sent to third party editors straight from full screen view.

Advantages:

• Supports multiple image formats
• Required Editing Capabilities
• Integration with external editors
• Support Adobe plugins BF8
• Ability to create panoramic photos
• Batch Converter

Flaws:

• No own file manager
• Outdated interface (for example, it is impossible to download an additional language pack through the program itself)

A relatively little-known player on the market, DIMIN View has its trump cards. Probably the most interesting feature compared to analogues is the ability to create playlists from photos, a sort of simplified analogue of presentations. The playlist can be organized, compiled from pictures located in different folders, and played in slide show mode.

DIMIN View is a unique attempt to bring the logic of the iTunes library into the photo viewer. You do not need to transfer image files to organize them into a group: just add them to a special playlist.

Advantages:

• Supports plugins
• Allows you to create photo collections that can be viewed like a music playlist

Flaws:

• Unusual interface logic
• Incorrect Russification (there is a translation, but we haven’t seen such problems with displaying the Cyrillic alphabet since the days of Windows XP, so it’s better to use English, please!)

By the standards of its simple and small analogues, this program is a corroded giant. WildBit has a wild appetite and requires more than 100 MB for installation. However, these megabytes are not wasted: the program has something to show.

Advantages:

• Many formats supported
• Beautiful slideshow with a variety of effects
• Separate implementation for 32- and 64-bit systems
• Working with multiple monitors simultaneously
• Built-in powerful editor

Flaws:

• Big size
• Redundancy of functions if you just need to view

The program with the sweetest name suggests that viewing photos through it is like eating honey - you will stick and will not come off. Indeed, the developers succeeded a good product, rightfully taking its place on the list.

One of the most interesting opportunities What HoneyView doesn't have on its competitors is Google Maps integration. If the EXIF ​​data of a photo contains the coordinates of the place where it was taken, then you can go to this place in one click Google Maps, view the street panorama (if available) and use all other functions of the service.

Just click on the “GPS” button, and the program opens the coordinates from the photo data using the web version of Google Maps.

Among other things, it is a simple and easy way to view photos on your computer. Convenient navigation using keys, built-in browser with thumbnail display, basic functions editing and converting - perhaps this is the best choice for travel lovers.

Advantages:

• Easy viewing of EXIF ​​data and its integration with Google Maps
• Support for rare formats (for example, .webp)
• Successful integration into the Windows context menu
• Menu in Russian

Flaws:

• Somewhat overloaded interface

An absolute masterpiece of minimalism. The program does not require installation and is distributed in the form of a single executable file xlideit.exe. When launched, the application is integrated into the system automatically and generates configuration files, so it is better to immediately create a separate folder for it.

Since installation is not necessary, the program can be kept on a flash drive. This is convenient in many respects: for example, it allows you to view photos without launching the main program on the PC (you never know what the owner used it to look at last time).

For a file smaller than 3MB, Xlideit's capabilities are astounding. It opens different file formats, contains a built-in file manager and a set of tools for basic processing - what more could you want from such a midget?

Advantages:

• Minimum size
• Works from anywhere on your computer, including removable media
• Rich options

Flaws:

• Interface is in English only
• Stutters when opening uncompressed photos
• Sometimes it works unstably

Which of the proposed viewers is considered the best is a matter of taste. Each one has some kind of unique “trick” - perhaps you will find room on your computer for two or three at once. Thus, the author of the review believes that good combination will consist of FastStone (as a universal viewer and editor) and HoneyView (as a tool for working with metadata). There is always room for Xlideit on a flash drive with photos. However, each user has different needs, so you may choose a different program or set of them.

Greetings to all!

Perhaps not everyone will agree with me, but viewing pictures in Windows is not very convenient, for example, not all formats are supported, you cannot view photos in the archive, there is a problem with converting from one format to another, etc.

I think this is why many people prefer to use alternative programs for viewing photos and pictures (and I am no exception here).

Actually, in this article I want to recommend several viewers (this is the name of the program for viewing images) , which will greatly simplify viewing media files (note: many viewers allow you to easily view video files!) .

I will add that all the programs presented in the article support the Russian language and are compatible with all new Windows 7/8/10 operating systems.

What is the best way to replace the standard image viewer?

ACDSee

The most powerful organizer and browser of photo and video files! Allows you to view hundreds of different graphics formats: BMP, PCX, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, WMF and much more.

ACDSee has a built-in image editor: so that you can easily trim edges, add arrows, ovals and other elements, convert photos from one format to another, etc. You can easily create your own slide show. Supports work with scanners and digital cameras.

