FastStone Image Viewer: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Image viewer software for Windows}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{More citations needed|date=September 2008}}

{{Notability|Products|date=August 2016}}

}}

{{Infobox software

| name = FastStone Image Viewer

| logo = FSViewer logo.png

| screenshot = FastStone Image Viewer screenshot.jpg

| caption = FastStone Image Viewer

| author =

| developer = FastStone Soft

| released = {{Start date and age|2004|10|9|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.faststoneserver.com/FSViewerDetail.htm | title=FastStone Soft - FastStone Viewer | access-date=2023-10-04 | archive-date=2004-10-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009224615/http://www.faststoneserver.com/FSViewerDetail.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

| released = 2004

| latest release version = 78.70

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|04|28|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm#History | title=FastStone Image Viewer History | access-date=2024-10-21 | archive-date=2024-10-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241011164756/https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm#History | url-status=live }}</ref>

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2022|08|24|df=yes}}

| latest preview version =

| latest preview date =

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| operating system = [[Windows XP]]/[[Windows Vista|Vista]]/[[Windows 7|7]]/[[Windows 8|8]]/[[Windows 10|10]]/[[Windows 11|11]]

| platform =

| language count = English, multilingual available20

Since| versionlanguage 3.1,= a[[English multilinguallanguage|English]], version[[Bulgarian has been availablelanguage|Bulgarian]], supporting [[Chinese language|Simplified and Traditional Chinese]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Norwegian language|Bokmål Norwegian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and [[Swedish language|Swedish]]., [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]

| genre = [[Image viewer]] and editor

| size = 7 MB<ref name="cnet"/>

| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]], [[freeware|free]] for non-commercial use

| website = {{URL|http://www.faststone.org}}

}}

[[File:FastStone Image Viewer original logo.png|thumb|70px|Original logo of the software]]

'''FastStone Image Viewer''' is an [[image viewer]] and [[image organizer|organizer]] software for [[Microsoft Windows]], provided [[free of charge]] for personal and educational use. The program also includes basic [[image editing]] tools,<ref name="at">{{cite web | url=https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/faststone-image-viewer-is-free-image-viewing-and-manipulation-program/ | title=FastStone Image Viewer - Great Image Viewing and Manipulation Program | date=11 October 2010 }}</ref> like cropping, color adjustment and red-eye removal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-12-21 |title=User-Friendly, Free and Fast Image Processing Program |url=http://www.viraltech.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d147_faststone-image-viewer.html |access-date=2023-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221084250/http://www.viraltech.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d147_faststone-image-viewer.html |archive-date=2017-12-21 }}</ref>

Developed by FastStone, it was first released in 2004 and new stable versions have been released regularly since. It is available as an executable installer, zip, and a portable zip version.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download FastStone Image Viewer |url=https://www.faststone.org/FSIVDownload.htm |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=www.faststone.org |archive-date=2024-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101150727/https://www.faststone.org/FSIVDownload.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''FastStone Image Viewer''' is an [[image viewer]] and [[image organizer|organizer]] for [[Microsoft Windows]], provided [[free of charge]] for personal and educational use, {{as of|February 2019|alt=as of version 7.0||df=}}.

The program also includes basic [[image editing]] tools.

==Features==

*Relatively fast HQ image [[thumbnailThumbnail]] viewing,viewer<ref name="at"/> (using [[Lanczos resampling]] algorithm)

Highlights:

*Crop Board and Draw Board

*Relatively fast HQ image [[thumbnail]] viewing, using [[Lanczos resampling]] algorithm

*Basic image editing tools: resizingResizing, [[cropping (image)|cropping]], [[color correction]], [[red-eye effect|red-eye]] removal, [[clone brush]], [[curve (tonality)]], levels, and [[unsharp mask]]

*Support for [[multi-monitor]] configuration

*Side-by-side image comparison tool

*Custom order arranging, via [[drag-and-drop]], and automatic renumbering

*[[Image scaling|Resampling]]

*Magnifier lens

*Batch operations including rename and convert

*[[Color space]] management

*[[Slide show]], including music and many [[Image editing|transition effects]]

*Magnifier lens

*Portable version to be used without installation, typically installed on [[USB flash drive]], including all user settings.

*Preview of quality loss when saving in lossy file formats (such as [[JPEG]]).

*If in fullscreen mode, pops up an image gallery, detailed image information, editing options, or program options at the border being touched by the mouse.

