Managing photos

You will find details on how to convert, rename and find images and more here.

The user interface for photo management consists of 3 related areas:

1. Folder selection

Folders

You may select single or multiple folders using the checkboxes behind each folder name. Left-click a folder to display its contents.

Bookmarks

This dropdown menu allows you to bookmark the current folder path. Use "Edit Bookmarks..." to remove existing bookmarks.

When

This view allows you to filter the current folder selection by creation date. Only files that match the selected date will be displayed.

To use this feature you must first select at least one folder in the folder view.

Where

This view lists your photos sorted by country/state/city/street based on the GPS data contained in your files. If your files do not contain this data, you may manually add it here.

Double-click an entry to expand/collapse it or u se the plus/minus icons.

Filing

Albums can contain multiple files from different folders.

To create an album, simply drag an image onto the green plus symbol. Left-click the album title to edit it. Right-click the album view to access the context menu where you can export, import or delete albums.

You may either select single entries from an album to view the associated images or the album title to view all images from the album.

2. File selection

Left-click to select a single file or use the checkboxes to select multiple files.

Right-click to access the context menu, e.g to move selected files to another folder.

The file view supports drag & drop. This means you can drag a file from the file view into the folder view to move it there.

Toolbars

The file view offers additional features through 2 toolbars.

Filter settings

Filter settings help you narrow down the number of files based on various criteria such as type and size. For example, select "JPG" to only view files of that format or use the "Not older than..." dropdown menu to specify a time range. Feel free to experiment with these settings. No file will be harmed in the process.

Basic features

This toolbar offers basic image functions:

Rotate Left/Right
Rotates the selected image 90° left/right.

Start SlideShow
Displays the selected images as a slideshow.

Share / E-Mail
Allows you to share your images through Facebook or email. Facebook oder per E-Mail.

Files...
Click here.

Print...
Enables you to print single images. Click here for more information.

Manage...
Provides additional management features such as image conversion. Click here for more information.

Create...
Allows you to create calendars, collages etc. from your selected images. Click here for more information.

Create PDF
Saves the selected images to a single PDF file.

Viewing options

This toolbar allows you to customize file presentation, e.g. by adjusting the sort order, Move your mouse pointer over these symbols in the program for further details. Use the slider to resize the thumbnail previews.

3. File preview

Toolbars

General

Backups
The program automatically creates backups of your images whenever you make changes to them. This menu allows you to revert your images back to previous states.

Save
Saves the current changes and overwrites the existing image.

Export
Saves the current image to a different format.

The other features are described in the chapter "Editing photos".

Other features

This area displays additional information such as image metadata and a histogram. Use the top-right toolbar to rate your images, compare it to other images or switch to fullscreen mode. Hover your mouse over the symbols for more information.

Assigning tags and title

Comparing image states

Videos

Videos and animations are shown in the integrated video player.

Move the pointer over the timeline for a real-time preview.

Context menu / plus symbol menu

Right-click the video or left-click the plus symbol to bring up the context menu. This allows you to adjust various aspect such as the video size or aspect ratio during playback.

Editing photos

The fastest way to enter editing mode is by simply double-clicking a photo in thubmail view/image preview. Double-click a photo in image editing mode to return to management mode.

Picture Flow

Provided that there's enough room available, Ashampoo Photo Commander Free will display smaller preview of the previous/next image left and right of the current image. This not only helps keep track but allows you to easily navigate between photos inside a folder.

Toolbars

You will find information on all of these tabs in the subchapters related to this section.

Miniature previews not only help with orientation but allow you to swiftly switch between images by left-clicking the desired image. Use the top-right toolbar to rate your images with stars, compare the current images with others and switch into fullscreen mode. Just hover your mouse over any of the symbols for more information.

Assigning tags and title

Left-click "TAGS" or "TITLE" to edit this information. Click the corresponding textfield to hide it once you're done.

Comparing image states

Whenever you've made changes to an image you can enable a side-by-side view of the original image and its modified state.

Selecting colors

Some features support color selection through a separate dialog.

To select a color, click anywhere on the gradient. Use the vertical color spectrum to alter the gradient. You may also input color values manually or drag the color picker icon onto the current image to select any color from that image.

Common

Back
Switches to photo management mode.

Fullscreen
Switches to fullscreen view. Simply move your mouse to the top of the screen to access the toolbars.

Backups
The application creates backups automatically whenever changes are applied. Use this menu to restore previous image states.

Save
Saves the current changes and overwrites the existing image.

