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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

A look at Windows' Irfan View and ACDSee for the Mac


Jan. 10 , 2001

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2001 Al Fasoldt

   While checking on the latest version of ACDSee, my favorite Windows image viewer, I discovered that ACDSee comes in a version for the Macintosh. I either had not known that or had forgotten it -- old age might be taking its toll on my memory, I suppose -- but whatever the reason for my ignorance I'm happy to set the record straight now.
   I'd also like to revise my opinion of the only real competitor for ACDSee's rank as the fastest and easiest-to-use Windows image viewer. That competing program is Irfan View. Unlike ACDSee, Irfan View is free. But like ACDSee it's fast, cleverly designed and able to show just about any image.
   I'll tell you what I think about the latest Irfan View in a minute. First, more about the Mac version of ACDSee.
   ACDSee started out as a Windows image viewer back in era of Windows 3.1. I use it as my primary image viewer under Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 2000. It displays practically any kind of image very quickly, and is able to create hundreds or even thousands of thumbnail images for image browsing.
   The Windows version costs $50. The Mac version works much the same way but costs only $40. Like the Windows version, the Macintosh version is very fast and knows how to display dozens and dozens of different kinds of images.
   You can download either version for free and try it out before you decide to buy. Go to http://www.acdsee.com and follow the links.
   Irfan View, named for its Eastern European creator, Irfan Skiljan, has also been around for years. It's highly respected and well supported. It's completely free. Download it from http://www.irfanview.com/.
   You could fall in love with Irfan View without even trying. It's friendly, doing things in an easy-to-understand way, and it never seems to get tripped up. This is one smooth program.
   It's also a great way to do slide shows. It does this better than ACDSee does, in fact. ACDSee is ideal for a quick slide show of everything in a folder; Irfan View is better when you want to see only specific files.
   Irfan View's thumbnail viewer works OK, but it's not integrated into the fle-browsing window the way ACDSee's is. You do get single thumbnails in the browser window, a feature that I find delightful, but the only way to see thumbnails of all your images at once is to open a separate thumbnail window. Try ACDSee's method and you'll see how awkward Irfan View's is by comparison.
   One other complaint, also quite minor: Irfan View is fast, but not as fast as ACDSee. If you never use ACDSee, Irfan View will seem fast enough. If you routinely look though hundreds of image files in one sitting, you need ACDSee. If you're just strolling though your latest digital photos, you won't miss the added edge ACDSee would give you.
   Of course, no one could fail to note the edge that Irfan View gives to your bank balance. Free software that works well is a good thing. But let's be honest. Free software that works THIS well is a joy. Give Irfan View a try. You won't be disappointed.