Our selection presents the best applications for viewing photos, which, despite their free distribution, have high-quality functionality and capabilities on par with commercial software. Graphic image viewers have options for converting and renaming images, creating photo albums for recording on disks, uploading to the Internet, etc.

The utilities we are considering are also editors with a set of tools for processing photographs, removing unnecessary elements and applying interesting filters. Our review will help you choose a digital image viewing program that meets your needs.

Programs

Russian language

License

Slide show

Rating

Seal

Sorting

Yes Free Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Free Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Free Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Free Yes 9 Yes Yes
Yes Free Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Free Yes 9 Yes Yes
Yes Trial Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Trial Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Free Yes 10 Yes Yes
Yes Free No 7 Yes No

The application allows you to view photos in various modes, convert them to the desired format and edit images using a set of useful tools. The utility is one of the fastest among similar viewers; it easily opens objects of less common formats, recognizes audio and video, and can also expand the boundaries of its capabilities by adding plug-ins. The user can extract sections of the image of the selected area and image icons, view images as a thumbnail of the image, create screenshots and use convenient auto-correction.


The program combines the main functions for editing and processing images of various graphic formats and digital RAW. The user can apply watermarks to the image, work with the size, color and unnecessary fragments of images, auto-enhancement, batch processing and red-eye removal. In addition, you can create histograms, business cards and slideshows with music, turn on a magnifying glass and add comments. The application is compatible with the scanner.

One of the best programs for viewing and editing graphic images. Can convert files, change images, create photo albums, set passwords on photos, burn the resulting material to disk or print. You can also resave from one format to another, work with multiple formats, remove red eyes from a photo, and view photos in slide show mode. In addition, the user can take advantage of interesting filters and effects.

Free Google product for quick search, viewing on PC and image editing. Finds images available on the computer and, using a large set of tools and interesting effects, retouches them, creates collages and slide shows. The user can crop, remove red-eye, improve the quality of pictures, adjust color and shadow, as well as adjust height and width. Transferring photos and clips to Google+ will help you quickly display the material in your feed, and the comparison option will allow you to evaluate the initial and final results of the processed image. Pikasa also systematizes pictures and finds them in a common database by tags, faces, geolocation or other parameters of a given sorting.

The utility allows you to view and edit images using a large set of high-quality tools. The viewer opens more than 400 formats, converts files, works with different operating systems and installs new modules. For processing, the user has access to interesting effects and tools, capturing images, creating slide shows and web pages, going to search and selecting skins. Using plugins, integration into the Total Commander shell is possible, and having Nero on your PC will help you burn pictures to discs directly from the software. Creation of photo galleries and web pages is available.

A free Nero product for searching media files, playing and burning DVDs, Blu-Rays and CDs. The utility helps you quickly find the necessary files in the media directory, open them, create images and burn them to media. In addition, you can “upload” material to the Internet, record images in several formats, edit photos and create a slide show or video presentation. Nero Quick works with most formats, recognizes faces and has a large set of powerful tools.

This utility allows you to quickly view and edit photos in a high-quality manner, sort your home collections according to different criteria, and “upload” pictures to resources. The editor is almost as functional as its paid counterparts; it intelligently organizes collections of photographs, removes red eyes, and has options for adjusting color depth, palette, and adding text. You can create 3D buttons, layouts, collages, apply effects and fine-tune parameters. Processed images can be synchronized with the mobile version of the software. The free version works for 30 days.

The application will help you properly organize your photos, create albums, collections, automatically sort and apply various effects to your photos. With the help of Karambis, you can create a convenient photo library not only for viewing on a PC, but also for use in software for viewing pictures or in social networks. There is a smart search, sorting by dates and locations. You can download GPS tracks and overlay them on an image, apply filters, share material by email, and adjust various quality enhancement settings. You can evaluate the trial version for 30 days.

Download programs for viewing images and photos.
The best free image viewers for Windows XP, 7, 8, 10.
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version: 7.3 from June 24, 2019

FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable and user-friendly viewer, editor and converter. FastStone Image Viewer has a nice set of features, including viewing, comparing and resizing images, red-eye removal, and color management (reduction and adjustment).

FastStone Image Viewer features an innovative yet intuitive full-screen viewing mode, a convenient thumbnail browser, and quick access to essential tools through hidden toolbars that pop up when the mouse touches the four edges of the screen.

version: 4.53 from May 16, 2019

A free application for viewing images with the ability to edit them, which allows you to take screenshots, view photos in slideshow mode, and open video and audio files.