Print
Click here

Share
Click here

Export PDF
Saves the current image as PDF.

File

Move to...
Allows you to move selected files to another folder.

Copy to...
Allows you to copy files to another folder.

Rename...
Allows you to rename single files.

Delete...
Deletes the selected files.

File information...
Displays details on file type, size, creation date etc.

File Date/Time...
Allows you to modify the creation date for single files.

Change DPI...
Allows you to change the number of pixels per inch. Click here for details.

Set Photo as Wallpaper...
Uses the current image as background for the Windows desktop.

Open Selected Item With
Opens the selected file in an external application, if available.

Previous image
Displays the previous image.

Next image
Displays the next image.

Rotate 90° left
Rotates the image left by 90°.

Rotate 90° right
Rotates the image right by 90°.

Zoom out
Zooms out of the image.

Zoom reset
Resets the zoom level to 100%.

Zoom in
Zooms into the image.

Slide Show
Runs a slide show that begins with the current image.

File Info
Displays details on file name, size, creation date etc.

Print

You may either print images separately or in batches with multiple print and layout settings.

This print mode allows to adjust image dimensions based on various templates, e.g. passport size, and apply automatic color optimization. You may also select to have the creation dates of your images auto-inserted.

Classic Print

This mode offers common settings such as alignment and size but also allows you to include a custom header as well as file details.

Thumbnail Sheet

First, you need to select the images to be printed. The current image gets inserted automatically.

You may then customize the number of rows/columns as well as the space between the images. You may additionally include a heading and additional details such as the page number.

Batch Printing

First, you need to select the images to be printed. The current image gets inserted automatically. Print settings in the next section are identical to Classic Print. Progress is then displayed visually.

First, you need to select the images to be printed. The current image gets inserted automatically.

You will then need to select a service. Depending on your selection, you may then need to fill in your user name and password. Your images can automatically be size- and color-adjusted. "Remove Metadata" is particularly useful if you intend to share your images through social networks since every personal information such as artist, location and date gets automatically removed before the image is shared.

Slideshow

Ashampoo Photo Commander Free distinguishes between your primary display (Current Monitor) and secondy displays (Active Presentation Monitor) to support multi-display environments.

Start Slideshow on Current Monitor
Launches a slideshow on the primary display using only images that are currently visible in the file selection view. Press Esc to end the slideshow.

Start Slideshow on Active Presentation Monitor
Launches a slideshow on the previously selected presentation monitor using only images that are currently visible in the file selection view. Press Esc to end the slideshow.

Stop Slideshow
Ends the current slideshow.

Activate Presentation Windows on Monitor x
Selects the display as presentation monitor and launches a slideshow. The currently visible image will appea in fullscreen view on the presentation display. All modifications on the primary display will also appear there.

Close Presentation Windows
Ends the slideshow on the current presentation monitor. This feature is only available when the presenation is running on a display other than the primary display.

Configure Music and Effects...
Adjuts the music and effect settings for presentations and instant slideshows.

Create Slideshow on CD/DVD...
Creates a playable video or video disc that will work with retail players without the need for additional software. More on that here.

Change File Date / Time

First, set the new date and time manually or use the presets. Then, select which data fields to overwrite with the new settings since each file has separate attributes that determine when a file was last accessed, created or modified.

Change DPI

The DPI setting determines how many pixels are used per inch. Higher values mean more image details but also bigger file sizes. Check the print size to make sure your new values are within printing bounds.

Quick-Fix

Back
Switches to photo management mode.

Undo all
Undoes all actions.

Undo
Undoes the last action.

Redo
Redoes the last undone action.

Optimize

Full Optimization (Color, Contrast, Compression-Artefacts)
Optimizes colors and contrasts and removes compression artefacts.

Optimize Colors & Contrast
Optimizes colors and contrasts.

Optimize Contrast
Optimizes contrasts.

Optimize Colors
Optimizes colors.

Strengthen Colors
Adjusts color saturation for more vivid colors.

Clean Skin / Reduce Compression Artefacts
Smoothens out skin tones and removes image artefacts mostly caused by high image compression settings.

Remove Noise 1 (fast, less denoise)
Performs moderate noise reduction.

Remove Noise 2 (slow, better denoise)
Performs normal noise reduction.

Remove Noise 3 (very slow, best denoise)
Performs strong noise reduction.

Change white balance
Adjusts all color values based on the clicked color.

