Icaros Shell Extensions Portable

Windows Explorer is configured to show previews for media files you click on, but not all file formats are supported. Another problem is related to the thumbnail itself; Windows Explorer usually grabs the first frame, so if multiple videos start the same, you won't be able to quickly find the one you are looking for just by glancing at the thumb.

Icaros Shell Extensions Portable aims to solve both these issues, enhancing the default media previewing capabilities of Windows Explorer.

The purpose of Icaros Shell Extensions Portable is to enable thumbnail previews for almost any video file, automatically registering all the audio and video formats that are compatible with FFmpeg (namely MKV, OGM, FLV, AVI, RM, FLAC, APE, MPC, TAK, and WV).

Aside from the aforementioned media formats, you can also manually add other file types you want Windows Explorer to preview. Icaros Shell Extensions Portable comes with a list of suggestions that should be more than enough, but you are free to add new file types to enrich it even further.

However, please note that not any video or audio file is supported, so previewing might not work in some cases. Also, Icaros needs to be re-activated if the list is modified.

As for the thumbnail itself, Icaros Shell Extensions Portable enables you to configure the offset percentage. In other words, you are free to choose the stream position where Icaros Shell Extensions Portable will extract the thumbnail from, so that all images become easily recognizable.

You can instruct Icaros Shell Extensions Portable to use the embedded cover art as a thumbnail when previewing audio or video files. Black and white frame detection is also available.

Icaros Shell Extensions Portable can significantly enhance the media preview feature of Windows Explorer, allowing thumbnail creation for video and audio formats supported by FFmpeg.

Configuration is not difficult at all, but unfortunately, there are no options to help you adjust the quality of the generated thumbnails or at least find a balance between rendering speed and quality. Things might slow down a bit while navigating directories with lots of media files, especially on computers with lower hardware capabilities.