Feb 05, 2002 02:17 PM
7084 Views
(Updated Feb 05, 2002 02:17 PM)
ACDSee is a good, feature-rich image viewer but its way too slow to for just that. An ACDsee fan may want to argue over the fact that I call it just an image viewer, but I seriously don't think people who are really interested in image manipulation would prefer ACDSee after being daunted by the apparent complexities that arise during their first experience with a proper graphics tool like Photoshop or Fireworks.
Anyone with slightly deeper interest in image manipulation is not going to give up before trying out Photoshop or Fireworks at least three times. Most users simply want to see images, and perhaps convert between formats. For that, using ACDSee is overkill. It's like using the DHL Jumbo box to just courier a couple of CDs which you might just be able to hand deliver.
If ACDsee is the Jumbo box, IrfanView is hand delivery. That's not my best simile, but you get the idea ;). It does everything that ACDsee does: views images, converts between a plethora of formats, lets you experiment with a multitude effects, scans if you have a scanner, it even plays video and Flash files! It supports plugins, so you can view almost any format in the world including the new Jpeg2000. Its upto three times faster than ACDsee, its FREE!!
Making a decision is easy. Just try and think of what you want. An image viewer? IrfanView. An image manipulation program? IrfanView. An image editor? You should really try Photoshop or Fireworks, because ACDsee wasn't designed to be one!
http://www.irfanview.com
http://www.acdsee.com
http://www.xnview.com - another popular viewer, but I really don't need anything after IrfanView :)
