Version: 3.2.1 – Built 2023-04-05
Table of Contents
Introduction
Overview
ImageBrowser is an open‑source image viewer and editor that combines efficient browsing, powerful metadata handling, and an extensible plugin system. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and supports a wide range of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP, HEIF, RAW, and many proprietary formats. The application also features advanced batch operations, a flexible metadata editor, and an intuitive user interface that can be customized for a variety of workflows.
System Requirements
- Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 10.12+, Linux (Ubuntu 16.04+, Debian 8+, Fedora 25+)
- Processor: 1.6 GHz Dual‑core or faster
- RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended
- Hard Drive: 10 GB of free space for installation and cache (additional space required for image collections)
- Graphics: 1280×720 display resolution or higher, OpenGL 2.0 compatible graphics card
- Optional: Touchscreen or pen input for gesture navigation (Windows 10+)
Installation
Download
To download the latest stable release, visit the official website at http://imagebrowser.org/download. The website offers three installers:
- Windows:
ImageBrowser-3.2.1-win64.exe(64‑bit) – download - macOS:
ImageBrowser-3.2.1-macos.dmg– download - Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
imagebrowser3.2.1amd64.deb– download
All downloads are signed with GPG keys to ensure integrity. You can verify the signatures by importing the public key from http://imagebrowser.org/keys/public-key.asc and running gpg --verify [file].asc [file].
Setup
- Windows: Run the installer as administrator. The wizard will create a menu shortcut, a desktop icon, and a context menu item “Open with ImageBrowser.” You can choose to install the optional “Developer Mode” components which expose the raw API for plugin developers.
- macOS: Open the disk image, drag the
ImageBrowsericon to theApplicationsfolder, and then eject the image. Launch the app from Finder or Spotlight. - Linux: Install the .deb package with
sudo dpkg -i imagebrowser3.2.1amd64.deb. If dependency errors occur, runsudo apt‑get install -fto fix them.
After installation, launch the application. The first‑time startup will automatically scan for installed codecs and display a “Welcome” overlay with recommended actions.
Getting Started
Open Images
There are several ways to bring your images into ImageBrowser:
- Double‑click an image file in Windows Explorer, Finder, or your file manager – the file opens in the viewer.
- Use the File → Open menu or press Ctrl+O (macOS: ⌘O) to open the standard file dialog.
- Drag a file or folder onto the main window. When a folder is dropped, ImageBrowser will list all images in the folder in the navigation pane.
- Right‑click an image file and select Open with → ImageBrowser from the context menu. This will open the image in the same instance of the application.
Large image files such as RAW or TIFF may take a moment to load because ImageBrowser uses a progressive decoding strategy. The progress bar appears in the bottom status bar, and the image is displayed at a lower resolution until full quality is ready.
View Images
Once an image is open, the viewer offers several viewing modes:
- Fit to Window – Scales the image so that it fits within the viewport while preserving aspect ratio.
- Actual Size – Shows the image at its native resolution.
- Zoom In/Out – Use Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- (macOS: ⌘+ / ⌘-) to zoom in or out. The zoom level is displayed in the status bar.
- Full‑Screen Mode – Press F11 to toggle full‑screen, which hides the menu bar and provides an unobstructed view.
Navigation between images is intuitive: use the left/right arrow keys or swipe gestures on touchscreens to cycle through the current folder. The thumbnail bar at the bottom shows a preview of the entire folder and updates as you navigate.
Edit Metadata
ImageBrowser includes a comprehensive metadata editor that supports XMP, IPTC, EXIF, and custom fields. To access the editor, click the Metadata button or press Ctrl+M. The editor is split into four panels:
- Core – Displays standard tags such as Title, Author, Copyright, and Description.
- Camera – Shows camera‑specific metadata such as Exposure, Aperture, ISO, and focal length. RAW files also display lens information.
- Geolocation – Allows you to edit GPS coordinates, altitude, and direction.
- Custom – Lets you add user‑defined tags that persist across all supported image formats.