Contrast / Colors
Click here

Effects
Click here

Effect-Pen
Allows you to selectively apply effects to custom image areas, e.g. contrast optimization. Select the desired effect as well as pen size, opacity and effect strength. Then, hold down your left mouse button and drag to apply the effect.

Scroll
Activates mouse panning for easy scrolling.

Crop/Select
Click here

Adjust horizontal disalignment
Click here

Modify perspective
Click here

Remove red eyes
Hold down your left mouse button and drag to create a selection around a red eye.

Clone
Hold down Shift and click to set the starting point for the area to be cloned. Use the slider to adjust the size of the area. Hold down your left mouse button and drag to start cloning.

Eraser
Select your desired color and size, then, hold down your left mouse button and drag to erase.

Flood Fill
Click here

Color-Accent-Effect-Tool
Turns the colors of all pixels that do not correspond to the clicked color to black and white. Use the tolerance slider to exclude similar colors similar to the selected color from the process.

Focus-Effect-Tool
Hold down your left mouse button and drag to create a selection. All pixels outside the selection will be blurred to simulate camera focus. Drag the edges to adjust the size, drag inside the selection to move it.

Tilt-Shift-Effect-Tool
CLick here

Repair Pen

Remove Scratches/Objects with Marker
Simply paint over the scratches and objects to have them automatically removed.

Remove Scratches/Objects with Marker with Lasso
Hold down your left mouse button and drag to create a selection around an object. The object will automatically be removed once the button is released.

Remove Bright Text/Scratches with Lasso (auto-detect form)
Hold down your left mouse button and drag to create a selection around bright text or an object. The object will automatically be removed once the button is released.

Detect and Remove Scratches/Text Automatically
The program will detect scratches and text objects automatically and remove them.

Resize
Click here

Rotate

Flip
Mirrors the image vertically.

Mirror
Mirrors the image horizontally.

Rotate 90° left
Rotates the image counter-clockwise.

Rotate 90° right
Rotates the image clockwise.

Rotate by 180°
Rotates the image by 180°.

Rotate by Angle...
Click here

Rotate 90° left
Rotates the image counter-clockwise.

Rotate 90° right
Rotates the image clockwise.

Contrast / Colors

Use the slider to adjust single color characteristics such as saturation. You may also use the text fields to input values manually.

Gradations curves

Gradation curves help experts adjust the density for single color components. Just drag the rectangular markers to make adjustments. Left-click on the curve to add individual markers. Right-click existing markers to delete them.

Histogram

The histogram helps figure out color balancing. Click to hide/show individual components.

Restoring original settings / Saving / loading modifications

These controls allow you to revert/save/load all settings, e.g. to easily apply them to other images.

Effects

Click an effect to apply it to the current image. Use the slider to adjust the strength of the effect. Repeat this process to apply multiple effects to a single image.

Crop / Select

Rectangular Select/Crop

Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create a selection. Drag the edges to adjust its size or drag inside to adjust its position.

Crop
Trims the image to the current selection size.

Copy
Copies the selection to the system clipboard.

Zoom
Zooms into the selection.

...Tools...

Copy
Copies the selection into the system clipboard.

Paste
Paste the current image contents from the system clipboard as an object into the current image.

Cut
Copies the selection into the system clipboard and removes it from the image.

Crop
Trims the image to the current selection size.

Zoom into Selection
Zooms into the selection.

Blur
Blurs the selected area.

Blur custom...
Click here

Sharpen (Unsharp Mask)
Sharpens the selected area.

Buttonize
Applies a 3D border to the selected area.

Pixelize
Pixelates the selected area.

Size
Allows you to set a fixed aspect ration between width and height, e.g. 16:9. Note that the setting will be remembered until you select a new preset. 1:1 means that you can freely adjust the width and height of the selection.

Free Style Select Crop

Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create a selection. Select any function from the appearing context menu.

Free Style Color Selection

Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create a selection. Select any function from the appearing context menu.

Cut Out Object or Person / Exchange Background

Blur custom...

Use the slider to adjust the strength of the effect or the text field for manual inputs. Click "Preview" to preview your settings.

Cut Out Object / Exchange Background

This feature enables you to extract single objects from images such as people. To understand how it works just go through the example below.

Step 1: Selecting the area to extract

Use the red marker to draw around the area you wish to extract.

Once you hit preview you will notice that parts of the people are missing.

Step 2: Protecting areas

Since the colors of the missing image portions are too similar to the background they were not included. Use the green marker to draw around the affected areas and include them in the extract.

