FastStone Image Viewer! 7.3

Don't let the name fool you, FastStone Image Viewer isn't just a program for viewing images. It has a ton of significant editing capabilities, which means it already outstrips other image viewing programs. Its interface is unlike many other programs I've seen - some would call it innovative. Don't get me wrong, though. It's not a replacement for Photoshop, but it definitely is perfect for basic editing.

At first glance, the interface looks incredibly cluttered. However, this program wasn't actually meant to be used in windowed mode. Going full screen would instead reveal a minimalistic interface where mousing over to the edge of the window will bring out various features. Mousing over to the left of FastStone Image Viewer will bring out a menu for rotating, resizing, and adding text as well as various color adjustment and effects. Mousing to the top will bring down a preview of your current directory, which makes it very easy to switch between various images. At the bottom, there's a toolbar with even more basic editing options. The slideshow feature is something Photoshop doesn't have, letting you create a slideshow using custom music.

If all this sounds intimidating, fear not. There's a whopping 95 pages of help for you to look through. I recommend FastStone Image Viewer to anyone looking to do some basic editing. It's incredibly easy to use and actually has a few features lacking in Photoshop. While it is basic, you should also keep in mind that it is free, and superior to other free software of its ilk!