All edits are stored in an internal SQLite database. When you click Save, the changes are written back to the file in a format‑appropriate manner. Non‑writeable formats such as JPEG or PNG have the metadata embedded directly; RAW files use sidecar files (.xmp). The application preserves the original file size and does not perform a full re‑encode unless necessary.
Batch Operations
Batch processing is performed via the Tools → Batch Processor menu. The processor can handle any combination of the following operations, applied sequentially to a selected set of images:
- Resize – Specify target width/height, maintain aspect ratio, and choose the output format.
- Crop – Set a crop rectangle or use the automatic aspect‑ratio cropping tool.
- Watermark – Add text or PNG image watermarks with adjustable opacity, position, and margin.
- Rotate – Rotate by 90°, 180°, or arbitrary degrees. The rotate operation is lossless for lossless formats.
- Change Color Profile – Convert between sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB.
- Convert to Black & White – Choose between luminance‑based or edge‑preserving grayscale.
- Compress – Adjust JPEG quality, PNG compression level, or WebP quality. HEIF files can be compressed using a target bitrate.
- Apply ICC Profile – Embed an ICC profile for color management.
- Remove Metadata – Strip all non‑essential tags for privacy compliance.
- Export Thumbnails – Generate thumbnails for use in external applications.
The batch processor uses a progress bar and status messages to keep you informed of each step. It also logs any errors to a detailed log file located at %APPDATA%\ImageBrowser\logs on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/ImageBrowser/logs on macOS, and ~/.config/ImageBrowser/logs on Linux.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- Ctrl+O – Open file dialog.
- Ctrl+N – Create a new blank canvas.
- Ctrl+S – Save the current image.
- Ctrl+Z – Undo.
- Ctrl+Shift+Z – Redo.
- Ctrl+R – Rotate 90° clockwise.
- Ctrl+L – Rotate 90° counter‑clockwise.
- Ctrl+M – Open the metadata editor.
- Ctrl+B – Open the batch processor.
- Ctrl+F – Full‑screen toggle.
- Ctrl+P – Print (via system print dialog).
- Ctrl+Shift+O – Open an additional folder for browsing.
- Ctrl+Shift+S – Save a copy (Save As).
- Alt+F4 – Close the application.
Advanced Features
Plugins
ImageBrowser’s plugin architecture is designed to be both powerful and safe. All plugins are written in C++ or Python and communicate with the core via a well‑defined API. Plugins can register new file formats, new editing tools, or even integrate with external services such as image repositories or cloud storage.
To install a plugin, copy the plugin file to the plugins directory under the installation folder (%PROGRAMFILES%\ImageBrowser\plugins on Windows, /Applications/ImageBrowser.app/Contents/plugins on macOS, or /usr/share/ImageBrowser/plugins on Linux). The next time you launch ImageBrowser, it will automatically load the plugin and expose its functionality in the Plugins menu. For more details on developing plugins, see the official plugin documentation.
Scripting
ImageBrowser supports a Python scripting interface. Scripts can be executed from the Tools → Scripting menu and have full access to the image data, metadata, and the batch processor API. This feature is ideal for automating repetitive tasks, such as bulk metadata tagging or custom color grading workflows.
Scripts are stored in the scripts directory. To run a script, simply double‑click it in the file manager or use the Run Script button inside the application. The console output appears in a pop‑up window for debugging purposes. A sample script that renames images based on their timestamp is available in the samples folder.
Cloud Integration
ImageBrowser can connect to several cloud services out of the box. Supported providers include:
- Google Drive – Upload or download images directly from a Drive folder. Credentials are stored securely in the OS credential store.
- Amazon S3 – Sync a local bucket with an S3 bucket. You can set up a sync schedule that runs nightly.
- Dropbox – Browse and edit images stored in Dropbox. The integration uses the Dropbox API to keep the local cache up‑to‑date.
- OneDrive – Full support for Microsoft’s cloud storage, including file preview and direct editing.
To connect, go to Tools → Cloud Manager and select the provider. Follow the authentication flow. Once connected, a new pane will appear in the main window, listing cloud folders just like local folders. You can open, edit, and save images directly to the cloud, and the application will handle conflict resolution automatically.
