XnView

Origins

Development began around 1990 on Atari systems, where Pierre-Emmanuel Gougelet wrote the initial code for an image-processing library that later formed the basis of XnView, XnView Pocket, NConvert, and the GFL SDK. The command-line tools NView and NConvert were subsequently ported to Silicon Graphics workstations. In 1995, NView was given a graphical interface using the Motif toolkit.

XnView (Classic)

Following its initial Windows release in 1997, XnView was ported to multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, HP-UX, AIX, IRIX, and PocketPC. In parallel, the command-line tools NView and NConvert, based on the same GFL processing engine, were adapted for additional systems such as Atari, OS/2, and BeOS.

During the 2000s, development of non-Windows versions of XnView was gradually discontinued, and the Windows version became the primary maintained platform. Cross-platform support was later reintroduced with XnView MP.

XnView Deluxe

Around 2002, an extended commercial edition named XnView Deluxe was developed for Xzeos Software. The Deluxe edition expanded the freeware XnView package with additional multimedia and image-management capabilities, including PDF and HTML viewing, archive browsing, slideshow export to video and executable formats, audio playback, FTP and email integration, advanced search functions, and enhanced web gallery generation.

Development, distribution, and sales of XnView Deluxe were discontinued on 1 January 2006. Gougelet stated that the product had been discontinued because it was unable to secure a significant market share amid competition from established commercial photo-management software. Several features introduced in XnView Deluxe were later incorporated into the standard freeware versions of XnView.

XnView MP

In 2008, a new Multi-Platform (MP) version of the software was introduced, while the original application became known as XnView Classic.

XnView MP was rewritten in C++ using the Qt framework and released for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The new architecture introduced full Unicode support, improved multi-core processor utilization, and native 64-bit support. Many image formats and editing functions that previously required external plugins in XnView Classic were integrated directly into the core application, although external 64-bit plugins remained supported.

XnView Classic continues to be maintained for Windows and primarily receives maintenance updates, while XnView MP remains the actively developed branch of the software.

XnView Classic and XnView MP share a largely similar core feature set, although several advanced capabilities are exclusive to XnView MP due to its more modern architecture (marked with an asterisk).

Format support

• Reading: supports over 500 image formats.
  • Support for vector graphics (EPS, PS, PDF) can be integrated with Ghostscript. However, SVG support requires a commercial CAD plugin in Classic version.
  • Supports audio and video file formats

• Writing: supports exporting to over 70 image formats

Viewing and navigation

• Thumbnail, fullscreen, and filmstrip image browsing
• Slideshow creation with transition effects
• Side-by-side comparison of up to four* images
• Duplicate file finder
• Advanced file search

Image editing

• Image transformation: resizing, rotation, and cropping, including Lossless JPEG transformation
• Color adjustment: brightness, contrast, gamma, auto-levels/contrast, and color depth/palette modification
• Image filters and effects
• Drawing tool for adding lines, circles, arrows, speech bubbles, and watermarks

Cataloging and Metadata support

• Metadata and Thumbnails caching
• EXIF, IPTC and XMP* metadata support
• Embedded ICC color profile support
• Albums* and Keyword Sets*
• Face detection*

Batch processing

• Batch renaming
• Batch conversion
• Batch timestamp modification

Creation tools and Utilities

• Contact sheet, image strip, and video thumbnail gallery generation
• File listing and archives creation
• Screen capture
• Printing and TWAIN scanner support

Plugins support

• .8bf Photoshop plugins, eg Harry's Filters, G'MIC

XnView Classic

The original version was widely praised for its lightweight design, fast startup times, and extensive image format support, often being described as a versatile image-management utility.

Due to its legacy architecture, the Classic version lacks native Unicode support, which can cause issues when handling non-Latin file paths. It also lacks out-of-the-box support for newer image formats like AVIF and JPEG XL, while HEIC support requires an external plugin.

XnView MP

The multi-platform successor expanded the capabilities of the Classic version to macOS and Linux while introducing Unicode support, 64-bit compatibility, and multi-core processing. Reviewers highlighted improvements across nearly all aspects of the application, including UI/UX refinement, metadata handling, batch processing, and additional functionality.

However, the extensive and highly detailed settings can still present a significant learning curve for beginner users.

Usage and development

XnView's development relies closely on community feedback, with the official forum serving as the primary hub for reporting bugs and proposing new features. The application's creator actively participates in these discussions, tracking and documenting resolved issues and implemented features in an official development log and changelog hosted via MantisBT.

The software has also been referenced in academic research involving DICOM image handling and digital watermarking techniques. In 2006, Sveriges Television (SVT) recommended it in their High Definition Multi Format Test Set.

The author has published various other products using the classic or the multi-platform XnView code base. Some examples include: