What do you use for viewing photos outside of lightroom?

Energize · 13 Feb 2015 at 11:38

So after a few years I now have a large number of dng images on my hard drive in folders that I've organised them into. The problem is the default windows picture viewer is crap and does not use the jpeg preview incorporated into the image which makes loading them even off a ssd a pain and effectively useless.

What do you guys use just for viewing images? Obviously with rotate and delete functions etc like the default viewer.

Steeps · 13 Feb 2015 at 11:50

I've always used Adobe Bridge for my file viewing/sorting, also allows for copying development settings from one photo to another for quick editing.

SDK^ · 13 Feb 2015 at 12:05

I use ACDsee, currently on version 18.
It loads quickly and allows you to do basic editing & batch actions.

http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/acdsee-18

dtokez · 13 Feb 2015 at 12:40

also use acdsee and have done for many many years

Kei · 13 Feb 2015 at 14:11

I don't use lightroom, so I stick with adobe bridge and photoshop. Outside adobe, i still use explorer thumbnails.

Rojin · 15 Feb 2015 at 11:32

I haven't done it for a while, but you used to be able to download a codec pack that would allow RAW viewing in the Windows Viewer.

Sh4rkie · 15 Feb 2015 at 13:23

ACDsee for more years than i can count but moved to using Faststone a year ago as it's free and does 99% of the same job.

hyperseven · 15 Feb 2015 at 13:54

Sh4rkie said:
ACDsee for more years than i can count but moved to using Faststone a year ago as it's free and does 99% of the same job.

free is good, will give that faststone a try

D.P. · 15 Feb 2015 at 15:35

I export jpegs at various sizes and qualities, normally a 1080p version and something in the 8-12MP range that will print OK. Then any kind of slide show software works. I also have some on a digital picture frame and some of the best I've printed and framed around the house.

Energize · 16 Feb 2015 at 06:53

Energize said:
The problem is the default windows picture viewer is crap and does not use the jpeg preview incorporated into the image which makes loading them even off a ssd a pain and effectively useless.

Rojin said:
I haven't done it for a while, but you used to be able to download a codec pack that would allow RAW viewing in the Windows Viewer.

Kei said:
I don't use lightroom, so I stick with adobe bridge and photoshop. Outside adobe, i still use explorer thumbnails.

Adobe Bridge requires requires another Adobe product to be installed to open raw files, and I'd rather not have to load a separate application like that every time I just want to view a picture anyway. I want to be able to just click the picture and have it displayed.

SDK^ said:
I use ACDsee, currently on version 18.
It loads quickly and allows you to do basic editing & batch actions.

http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/acdsee-18

dtokez said:
also use acdsee and have done for many many years

That program costs money.

D.P. said:
I export jpegs at various sizes and qualities, normally a 1080p version and something in the 8-12MP range that will print OK. Then any kind of slide show software works. I also have some on a digital picture frame and some of the best I've printed and framed around the house.

Would rather not have to export thousands of images.

And I've have to re-export the files every time they were changed in order to re-computer the jpeg files rather than it being an automatic process.

An Exception · 16 Feb 2015 at 09:08

I use bridge or lightroom itself.

Cosimo · 16 Feb 2015 at 09:19

I use Bridge and file explorer thumbnails.

Rojin · 16 Feb 2015 at 09:53

The codec method unpacks and uses the full size jpeg from the RAW (I'm pretty sure, it was so quick it couldn't be generating them), it would also allow access to the exif. I think the pack I used isn't free anymore ($9.99) but it was so long ago I can't remember which one it was tbh.

Energize · 16 Feb 2015 at 10:32

If you're using a codec like the NEF codec viewer provided by adobe, the photo viewer has to read the full file from the disk, which is why lightrooms develop module takes so long to read and render the files by comparison to the preview mode, you'd need to use an application to pre-compute the jpegs first and a program that supports the features special features of the abobe dng format to read those jpegs.

Sh4rkie said:
ACDsee for more years than i can count but moved to using Faststone a year ago as it's free and does 99% of the same job.

Thanks, that's great, exactly what I'm looking for.

Rojin · 16 Feb 2015 at 15:59

I don't recall having to wait much at all back when I was using it, like iv said it was pretty quick from memory. The RAW's were Canon if that makes any difference. The pics weren't on an external drive either. (http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/)
I use Lightroom for it all now though, and have done for a fair few years now.

Sh4rkie · 16 Feb 2015 at 16:17

Energize said:
Thanks, that's great, exactly what I'm looking for.

Very welcome, in terms of functionality can't fault it for what it does. It was just a unlearning process coming from ACDsee because that was so ingrained in terms of shortcut keys, menu locations etc.

Jase · 16 Feb 2015 at 16:29

As my default picture viewer I use FastStone Image Viewer.

www.faststone.org