FastPictureViewer: ultra fast GPU accelerated image viewer
What do you prefer? Image organizer or image viewer? Both of this software has certain advantages and disadvantages. Most of the image organizer has own fast image viewer, like Picasa 3. You surely know very fast IrfanView – image viewer with a few editing features. But if you need to browse the gigapixels images in comfort dark user interface, you need another software – try the FastPictureViewer.
At first look you will see the FastPictureViewer as a simple image viewer with minimum controls. Its window has dark colors. There are navigation buttons and nothing else. The second look will reveal much more. FastPictureViewer is a powerful viewer with useful functions and GPU acceleration. But remember – it is not an image viewer. This software is fulfills the conditions of my vision of dark future of windows software.
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Image viewer, histogram, EXIF
After the FastPictureViewer starts select the image folder. Click the Menu button, continue with Images Folder function and select the folder using the common Windows dialog. Browse the pictures using the navigation buttons or using the arrow keys. Check the histogram and EXIF information panel.
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This additional information could be disabled and showed up again by the H or I keys. If you prefer the mouse use the right click and the context menu. FastPictureViewer starts in fullscreen windows. Using the F11 key you can go to the kiosk mode.
Photos copying
If you like the photo currently viewing (from the CD/DVD) you can copy it to another folder (to the computer). Use the Keep/Copy function. It will bring the folder selection dialog and copy the current image.
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FastPictureViewer settings
Click the Options function in the Menu. You will see the windows with program options. At first, check the Display settings. FastPictureViewer supports the GPU acceleration. Use the color profile for natural colors. FastPictureViewer could automatically rotate the images using the EXIF information.
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In the next part set up the zoom ratio for the right click button. As you can see, the FastPictureViewer supports XMP Rating, different plug-ins, automatic updates, and image preloading. You can use the graphics card memory for faster image processing. Thanks to this feature the FastPictureViewer is able to display hundreds megapixels big images from telescopes (for example). The images are resized using the graphics cards so the viewer works where some others fails.
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Bookmarks and USB camera
FastPictureViewer supports bookmarks for easy navigation to your favorite images. Right click the bottom toolbar and you will see a menu for setting up to ten bookmarks. FastPictureViewer offers a slideshow too. Run/stop it using the context menu or the A key.
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If you have an USB camera try the Tethered Mode. Using this you can connect to your USB camera and FastPictureViewer will take the pictures using it.
FastPictureViewer is very interested software. It works very fast and is necessary for viewing really big photos. So if you don’t look for and advanced image organizer you will like the FastPictureViewer. It is free for personal use.