Once you update the preview you will find that these parts are no longer missing.

Step 3: Finalizing

You can now select to swap the background for another image or just save the modifications. In the image blow, the background has been exchanged.

Use the blue and pink markers to mark parts of the image as part of your selection or remove some parts in any case.

Adjust horizontal disalignment

Hold down the left mouse button and drag to adjust the horizon. The image will be zoomed in automatically to avoid borders. Use the grid for precise adjustments.

Modify perspective

Drag the black markers to move both of its associated hotspots or drag a single hotspot to adjust a single edge.

You may fill up any resulting borders with either a transparent or solid color. You may also apply a mirror effect on either side and include a fade effect.

Flood Fill

Left-click to fill entire areas with a single color, a gradient or transparency. Use the tolerance slide to alter the threshold that determines whether areas with colors similar to the selected color will also be affected. In the example above, a solid color was applied to the star, a gradient to the circle and transparency to the rectangle.

Tilt-Shift Effect

Use the tilt-shift tool to turn objects into toy-like miniatures. Use the sliders to adjust parameters such as blur and saturation. Drag the two lines to select the area that won't be affected and drag inside the lines to reposition it. Feel free to experiment with the settings.

Resize

Either use one of the presets or use a custom size.

Resize...

Select your desired measuring unit and input the new width and height. Lock the ration to resize your image proportionately. You may try different filters for best results with your image. "Lanczos3" is ideal for photos.

Resize canvas

This feature allows you to resize the canvas the image is placed on. If the canvas size exceeds the size of the image, there will be borders around the image that'll give you extra space, e.g. to make notes. Use "Image Position" to determine the where the image will be placed once the canvas has been resized. Use "Fill Color" to determine the color of the borders.

Rotate by angle

Drag the slider to rotate or use the text field to manually input a value.

Objects

Back
Switches to photo management mode.

Undo all
Undoes all actions.

Undo
Undoes the last action.

Redo
Redoes the last undone action.

Copy object
Copies the selected object to the system clipboard.

Paste object
Pastes an object from the clipboard into the image.

Cut object
Copies the selected object to the system clipboard and deletes it from the image.

Delete object
Deletes the selected object.

Move object one level down
Moves the selected object down in the object hierarchy by one.

Move object one level up
Moves the selected object up in the object hierarchy by one.

Draw text
Click here

Draw rectangle zeichnen
Click here

Draw ellipse
Click here

Draw line
Click here

Draw with pen
Click here

Insert image from file
Select an existing image to be inserted into your current image as an object. Click here for details.

Draw hint
Click here

Draw arrow
Click here

Draw callout zeichnen
Click here

Insert object
Click here

Draw polyline
Click here

Working with objects

Selecting / Moving objects

Left click on an object to select it. Drag the markers to adjust its size or drag inside the object to modify its position.

Styles

Almost all objects support styles and allow you to create new styles from your current settings. Click the cogwheel icon to access all styles for a selected object. Either left-click to apply a different style or use the buttons to create a new style from your current settings or delete the selected style from the list.

Editing objects

Depending on its type, each object supports different formatting options that are presented as a toolbar above the image.

Text

Either left-double-click a text object to edit it or left-click once to select it and just start typing.

Use the toolbar to adjust the text formatting.

You can alter the font style, color, size or apply an effect such as silhouette. Feel free to experiment with the available settings.

Shapes

Left-click and drag to create rectangles, ellipse and line objects.

Use the toolbar to apply different formatting settings.

Pen

Hold down the left mouse button and draw directly into the image. Your drawing will be converted to a regular object that supports editing and different styles.

Hint

The hint object combines a text object with an arrow object and supports different background colors and border styles. You may independently drag the arrow and hint for repositioning. Editing is nearly identical to text objects.

Arrow

Drag to create a straight arrow. Drag the hotpots to curve it.

Callout

Callouts combine text objects with background images. Editing is very similar to text objects. Use the "Graphic" button to select a different background and "Direction" to rotate it as required.

Object / Clipart

These are small images that can be added as objects to your image. Use the toolbar to adjust opacity and color settings or to rotate these objects.

Polyline

Polylines consist of separate lines joined together. Left-click to add new segments and click an existing segment to finalize your polyline. Once finalized, you may drag the markers to reposition single segments.

Context menu

Right-click an object to access the context menu. This allows you to easily navigate between existing objects or apply different actions either to the selected object or the object currently below your mouse pointer. This makes it easy to modify small objects that are visually placed below larger objects without having to move up in the object hierarchy them first.

