FastStone Image Viewer Review

Remarkable. FastStone Image Viewer (FIV) is a remarkable freeware letting you to view, manage, and edit images, and build some creations such as slide show with so many features that some are rarely found on other similar graphic freeware.



Save as... option
When you decide to save an image to a different name, the Save as.. dialog gives different options for you to do some adjustments to the image before saving. The option given depends on what image format you choose. Saving an image in BMP format results in options different from options when you save it in JPEG, for example.



What interests me more is that it provides two windows for comparing the image you're about to save with the original. The images compared can be viewed in its actual size, full-screen, be fitted to window, or you can zoom it in and out.

See the arrow button I mark with red box? This arrow lets you to preview the image-saving setting's result right on the original image. When you hold it down, you're able to identify the image's elements change better. This provides you a greater help in setting up the configuration for the image, especially when you view it in full-screen mode.

Moreover, you can compare the image size as well.

Comparation
You may sometimes save an image several times in different settings and formats for certain purposes. FIV makes you possible to compare up to 4 images. All are compared directly side-by-side within one window at a time in different view options you can choose.



Wallpaper Anywhere
Wallpaper Anywhere lets you to produce a wallpaper consisting of many images. Each image is resizeable and can be freely put in any area.

It has 88 frames which you can choose from to be applied to each inserted image. The result can be saved into a different file as well.



Full-Screen State
Unlike other freeware, in full-screen you can display the program's features just by moving your mouse pointer to screen edges. Each edge displays different functions:
- moving mouse pointer to bottom displays the control bar where you can access options such as screen-capturing, printing, or saving.
- moving mouse pointer to top displays thumbnail browser window
- moving mouse pointer to right displays the image's properti and EXIF metadata
- moving mouse pointer to left displays the image editing options

Other functions will let you to build slideshow with approximately 156 effects and music support, very flexible magnifier setting, powerful batch image convert, and do many more.

Website: FastStone Image Viewer
Version reviewed: 3.4
License: Free for home use
For: Windows 98SE, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista