XnView MP 1.5.5

★ Winner Best Image Viewer and Converter in 2017 and 2014.

Overview

XnViewMP, an enhanced version of XnView, is one of the most comprehensive graphics organizers/viewers/converters available - and that didn't happen by accident. Just by looking at the list of the supported file formats, which are over 500, you already know that you can trust it with your own files and rely on it for your work. Conversion from one format to another is possible as well, so that you can convert your files to any of the 70 file types supported (in batches if you wish).

Installation

Upon the installer's launch you'll be asked to pick installation language. Then you will be presented with the installation wizard which will guide you through the whole process. No advanced settings are included here. The setup package isn't bundled with any spyware or other additional 3^rd party items so you can install XnViewMP safely.

The software can run smoothly under any machine running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux (32 & 64-bit versions).

Interface

First time you run the program you’ll be presented with the Startup Wizard that will help you make a few basic configurations before you start using XnViewMP (for instance associate file types and define folders for database files). When you’re done with the wizard you’ll finally see the main window, which is simple and organized. It is basically split into 4 parts; the top left part is the tree-pane for browsing for your files, the top right part displays the contents of the selected folder, the bottom left part displays details about the currently selected image and the bottom right part shows a preview of the selected file. Of course the interface of the program is highly customizable and everything can be moved or removed, whilst other objects can be added.

Pros

The first thing to talk about here is the incredibly big number of supported file formats XnViewMP has, surpassing 500. Starting from the common image file types, such as jpeg, gif, png and bmp, it goes all the way up to the most rare graphic file types like mif (Image Magick file), tim/tim2 (Sony Playstation/Playstation 2 TIM file), lsm (Zeiss LSM) and a lot more. For a complete list of the supported file types, visit this link: http://www.xnview.com/en/xnviewmp/#formats. The “Write” column on that list represents the program’s ability to convert a file into that particular format (XnViewMP can convert to about 70 file formats). Batch conversion is possible too.

With XnViewMP you have all the features you had in XnView, like the ability to edit images (resize, rotate, crop, adjust brightness, contrast, change colors, etc.), create web pages, video galleries and file listings, view and edit metadata, support TWAIN as well as perform many other operations. But comparing those two you can see that XnViewMP is better in terms of speed and compatibility, is multi-platform application and has Unicode support.

Cons

Unfortunately you are able to view the contents of only one folder at a time, instead of being able to select more than one folders and view all their contents at the same time.

Alternatives

IrfanView (free) is a great alternative that, in contrast to XnViewMP, supports playback of certain music and video file types. All in all it is very lightweight, simple and reliable. Another alternative is FastStone Image Viewer (free for Home users), which shares many features with XnViewMP.

Conclusion

When working regularly with rare file types, you can’t be sure whether a standard graphics file viewer will be able to read it, let alone edit it or convert it. XnViewMP will make sure that you don’t have this worry anymore.