Initially, IrfanView was conceived as a regular photo viewer. But then the creators decided to add some functionality to it, thereby increasing the popularity of the product. Let's take the latest version of IrfanView and take a closer look at what they came up with.

version: 2.48 from March 05, 2019

XnView is a powerful photo viewer that includes some editing tools. With its help, you can organize convenient viewing of pictures, change the format of selected files, improve sharpness and brightness, add a watermark, and also create a photo gallery for a web page.

If you are planning to show your friends photos from your trip to Thailand or prepare a photo gallery for your website, it is best to do this with XnView - downloading this multifunctional application will be very useful in such cases. Indeed, in addition to creating conditions for comfortable viewing, the program will also allow you to edit images in just a couple of clicks.

version: 3.9.14.259 from November 06, 2015

A smart application from Google that will allow you not only to find and organize images on your computer, but also to improve them. At your service is a chic set of popular photo editing tools, as well as several basic tools for video processing.

First of all, Picasa is known as an advanced graphics file organizer. You don't have to search all over your computer for a specific photo. Add tags to images or entire folders and sort them the way you want, not just by date. In addition, you will provide yourself with quick access to pictures - thanks to a kind of library located on the left side of the interface and search tools.

  • The program for viewing images in Windows 7 is installed along with the system and does not require additional configuration. To start viewing an image, you just double-click the left mouse button on the photo icon. An application window will open in front of you and the desired picture will be shown.

    The program window contains basic tools that allow you to manage settings and set basic parameters for the image.

    If you wish, you can enlarge or reduce the size of the photo using the mouse wheel or the magnifying glass icon at the bottom left of the screen. Click on the zoom icon and left-click the area you want to zoom in on. To reduce, click on the arrow next to the magnifying glass icon and select “Reduce”, then select the desired area in the same way with the left mouse button.

    To move to the next picture in the images folder, click on the right arrow. To view the previous picture, click on the left arrow. The central button allows you to start playing a slideshow from the images available in the catalog in full screen. To print a picture, use the “Print” button at the top of the program window. If you want to delete a picture, use the cross button in the lower right part of the program window. Confirm the deletion operation by clicking on the “Yes” button in the dialog box that appears.

    Opening through alternative programs

    You can view Windows 7 photos through alternative photo viewing apps. Their advantage is the ability to use a wider range of tools when viewing and editing. Among the most multifunctional programs are Picasa, ACDSee, FastStone Image Viewer, XnView, IrfanView.

    The programs can scan the file system for photos, and then sort them into categories, apply filters, change colors and create small slideshows.

    Study the proposed programs and download them to your computer by visiting the developer’s official website. Run the file received for installation. Complete the installation by following the application instructions. After completing the procedure, right-click on the photo you want to view, and then click “Open with”. Select the program you installed from the list, and then click “Ok.” You can start viewing and editing the image.

    Many users, when familiarizing themselves with the new OS from Microsoft, discovered that viewing Windows 10 photos is done through the Photos program. But in Windows 8, Microsoft offered a choice between a photo viewer and a Photos tool.

    Why did the developers save users the ability to view common graphic formats through a more convenient and functional program?

    Many Windows 10 users are starting to look for third-party products that are more suitable for them, knowing that Photo Viewer only works with TIFF and TIF formats. Therefore, today we will look at how to add this tool to the “Default Applications” section and the “Open With” dialog, where the program is initially missing.

    Let's use the registry editor

    More advanced users try to specify "Photo Viewer" as the application to open pixel images via the Program Mapping tool, but again, the application is only available for the above TIFF/TIF. Is it possible to make it so that the photo viewer can be specified as an opener for other image formats? Naturally, and this is easy to do.

    1. Call the registry editor by running the “regedit” command in the search line or text line of the “Win ​​+ R” command interpreter.


    2. Go to HKLM/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Photo Viewer/Capabilities/FileAssociations.


    Here you will see a couple of parameters with the name of image formats that can be opened using the photo viewer.

    3. Using the right button, call up the context menu of the free part of the space in the right frame of the window and select creating a string parameter (REG_SZ).


    4. Enter its name as “.jpeg”, and set the value to “PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff”.


    We perform all the same operations for other formats (.jpg, .gif, .png) that you want to open through a more convenient image visualization tool.


    5. Call “Settings” using Win+i.

    6. Go to “System” → “Default Applications”.


    8. In the left frame with the list of programs, click on “Photo Viewer”, then on the icon with the inscription: “Select default values ​​for the program.”