Color Management
ImageBrowser implements full ICC color management. When you open an image, it automatically reads the embedded ICC profile or uses a system default profile if none is present. The Color Management panel in the metadata editor lets you view the current working space, adjust the monitor calibration, and choose a preview mode that simulates the target output space.
For photographers who need spot‑check color accuracy, ImageBrowser offers a Color Checker tool. Drag a reference image (e.g., a Macbeth ColorChecker chart) onto the viewer, and the tool will extract color patches and display the differences between the current image and the reference. The user can then apply adjustments or generate an ICC profile to correct the color.
ImageBrowser includes a print feature that respects the current view settings. When you press Ctrl+P, the standard system print dialog appears. The application sends the image data in a print‑ready format. For PDF printing, ImageBrowser uses the PDFBox library (open source) to create high‑quality PDF documents. The print quality can be adjusted in the Print Settings dialog.
Performance and Optimization
Performance has been a key focus for the ImageBrowser team. Here are some of the optimizations that make ImageBrowser fast:
- Tile‑based rendering – Only the portion of the image that is visible on the screen is decoded.
- Multithreaded decoding – Image decoding is offloaded to worker threads. On a quad‑core CPU, you can open up to four images concurrently.
- Cache‑friendly memory layout – Reduces cache misses during image traversal.
- Hardware acceleration – When available, the application will use GPU shaders for transformations such as rotate, scale, and color adjustments.
- Asynchronous I/O – All file reads/writes are non‑blocking. When you open a 30‑minute RAW file, the viewer will show a preview and load the rest in the background.
For users on low‑spec devices, you can turn on Low‑Memory Mode in Settings → Performance. This limits the maximum number of concurrently loaded images and forces a lower quality preview until the image is fully decoded.
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- Image not opening – Ensure you have the necessary codec installed. For .heic files, you may need to install the Windows HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store.
- Metadata not saving – Check the file’s permissions. For read‑only files, you may need to write a sidecar XMP file. ImageBrowser will prompt you for a writeable location if it cannot save directly.
- Plugin crashes – Verify that the plugin was compiled for the same version of ImageBrowser. If a plugin is not compatible, the application will skip it and log an error.
- Performance lag – Clear the thumbnail cache in Settings → Cache and restart the app. Alternatively, enable Hardware Acceleration in the Graphics section.
- Full‑screen flickering – Disable Auto‑Hide Toolbar in View → Full‑Screen Settings to reduce redraw frequency.
Contact Support
If you encounter a bug that is not listed here, please file a detailed report on the ImageBrowser GitHub issues page. Attach the log file and a screenshot if possible. For critical issues, you can also email support@imagebrowser.com with a CC: bugs@imagebrowser.com header.
Appendix
License
ImageBrowser is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. This license requires that any modifications to the code are also released under the AGPL, ensuring that the community benefits from improvements. The source code is available at GitHub – imagebrowser.
Known Bugs
- Memory leak in the watermark tool – Fixed in version 2.3.1. Users of older releases should upgrade.
- Metadata tags incorrectly reordered – A regression in the 2.2 release; this is a known issue that does not affect data integrity.
- Printing large PDF files causes timeouts – A bug with the PDFBox library that is being patched by the dev team.
Future Roadmap
- Version 3.0 – Native support for RAW X3F, R3D, and DNG.
- Version 3.1 – GPU‑accelerated color grading pipeline.
- Version 3.2 – Integration with Adobe Lightroom and Capture One.
- Version 4.0 – A fully web‑based version using Electron and WebAssembly.
Developer FAQ
- How do I access the raw image buffer? – In C++, use the
ImageBufferclass. In Python, callimage.getrawbuffer(). - How do I expose a new tool? – Create a
ToolPluginsubclass and register it with theToolRegistry. The UI will automatically create a menu item. - Can I integrate with external APIs? – Yes, using the
ExternalAPImodule. Be sure to handle authentication securely. - What is the minimum required Windows version? – Windows 10 or newer (for GPU acceleration).
- Do you support Linux? – Yes, on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch. For older distributions, compile from source.
We hope you enjoy using ImageBrowser and look forward to your contributions to the open source ecosystem.
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