Create

Slide Show
Creates a slideshow from multiple images either as a separate file or ready to play CD/DVD disc. Click here for details.

HTML Album
Creates an album for the Internet. Click here for details.

Calendar
Creates a calendar. Click here for details.

Collage
Creates a collage. Click here here details.

Panorama
Combines multiple images into a panorama. Click here for details.

Frame/Card
Adds a frame to images and creates photo cards and vignettes. Click here for details.

Contact Sheet
Creates a contact sheet from multiple images. Click here for details.

Photo Mix
Blends multiple images into a single image. Click here for details.

Multi-Page/New Image
Creates either an empty image or turns multiple images into an animation. Click here for details.

Selecting multiple images

Most wizards require you to select one ore more images. Use "Add File(s)" to add individual images or "Add Folder(s)" to include entire image folders. Use "Move Up" and "Move Down" to modify their order and "Remove Selected" and "Remove All" to remove individual or all images from your selection.

Note that this dialog uses the Windows default file chooser dialog for adding images which may not necessarily reflect the settings you currently applied in the file selection view.

You can use the "Tools" menu to apply features from "Create" or "Organize" to your current selection in the file selection view avoiding the need to add your files using the buttons in the dialog shown at the top of this page.

Slideshow

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Output Type

You first need to select whether to create a playable video file or ready to play CD/DVD disc in which case you will need to select your disc recorder.

Options

Select your desired resolution and display duration for your photos. Use the style setting to decide whether photos that are smaller than the selected resolution will be zoomed in to avoid borders or shown in their original size. You may also specify an effect that will be applied to all photos. To make your slideshow more dynamic, you may enable the "Moving-Pictures-Effect" setting. The transition effect will be used during slide transitions to make them smoother. Use the text options to display additional information for each photo such as their creation date. You may also select a background music that will play continuously until the slideshow has ended.

HTML Album

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Output

HTML albums are image collections that have been specially prepared for use in web pages. Apart from image format and file name you may select between 3 different album types:

An album that will display each image in the main window with previous/next buttons for navigation.
An album that will display each image in a separate window without navigation buttons.
An album that will display each image in the main window without navigation buttons so the user will have to navigate via the buttons in his browser.

Note that you will have to upload both the generated HTML file and the "images" folder to your server.

Options

You may select to include a title, a subtitle and additional meta information such as file name and size.

Design

Simply select your desired design. The following example has been created using album type 1:

Once an image has been clicked this is what the user will see:

Calendar

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

First, select a design and specify whether to create a single image file for each page or to include all images in a single PDF document. Then, specify the year of the calendar and the day each week will begin with. You may also add your own special dates via "Edit Personal Days...". Finally, adjust the font and color settings.

Editing Personal Days

You may add your own special days to your calendar. Simply input a description for your day into the "Text" text field and select a date. Click "Add Item" to add your day to your calendar. To edit an existing entry, simply select it from the list and update the description. Then, click "Update Item" to apply your changes.

Importing / Exporting items

You may also load your special days from a plain text file. The file must have the following structure for each line:

Month Day;Text;

Example:

11 03;My special day;
11 06;My other special day;

Note that each month/day must contain two digits so you may have to precede single digit months/days with "0".

Collage

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Style

First, select your style. "Photo Pinboard" will arrange all photos randomly. You may also select a frame for your photos.

Options

Then, select background and shadow color as well as pixel density and image orientation.

Output

Select the first option to arrange all photos freely as objects and use the second option to immediately create the final output. You can read more on object editing here..

Panorama

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Enable this option to avoid black borders or geometric distortions on the edges of the new image. Click "Next" to create the panorama image.

Frame / Card

Select your desired design and type. Vignettes support custom background colors. Depending on the design, different formatting options may be available later.

The example below shows a greeting card design with the currently loaded image. The image was inserted as an object and remains fully modifiable.

The following example shows the same image as part of a collage. Note the blue placeholder that when clicked will allow you to quickly insert another image.

Toolbar

You can apply additional operations to selected objects through the toolbar at the top.

Shadow
Adds a drop shadow effect to the selected object.

Opacity
Use this slider to adjust the opacity of the selected object. The higher the value, the more transparent the object becomes.

Transform on/off
Once enabled, drag the border markers of the selected object to modify the perspective. Click here for details on this feature.

Mirror / Flip
Mirrors an object horizontally/vertically.