I will also note that the program can view the contents of archives without extracting them (very convenient!). And one more plus: ACDSee by default caches all previews from the folders that you view. This allows you to instantly show you a preview the next time you view the same folder, rather than creating it again (as other programs do). Thanks to this, the speed of work is an order of magnitude higher!

IrfanView

Very compact and fast viewer. Despite his modest size(just a few megabytes) allows you to perform hundreds various functions: view a bunch of different graphic formats (there are more than a hundred of them!), convert pictures (including in multi-mode), edit photos (cropping, writing, changing shades, etc.), etc.

By the way, IrfanView was the first graphics editor in Windows that supported animated GIF files, multi-page TIFF and ICO files.

Key Features:

1. support for hundreds of graphic formats (JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, ICO, etc.);
2. support for Russian and all popular Windows versions 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 (32 and 64 bit);
3. filter support for Adobe Photoshop;
4. creating and burning slide shows to discs;
5. Unicode support;
6. It is possible to draw and edit pictures;
7. ability to extract graphics from EXE/DLL/ICLs;
8. A HUGE number of different plugins (add-ons) for the program can seriously expand its capabilities;
9. scanner support, digital cameras, and much more!

XnView

XnView - a simple and convenient photo and video viewer

A very popular viewer and direct competitor to ACDSee. It also allows you to view hundreds of different formats of photo and video files, convert from one format to another, change brightness, gamma, contrast, etc. All such operations can be done on hundreds of files at once, which is a definite plus for the program.

Key Features:

1. support for a huge number of formats (more than 400!);
2. convenient and powerful photo/picture processing: red-eye removal, edge trimming, changing resolution, converting to another format, adding watermarks, lightening/darkening and much more;
3. support for extensions (and there are quite a lot of them released);
4. working with scanners, printers and cameras;
5. support for creating screenshots;
6. the ability to use a portable version (which does not require installation);
7. the ability to automatically create lists of all files located in folders;
8. convenient work with previews (they can be configured as you like: make them large, small, put descriptions next to them, etc.).

FastStone Image Viewer

A simple and free program for viewing and processing photos. The functionality of the program is quite extensive and supports the Russian language in full. You can create postcards, banners, business cards, process photos, etc.

All in all, pretty good for a free product!

Key Features:

1. the ability to open photos/pictures of the most different formats(including large photos in RAW format);
2. image editing and processing: trimming jagged edges, improving sharpness, increasing detail, adjusting gamma, brightness, red-eye removal, etc.;
3. conversion from one format to another;
4. applying watermarks, stamps and other protection;
5. import images from a scanner, photo and video camera;
6. batch multi-photo processing, and much more.

Zoner Photo Studio

Zoner Photo Studio - main program window

A very powerful program for working with pictures and photos (both for viewing and editing them). The program allows you to copy photos directly from your phone or camera, and edit pictures on the fly (remove red-eye, adjust contrast, brightness, etc.). In addition, you can immediately create your own slide show, gallery, calendar or panorama. And then, the resulting “creation” can be published on the Internet or sent to someone by email.

The program itself consists of four main modules: a module for importing photos; manager for managing archives of photographs and pictures on a PC; image editor; and an image viewer.

Before processing, and after processing in ZPS (improved brightness, color rendition, sharpness)

Key Features:

1. convenient and fast model for viewing pictures;
2. high-quality editing and improving the quality of “raw” photos: improving brightness, contrast, changing color range, red-eye removal, etc.). Notice the wasp example above;
3. the ability to apply quick filters to dozens of pictures at once;
4. creating slide shows, calendars, and other photo collections;
5. there is a special tool: cloning stamp (allows you to remove objects from the photo that you do not need);
6. the ability to add frames to photos;
7. creating panoramas;
8. creating HDR images;
9. creating 3D images without special equipment. cameras for their projection, and much more.

Minuses: the program is free only for 30 days, then it really starts to get boring...

Overall, Zoner Photo Studio leaves a very positive impression. Personal resume: suitable more topics who edits and processes photos (many tools designed for quick and easy image processing (much faster than poking around in Photoshop)).

How to set the default program to open pictures in Windows 10

In Windows 10, so that your installed program became the main one and was used by default when viewing pictures - setting it alone is not enough. To do this you need to go to control Panel Windows in the "Programs" section - click on the link there "Default programs".

I note that in addition to the viewer, you can specify a player, a browser, etc. here.

That's all I have for now.

It goes without saying that after saving photos to the hard drive of a computer or laptop, you want to look at them on the screen (we are not talking about editing now). This is where the legitimate question arises about which photo viewers to use. It is clear that each program has its own flavor.

