These are my favorite free downloadable Windows applications to manage and edit your photos:
Faststone Image Viewer is an image browser, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats. Unlike some similar applications such as the defunct Picasa, this application does not scan your computer for images. Instead, it presents an intuitive file explorer like interface with the folder tree in the left pane and image thumbnails in the right pane. Double click on an image to display it full screen mode. Once in full screen mode, move the cursor to an edge of the screen to reveal the application's full functionality. Press ESC to exit full screen mode.
| Faststone Image Viewer Screenshots | |
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Intuitive File Explorer like interface |
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Editing Menu |
Navigation Menu |
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File and EXIF Information |
Quick Access buttons |
Faststone Photo Resizer is an image converter and renaming tool that enables you to perform the same set of operations on multiple images. From the left tab, navigate to the images you want to modify, and add them to the list on the right tab. Then click on the Advanced Options button; select the checkbox inside each tab you want to use; enter your criteria; close the Advanced Options box, and click the Convert button. Once you are familiar with the user interface, you will find that this is a great application for resizing, basic editing, cropping, adding text or watermarks, etc. to multiple images in one operation.
File Renamer Basic is a more flexible file renaming tool than Faststone Photo Resizer. It is perfect for renaming multiple images, adding prefixes or suffixes, changing sequence numbers, and optionally retaining the original file name within the new file name. It also has find/replace capability. Since image renaming can't be reversed, it is suggested to click the preview button to view the new file names before clicking the apply button.
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) provides sophisticated image editing tools similar to Photoshop. It is an Open Source project: the program is free, the capabilities are extensive, and the learning curve is steep.
