The image viewer is an application for PC, smartphone or any other device, that lets you open your images. Well, you’ve probably known that but it’s not hard for me to mention it. Now, how are image viewers different from each other? Well, some of them allow for a certain degree of freedom, like slight editing of the photos, etc. However, our topic here aren’t image-editors, but viewers. You want to double-click on the image and see it opened. Simple as that, isn’t it? If that is, below are my picks for 10 best image viewers for Windows.
1. FastStone Image Viewer
I’ve put FastStone Image Viewer on the first spot, because of its simplicity and ease of use. It’s truly a lightweight program that will allow you not only to open your photos but to do a little management, which is a great addition. Furthermore, it’s bounded with an image editor, letting you do stuff like cropping, red eye removal and similar, in order to enhance your picture. Some of the supported formats are JPEG, TIFF, PNG and even RAW.
2. XnView
Like the previous entry, XnView can pride itself for being a great image viewer, along with image management program and the image editor. By using the app, you won’t have any problems with copying or pasting the images into the folders, as the app is pretty fast and loads them with ease. If you aren’t satisfied with the picture, some basic editing tools are here, so you can experiment and see what you like. XnView is a great program for viewing images, and it’s lightweight, so it’s good for every PC.
3. IrfanView
IrfanView is another small and lightweight app, that will not put too much stress on your PC. I was amazed to see how well it works, even in comparison with some paid image viewers. Here, your images will load very fast, offering a smooth experience while browsing the images. It’s also an editor, so you process image in the batch, create slideshows, optimize your photos and convert them into various formats. And believe me, IrfanView supports any format of image that you can think about.
4. Imagine Photo Viewer
While Imagine can’t offer you those advanced and fancy functions, it’s still a great image viewer, and I would say one of the best in its class. It’s a third-party photo viewer, that will let you see your images, and it supports many popular and non-popular formats like JPEG, TIFF, PNG as well as non-image files like RAR, ZIP, 7ZIP, CBZ, CBR and much more. Aside from that, you can capture your screen and it supports batch conversion, plus there is an option for creating a slideshow, which is always a welcome addition.
Also read: View Images In A Zip File In Windows Using SpReader
5. Picasa
Picasa nails it when it comes to that sleek, futuristic and polished look. The app looks amazing and will let you easily see your images that feels like a true media player. Use Enter to see your picture in fullscreen mode, or start a slideshow with a single click, if you want. Advanced image editing is also here, so you can find filters, options for cropping, rotating and much more in Picasa. It’s an easy app to use, plus you can have one for your smartphone.
6. Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Photo Gallery might be the simplest app on the list, but that’s what we want, right? However, it still manages to be a photo editor, organizer, and a photo-sharing app in a single program. You can easily open your image files here, but also do some basic editing, organize your photos into folders and if you want, share it easily via email. It works really simple, and you probably have it on your Windows PC.
7. Pictomio Image Management
Aside from being a photo viewer, Pictomio Image Management will let you manage both of your pictures and videos, as well as create interesting slideshows. The pictures can also be edited very easily, and you can save metadata of your pictures in the app. On top of that, you can sort your pictures by numerous filters such as camera, date taken, etc. Sure, it’s not the most advanced program I’ve ever used, but it works just fine, and it’s lightweight, which is always good to know.
8. DIMIN Viewer n5
DIMIN Viewer n5 supports various formats, which is great for the app of this size. Aside from classic JPEG or PNG support, this one will let you manage RAW files, which are used by digital cameras. A batch conversion is here, so you can now edit and convert multiple images, rename their batch file and change their names automatically. Nothing too fancy, but as I said, it’s important that every function works well, which is fulfilled here.
9. WildBit Viewer
WildBit Viewer is a great app for productivity, as it has that simple drag & drop workflow. Aside from supporting more than 70 formats, which is, by the way, amazing, it can be used as an organizer, because of its simple workflow, that I liked and still like very much. The slideshows can be created here, and you’ll be surprised to see the transition effects here. As I’ve counted, there are 176 of them, so you’ll need hours to search through the base. Comparing the two images side-by-side is not a problem for this app, so you can also take advantage of that.
10. Fresh View Multimedia Organizer
Fresh View Multimedia Organizer is not your ordinary image viewer, as it allows manipulation with music, videos, and pictures altogether. As its name says, it’s an image organizer, letting you handle all of the replacing and copying process with ease, as well as open your image files, for sure. When opening the file, you should not worry, as this app supports 86 different file formats so that you can open ANY picture out there. The developers are still adding various formats, so it’s not strange if the app gets much better in a short period of time.