100% Size
Resets the size of an object to 100%, e.g. to undo manual adjustments.

Optimize
Optimizes saturation, brightness and contrast settings for the selected object.

Saturation / Brightness / Contrast
Use the sliders to adjust the saturation/brightness/contrast settings for the selected object.

Photo Mix

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here. Then, select your desired background color and image orientation. You may also select to mirror the images or apply a color effect to make all colors more vibrant. "Cycle through photo list" allows you to swap images to determine the ideal ordering for your images.

Multi-Page / New Image

New Image

Set a width/height for the empty image and select the color depth and background color.

Multi-Page documents

Multi-Page documents can contain any number of images as either animations or pages.

GIF Animation / MNG Animation

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

You will then need to set the display duration for each image. You may also have each image auto-resized to match the dimensions of the first image in your list.

PDF / TIF / DCX Multipage

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Then, set the compression type to adjust the file size. You may also have each image auto-resized to match the dimensions of the first image in your list.

Organize

Batch Process
Batch-converts multiple images into a different format adjusting size/color settings in the process. Click here for details.

Batch Rename
Renames multiple images based on customizable criteria. Click here for details.

Email
Emails multiple images. Click here for details.

Burn CD/DVD
Burns images to CD/DVD. Click here for details.

Search Files
Locates files based on several criteria. Click here for details.

Find Duplicates

Find Specific Duplicates...
Locates duplicates based on the selected image. Click here for details.

Automatically Find Duplicates...
Compares all images inside a folder and locates duplicates based on automatic image comparison. Click here for details.

JPG Rotate
Rotates multiple images at once. Click here for details.

JPG Optimize
Optimizes the size and quality of JPG images. Click here for details.

Edit IPTC
Allows you to edit metadata information for multiple images. Click here for details.

Batch Process

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Processing Options

Available Commands
Aside from watermarking your images, you may apply various operations and effects to your images prior to conversion. Use the arrows to add individual operations.

Chosen Commands
This is the list of operations that will be applied to your images once you click "Next". Use the arrows to adjust their order and the X to remove individual operations. Use the preview to check your settings.

Custom Options
Some operations, e.g. "Picture frame", allow for additional options such as the type of frame. Click "Custom Options" to access adjust these settings.

Import/Export Commands
Use these buttons to import/export the current list of operations and apply it to other images later.

File Handling

Conversion creates new image files. You may the old files auto-deleted or include their file date applied to the new files.

Output Directory / Output Format

Select an output location and format for the new image files. If support, you may adjust the image quality and compression by clicking "Configure...".

Batch Rename

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Filter

Use this text field to define the structure of your new file names. There are several placeholder variables available.

Example:

Photo ### - *

This setting will create file names that all begin with "Photo " followed by a three digit number starting with "001", followed by " - " followed by the original file name. To include the date simply add " $D":

Photo ### - * $D

Feel free to experiment with these settings and use the table to check the results.

Cleaning file names

You can also select to remove certain characters or words from every existing file name or replace parts of them. Naturally, this will only make sense if your filter setting includes the "*" character. Again, feel free to experiment with these settings and use the table to check the results.

Burn CD / DVD

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

You may then select a disc recorder and specify a disc title. If required, the program can finalize and verify your disc once the burning process is finished.

Search Files

First, select and define one or more search criteria. Then, select a search method and specify the path to search in. Search results will be displayed in the bottom table. You may use the bottom buttons to create albums from your search results for further processing.

The auto-generated albums will bear "Search " + current date and time as titles. More on albums here.

Find Duplicates

First, select the image to compare all other images against and the folder to search in. Results will be displayed in the bottom table. Use the bottom-right controls, e.g. to delete or move file duplicates.

Automatically Find Duplicates

Select a search method and a folder to search in. Search results will be displayed in the bottom table. An album is automatically created for each search. More on albums here.

JPG Rotate

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Then, select a rotation method. "Rotate based on EXIF orientation" will use the metadata that was saved along with your photo during shooting to determine the correct orientation.

JPG Optimize

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Then, select the operations to perform. "Remove all APP-Markers" is especially useful when you intend to upload your images to social networks since any data that could be used to identify you will automatically be removed from your images. The other options generally lead to smaller file sizes.

Edit IPTC

IPTC data makes organizing images a lot easier by providing information such as author, keywords etc.

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Then, select whether all data or only data fields for which no input was made will get deleted. Simply type in your new information. You don't have to fill out every text field.

Menus

The following sections will explain features that are not accessible through the various toolbars.

