Software for digitization projects or digital collection management can get expensive, particularly when you need multiple programs for different purposes (editing, converting, renaming, etc.) and formats (images, documents, video, audio, OCR, etc.). The Digital Initiatives department is all for low-cost options when it comes to software.
About two years ago, an overview was provided on XnConvert, a batch image editor and converter. For this month’s column, we’ll examine a similar image software: FastStone Image Viewer (FSIV). According to its website, FSIV is an “image browser, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats” (which includes all of the usual formats: JPEG, JPEG 2000, GIF, PNG, and TIFF).
The “viewer” part of the software’s name is a little deceiving because it can do so much more. Its website boasts that it “has a nice array of features such as image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, color adjustments, musical slideshow and much more.”
How is FSIV different than the wonderful XnConvert? XnConvert is a wonderful tool, but it does have a weakness with its grayscale to black & white conversion (8-bit to 1-bit). The output on XnConvert comes out grainy. However, FSIV’s conversion from grayscale to black & white does not have any issues.
FSIV is reliable and user-friendly. It is free for private and educational use, and about $35 per license for commercial use.
Many of these resources and programs are funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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