Contents
Then, the world learned about Picasa – a desktop utility that could process photos and conveniently store and organize them. However, in 2016 the project was closed, and now the program can only be downloaded from unofficial sources (and many functions will not be in it). It is good that time does not stand still, and many worthy alternatives have appeared, which I want to discuss in this article.
Microsoft Photos
Included in the package of essential programs for Windows 10 and 11. It starts by default when you click on a photo. You can add folders with pictures from your computer or external hard drive, view your collection conveniently and beautifully, and perform simple tasks with images (for example, crop or correct colors).
Also, here, as in Picasa, there is an option to group photos by faces, which will help you quickly find all the pictures of one person. And there is a video editor with which you can easily create gorgeous slideshows from your photos.
Of the minuses, I would single out – for the regular application operation, you must upload your entire photo collection to OneDrive, where you can store no more than 5 GB for free. Sometimes when adding a new folder and trying to find some photos, the search does not work correctly. Well, there are not enough opportunities to restore order within the archive.
XnViewMP
A rather old software (1998) that can read a wide variety of graphic file formats – for example, it opened a photo in heic format without problems, unlike other programs that need a separate plugin. You can manage your photos into albums and categories to keep them organized.
Of the minuses – too many sections, icons, and unnecessary information. Also, the video files do not have previews, as in the photo; you will not understand what kind of video it is until you open it, making it difficult to search in an extensive collection. There are also not enough tools for editing and color correction, which are difficult to use.
FastStone Image Viewer
The utility with the most intuitive interface among all of this collection. In addition to the standard editing options, there are some advanced ones, such as red-eye correction and retouching.
There is only one drawback: it does not display all the information from EXIF (there is no data about where exactly the photo was taken).
IrfanView
A simple media viewer that can be easily extended with plugins. Runs from a regular explorer when you click on a photo, video, or audio file.
There is a small minus – a primitive tool for creating slide shows, the settings of which are complicated to read.
iPhoto
Photo app for iOS. It has the most simple and attractive interface. There are all the essential photo editing tools, the ability to create animated slideshows, and an enjoyable “Memories” function that will independently select your best photos/videos and create a movie from them (you can then edit it and share the result with friends).
You can use albums to organize photos (there are no folders). There is a convenient search by keywords – for example, write “tree,” and the program will find all the photos with the image of trees in your archive. There is also an option to group photos by faces.
But there is one downside. For the application to work correctly, you need to upload your photo collection to iCloud, a cloud where you can store no more than 5 GB for free.
Google Photos
Cloud service for storing photos. There are mobile apps for iOS and Android and a web version. In addition, you can create beautiful collages and movies from your photos and quickly find the images you need by the date they were taken or keywords (there is also a face and animal recognition function).
As for the disadvantages, the main one is that Google can use your data and files for its own purposes. Also, there are relatively weak photo editing tools and no way to search for photos by geolocation.
Adobe Lightroom
Previously, this program could be seen on almost every computer. Now its services can be used online. It is more suitable for those professionally engaged in photography and familiar with Photoshop tools. It is better to look for a more straightforward option for ordinary tasks, such as creating slideshows or collages.
Tonfotos
Probably the youngest program from this collection, which has a very convenient and easy-to-use interface. Allows you to quickly find all the photos and videos on your computer, external hard drive, or network storage.
The automatic addition of new photos from your phone, tablet, and digital cameras is supported – just connect the device to your computer, and you’re done. You can also ensure that all the photos sent to you in Telegram are uploaded to your collection.
Another program can recognize people in the photo and automatically create albums – for each person, his own album. There is a slideshow, like in Picasa, the ability to search for pictures by geolocation, etc.
In the future, Tonfotos plans to bring more advanced features: editing, color correction, and retouching, the ability to increase the resolution of images, turn black and white photos into color, and support for Yandex. Disk and other cloud services.
digiKam
Free and open-source utility for various operating systems. It supports importing photos from multiple sources (cameras, phones, scanners, etc.) and exporting them to cloud services. Pictures can be sorted by title, date, tags, geolocation, or albums.
Among the shortcomings, I would single out a not entirely clear interface, which will take some time to master. Also, the program does not have full-fledged tools for editing photos and creating slide shows.
ACDsee
Quite old software, which is still very popular with professional photographers. Perhaps its main advantage is a rich set of image editing tools (cropping, color correction, red-eye correction, retouching, and much more).
The program also supports many file formats (including heic), making it easy to manage photo archives, organize photos into categories and mark them with different colors. There is also the ability to create slide shows with animation, as in Picasa, and face recognition.
Of the minuses – there are not enough opportunities to search for photos.
Given that the program is designed for professionals, it is not cheap ($134.95 per license). But before you buy ACDSee, you can try it for free for 30 days.
〉〉 Click for free online VPNs.