Often Used

The most frequently used features will be added to this category as you use them for quick and easy access.

File

Show Welcome Screen
Shows the welcome screen again.

Exit
Exits Ashampoo Photo Commander Free.

Import / Scan

Scan

First, select your scanner, output format and output location. Scanning itself is handled by the software that came with your scanner.

Import

You may import photos from a camera or any other suitable device (cellphone, tablet etc.) as long as they support the Windows image import interface.

First, select a source and target destination. You may have the program create a subfolder for any imported photos. Use the pulldown menu to specify its name. You may also auto-rename all imported files, have them deleted from their original source, rotated based on their metadata. Finally, you can select to only import new photos to speed up the process or preserve changes you've already made..

Edit

Color Depth
Opens the color depth submenu.

Color Depth (submenu)

You can convert your images to:

1 Bit (2 colors)
4 Bits (16 colors)
8 Bits (256 colors)
16 Bits ( 65 k colors)
24 Bits ( 16.7 M colors)
32 Bits ( 16.7 M colors + Alpha)

Effects

Show Preview of Effects...
Opens the Effects Center that provides a live preview for all available effects. More on that here.

Blur
Blurs the image.

Blur Custom
Blurs the image with a customizable value.

Sharpen
Sharpens the image.

Sharpen Custom
Sharpens the image with a customizable value.

Color Channels

Allows you to swap color channels.

RGB → BGR
RGB → GRB
RGB → RBG

Exposure (HDR)
Increase/Decrease: Alters the exposure setting for the following HDR formats: EXR, HDR, PFM.

Extract all frames
Extracts all images from a video file. More on that here.

Extract current frames
Extract the currently visible image from a video file.

Effects

Blur Custom

Use the slider to adjust the strength of the effect and click preview to check your settings.

Sharpen

Use the sliders to adjust the strength of the effect and click preview to check your settings.

Extract All Frames

You can extract images from videos, animations or PDF documents and save them as image files or GIF animations.

Extract frames
Select your desired output format and note that BMP/PNG files will consume more space since they do not support image compression.

Convert into GIF
Select this option to convert the extracted images into a GIF animation and sepcify the number of frame per second and color depth. Note that GIF animations only support a maximum of 256 colors for each frame.

Period of time
Use these settings to specify the start and end points for the extraction process. When you're working with videos, these values will be the number of seconds from the beginning of the video. When you're working with documents, these will be the first and last pages that will be extracted.

Resize Frames
If needed, you can resize the extracted images to a fixed pixel size. Either select a preset or specify the width/height manually.

Output Directory
Specify the output location for the extracted images here. Either type in a valid path or click the folder icon to select an existing folder.

View

Switch View/Browse Mode
Switches between file selection and edit mode for the selected file.

Go Fullscreen
Displays the selected file in fullscreen mode. Press Esc to leave the mode.

View Style of Browser
Select your preferred display style for your files here. Enable a miniature view of your files or use one of the many other styles. Use the bottom functions to set the selected view as default for the current directory.

Sort Files
Specify how your files will be sorted here, e.g. by date.

Group Files
These settings allow you to group your files, e.g. alphabetically.

Refresh
Updates the file view. Use these function after you've made changes to the current directory through an external application, e.g. Windows Explorer.

Go To
Offers 1-step navigation between files.

Zoom In
Zooms into the current image.

Zoom Out
Zooms out of the current image.

Zoom 100%
Resets the zoom level.

Zoom into Selection
Zooms into the selection until it fills the view area either horizontally or vertically.

Fit Display Area
Zooms into the image until it fills the view area either horizontally or vertically.

Show Image As Tilemap
Fills the view area with tales based on the current selection.

Compare Images
See here for details.

Slideshow

See here for details.

Tools

Redate Files
Allows you to modify the dates of multiple files at once. Click here for more information.

Add Geotagging
Enables you to add location data to your photos. Click here for more information.

Convert 3D-Photo to 2D
Enables you to turn 3D photos into 2D. Click here for more information.

Set Photo as Wallpaper
Click here for more information.

Redate Files

First, you need to select the images to be redated. More on that here. The rest of the procedure is identical to that of redating a single file. More on that here.

Add Geotagging

First, you need to select the images to be tagged. More on that here.

Resolve Geolocation

You may either specify latitudes/longitudes manually or type in an address. Use the buttons to verify your input and update the coordinates. Click "Save Address" to create a preset based on your current input. You may then use the dropdown menu to apply a location to multiple images.

