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andytsui · Oct 22, 2004, 08:34 AM

In Windows XP, user can browse to a folder -> double click on a photo in the folder -> the photo viewer program launches and shows the current photo -> Press left and right key to browse thru all the photos in the folder

In OSX is it possible to do the same thing? When I open a photo with "Preview" only the current photo is shown, unless I select all the photos I want and drag them to the Preview application.

I dont want to use iPhoto or Iview mediaPro. I just want to configure Preview in a way that it works like photo viewer in Windows.

Many THanks

Andy

drive-thru · Oct 22, 2004, 08:55 AM

You said it yourself, Preview does this already, you have to select all the pictures (Cmd-A or drag over them all) and open them in Preview (drag them to the dock icon or Cmd-O assuming they are all set to open in Preview automatically).

If you want to preview pictures in the finder then switch to column view, press Cmd-J and click 'Show Preview Column'. Then any picture you click on will show you a thumbnail in the next column. This gets annoying when you click on a large movie file and it takes a while to load up the preview, but it's fairly easy to turn on/off using Cmd-J and clicking the box.

monkeybrain · Oct 22, 2004, 09:45 AM

I think Apple should put in option of viewing like in XP, it's handy I think. Or just being able to drag a folder to Preview.
Increasing your icon size to 128 x 128 can make things better as you get nice big thumbnails (Go View > Show View Options, then change the icon size slider and make sure it is set to this folder only and has show picture previw turned on).

drive-thru · Oct 22, 2004, 10:39 AM

Originally posted by monkeybrain:
I think Apple should put in option of viewing like in XP, it's handy I think. Or just being able to drag a folder to Preview.
Increasing your icon size to 128 x 128 can make things better as you get nice big thumbnails (Go View > Show View Options, then change the icon size slider and make sure it is set to this folder only and has show picture previw turned on).

I agree about the dragging a folder to Preview thing. I actually tried that out before posting my first reply and was disappointed that it didn't work. I put it down to the problem that a single folder may not just contain image files, but that shouldn't make much difference - if the app you drag the folder to can't open some of the files it should ignore them and open the ones it can.

GORDYmac · Oct 22, 2004, 11:29 AM

Originally posted by andytsui:
...I just want to configure Preview in a way that it works like photo viewer in Windows...

I prefer Apple's implementation. I have folders with hundreds of photos (vacations, shoots, etc.). It'd really piss me off if any time I opened one, I had to wait for all of them to load--then shuffle through them to get to the ones I want to really see.

I'd prefer selecting the photos I want, then opening them in Preview. I think that's the more intuitive approach--but, at least, Window's implementation does give you the option.

JKT · Oct 22, 2004, 11:36 AM

If you are simply wanting to get a quick preview of the images, just use column view in the Finder and use the arrow keys to navigate up and down the list.

tooki · Oct 23, 2004, 01:01 PM

I think Apple wants you to use iPhoto for most of your image viewing.

Besides, there are plenty of shareware and freeware programs that will do what you want.

tooki

kcmac · Oct 26, 2004, 01:05 AM

I can't stand the browser approach for everything in Windows. I have been using a PC a lot more lately because or work and it is maddening. I am for the drag a bunch of stuff to Preview or just preview them in the finder in column view.

Column view also kicks the crap out of Windows Explorer.

Mafia · Oct 26, 2004, 02:21 AM

its really easy just shift click the pics and then double click one to open all of them in preview. its actually a lot better the windows image viewer cause you can use the drawer in preview to view all the photos before getting the full size image.

step · Oct 28, 2004, 04:08 AM

i think you want to look at jview, ( http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/7338 )a freeware image viewer.
you can open an image, then use user defined backward and forward keys to move alphabetically through the other images in the same folder, like a slide show in a window, it sounds like what your after

Gee4orce · Oct 28, 2004, 05:06 AM

Try the Finder replacement PathFinder - I think it does what you want.

Chuckit · Oct 28, 2004, 05:08 AM

Originally posted by GORDYmac:
I prefer Apple's implementation. I have folders with hundreds of photos (vacations, shoots, etc.). It'd really piss me off if any time I opened one, I had to wait for all of them to load--then shuffle through them to get to the ones I want to really see.

If you didn't want to see the whole folder, you shouldn't have dragged the whole folder. The same situation would happen now if you hit apple-a and dragged all the files onto Preview. If you don't tell it to do what you want it to do, you're going to be frustrated.

chris v · Oct 28, 2004, 08:14 AM

Keyboard shortcuts I use when I want to open a folder full of jpegs in Preview:

Command+a (select all) Command+ down-arrow. (opens in default application.) Then use the arrow keys to move up and down in the preview drawer.

Zim · Oct 28, 2004, 08:42 AM

I've complained about the same thing

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?threadid=120742

and still use Preview 1.1 instead.

Preview 2.x has VERY inconsistent behavior (IMO), and the inability to view pics side by side, and/or close/remove one at a time is just horrible (especially when it used to work the other way)

The app CAN use multiple windows, (as mentioned in the other thread), but the way to get there is just silly stupid (I have an applescript that opens a group of pics one at a time)

For the most part I use Jview now.

Mike