EZ Picture Frame

good
key review info
application features
  • Set display time in minutes;
  • (5 more, see all...)

Despite the default image viewer under Windows, numerous computer users prefer a third-party piece of software to view their pictures. The reasons vary from the fact that they are not content with the speed and keyboard shortcuts available in the Windows Photo Gallery in Vista or the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer in XP, to the fact that the users have grown comfortable with a different application that may provide more options (such as editing, effects, etc.).

Regardless of the grounds of choosing your image viewer, the choices on the market are plenty. Freebies come in great numbers and sort of eliminate the need for a paid product in this area. There has to be a really special and extremely useful option for the developers to put a price tag on such a product.

eZ-Frame! is also part of the freebie bundle and activates in the above-mentioned image-viewing field. Only its features and functionality are slightly different, as it offers you a slideshow view of the images in a specific folder. It is one of the simplest programs around. Its main application window consists solely of displaying the image in the default folder. It'll sit on top of all windows and the only elements available in the screen are the slideshow controls (previous, next and pause/play buttons) and the close button.

However, more options are at a right-click away from you, in the context menu that gives you the possibility to launch the currently displayed image in the default image viewer installed on your computer and associated with the JPG format. Also available is the option to set the image as your desktop wallpaper and set it stretched, tiled or centered, depending on the size of the picture and your wish.

The search function present in the menu is nothing one would expect. Its purpose in eZ-Frame! is to simply open the folder the images are displayed from and let you look for the them yourself. Although the application is extremely simple, any user would find useful a proper search option that permits typing in the name of the picture and getting a list of relevant results in return. In this case, the on-top-of-all-windows characteristic of the software will greatly impede your search, just as it happens when you try to access the Settings menu.

Configuring eZ-Frame! is a cinch, even for the noobiest of the noobs out there. This is due to the small amount of options present, which offer a brief customization of the application. You have the possibility to turn eZ-Frame!'s image-viewing abilities into a slideshow, so you can set the picture-change time interval. The maximum frame dimension can also be changed (pixels are the measuring unit) to whatever value you feel comfortable with (the application will resize itself to the dimension of the image). In case of sub-folders, eZ-Frame! is capable of scanning deep for any images it can find and display them in a random order.

One minute is the minimum amount of time the images can be rotated. This comes as a downfall and impedes the proper use of the application as a slideshow viewer, making it irrelevant for some users. Allowing the user to modify the picture-change interval under one minute would benefit more, as all the images in a folder and its subsections could be viewed unattendedly.

The set of supported image formats does not work in eZ-Frame!'s favor either, because the app works only with the JPG type. If you keep stacks of pictures in a different format, then eZ-Frame! won't be able to play them. We tried the most popular file types, PNG, BMP, GIF and JPG, and only the latter was displayed. JPG is, indeed, by far, the most used container for images, and it is clear that the developer tried to cover this sector alone, but lots of users gather stacks of pictures in various other formats that should be added to the support list of the application.

During our tests, eZ-Frame! did not show any weakness and all its options worked the way they were supposed to. But there are plenty of downfalls to be considered before starting using it on a regular basis. The support for more file types needs to be mentioned, just like the fact that there is no option to disable the always-on-top setting (should the Settings window open under the main screen, you will miss it, until you move the main window). Denying the possibility to set the image-change timer to less than one minute scores a minus on the functionality list of the software.

The Good eZ-Frame! is easy to handle and does not cause any trouble. The on-screen controls let you stop rolling the images or start the show. For the currently displayed picture, there is the possibility to set it as the desktop wallpaper, centered, tiled or stretched.

You can also set the maximum dimension of the frame, as well as enable the application to search sub-folders for more images.

The Bad It cannot show pictures, unless they are in JPG format. Staying on top of all windows cannot be disabled. The picture rotation cannot be set to an interval of less than one minute, thus affecting eZ-Frame!'s slideshow capabilities.

The Truth The application works fine (it ran with no errors during our tests), but, option-wise, it is still rough on the edges. Viewing the images as a slideshow is hindered by the one-minute, low limit imposed by the developer.

As a personal note, despite the fact that this would complicate the application quite a bit, a nice touch would be adding an audio player to enrich the visual experience.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 3
features 3
ease of use 3
pricing / value 3


final rating 3
Editor's review
good
 
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