Best Image Manipulation Utilities for Windows

Microsoft Windows offers two basic utilities for basic image manipulation: Windows Paint and Windows Photo Gallery. Windows Paint is a very basic application that has been around almost since the start of Windows. It has almost no manipulation functions, but this gives the application a simplicity which is still attractive for manipulation at a pixel level, for which I still use it. Windows Photo Gallery has a "Fix" function that is easy to ignore, however it offers the ability to adjust brightness, contrast, color temperature, tint, saturation, and fix red-eye all in an easy to use package.

There appears to be little to distinguish reliability and performance amongst all of these utilities, although be warned some complex manipulations of big images will tax even powerful PCs!

The Gimp is an open source image manipulation program which offers a very wide range of functions. It is a hugely powerful application, but possibly more than is required by the average user. The price to be paid is in usability: I have never found the Gimp to be an easy application to use. Its flexibility is based upon its ability to use add-ins which can provide a wide range of functions, and the open source license encourages this. If you need the more complex functions, then the GIMP offers a remarkably powerful free solution, but be prepared for a steep learning curve. If you don't need this range of functions, then read on for a simpler alternative.

XnView is copyrighted software, but is freeware for non-commercial purpose. It offers a wide range of functions in an easy to use package with an integrated image browser. Its mix of usability and bounteous range of functions adequate for most users is its greatest strength. It is an optimum solution rather than best in any one area. It has strengths in batch processing and batch renaming. I strongly suspect it is the utility that will prove the most productive for the average user.