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Best Open Source Photo Viewer

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With Windows 10, Microsoft replaced the good-old Windows Photo Viewer with a newer Photos app. Unfortunately, users, including me, aren't too happy with this app. It's complicated and takes a lot of time to load images.

If you also don't like the Photos app (I feel you! *virtual hug*) and are looking for its alternatives, you have come to the right place.

In this post, we have listed 5 best replacements for your Windows 10 Photos app. By the way, if you want to get back the old Windows Photo Viewer, check this.

Also Read:
  1. Photo Sphere Viewer has a stable JavaScript library, and allows download of 360 image and zoom in and out, which you can choose from the menu bar. It works best for web and isn't fully optimized for headsets yet.
  2. Image Glass is one of the best light-weight image viewers you can find. Best of all, it is incredibly versatile as it supports over 70 of the most popular formats and it is entirely free and open source. It allows you to use one of the many customized themes. It offers a very simplistic user-interface with drag-and-drop functionality.

DigiKam is an open source multi-platform photo management tool with a feature-packed Windows port. Your collection can be sorted as folders, albums, or through tagging, making DigiKam flexible.

19 Best Windows 10 Tips and Tricks

Photo browsing or viewing should be an effortless task. This is what all these Windows 10 tools offer you. The tools mentioned below are fast, simple and powerful.

Let's get started.

1. FastStone Image Viewer

If you have been a Picasa user, FastStone Image Viewer will feel familiar. Adobe reader app. It supports a huge number of image formats such as JPEG, GIF, PNG, RAW, and PSD etc. The user interface is similar to that of Windows Explorer. Unlike Windows Photos, this tool is very fast.

When you open the application, it lists all the folders and images. You can check the preview without opening the images. When you open an image, it opens in full view.

However, interestingly, the tool has all the options and features present on the four sides of an image. All you need to do is move your mouse towards each side and you will unearth a bunch of photo-editing and viewing features.

You get all the photo-editing features such as crop, rotate, blur, color effects, and even adding annotations. It's a freeware fast image-viewer tool that has a built-in image editor and converter as well.

Download FastStone Image Viewer

2. IrfanView

One of the oldest photo viewers for Windows is IrfanView. It's a quick and simple photo-editor tool. People who use it once, use it for years. The reason being its simplicity and usefulness.

Best Open Source Photo Viewer

When you download this tool, you'll find two shortcuts - IrfanView and IrfanView Thumbnails. If you want to see all your images and thumbnails, use the second shortcut.

The images will open in the real tool only. IrfanView also supports other features such as batch editing, slideshows, and change EXIF data etc.

Download IrfanView

3. XnView

XnView is another great alternative for Windows Photos. Design-wise, the tool is similar to FastStone Image Viewer. However, it's not as feature-rich as FastStone.

It supports tab browsing, which means you can view multiple images simultaneously. With support for more than 500 image formats, it also features basic editing tools such as rotation, resize, crop etc.

In addition to that, the tool also supports multiple layouts. You can choose the layout as per your preference.

Download XnView

4. Nomacs

Nomacs can be called as the open-source hidden gem. Adobe photoshop evaluation download. When you launch the tool for the first time, you'll feel the tool is kinda meh! But, once you start to play with its settings and features, you will discover all the good things about it.

Unlike other tools, Nomacs doesn't support folder view by default. You have to enable the folder view and thumbnails from the Settings. Thankfully, like other software, this one also supports basic photo-editing tools such as crop, rotate, flip, and change exposure etc.

Download Nomacs

5. Apowersoft Photo Viewer

Apowersoft is slightly different from the rest of the Photos app alternatives. It's as if Windows Photos had a baby with MS Paint. It doesn't support folder view but, once you open an image, it shows the thumbnails of all other images present in the same folder.

Interestingly, the Apowersoft has a nice photo editor, which opens in a separate window. The UI is similar to MS Paint, but it has more features such as pixelate, sharpen, pixelate, and other effects.

Download Apowersoft Photo Viewer

How to Set a Default Photo Viewer in Windows 10

To change or to set a new default photo viewer on Windows 10, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Settings on your PC from the Start menu. Click on Apps.