    9. Check the boxes next to the required formats.


    11. Call the context menu item “Open with” on one of the selected image formats.

    The Windows Photo Viewer option will appear.

    12. Specify the tool as the default image opener.


    Alternative method

    For beginners who do not want to delve into the wilds of the Windows 10 settings storage, it is recommended to use the WinAero Tweaker utility.

    • After launching the application, move to the last item of available tweaks “Windows Accessories”.
    • Click on the “Activate Windows Photo Viewer” button.


    The result will be the same in both cases.

    Often we need to view photographs or other images on the computer. This can be a home photo album, or various materials for professional activities. When choosing a specific program for viewing images, each user relies on his personal needs and preferences.

    Let's look at the pros and cons of various applications for viewing graphic file formats to decide which program is best for you.

    One of the most popular programs for working with digital images is Faststone Image Viewer. It has gained popularity due to its versatility and support for a large number of formats. In this application you can not only view photos, but also edit them. There is a built-in file manager. Faststone Image Viewer is completely free for non-commercial use.

    The disadvantages include the relatively large size of the program and a certain complexity in management. But these disadvantages are incomparable with the advantages of the product.

    XnView

    The XnView image viewer is very similar in its capabilities to the application described above. But, unlike it, it can work not only on computers with the Windows operating system, but also on other platforms. This program has extensive plugin support. In addition, XnView allows you not only to view images, but also to play audio and video files.

    The application has few disadvantages. These include a large number of functions that are not needed by the average user, and a lot of weight.

    IrfanView

    Irfan View differs from previous programs in that this application, having almost the same capabilities, weighs very little.

    True, not every user will like the rather ascetic interface design. In addition, to Russify IrfanView you will need to make additional efforts by installing a plugin.

    Imagine

    A distinctive feature of the Imagine program is its extremely light weight (less than 1 MB). At the same time, all the basic functions that are present in image viewers and editors are available in it.

    But it’s worth noting that some features that more “heavy” programs have are not available in Imagine. This product runs on Windows OS, including Windows 10, but does not function on other platforms.

    Picasa

    The cross-platform Picasa application, in addition to functions for viewing and editing images, has extensive social capabilities for exchanging photos between users. This viewer has a unique feature that allows you to identify people's faces in photographs.

    The main drawback of the program is that Google, its developer, announced the end of support for Picas, that is, the project is currently closed.

    ACDSee

    ASDSi has wider functionality than the above programs. It has additional capabilities for working with cameras, and also uses advanced integration into the Explorer menu.

    At the same time, there is no Russification in the official version of ACDSee. In addition, unlike the above applications, the full version is paid.

    FastPictureViewer

    The main feature of FastPictureViewer is the ability to use hardware acceleration and other advanced technologies for faster processing of “heavy” photos. In addition, the program has advanced color reproduction capabilities, making it one of the best for viewing high-definition images.

    At the same time, the developers, focusing on playback quality, abandoned additional functionality. In particular, FastPictureViewer cannot perform even light image editing. The free use of the program is limited.

    Zoner Photo Studio

    Zoner Photo Studio has a completely different focus. This is a real combine for working with digital photographs. In addition to viewing photos, the application has advanced capabilities for editing, processing and organizing them. The program also supports working with non-graphic multimedia formats.

    Among the disadvantages are rather complicated controls, especially for beginners. You can use it for free for only 1 month.

    Ashampoo Photo Commander

    Ashampoo Photo Commander is another processor for working with photographs, which has a fairly large set of functions for processing them. Unlike Zoner Photo Studio, the operation of this product is more intuitive for the average user.

    Among the disadvantages, the very large size of the program should be highlighted. The application has a limited period of free use.

    Universal Viewer

    A special feature of Universal Viewer is that it supports playback of various file formats, not just graphic ones (video, audio, text, etc.). The application has fairly simple controls.

    But the file playback capabilities of this universal program are still more limited than those of specialized solutions.

    PSD Viewer

    PSD Viewer differs from other viewers in that it supports displaying PSD files, which most similar products cannot do.

    However, unlike Universal Viewer, PSD Viewer supports viewing a very limited number of graphic formats. Apart from images in PSD, and some other graphic formats created specifically for Adobe Photoshop, this program cannot reproduce other images. PSD Viewer does not have a Russian-language interface.

    We reviewed the most popular photo viewing programs. As you can see, they are quite diverse, which allows the user to choose the application that best suits his tastes and tasks.