In addition, the program we choose must be compatible with as many formats as possible. Any program will be able to open a photo in JPEG or PNG, but we will not always work with these formats. We must make sure that our program can also open RAW photos, if we have them in that format, and in other codecs, such as HEIF, used, for example, by the iPhone.
Ideally, the program should display the photo directly, occupying most of the screen, just by double-clicking on it. It is of no use to us, for example, having to make several clicks to be able to adjust the photo. In addition, it should allow us to quickly go to the next photo, and also to zoom without complications. That is, it must be a program easy to use, intuitive and with a clear interface.
In summary, the most important thing when choosing a photo viewer for Windows is:
- A simple, fast and light program.
- Compatible with all kinds of image formats.
- Simple and clear interface, and easy to use.
Photo viewers for Windows
There are a large number of photo viewers that we can use on Windows. Let’s see what are the best options we have to replace the default Windows viewer. All the applications that we mention in this collection of applications are known and have been in operation for many years, so initially we should not have any virus problems that could affect the security of our computer. They also do not include code inside that can steal data from our team. We must be clear about this point since since they are not applications analyzed by Microsoft (since they are not available in the Microsoft Store), there is always the risk of finding an application with malicious purposes. However, all that we show you in this article are totally safe, at least at the time of updating it.
faststone
We started with a proposal that, in addition to functioning as visualizerIt has many other functions. And it is that inside it has a good number of basic photo editing tools, such as some more advanced ones for color treatment and various digital effects. These are distributed on the sides of the Interface display as such, as well as at the bottom and top. Of course, in the case of dealing with folders with many photos, the program takes a while to start.
We are therefore talking about a photo viewer with which we will also be able to convert images, resize and edit them, among other functions. Its interface is characterized by being very visual and completely in Spanish. Although, it is possible that for many users it is too overloaded with buttons. can navigate a tree-shaped menu for all the folders on our disk. As we select a folder that contains images, we will display them on the right side of the screen and from then on start working with them.
A very simple program that has been on the market for many years, so it knows exactly what users are looking for when they need a program to open their photos. You can download FastStone from the
The best
Although initially it is an image viewer, this program offers us many other additional functions to deal with photos. We will be able to create our own presentations or carry out basic editing tasks on the files that we upload here.
Worst
On occasions, and especially when we load large libraries of photographic files from a single folder, the program consumes excessive resources on the computer.
irfanview
This is a photo viewing tool that has been with us for a good number of years and is characterized by being very light. It hardly takes up disk space or consumes system resources. Of course, it focuses on what it focuses on, on allowing us to view photos. At the same time, it offers us some configuration options to optimize its use on a personal level and it has some editing functions, but they are very basic. It is also worth knowing that it supports skins and addons to increase your productivity.
This program is characterized by being able to recognize more than 90 image formats, including some of the most popular such as BMP, JPEG, GIF, RAW, PNG, etc. It also includes some basic effects and retouching tools, as well as automatic sliding of photos, format converter and viewing of complete directories. Furthermore, it is capable of generating thumbnails of the photographs or images to easily find what we are looking for, and it is compatible with many filters from professional applications, such as Photoshop.
An ideal solution for those users who are looking for something quick and simple, and especially for those who use relatively old computers where other programs can be somewhat slow. You can download IrfanView from .
Pros
One of the main striking points of this photo viewer is how light the program is as such. This means that it hardly takes up disk space or consumes computer resources. It has some interesting functions that allow us to customize the display of these photographic files.
Cons
We have the possibility of adding certain additional content to the program, but this will substantially increase the consumption of resources, especially on somewhat old computers.
Apowersoft Photo Viewer
Here we find another interesting proposal of this type that will be very useful as a substitute for the Windows photo viewer. There are several characteristics that define this program and that make it interesting for many. For example, we can point out that Apowersoft Photo Viewer puts at our disposal a very simple and intuitive user interface. In fact, you could say that this one is quite similar to the aforementioned Windows Photos app.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that the program as such is based on how fast it works when it comes to displaying the content that we require on the screen. At the same time, the application allows us to open the most common image formats of the moment. So we won’t have problems with the files we work with, supporting the usual ones JPGBMP, TIFF, PNG or even rawamong others.
Additionally, the program allows us to take our own screenshots or use its basic editing functions. An all-in-one, which comes from a well-known company like Apowersoft, which we will undoubtedly like. can .
I like
In the first instance, this is an application to view photos in Windows that provides us with a very intuitive and simple user interface. In addition, we don’t have compatibility problems thanks to the enormous support with the most common formats that it offers us for this type of file.
I like less
It has some additional functions such as its own screen capturer, but in terms of editing tasks it is much more limited than other alternatives.
XnView
As in the previous case, here we are talking about a tool for Windows that will be very helpful when viewing photos. In fact, it is also characterized by its ease of use and lightness, something that will help us when viewing images. This is largely achieved thanks to the user interface that he presents to us, simple and without frills. At the same time, it must be said that it has support for most of the current formats and has functions for converting photographic files.
We are therefore talking about a tool that is as complete as it is versatile, compatible with more than 500 image formats, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW, HEIC, among others. It also incorporates some editing and organizing features. Among its functions we can highlight the possibility of adjusting the color, changing the size of the image and editing its metadata. It also allows batch conversion, find duplicate images and make a slideshow.
An ideal program for those users who usually open several photos at the same time and don’t want to have many windows open at the same time. And it is that the tabs function is something very useful that is not usually seen in all programs. You can download XnView from the .
Top
The user interface that this program presents to us is characterized by containing the most common controls for opening and viewing photos, today without any frills or complexities. It has some interesting additional features such as the ability to edit the metadata of image files.
minus top
The customizable options regarding the multiple additional functions that this application offers us are quite scarce, something that the most experienced users in these jobs will notice.
Adobe Bridge
This software giant offers us a huge amount of its own software, in most cases paid, but highly functional. In the case that concerns us and to visualize images of all kinds, we find Bridge. This is a program that is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and that has been offering its services with us for a good number of years.
Among its main features we can highlight the possibility of viewing images in all formats, we can even label and value them. It also puts at our disposal a good number of filters in order to locate the photographic files that interest us the most in each case quickly and easily. It is worth mentioning that here we are going to find some basic editing functions to make changes to the images that we have loaded.
Likewise, the program offers us some tools focused on the organization and configuration of these photographic files with support for the most common formats. We can even work here with the RAW and DMGsomething more professional.
Top
Here we are not going to have compatibility problems when viewing multiple format photographic files thanks to the support offered by default. In addition, we will have some tools for basic editions of these files.
minus top
It could be considered a slightly more complex tool than others reviewed along these same lines and is more focused on professional use.
ComicsViewer
Here we are going to talk about a photo viewer that is somewhat different from the rest of the exhibits. And it is that ComicsViewer is a viewer images that we can use to display any type of photographs, since it has support for most of the formats. What’s more, this is a treatment that is carried out smoothly and quickly, but at the same time it will allow us to visualize comics. This is achieved thanks to the vertical display mode that it proposes, which is very suitable for this type of graphic content. In addition, we will say that it is a portable program, so it does not need installation.
Although as an image viewer it doesn’t add much to what we can find in other programs, yes…