What Is XnView? Uses, Features, Reviews, Prices

Last update: 04/10/2024
XnView
XnView

XnView was born to perform image viewer functions, but with There, has evolved and offers us much more than that. It is a software that is very well thought out, and that offers excellent support from its developers.

In addition to providing a wealth of ways to navigate the screen through your photo collection, XnView It also features image editing tools to help you get the most out of your photos.

It has a huge number of features and tools that you will miss once you get used to them. Anyone who tries this program simply stays.

What is XnView

XnView is a great image viewer, completely free. It is an image viewing and management tool that is widely accepted by its users for its usefulness.

This tool is widely used to view, organize, edit, and convert images. It also provides a general file manager to manage them. It provides screenshot, batch renaming, and hexadecimal inspection tools.

It is available for environment Windows. Its extended version XnView MP It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

It supports all popular image formats like JPEG, PNG, PSD, GIF, TIFF, Camera RAW, etc. In addition to opening an image, it also allows basic image manipulation operations like color adjustment, image resizing, cropping, and more.

What can XnView be used for?

The tool XnView It comes with a simple interface. We can easily use it like other image viewing tools. But don't be fooled, it is a combination of image viewer and editing tools, so some more interfaces are added to it.

It has several modes such as browsing mode, image viewing mode and editing mode. It provides context menus and hotkeys.

1. Scan mode

By default, XnView opens in browse mode. It contains a menu bar and some toolbars. It offers several tools for managing photos. The display window contains three panes:

  • The large panel on the right side of the window, displays the contents of the currently active folders. We can select files by clicking on the thumbnail, for multiple files, hold down the CTRL key while selecting.
  • The Tree Panel at the top left from the main window, very similar to the Windows browser.
  • The preview panel at the bottom left, which displays the preview and information for the active image.

2. Image display mode

The view mode is activated after clicking on an image thumbnail. This causes the image to open in a new tab. We can open multiple images, each image will open in a new tab. We can navigate or close the image by switching the tab or clicking on the cross icon respectively, as a Web navigator.

These images can be from the same folder, but this is not limiting since we can also open images from different folders by selecting them from the file explorer.

View mode has a menu bar, various selection tools, and browse mode options. We can perform basic editing such as cropping, rotating, resizing, adjusting, zooming, etc., using the tools available in the menu options.

3. Photo editing mode

XnView provides various editing tools such as resize, crop, rotate, adjust, zoom, colorize, adjust red-eye effect, etc. in the viewing mode. It also provides tools to insert and draw text and images.

To perform an action, open an image and click on the specific tool, it's that simple. Similarly, we can perform other editing operations such as rotating, resizing, etc. It's a simple image editor.

We can find all the functions by browsing the menu. Its menu contains the following options:

  • The file menu It contains the file options like open, open with, open recent, save, save as, copy, move etc. We can open or save the files using the relative option.
  • The Edit Menu Contains editing tools like crop, background color, copy, paste, etc.
  • The View menu contains zoom, lock, grid and other display options.
  • The Image Menu Contains rotation, color adjustment, mirror, swap, filters and other image options.
  • The Tools menu Contains capture, batch conversion, setting as wallpaper, settings and other tools.
  • The Help Menu Contains help options such as website link, check for updates, etc.
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4. The screenshot

Its screenshot features are excellent. It allows us to capture part of the screen or the entire screen both within the program and in other applications.

You can keep XnView running in the background and record the screen. To capture the screen, go to “Tools”, and then click on “Capture menu”. It will ask for capture properties such as mode and delay time. Select the properties and then click “OK” to capture a snapshot.

The default shortcut key for capturing the screen is F1, but you can set it as you wish.

5. The Slides

XnView offers slideshow functionality. We can play a slideshow by simply clicking on a single option in the browsing mode. It will run all the images in the viewing mode of the selected folders sequentially.

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XnView Features

XnView works like a cross between Windows Explorer and a web browser, with a tabbed interface that makes it easy to work with multiple files and tools.

The first tab is home to the browser, which you use to browse through folders of images. Previews are displayed on the right by default, though you can change this using the View menu, and any image you select opens in a new tab.