Types of Photo Viewers

In general, if you initially ask the question of what kind of photo viewers there are, you can note that applications of this type are conditionally divided into two main types: ordinary “viewers” ​​(from English viewer) and viewers with the ability to edit photos, create special effects, and view in slideshow, etc.

It’s probably clear that looking at photographs, say, with automatic frame changes, and even accompanied by your favorite music, is much more pleasant than just looking at a photo, and constantly clicking somewhere to select the next frame.

Standard Windows photo viewer

There is no need to explain that all Windows operating systems have their own graphics viewing tools. For example, as in some younger versions, the standard viewer Windows photos 7 is available either when called from the main menu, or from the context menu by right-clicking on a graphic file, or when called directly with a double click (by the way, this option is enabled by default).

IN standard version It turns out that double-clicking on a file opens it with a standard image viewer. Some users don't like this. This is understandable, because the possibilities here are the bare minimum. The maximum that can be done is to rotate the photo or scale it. However, this program was not initially designed for anything else.

You can, of course, use the “Picture Manager”, which is available in the installed tools Microsoft Office, but this is not a solution either. Still, you can't get anything special out of this application. It is much more interesting to use third-party photo viewers, which have much more more possibilities and functions.

The most popular utilities for viewing photos

If we talk about the most interesting and most popular programs among users, it is worth noting utilities such as ACDSee, FastStone Image Viewer, Picasa, Irfan View, XnView, etc.

Each utility has a fairly interesting set of functions for working with photographs or any other graphic files. As a rule, their main set of utilities differs insignificantly. But there are some specific features.

For example, FastStone Image Viewer is suitable not only for viewing photos, but also for reducing their size, as well as for subsequent archiving into one file and sending by email.

Picasa is best for creating various kinds humorous collages and parodies, especially since there is a fairly extensive database of templates for this that can be downloaded even from the Internet in the user community.

The last two programs on the list are created in the image and likeness of the ACDSee application, which supports the maximum possible number of multimedia formats. In addition, when viewing, say, graphic content, you can set the image size to automatically fit the screen. It is also worth noting that there is even support for Adobe Photoshop filters.

The XnView application looks interesting. Its main feature is that it can not only show photos, but also view documents of other formats, video and even audio. And everything is completely free.

What's better?

It is really very difficult to talk about which photo viewers are better. If you take at least the applications described above, it becomes clear that each of them has its own unique capabilities. But in general, if we take graphics exclusively, many professional users computer systems and photographers believe that the best photo viewer currently is ACDSee.

In terms of processing graphic material, this program has maximum potential. Moreover, there is even support for accessing the ACDSee Online online storage (though only in the Pro version, which you will have to buy). But that's not the point. What exactly to use, the user decides for himself. It’s best to try working with several utilities and then conclude which is better, more convenient, and more functional in each specific case.

Modern development of computer technology has led to the fact that there are more and more graphic images using specific formats. This is especially true due to the fact that each camera manufacturer (especially DSLRs) tries to take photographs in its own format (although universal formats are also present). And sometimes the question is, choose and download image viewing programs, is very relevant. Today there are quite a large number of programs that allow you not only to view, but also to edit graphic files and objects. For now we will focus only on viewer programs. In the modern computer world, there are a great variety of them, as well as the file formats with which they can work. Among the most common formats are JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, BMP, ICO and some others. If you look at it, built-in graphics viewers are available in any operating system. Even if we take into account even this file manager type FAR, which is up to to a certain extent reminiscent of Norton Commander, it also has a graphics preview function, despite the fact that it is a kind of add-on in the form of a DOS system for Windows. In recent operating systems Windows family has a built-in program that opens graphic images by default. However, it is worth noting that the previewer from Microsoft may not work with all types of images. IN in this case much more convenient to use special programs, which recognize maximum amount formats. It's no secret that each camera manufacturer, in addition to the usual standard JPEG format, can use its own file format to save photos in the camera's memory or on a removable card in order to reduce the size of the saved file and save disk space. When viewing such images, you will most likely have to use the device on which the photograph was taken. Converting an image from a personal to a public format can take quite a long time. This is where programs that can recognize an image come to the rescue, even if the file has a different extension. Such programs allow you to view graphic files even if they are renamed. Let's say in some Commander you changed the file extension from .JPG to .TXT. The program will not detect the difference between the formats, although the system will indicate that the latter is, after all, a text file (although, in fact, it is not one of those). You can download such programs for viewing images on our website. It seems that using the standard Windows graphics file viewer is becoming more and more irrelevant. On our website you can download free programs to view images.