Photo Viewer Software

There are plenty of choices for photo viewer software. A lot are free, easy to use and provide excellent results.

Most software packages attempt to do several functions in one package. This is not ideal because this means that the software application will have a hard time doing a specific task properly.

I prefer to use specific software for specific purposes. That is, using an image viewer to edit photos is not a good idea.

For Windows users, I would suggest using the built-in “Windows Picture and Fax Viewer”.

Yes, it is very limited and it is a bit slower than other viewing applications but it does its job very well.

Other software that I have had great success with is (please note that links will open in a new browser window):

• ACDSee Classic
• Irfanview
• Picasa

Of the four listed above, ACDSee Classic is the fastest image viewer I have used. It has a small memory footprint and works very well on older computer hardware.

I haven’t used it in several years but it is well worth the download. It has a 30-day license.

Irfanview is a free and popular viewer. What I really like about it is that you can view RAW files using plugins. It is also a fast viewer.

I use Irfanview for quick resizing and watermarking of images.

I haven’t used Picasa for about 3 years now but it is a good alternative.

Picasa can do edits and other photo edits in a matter of minutes. It is meant to simplify a photographer’s workflow. It is also free.

Love your camera. Love yourself. Love your photos.