When looking at a single image, XnView Switch to editor mode, where you can crop, rotate and play with your image. Automated tools like red-eye correction and auto levels make basic fixes easy, and for more dramatic changes there are a variety of effects and filters.

There's even support for Photoshop plugins. XnView may not be a full replacement for Adobe's giant editor, but for everyday tweaks, and a bit more, it's more than up to the job.

Here we give you a list of some very useful features that XnView has:

  • Direct view of the directory tree.
  • Batch rename.
  • Basic editing tools.
  • Red eye reduction.
  • It is customizable and multilingual.
  • Supports over 500 image formats, amazing.
  • Supports audio and video file formats as well.
  • Provides search options for files, data, and charts.
  • It is compatible with Photoshop plugin.

Advantages

  • Clear and simple interface.
  • Viewer with very powerful editor.
  • It is compatible with Photoshop.
  • Is free.
  • There is no need to import folders. Just open your folder structure and you will see the images.
  • Images appear in tabs, making navigation easier.
  • Comes with screenshot tool.

Disadvantages

  • It is only available for Windows. If you want to use it on MacOS or Linux, you must download the extended version. XnView MP.

Plans and prices

XnView It is available on their official site, and it is completely free software and does not present plans to the general public. However, if you want to use XnView for a business, you need to pay for the license.

Individual license prices vary depending on the number of licenses ordered. Please see the table below for reference.

Licenses Unit price of the license
1 License 29,00 euros.
From 2 to 9 Licenses 26,00 euros.
From 10 to 19 Licenses 22,00 euros.
From 20 to 49 Licenses 19,00 euros.
From 50 to 99 Licenses 10,50 euros.
From 100 to 499 Licenses 6,50 Euros
From 500 to 999 Licenses 4,20 Euros

To order more than 1.000 licenses, you must place a special order, with each license estimated to cost less than €4,00.

How and where to download XnView

XnView is available on its official website: XnView. This software is only designed for Windows environment. To download, proceed as follows:

  • Go to XnViewYou will be able to see that the designer has several programs available to the public from this site.
  • In the main menu, click on “Products".
  • A drop-down menu will appear, select “XnView Classic".
  • You will have the option to download the minimal version, the standard version and the extended version. For our example, we click on the “Standard version".
  • The Windows window will open, indicating where the download will take place. It will usually be in the “Downloads. Click on “Save".
  • The download of the installer file is done quickly, as it is small in size. Now, open the downloaded file.
  • The security warning opens, click on “Run".
  • The language selection window then opens. In this version the “Spanish”, so leave it in English.
  • In the next window, you will see the “License agreement. Click on “I agree” and click on “Next".
  • It will then tell you the folder where the installation will take place. If you don't know where to put it, you can leave the default option. Click on “Next".
  • The list of components that you can install with the program will then appear. You can leave them all selected if you prefer, or you can deselect the one you don't want to install. Click on “Next".
  • In the next window, click on “Install".
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Done, your XnView program is installed on your Windows PC.

Opinions from users who have used XnView

Let's take a look at some reviews from users who have already tried XnView.

  • Jimbee:

“This software is a must in this category. But above all, avoid downloading software from a portal! Always go to the creator's site! It's a matter of respect and will save you the trouble of adding unnecessary tools that often damage your computer.”

  • Emjysoft:

“Good software. For those who are just looking for a software to shrink their photos and even send them in bulk via email.”

  • Nebu:

“I just discovered this software and I find it quite handy because I take photos that are too big to handle and print them over the internet so I can resize and resize them silently without checking each photo.”

  • hedgehog41:

“My opinion is on the download and not the software. It is advertised: Size 4,35 MB Once downloaded, the file size is 783 KB. Why such a difference in size! As a software, it is fine. It is installed on one of my pc and I am completely satisfied with it. But it is better to download it directly from the publisher's website.”

XnView Alternatives. Top 5 of this year

Let's look at some software similar to XnView so you can compare and draw your own conclusions.

