IrfanView Is The Answer...

IrfanView is the answer to almost any question you might have about images. It has been recommended over and over in this forum and the link to www.irfanview.com is in almost every thread about avatars, attachments, and converting images from one format to another.

UPDATE 2017: Irfanview is currently up to version 4.44 and comes in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. It is still a windows only program, and can be dowloaded from the home site today (27 Jan 2017): www.irfanview.com.

This thread is to redirect people to http://download.cnet.com/s/irfanview/ if they need a FREE image management program for a Windows PC. The home site is down and has been down for a couple of weeks now with no readily discernible return date -- but the program is still available from the two sites above and many other download sites.

UPDATE 2017: Irfanview's home site has been back up continuously since shortly after the original post.

For those who are uncertain about downloading a program that has no visible means of support, Paint Shop Pro (currently verson 9.0) is what IrfanView wants to be when it grows up. A thirty-day trial version can be downloaded from UPDATE 2017: Paintshop Pro "X9" is $70.00 or $80 for "X9 Ultimate) as of 27 Jan 2017.[/COLOR]

Either of these programs will solve about 90% of your problems with manipulating the dimensions, filesize, or colors of images and can handle over 100 different Image formats so you only need ONE program for most of your image management needs.

Ok. so what program should I use if I don't want to use Irfanview?

And don't just tell me Irfanveiw is the answer, because I wont believe you.

Ezzy said:

Ok. so what program should I use if I don't want to use Irfanview?

And don't just tell me Irfanveiw is the answer, because I wont believe you.

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Like I said in the original post: "...Paint Shop Pro (currently verson 9.0) is what IrfanView wants to be when it grows up."


If you want to spend $129 instead of using a free program, who am I to keep JASC/Corel form making money?

As I've mentioned in another thread, I've always been using Photoshop. In my line of work I need a powerful imaging software and besides that's what they taught us in Media school anyway.

How about Picasa? http://www.picasa.com/ I've not used it but I'm hearing great reviews about it.

In addition to Irfanview, I like using photofiltre

http://www.photofiltre.com/

Actually, I kinda like it better, for just basic things.

what if infranview won't load on yer computer

Avery_Chisholm said:

what if infranview won't load on yer computer

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That's aproblem for MAC users and probably for LINUX users as well. Irfanview is windows 98 (and later) only.

If you have a computer with Windows and irfanview doesn't load, perhaps you downloaded the wrong file? Tucows has separate downloads for each version of windows from Win 98 through Win 2003.

krazeekat, Dstorage,

Almost ANY image editing software has some good points, but I haven't seen any that are as complete at image management as Irfanview -- not even PSP which is close.

Image Management is more than just image editing. Irfanview happens to be a middling good progrm for basic image ediiting functions, but it is the range of capabilities beyond it's image editing capabilities that make it the answer to most image questions.

For resizing it's simple and straight forward and has a wide enough selection of resample algorithms that even difficult resizing problems can be solved.

For adjusting JPeG compression, it's fairly simple and straight forward.

For converting rare formats to something more portable, I've only found ONE format it can't handle (AOL's Proprietary ART format) and it can hadle conversion AND resizing AND renaming in batch mode to process an entire folder's worth of images with one command.

Irfanview can create screensavers or self-executing slide shows with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Granted, there are many other programs that can do some of these things and possible even do them better than Irfanview...

BUT, I've not yet found any other program (FREE or otherwise) that can do ALL of the things that irfanview can do at least effectively.

Unfortunately, one of the answers Irfanview is NOT the answer for is "I have a MAC, how do I..."

If anyone knows of a program -- or more likely programS -- for the MAC tha can perform all of those functions, I'd like to know about it.

Weird Harold said:

Unfortunately, one of the answers Irfanview is NOT the answer for is "I have a MAC, how do I..."

If anyone knows of a program -- or more likely programS -- for the MAC tha can perform all of those functions, I'd like to know about it.

