PicView

Yet another application for viewing your image files. Aside from the occasional glitches there really isn't much one can find different from all the other apps. PicView does include some photo enhancing options, which is something most similar apps don't offer to this extent, but the mechanics are the same. Its looks can't really deceive you into thinking it's a super important app, mostly because its name says it all.

The most interesting aspect when looking at this app is how it looks. The interface is organized, and the provided functions easily accessible from the bottom of the main window. Unfortunately, this bright side is darkened by errors in scaling the interface. If you opt for the full-screen gallery option chances are you might encounter a glitch where the window looks way off and the controls are not accessible anymore. Aside from this, the simplicity of it all is somewhat charming.

There are some features which some users will appreciate. For instance PNG files will be displayed with transparent backgrounds if that's the way they are designed. That's especially useful when designing specific skins or props and need to see every detail. The app itself also includes options to tailor its look to your tastes. It features a number of themes and the possibility to adjust the slideshow timing sequence. The program does seem to try to offer variety and as far as this is concerned you do feel it's got a hefty amount of options.

Now if you really haven't had to deal with a picture viewer before, you'll probably be amazed at the idea behind it. You load your images, either one by one or in bulk, and you start scrolling through them as if you were watching a presentation. Yeah, in this respect, such an application could be useful if you want to show others some family photos or something of the sort. The optimization features are but a series of shader effects, a crop tool, and a color picker. The EXIF information option is also a nice touch.

PicView is not disappointing in many ways. It's simple and unnoticeable. While it could be a solid base for a future program, at this point it's simply not enough to stand out of a crowd of similar apps. With simple viewers such as this one, it all boils down to what special features can enhance the user experience. With PicView, there really aren't any.