1. Luminar

luminar Luminar is an image editing and photo management software. In terms of its interface and features, Luminar is very reminiscent of Adobe Lightroom. The program has a large workspace and a set of sliders and switches on the right side.

The most interesting part of Luminar is the technology of Artificial IntelligenceThe program is able to edit images almost automatically without compression and with good results.

Artificial intelligence turns the entire editing routine into a simple automatic process. The tool “Replacing Heaven” AI" helps to make the sky perfect, highlight the structure of the clouds, give more contrast and retouch the color.

It also has other tools that make the skin retouching process as easy as a click of the mouse. The tool removes all spots, wrinkles and acne from the skin. It aligns tone and color.

This software is paid, and is available for Windows and MacOS.

2. Irfan View

IrfanView IrfanView is more than just an image viewer. It also helps you sort, organize and edit images. IrfanView supports various image formats, from the popular JPG and PNG to TIFF and RAW formats.

The program will come in handy when you have your disk full of unsorted images. You can group images by name, format, size, tag, batch rename, convert images, and set renaming patterns.

The user-friendly and clear interface is one of the great advantages of IrfanView. In addition, the program is equipped with simple editing and retouching tools.

IrfanView is only available for Windows environment.

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3. Photo Studio Ultimate

Photo Studio Ultimate is a powerful image editing and organization program similar to Adobe PhotoshopThe software simplifies navigation and helps you find your way through a large number of images.

In management mode, you can open the folder you want to work with. In editing mode, you can work on different layers. Here you have almost all Adobe Photoshop tools, from cropping and resizing to brushes, filters and masks. RAW format is supported.

Photo Studio Ultimate It has a trial version and a paid version. And it is available only for Windows.

4.Photoscape

Photoscape is another photo editing program that allows you to make corrections and improvements to your images. Photoscape can view your photos and make presentations with them.

You can easily edit your photos. You can resize, adjust color and brightness, correct black and white, add text, apply filters, remove red eyes, and more.

With PhotoScape you can edit any photo simultaneously, stitch multiple photos together, create GIF animations with multiple photos, perform print screen, rename multiple photos simultaneously, and more.

Photoscape is a perfect program for retouching and editing photos in a simple way. It is very intuitive to use and you can learn how to use it in just a few minutes. Photoscape is not a powerful photo editor, but it does its job perfectly and it is also free.

5. FastStone Image Viewer

FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable and easy-to-use tool for browsing images. It also allows you to edit and convert between formats.

With FastStone Image Viewer You can view, manage and compare images. It also includes functions for removing red eyes, emailing your image files, resizing, cropping and retouching the color range.

An interesting feature of FastStone Image Viewer is its innovative full-screen mode, which allows quick access to information and browsing through thumbnail images. By placing the mouse on the edges of the screen, FastStone Image Viewer Opens additional toolbars, with more options and functions.

In addition to the features already mentioned, FastStone Image Viewer supports image slideshows, extending them without losing quality or even adding background music and over 150 transition effects.

FAQs

Let's look at some frequently asked questions about this software.

1. Is XnView safe?

Completely safe. Our recommendation is that you download from their official site.

2. Can I download XnView on a Mac?

No, you can't. XnView is only available for Windows.

However, XnView MP is a version that you can also find on the same official site, and it is available for Windows, MacOS and Linux.

3. How do I uninstall XnView?

Uninstalling is very simple. Proceed as follows:

  • Go to the Windows menu, located in the lower left corner.
  • Then, click on “Configuration".
  • In the new window that opened, click on “Applications".
  • The screen of Applications. You will see a list of the programs that are installed on your PC. Search for XnView.
  • Finding the program XnView, click on it.
  • A section will open below it where an uninstall button is enabled. Click on it.
  • Confirm the uninstall in the next window.
  • Done, you've uninstalled it XnView.

Conclusion

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Of the many free image viewers available, XnView It's worth a good look. For basic needs, XnView is fine to use, but if you want to do advanced editing or graphical tasks, it will fall short.

Getting the most out of XnView requires digging into the menu system, but it's not difficult at all. With support for a wide range of image formats and an impressive selection of tools, this software is well-earned.