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http://www.ulead.com/products/digital_imaging.htm

http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Graphics/iMagine-Photo.shtml

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/imagedatabasemac/

These all came up when I googled Mac Imaging programs.

Weird Harold said:

krazeekat, Dstorage,

Almost ANY image editing software has some good points, but I haven't seen any that are as complete at image management as Irfanview -- not even PSP which is close.

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*sigh* I'm such a slut for Photoshop and I'm too old and set in my ways to change. However you've convinced me to take a peek at Irfanview. What's another gadget for me to play around with. Thanks WH.

If anyone out there is using Linux and wants a good graphics editor, I highly recommend The Gimp ( http://www.gimp.org/ ).

Weird Harold said:

The home site is down and has been down for a couple of weeks now with no readily discernible return date

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I just tested, and http://www.irfanview.com/ works fine for me.

Lynxie said:

If anyone out there is using Linux and wants a good graphics editor, I highly recommend The Gimp ( http://www.gimp.org/ ).

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There's also a Windows port of The Gimp. I haven't done anything with it yet, but I know it at least installs and runs on XP Home. People in online photography groups have told me it's fine on Windows so that's why I got it. I'll get around to doin' stuff with it eventually. As for Irfanview I've been using it for years on many flavors of Windows and it's pretty intuitive esp. for resizing and cropping.

Ezzy said:

http://www.ulead.com/products/digital_imaging.htm

http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Graphics/iMagine-Photo.shtml

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/imagedatabasemac/

These all came up when I googled Mac Imaging programs.

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I know it's fairly easy to find shareware progrms for the MAC. The problem is that I have no way of evaluating them so I can recommend something that I know will do what someone needs done.

OneSublimeGuy said:

There's also a Windows port of The Gimp. I haven't done anything with it yet, but I know it at least installs and runs on XP Home....

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I've also heard good things about GIMP but like you, I haven't explored it much. I've heard rumors that there is also a MAC OS-X port but I haven't been able to find any credible source for it -- if it really exists.

I'm glad this thread has turned up so many options for people who need an alternative to the image programs they already have or need a capability none of their other programs support.

Irfanview is a very good generalist program; many programs can do specific things better, and I often turn to one of them for a specific job.

However, for the purposes of the How To forum and the questions normally raised here, Irfanview really is the answer because it's free, simple to use -- and there are a hundred or so other people here with a copy so it's a familiar common ground for explaining things.

ShyGuy68 said:

I just tested, and http://www.irfanview.com/ works fine for me.

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I didn't expect it to stay down forever. In fact, it looks like it was just down for a redesign of the site.

We use Irfanview for all our pics and avs now, it's really easy to resize, rotate and crop images. Even for computer dummies like us!

Speaking of Irfan, which I like,

Is there a better alternative-- possibly in another program-- to the 'sharpen' command? I keep hoping that there really is some program like the one in the movies than can make an image crisper [make readable a blurred license number in a far corner of a picture}. Or is it only the CIA that has this capability?

I do like the 'enlarge' possibilities of Irfan, where new pixels are created (to counter degradation); generally I use the 'B spline' option.

Pure said:

Speaking of Irfan, which I like,

Is there a better alternative-- possibly in another program-- to the 'sharpen' command? I keep hoping that there really is some program like the one in the movies than can make an image crisper [make readable a blurred license number in a far corner of a picture}. Or is it only the CIA that has this capability?

I do like the 'enlarge' possibilities of Irfan, where new pixels are created (to counter degradation); generally I use the 'B spline' option.

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It's a bit counter intuitive, but I've found using the soften or blur filters before an enlargement and then the sharpen filter after enlarging can make for better result.

There is a limit to how much an image can be enlarged even with the variety of resampling algorithms availble -- there simply isn't enough pixels available in an avatar sized picture to interploate from accurately.

The kind of enhancement the CIA is reputed to be capable of requires a high resolution image to start with, and some serious computing capabilities and software that does more than simple interpolation to create new pixels. I wouldn't expect to find that kind of computing power in an affordble home PC or free software just yet -- although Irfanview is more capable than I would ever have imagined a home PC would be capable of when I first learned about pixels.