Other features include:

*Supports all major graphic formats ([[BMP file format|BMP]], [[JPEG]], [[JPEG 2000]], [[animated GIF]], [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]], [[PCX]], [[TIFF]], [[Windows Metafile|WMF]], [[ICO (file format)|ICO]], and [[Truevision TGA|TGA]]), with a focus on popular digital camera [[raw image format|RAW formats]] such as Canon's CR2 and CR3, and Sony's ARW.

*Displays Exchangeable image file format ([[Exif]]) camera information

*Thumbnail cache and database

*Basic image editing tools: resizing, [[cropping (image)|cropping]], [[color correction]], [[red-eye effect|red-eye]] removal

*Advance image editing tools: [[clone brush]], [[curve (tonality)]], levels, and [[unsharp mask]].

*[[JPEG#Lossless editing|Lossless JPEG rotation and cropping]]

*Side-by-side image comparison tool

*Fully customizable [[contact sheet]] Builder*Emailing

*Memory card image retriever

*Displays [[Exif]] camera metadata

*[[Slide show]], including music and many [[Image editing|transition effects]]

*SupportsSupport allfor major graphic formats ([[BMP file format|BMP]], [[JPEG]], [[JPEG 2000]], [[animated GIF]], [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]], [[PCX]], [[TIFF]], [[Windows Metafile|WMF]], [[ICO (file format)|ICO]], and [[Truevision TGA|TGA]]), with a focus on popular digital- cameraincluding [[raw image format|RAWraw formats]] such aslike Canon's CR2 and CR3, andor Sony's ARW.

*Emailing

==VersionsReception==

Upon release, the software site SnapFiles rated it five stars out of five.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.snapfiles.com/get/faststoneviewer.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229173620/http://www.snapfiles.com/get/faststoneviewer.html | archive-date=2004-12-29 | title=FastStone Image Viewer - full featured image viewer }}</ref> It also received five stars by the editor of [[Download.com]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://software-files.download.com/software/10324486/10324485/3/FSViewerSetup.exe|title=FastStone Image Viewer - Reviews and free downloads at Download.com|date=July 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703150908/http://software-files.download.com/software/10324486/10324485/3/FSViewerSetup.exe |archive-date=3 July 2007 }}</ref> A PCWorld magazine review of version 4.0 of FastStone Image Viewer in 2011 noted the software's "lightning-fast" display of pictures. The reviewer felt that one of its greatest advantages was its "wide variety of file formats" the software supports.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FastStone Image Viewer |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/485913/faststone_image_viewer.html |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=PCWorld |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002100346/https://www.pcworld.com/article/485913/faststone_image_viewer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Rick Broida of [[CNET]] wrote in 2015 about version 5.4: "This freeware gem remains an essential download for anyone looking to view, edit and organize their photos." Broida thought that it was a "bit more robust" compared to [[IrfanView]].<ref name="cnet">{{Cite web |title=Freebie Friday: FastStone Image Viewer |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/freebie-friday-faststone-image-viewer/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=CNET |language=en |archive-date=2023-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329070958/https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/freebie-friday-faststone-image-viewer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The FastStone Image Viewer was first released in 2004 by FastStone Soft. Since then, new stable versions have been released regularly.

Since version 3.1, a multilingual version has been available, supporting [[Chinese language|Simplified and Traditional Chinese]], [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and [[Swedish language|Swedish]].

This Windows program is provided in three forms: as a normal-install executable, a zip file of the same, or as a fully portable no-install zip file.

According to FastStone, version 2.7 and all previous releases have been found to be using improperly licensed images and icons, and as a result, FastStone requested that version 2.7 and older copies of FastStone Image Viewer cease to be used, with all licenses updated to version 2.8 for both free and commercial versions. This announcement was made on their web site the same date that version 2.8 was posted.

==Issues==

*As of version 4.2, resizing of animations (i.e. animated GIFs) is not supported. Thus they can only be viewed at 100% scale, this includes thumbnails.

*When the program starts, a delay may occur as the thumbnail view is managed, more so the first time when the thumbnail cache database is built.

*The portable version (from [[PortableApps]]) sometimes has problems saving its settings, ignoring them at random. Quitting and restarting the app (not PortableApps or the underlying OS) usually solves this problem.

==See also==

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*[[IrfanView]]

*[[XnView]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Official website|http://www.faststone.org}}

*[[:File:Faststone-4.3-Shortcuts.pdf|Shortcuts <small>v 4.3</small>]] (German PDF)

*[https://archive.org/details/fstone_pacman FastStone Pacman, the developer's first product]

*[http://www.viraltech.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d147_faststone-image-viewer.html Features in Faststone Image Viewer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221084250/http://www.viraltech.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d147_faststone-image-viewer.html |date=2017-12-21 }}

{{Image organizers}}