What is it all about?

FastPictureViewer helps you work faster by taking advantage, when available, of the power of multicore processors and the speed of DirectX (Direct3D) graphic accelerators, all working in concert to speed up viewing experience to unprecedented levels.

FastPictureViewer also features first class support for the upcoming HD Photo / JPEG XR image format with rating metadata reading and writing.

With more than 50'000 downloaded copies (as of early August 2008) and given the great feedback we get from our users, we can say with confidence that FastPictureViewer is, by a large factor, the quickest image viewer in existence on the PC.

We've put "fast" back into "fast image viewing", you have to try it for yourself to see what we mean. If you are looking for the fastest photo viewer, look no further, you've just found it and, best of all, it's free for personal use :-)

Noteworthy features:

- Vista support (runs as Standard User with UAC enabled).
- Unicode support, handles image and folder names in any written language.
- Color management let you see your Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB images with accurate colors.
- Support for custom color profiles, to match calibrated monitors and high-end displays.
- Automatic tracking mode, displays the last image added to the picture folder automatically.
- Configurable automatic advance mode, displays the next picture automatically at user-settable interval.
- High precision linear R,G,B histogram with optional compression and per-channel normalization.
- EXIF shooting data display with shutter speed, f-stop, ISO speed, exposure compensation and more.
- Instant flip to the next image using either the keyboard, a mouse click or a scroll of the mouse wheel.
- Easy browsing of tens of thousands (yes!) of images at a time, even in deeply nested multiple sub-folder hierarchies.
- Instant switch between fit-to-window and 100% mode views from a single key press (or click), optional high-quality image rescaling.
- Adobe XMP sidecar files creation and update (stores rating, labels, urgency settings in Adobe XMP-compliant metadata format).
- Embedded metadata writer for JPEG/TIFF/HD Photo/JPEG-XR files (Adobe XMP rating/labeling and Windows Vista rating).
- Mouse 'click-and-hold' instantaneous 100% zoom and configurable instantaneous 50%-6400% right-click magnifier.
- Seamless multiple-subfolders browsing, in one single continuous sequence (easily browse an entire drive or CD/DVD at once).
- Drag & drop support, drop a folder or a set of files on FastPictureViewer to quickly view them.
- Single-click or single keystroke background copy of the "keepers" to a preset folder, without disruption of the viewing flow.
- Plug'n'play integration with optional automatic browsing of inserted media or digital camera: view images straight off the camera.
- Shell integration with "Open with FastPictureViewer..." context-menu options for local folders and drives.
- Supports file associations from Windows Explorer ("Open With...") to e.g. associate JPEGs with FastPictureViewer.exe
- Instant automatic detection of new images added anywhere to the folder tree, while you browse (real-time "hot folder" concept).
- Multi-monitor awareness and huge monitor support, with full-screen borderless kiosk mode available at the press of the F11 key.

FastPictureViewer does all of the above in style, with the slickest, most uncluttered user interface you've seen in ages. The Home Basic edition, which supports JPEG, Microsoft HD Photo / JPEG XR, Adobe XMP rating, Vista rating, RGB histogram, EXIF shooting data display and Unicode is available free of charge for home use (freeware license). The freeware version can be used indefinitely for as long as you keep it up-to-date by installing the most current version every 3 months.

Unlike some very well known, well-established (and somewhat old) digital photo viewers, commercial and free alike, FastPictureViewer was deliberately kept as simple as possible: it has only one menu with a total of six commands and only three buttons on the task bar, so you'll learn how to use it in seconds instead of days.

We think an image viewer does not need 200+ menu options and a dozen pages choke full of configurations buttons and choice lists, typical of so many applications that began as great ideas and eventually grew totally out of control.

Of course, FastPictureViewer will evolve and functions will be added in the future, but we strive to keep it as minimalist and simple to use as possible (beside also being the fastest). We won't fall into the usual "feature creep" and "bloat" traps so common nowadays and we also seek to keep the bug count as low as possible, instead of adding as many features as we can.

FastPictureViewer Professional Edition adds support for web and Windows formats such as PNG (with per-pixel alpha), GIF (with transparency), BMP, RLE, DIB, ICO, TIFF support with metadata embedding and DNG, along with support for previewing a number of RAW formats from digital cameras manufacturers and 3rd-party codec providers.

The professional edition is aware of multiple file formats (so-called "image stacks", where JPEG+RAW or JPEG+TIFF, for example, are displayed, copied, moved or deleted as one) and supports fast RAW image previewing for select top digital cameras, including the newest and greatest such as Nikon's D3, D300, D700, Canon's EOS-1D MkIII, EOS-1Ds MkIII^[**] and Adobe DNG (Hasselblad, Leica...) through Adobe's own DNG decoder or a 3rd-party commercial decoder.

A list of codec developers is available on the Microsoft Pro Photo website. FastPictureViewer aim is to support as many images formats as possible, please check the format compatibility chart for detailed information about current support.

How fast is it?

It depends on a number of things, such as the computer speed, amount of memory, disk speed and of course the image's sizes. For multimedia-sized photos or so-called web-ready images, a user reported that the program appears to be quicker than his keyboard auto-repeat set to 'fast', that is, FastPictureViewer is seemingly able to display more than 30 such images per second. How fast is that?

On a 3-years old 2.66GHz dual processor machine with 2GB of memory, another user was able to display 4MP JPEG images - such as those obtained when shooting RAW+JPEG Small, a popular setup with pro photographers - at a sustained rate of approximately 5 images per second, with short 30 images per second bursts after letting the program breath a bit from time to time. This is a lot quicker than any picture editor or reviewer could ever dream of on any platform, and also a lot quicker than any other viewer in existence.