I have used most all of these type of programs and I don't really care for irfanview. ThumbsPlus is much more user friendly if all you need is a graphic viewing and/or graphic resizing program. Yes it will do so much more, but most of the people that say to use irfanview are saying to use it to resize their pics for posting because they don't know how to change the settings on their camera to 640 x 480. ThumbsPlus will let you resize and edit your pics any way you want to including adding special effects. It's a free download and even though you would pass the 30 day trial, you can still use the program. I'm still using version 3.3 and it's up to version 7 now. I haven't found anything better for what I need. irfanview in my opinion sucks ass.

Reloader said:

Yes it will do so much more, but most of the people that say to use irfanview are saying to use it to resize their pics for posting because they don't know how to change the settings on their camera to 640 x 480.

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How does changing the resoluton on the camera correct the problem with existing images?

I can play with my camera all day and it won't make anyone's old avatar fit the new file limitations -- in fact my camera wont set low enough to create a 150x150 avatar. Considering that most avatars don't come from a "camera" but come from the WEB in sizes and formats that dont fit the requirements.

Reloader said:

ThumbsPlus will let you resize and edit your pics any way you want to including adding special effects. It's a free download and even though you would pass the 30 day trial, you can still use the program.

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As stated several times on this thread, there are many programs that do what Irfanview can do and often do it better -- on a function by function basis. You are apparently one who does more than

However, ThumbsPlus is shareware -- e.g. using it past the trial period is software theft -- while Irfanview is Freeware with no cost except the download time.

Reloader said:

I'm still using version 3.3 and it's up to version 7 now. I haven't found anything better for what I need. irfanview in my opinion sucks ass.

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If Thumbs Plus is so good, why haven't you upgraded to the latest and greatest?

As a onetime shareware author, I will not recomend a program on the basis of the fact you can avoid paying the shareware author for it.

What ever your opinion of Irfanview, it remains a good answer for most of the questions asked here by people who don't want or need to spend money to solve their problem with an existing picture. It solves a wide variety of problems with one FREE program.

Irfanview might not be the "best" answer for every problem, but it certainly solves a lot of them at an affordable price.

For those interested in Thumbs Plus it can be found at http://www.cerious.com/featuresv7.shtml

Personally, I find it to be a rather cluttered program that wastes too much space on controls and not enough on the image. It's also a much bigger and more complex program than Irfanview -- more thanis needed to solve the specific problems asked here.

The two attachments are a screen shot of Thumbs Plus 7 from the link and a screen shot of Irvanview 3.85 from my computer for a quick visual comparison.

I didn't say to change the settings on the camera to modify existing pics. Any moron knows that cannot be done. I was referring to people that take pics with their camera at the highest setting, then wondering why their pics are too big to post. Also, I do have version 7 of ThumbsPlus, and I do use it. I use both versions. You sound like a computer user that is so used to using a particular piece of software that you feel anything new is bulky, cluttered, and probably not user friendly like people years ago that were using Windows 3.1 and didn't like or want to change to Win95. Now look at where we're at. ThumbsPlus doesn't open up another separate window to search for and edit thumbnail images. The image is displayed when you click on the thumbnail and you can edit it right there. irfanview does it different and it's clumsy. ThumbsPlus can also be used to edit avatars.
You need to really read the postings here before you go assuming that someone said something that they really didn't say.
I've used both programs. They both work. ThumbsPlus is easier to use.

Reloader said:

I didn't say to change the settings on the camera to modify existing pics. Any moron knows that cannot be done. ...

You need to really read the postings here before you go assuming that someone said something that they really didn't say.
I've used both programs. They both work. ThumbsPlus is easier to use.

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I wouldn't bet that some of the people who ask questions here wouldn't expect the camera to remotely resize the pictures.

