Thumbnail browsers give you a visual way of browsing and sorting through your image collection. Typically they offer file management, image manipulation, and some basic image editing features. Many come with a number of extras such as printing photo layouts or Web output for sharing your photos online. Browse the reviews of my selections below for the one that best meets your needs. For more advanced image cataloging software, see the related resource links below.
XnView (Free)
This fast, free image viewer and converter supports a staggering number of file formats, operating systems, and languages. For Windows and many other operating systems.
Windows Live Photo Gallery (Windows)
Windows Live Photo Gallery helps you import your photos and videos from digital cameras, camcorders, CDs, DVDs, and Windows Live Spaces. You can browse the pictures on your computer by folder or by date, and you can add keyword tags, ratings and captions for even more organization. Clicking the "Fix" button gives you easy-to-use tools for adjusting exposure, color, detail (sharpness), and for cropping and removing red eye. All edits are saved automatically, but can be reverted at a later time. There is also an automatic panorama stitching tool.
FastStone Image Viewer (Free)
FastStone Image viewer does just about everything you would expect from an image viewer and offers all the tools most people need for quick edits like cropping, resizing, fixing red-eye, adjusting image tone, and so on. Some unique features include frame masks, for adding borders to your pictures, a crop tool with a grid for applying the rule of thirds, a nice image comparison feature, and a drawing board where you can mark up images with text, shapes, lines, highlighting, and watermarks.
IrfanView (Free)
Irfanview is a very small and speedy freeware thumbnail browser with impressive file format support and lots of extras.
Firegraphic
Firegraphic is a nice image management solution that offers a few unique features, but doesn't stand out overall. If your main objectives are printing images and burning CD archives, give it a look.Last Updated: Dec. 2008