Step 2: Then, click on the Default apps option present in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Click Photo Viewer under the Default apps and choose your favorite photo viewer from the menu.

That's it!

Open Source Photo Management Software

If you want to use any of the above-mentioned tools for only one particular file type, you can do that as well. Navigate to the image in Windows Explorer and right-click it.

Click Open with and select Choose Another app. Now, choose your tool and check the Always use this app to open .abc files option.

To know how to uninstall any software, including the Photo viewers that you just downloaded, click here.

Also Read:How to Turn Off Windows 10 Updates

Switch ASAP!

Open Source Picture Viewer

You will thank us once you start using any of the above-mentioned tools instead of the Windows Photos app. These tools feel so fast when compared to the boring Windows Photos app! If you want to improve the boot time of your Windows PC, don't forget to check this out.

Do let us know your favorite photo-viewer tool in comments below.


Photo Viewer Software

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Also See#photos #windows 10

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An open source photo editing software gives you image editor tools and features for free. If you are looking free photo editing software like Photoshop, you can install free open source image editor for Windows, Mac or Linux. These free editing programs capable for doing everything from retouching digital photos to creating original sketches and vector illustrations.

Whether you want a powerful free picture editing software or basic Instagram-style free photo editor that offers a range of one-click filters. Here are the best open source image editors that are perfect for your editing works.

Top Free Open Source Image Editors for Windows, Mac, and Linux

1. GIMP

Open Source Photo Viewer Windows

GIMP is the best open source photo editing software for Mac OS X, Windows, GNU/Linux, and more operating systems. With this image manipulation tool, users can edit photos, create original artwork and retouch images. It has more advanced features compared to other open source photo editor so it is suitable for professionals and hobbyists alike. Download GIMP

GIMP can be customized to more closely resemble Photoshop in several ways:

Best Photo Viewer For Windows 10

  • Photoshop plug-ins can run in GIMP using another plug-in called PSPI.
  • GIMP emulates Photoshop brushes and layer styles.
  • The Photoshop interface layout can be emulated by downloading a modified version of GIMP called Gimphoto, which is based on an older version of GIMP.

Key Features

  • Advanced digital photo retouching
  • Perspective distortion fixing tools
  • Customizable interface
  • Support for multiple file formats

2. Paint.NET v3.36

Paint.NET is easy to use free image and photo manipulation application for Windows platform. It supports some advanced image editing features such as layers, color curves, and filter effects, plus the usual array of drawing tools and brushes. Download Paint.NET v3.36

Key Features

  • Special effects tools include: blurring, sharpening, red-eye removal, distortion, noise and embossing.
  • 3D Rotate/Zoom effects make it very easy to add perspective and tilting.
  • Image manipulation tools include: brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, curves, and levels. You can also convert an image to black and white, or sepia.

3. Pixen

Pixen is specifically designed to create pixel art graphics including icons and sprites, which are typically low-resolution images produced and edited at the per-pixel level. With features including a unique color palette system, patterns, layers, and high-zoom support, Pixen packs all the tools pixel artists need in an intuitive, native interface. Pixen open source photo editor is only available for Mac OS X operating system.

4. Inkscape

Inkscape is a very good open source editor for vector graphic illustrations, comparable to Adobe Illustrator. This is a free professional vector graphics editor for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Inkscape is best for illustrator, designer, web designer or anyone who needs to create some vector imagery. Download Inkscape

Key Features

  • Flexible drawing tools
  • Object manipulation
  • Broad file format compatibility
  • Powerful text tool
  • Good Rendering
  • Bezier and spiro curves
  • Color picker tool

5. Krita

Krita is a professional free and open source painting program. It can be used for basic photo editing, but its primary strength is creating and editing original artwork such as paintings and illustrations. Krita is available for Windows 10 and Linux.

6. PhotoScape

PhotoScape is a simple free photo editor software for Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Mac. You can find a wealth of features like raw conversion, photo splitting and merging, animated GIF creation, and more. Download Free PhotoScape





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