IrfanView
(pronounced EAR-fan-view)
is primarily a lightning-fast photo
viewer supporting virtually all image
formats. For more than a decade, it has
been dependable and free software
image viewer. Today, IrfanView is so
much more:
- Create Windows screensavers and
slideshows
- Advanced, automated image
conversion
- Photo transformation effects,
both built-in and through Adobe
Photoshop Plug-ins
- Cropping, resizing and simple image
editing
Lightweight, Fast Image Viewing
If you are frustrated by how long it
takes to bring up a photo on your PC,
IrfanView may be for you. It doesn't try to
jump through a lot of hoops to show you the
picture (unlike Windows XP). It displays your
photo almost as quickly as it can read it in.
Want to browse other photos in the
same set? Just use the space bar. Want
to see your picture full screen? Just
press the Enter key.
IrfanView's simplicity makes it
extremely effecient.
Create Portable Screensavers and
Slideshows
IrfanView has two ways to create a
single-file slideshow that you can take with
you. These slideshows are playable on
any Windows computer. You can even add
MP3s as background music.
The first type creates an
"executable" file. Just double-click the
file to play your slideshow. While its
playing, you can use the arrow keys to
move back or skip ahead in the
slideshow.
The second type of slideshow is a
Windows compatible screensaver. To
install the screensaver, right-click on
the file and select "Install" from the
menu. Your slideshow is now the default
screensaver!
Compatible with Every Image Format!
It's a bold declaration and it's very
close to the truth! If you have a
picture file that you can't seem to
open, IrfanView will probably display
it.
Not only does it open your standard
JPEG, GIF and BMP files, but it opens
images that Windows can't on its own. These include
Cannon Raw files (CRW and CR2),
Photoshop files (PSD), Icon files (ICO),
PaintShop Pro (PSP) and Kodak Photo CD (PCD). The IrfanView web site has a
complete list of files it is
compatible with.
Some Features Require Learning Curve
IrfanView doesn't shy away from
technical terms, doesn't hide advanced
options and has accumulated a great
number of features over the years. As a
result, learning some of its features
can be intimidating.
The help is pretty good, though. And
I plan on writing some step-by-step
articles. If you're willing to spend
some time learning, you will really get
a lot out of IrfanView.
Modify One Image or a Batch of
Them
IrfanView gives you the ability to
crop, resize, apply effects and covert
to different file formats. Providing
these features in a free program is very
nice.
What's downright generous is
IrfanView's "batch processing" function,
which allows you to apply these features
to multiple pictures in one swoop. Just
give it a list of images, tell IrfanView
how you'd like to modify them (make them
smaller, for example) and off it goes. I
don't know of any other free Windows
program that offers this.
Not Vulnerable to Photo Viruses
IrfanView uses its own algorithms to
display your photos. This code is fast
and is independent from similar code
built-in to Windows (called the Graphics
Device Interface or GDI).
In 2004 and 2005, viruses we're being transmitted
through JPG and WMF files that targeted
flaws in the Windows GDI. Since
IrfanView doesn't rely on the GDI, it is
and always was immune to image files
containing these viruses.
EBay and Google Plug-Ins Support
Author
When installing IrfanView, it gives
you the option to install the Google
toolbar and an E-Bay plug-in. These are
free, they are not spyware and
installing them rewards the author,
Irfan Skiljan. Unless you change the
default option, they will be installed.