Of course your mileage may vary as many factors influence the display and loading speed, but FastPictureViewer was engineered for maximum performances from the word go, it should perform very well on any recent computer. On the other hand, Formula 1 cars don't give their best on go-kart tracks, FastPictureViewer performs OK on modest hardware but really shines on high-end machines.

Settings are everything. Some features (e.g. color management) affect the loading or display speed. Learn how to configure FastPictureViewer for best performances: check out the FAQ!

What others are saying?

Don't take our word for it, see what others are saying about FastPictureViewer:

"This has instantly become my favourite new image viewer."  forum dslreports.com
"The fastest picture viewer that I come across."  forum ghacks.net
"FastPictureViewer - does what it says on the tin"  forum yakyak.org
"Slimmest image viewer [...] unique features" (The Top Nine Free Image Viewers)   saveday.blogspot.com
"Es capaz de abrir un directorio de imágenes francamente rápido"  genbeta.com
"Incredibly fast image viewer..."  forum photoolsweb.com
"Comme l'éclair!!!"   forum photocool.fr
"Minimalist photo viewer to quickly browse image folders"  softonic.com
"Speedy Windows File Viewing"  graphics.com

User quotes (from email exchanges):

Below are a few unedited quotes from email conversations with users. Overall, user feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

"I am writing to you regarding the recently released FastPictureViewer Home Basic v1.00. A marvelous idea! Extremely fast, clean, minimalistic interface, the small size alone is an achievement in itself, just what we need in the world of ever increasing software complexity!"

"I just tried it and YES it's fast. VERY fast. [...]"

"Thank you for your overwhelming proof of commitment to customer support, this is just great!"

"It is a some time since a software application has delighted me as much as FastPictureViewer! [...] Your approach is spot on. Thank you so very much."

"The idea of this software is great, and I'm always in favour of simple to use programs. I applaud what you're trying to do."

"I don't know how you do it. The monitor image on your software looks 10 tims better than in Photoshop. I am using a 22' inch high end Samsung at the highest setting. Your screen images are amaziing."

"I just want to say your picture viewer is a GREAT software. I googled it several months ago, because I looked for a small picture viewer with EXIF orientation support. Now FastPictureViewer supports it, and I am Very happy with it. Thank you !"

"I just want to tell you that I tried your FastPictureViewer Home Basic and all I have to say is ‘wow, this is really promising!’ I’m excited about the development of this as it is exactly what the market needs."

"Thank you very much. I am very glad that I decided to purchase your software. Look forward to your updates."

"I just want to give you feedback on your program. So much is great about it: the concept (lean & mean), rendering speed, left/right mouse button zoom, ratings & keepers selection, quick help, configuration options, design"

"Thanks for a great piece of software! With my monitor (HP w2408h) Vista makes a mess of colors and noise of my pics but your program solves this."

"I am using Fast Picture Viewer V 1.0 Build 15. I like the program VERY much. It does just what it says, and it does so VERY quickly."

FastPictureViewer was driven by user feedback since it was first released on January 15, 2008. Many features have been added since then, most of which are the direct consequence of feedback received from actual users and the email discussions that followed.

Which image file formats are supported?

FastPictureViewer supports different formats according to the chosen Edition. Please see the image file formats compatibility chart.

What's coming next?

Version 1.0 is just out and we start collecting valuable feedback and suggestions. The current downloadable build already reflects most of the feedback we received and there are more enhancements coming in the near future. Here is what we plan to do over the next few releases, in no particular order:

- Nikon D3 specific enhancement: dual-slot handling (RAW in Slot1, JPEG in Slot2 and Slot1 -> Slot2 overflow modes).
- Navigation slider to quickly move around huge image lists (use Explorer & double-click as a workaround).
- Plug-in: Edit In... / Open In... - configure your favorite external editor.
- Plug-in: Upload to Flickr - upload images to Flickr Photosharing (www.flickr.com)
- Plug-in: SaveAs... - export current image in a different file format, TIFF, JPEG, PNG...
- Plug-in: Metadata Viewer - display image metadata (XMP/EXIF/IPTC) in a tabbed popup window.
- Plug-in Software Development Kit (SDK) with plug-in skeletons in C++ (native) and C# (managed .NET) and C++ plug-in wizard.

Additionally, we are also working on the following:

- User forum for announcements, feedback and suggestions.

How to get FastPictureViewer?

Go to the download page and get FastPictureViewer Home Basic right now, it's free. Got questions? Check out the FAQ!

[*] Windows XP SP2 users: Please install the Windows Imaging Component matching your operating system's language in order to run FastPictureViewer on Windows XP SP2. Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 already have all the necessary prerequisites.

[**] Specific RAW formats compatibility is subjected to the availability of a suitable manufacturer-provided RAW image coder/decoder (codec). As of early 2008, free RAW image codecs are available from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Adobe and Sony, with probably more formats to come. A commercial codec for the Adobe DNG format is also available from Ardfry Imaging, LLC. Please note that most WIC codecs are developed for Windows Vista. Depending on the manufacturer or 3rd-party supplier, codecs may or may not be available for (and/or installable on) Windows XP, be sure to check the system requirements imposed by the codec supplier. Full RAW decoding can be extremely slow so FastPictureViewer will first limit itself to extracting the preview image available in some RAW formats for instant display. Full RAW viewing might be added at a later time for some formats.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners. Green leaf photo courtesy of PDPhoto.org. This website is standards compliant: XHTML | CSS | RSS