The built-in Windows Photo Gallery is great, but you quickly find its limitations, then it’s good to have alternatives to choose from and open your pictures with other software
Windows Photo Gallery is often a program that Windows user could do without. Thankfully, the web abounds with alternatives, some of them free, and some of them not-so-free. It does not matter if a person is looking for a picture viewer that provides more extensive editing features or a program that supports hundreds of file formats – there is certain to be an alternative for them.Here are 5 popular alternatives to Windows Gallery.
1) Picasa
Free, sleek and easy to use, Picasa 3 is the downloadable version of Google’s very popular photo viewer. On top of allowing users to browse through pictures, Picasa 3 also allows them to edit, manage, organize and share their pictures. What’s more, Picasa 3 also boasts a new built-in integration with Google Earth that lets people geotag their images in a fast and efficient way. This program is recommended for anyone, especially beginners, seeking a user-friendly Windows Gallery alternative.
2) FastStone Image Viewer
Much like Google’s Picasa 3, FastStone Image Viewer is a fast and user-friendly alternative to Windows Gallery that provides countless features in a sleek and simple package. Whether users need to edit their pictures, manage them or convert them, they will find FastStone Image Viewer to offer everything they need – and more. This program is perfect for beginners. It is also free of charge.
3) ACDSee
A more advanced alternative to Windows Gallery, ACDSee is ideal for users looking to get more out of their Windows Gallery alternative. Offering a free trial that lasts for 30 days, this program is often used by professional photographers. An image organizer, viewer and RAW image editor, ACDSee 16 provides users with many top-features. Free and beta versions of the program are also available online.
4) IrfanView
Free for personal use, IrfanView is a wonderful alternative to Windows Gallery. After all, there is a reason why this program continues to be one of the longest-serving image editors on the web – and also one of the most popular. Fast and compact, IrfanView provides users with countless features and basic editing options. It also supports many file formats and comes with a multi-lingual support.
5) ThumbsPlus
Offering extensive cataloguing features, ThumbsPlus is well worth its price. Its integrated image enhancement and extensive image editing features have become favorites among users. On top of supporting countless file formats, EXIF and IPTC metadata and allowing users to add keywords and annotations to pictures, ThumbsPlus also offer multi-criteria file search. A bit more complicated than the other options on this list (ThumbsPlus comes with a wide array of options), this program is ideal for more advanced users.
Windows Gallery is certainly not a bad program, especially considering the fact that it comes for free. But users who want more out of a picture viewer program may be disappointed at what it offers. With the many alternatives available online, there is no reason why they should feel this way anymore. Whether they want a free or paid alternative, finding the perfect program has never been that easy.
