CNET Editors' review
This image viewer and editor is a longtime favorite among our staff, and with good reason. IrfanView is simple, fast, and free for individual use. Upon installation, the app attempts to install two Google programs, but you can opt out.
The program lets you open and edit images, as well as multiple media formats. You can cut and crop images, apply batch conversions, add, sharpen, or blur effects, create panoramas, and change color modes easily. The program continues to add support for an array of file formats and has plug-in support for most image, video, and sound formats, including MP3, AVI, audio CD, and WMA. The interface is far from fancy but should be easy enough for most users to figure out. An IrfanView Thumbnails shortcut on the desktop offers an Explorer-like file tree that quickly displays all images in a particular folder. The latest version includes a basic drawing palette made accessible by hitting F12. It contains simple Erase, Draw, Fill, Rotate, Draw an Arrow, and Color Picker commands, perfect for grabbing screenshots and highlighting image specifics.
IrfanView does what it does well. It's not going to replace a major paint program, but why use a meat cleaver to cut a stick of butter?
Publisher's Description
From Irfan Skiljan:
IrfanView is a fast and compact image viewer/converter. It is trying to be simple for beginners and powerful for professionals. It supports file formats and features. Features include: multi-language support, Thumbnail option, Painting, slideshow, toolbar skins, fast directory browsing, batch conversion/editing, multipage editing, file search, change color depth, scanning, cut/crop, IPTC edit, capturing, lossless JPG operations, effects, watermark image option, ICC support, EXE/SCR creating, many hotkeys, command line options and plugins.
What's new in this version: Version 4.32 adds much faster zooming/resample, option to add a watermark image, many new formats (like WebP), Face detection plugin, several plugin updates.
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All versions:
4.3 starsout of 3,335 votes
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Current version:
4.7 starsout of 84 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"Best image viewing program I use."
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Irfanview allows viewing of most images including jpg, png, tif, etc., Plus plays sound and video footage. Relatively easy to use and set up.
Cons
Asks for plug-in downloads for some video footage but doesn't seem to help the user much.
Summary
Overall a package I use everyday, I can't say much against it.
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Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
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Cons
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Summary
There! Next time I won't come to this site to bother to allegedly just mark a place on a row of stars!
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"What I have been looking for."
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Speed is of an essence and this program has it.
Cons
Non so far
Summary
I love the ability to take a folder and reduce the images from my D700 and D7000 to a mailable size in a swoop and very quickly. One of the programs great features for me.
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"Always reliable, stable and the easiest to use."
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Easiest to use, concise and to the point program that I have used
for the past decade without any complaints.Cons
I know of no complaints with this great program.
Summary
If you want a photo management program that's easy to use and understand without any problems, here it is. I've been around since the Commodore 64 and I know what is good, and this is.
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"Outstandingly Good and serves purposes in most fields"
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Most Simple for managing any Image by Cropping and then Pasting without obtaining through any complicated procedure. This Software also capable to open and view all Animated/ Flash Pictures for which no Safe and Secured Software is available other than c.net's Irfan View 4.32.
Cons
One must be thoroughly acquinted with the systems of managing Images/ Pictures to make effective uses of Irfan View 4.32. In some cases "Plug ins" are required to be installed to make use of this Software.
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"I have used Irfanview for over 10 Years"
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Allows quick basic image edits.
Will open a great number of file formats.Cons
I have not had any problems using Irfanview with Windows 7 or any version as far back as Windows 98.
Summary
A great app that I use on both my personal and work computers on a regular basis.
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"Problem running on Win 7 64 bit"
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Great tools for all my simple edits and format conversions.
Cons
I've used Irfanview for years and can't get along without it, but I have had lots of problems with it taking a minute to load ever since I switched to Win 7 64 bit. I've reinstalled several times and in "compatibility" mode, but continues having this problem.
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"I really like it, I have used it for years."
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Small, quick, and it does everything that I want to do with image files.
Cons
I can't think of any.
Summary
It's free but help support the author with any contribution no matter how small, I did.
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"Irfanview: my go to appfor all routine image file needs"
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Easily crops, rotates, resizes, prints, renames, enhances, etc.
All of this in a single program that I associate to all image file types.
F7 and F8 keys combined with a stored set of directories mapped to number/letter keys can be used to review a whole directory of images and easily move or copy them to other directories, as appropriate.
Abundant file sorting options.
Many of the functions can also be performed in a batch mode!
Plug-ins available.Cons
Printing images is not Irfanview's strong point (in my opinion).
Although it supports video playback I prefer VLC. -
"Has to be the best free photo utility out there."
Version: IrfanView 4.32
Pros
Fast, simple and loaded with tools most of the "easy-share" crowd will never use. Instantly enlarges your images to best fit for your screen with maximum resolution possible. With the recently added paint tool you can easily annotate photos and do simple touch-ups. Easily re-size photos, crop, color correction, adjust brightness or contrast, or convert to greyscale for sharp black & white printing. After installing a good anti-virus program, Irfanview has been the first software I've installed on my home or office computer since I discovered it sometime around Y2K. I wouldn't be without it, for any price.
Cons
No complaints.
Summary
Fast, sharp, versatile and highly capable, and very straight-forward photo viewing and editing software. It only occupies 1.68MB on my hard drive -- and it's free! Cute logo, too.
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