I appreciate that you're a fan of Thumbs Plus and it is a very well recommended program. But it's a "power user's tool"

You're missing the point of this thread and recommending an expensive power set of power tools to people who just want to hang one or two pictures -- those people just need a plain old ordinary hammer or screwdriver.

As far as reading the thread, if you had, you'd know that I'm a PaintShop Pro 6.0 user as muy primary image software because I didn't like or need the extra bells and whistles in version 8.0.

As far as reccomending a full featured image editing/managent program for a power user, I'd lean to an Adobe or Corel product for most power-user purposes -- programs I personally don't like because I have no need for most of the capabilities but that are VERY good image editors and that are saleable skills if you can master them.

I try to tailor rcommendations to what will work for the people I'm trying to help at the least cost and with the shortest learning curve. IMNSHO, that means Irfanview for Windows users becuase it just downloads, installs and works. It has one plugins file for support of some features (like playing video files.)

Even for dial-up users it's a fairly quick download of two files as opposed to the dozen or so downloads to get the full capabilities of Thumbs Plus, including an instruction manual.

This thread isnt to push my favorite program, it's to answer the questions that are asked here at Lit's how to forum with a minimum of explanations required.

You say you have used Irfanview -- can you deny that it will do everything that I say it will do?

Thumbs Plus, Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, and many of the other progrms mentioned in this thread and others are undoubtedly more capable programs in some or even most respects, but none are anywhere as easy to obtain, install and use quickly, with a minimum of explanation required. (Especially for a dial-up user.)

Weird Harold said:

IrfanView is the answer to almost any question you might have about images. It has been recommended over and over in this forum and the link to www.irfanview.com is in almost every thread about avatars, attachments, and converting images from one format to another.

This thread is to redirect people to www.tucows.com or www.downloads.com if they need a FREE image management program for a Windows PC. The home site is down and has been down for a couple of weeks now with no readily discernible return date -- but the program is still available from the two sites above and many other download sites.

For those who are uncertain about downloading a program that has no visible means of support, Paint Shop Pro (currently verson 9.0) is what IrfanView wants to be when it grows up. A thirty-day trial version can be downloaded from [url="http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pfid=1047024307383]jasc.com or Corel.com[/url] or you you can download a registered version for about $129 (last I looked at the price.)

Either of these programs will solve about 90% of your problems with manipulating the dimensions, filesize, or colors of images and can handle over 100 different Image formats so you only need ONE program for most of your image management needs.

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W H I have just started using IrfanView, and every time i resize a pic it changes it to a bmp. file instead of jpg. file??

What am I doing wrong??

bowtie4u said:

W H I have just started using IrfanView, and every time i resize a pic it changes it to a bmp. file instead of jpg. file??

What am I doing wrong??

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I'm not sure. Probably not verifying and setting the file type or you don't have the Save Menu enabled

For me, both "Save" defaults to the file type opened and "Save As" defaults to the last file type selected. I do have the Options menu set to show the Save menu before saving so I can verify and/or change the file settings before saving so "Save" and "Save As" work pretty much the same for me except for Save As showing JPeG as the file type (because I seldom save as any other file type.)

I haven't upgraded to version 3.95 yet so version 3.85 might work a bit different in that respect, but I'd be surprised if it does.

Weird Harold said:

I'm not sure. Probably not verifying and setting the file type or you don't have the Save Menu enabled

For me, both "Save" defaults to the file type opened and "Save As" defaults to the last file type selected. I do have the Options menu set to show the Save menu before saving so I can verify and/or change the file settings before saving so "Save" and "Save As" work pretty much the same for me except for Save As showing JPeG as the file type (because I seldom save as any other file type.)

I haven't upgraded to version 3.95 yet so version 3.85 might work a bit different in that respect, but I'd be surprised if it does.

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Thanks for the Info

Weird Harold said:

The home site is down and has been down for a couple of weeks now with no readily discernible return date -- but the program is still available from the two sites above and many other download sites.

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Irfanview's home site has been back up for over a year now, but the discussion of various editors is worth a bump for all of the questions about resizing lately.