Store Geolocation

Your current input may be stored in the EXIF part or IPTC part of your image data. The first is ideal to process the data in another PC application. IPTC is used by most professional photographers for data exchange.

Click "Start" to apply the current data to your image selection.

Convert 3D-Photo to 2D

First, you need to select your images. You will find more details here.

Then, select whether to retain one of the two images only or both.

Set Photo As Wallpaper

In case you're using multiple displays, you first need to select the display to make changes to. Then, select the image to use as wallpaper and a style and background color. Use the image preview to check your settings.

Configuration

Service-Channel
Enables/Disables service notifications on updates and new products.

Configure File associations
Select file types, e.g. ".jpg", that will always be opened in Ashampoo Photo Commander Free. Click here for details.

Choose Skin
Allows you to select the skin for the user interface of Ashampoo Photo Commander Free. Click here for details.

Choose Language
Allows you to select the language for the user interface of Ashampoo Photo Commander Free.

All Settings
Opens the settings dialog. Click here for details.

Start Welcome Wizard
The Welcome Wizard helps you set up Ashampoo Photo Commander Free to your needs.

Settings

Ashampoo Photo Commander Free can be configured in many ways to best fit your needs. Simply select an entry from the list on the left to access the available settings for that category.

General

Program

Keep Always on top
Have the application window stay on top of all other windows.

Allow only one instance
If disabled, you can launch multiple program instances and have the program run on multiple displays at once.

Minimize to system tray
If enabled, the window will not be minimized to the task bar but to the system tray instead.

Use modern app-menu
Use this option to toggle between the new and the classic Windows menu design.

File Types

Show image files
Shows/Hides image files.

Play audio files
Shows/Hides audio files.

Play video files
Shows/Hides video files.

Show hidden files
If enabled, hidden files and/or folders will be visible.

Show hidden folders
If enabled, hidden files and/or folders will be visible.

Privacy

Do not save recently opened files
If enabled, the Ashampoo Photo Commander Free will not remember the 20 most recently opened files.

Do not remember visited folders
If enabled, the Ashampoo Photo Commander Free will not remember the most recently visited folders.

Empty Cache on exit
If enabled, all temporary files will be removed once you exit the application.

Drag & Drop

Don't display the Copy/Move dialog on drop
If enabled, the application will not use the Copy-/Move-Dialog for faster file transfers.

Factory Default Settings

Reset Factory Default Settings
Reverts all settings back to defaults.

Reset/Show Introduction Windows
Displays all introduction windows again.

Associations

Use these settings to have Windows open common file types in Ashampoo Photo Commander Free when you double-click them in Windows Explorer. Enable the bottom features to browse folders / drives by right clicking the affected location and selection the entry from the appearing context menu.

Skin

Ashampoo Photo Commander Free supports different skins to accommodate your visual preferences. Use the dropdown menu to select your desired skin.

Language

Use the language dialog to select the language to use with Ashampoo Photo Commander Free.

Viewer

Intelligent Window Positioning/Sizing
These settings determine whether the application will stop centering/resizing the program window once it has been manually moved/resized.

Directory
Use these settings to control how the application behaves when you navigate between images and whether Picture Flow or the thumbnail bar at the bottom will be enabled.

Background Color
Choose the background color for the viewer.

Hardware-Acceleration
This option helps to speed up the performance of Ashampoo Photo Commander Free. Animations and thumbnail generation will be much smoother if your system supports the hardware-acceleration.

Dual-View
If enabled, the application will automatically switch to image comparison mode whenever you modify an image. More on that here.

View Style

Use these settings to control the scale at which files will be initially displayed throughout the application.

Fullscreen

Fullscreen Mode

Always start in full screen mode
If enabled, the Ashampoo Photo Commander Free will display loaded media files fullscreen.

Enable switching between applications:
If enabled, fullscreen mode will not prevent application switching while being active.

Use transition effects
If enabled, Ashampoo Photo Commander Free will use transition effects in fullscreen mode.

Quick Slide Show

Delay
Sets the display duration for each slide.
Wrap Around
If enabled, the slideshow will run continuously.
Sequence
Determines the flow direction.
Quick Slide Show Music
Allows you to add multiple songs that will be played in successive order during slideshows.

Browser

Do not display subfolders
If enabled, subfolders will be hidden from the file selection view.

Go to this folder on startup
Specifies the default path to be used when launching the application. Disable this setting to have the program remember the last open folder.

Clear list of visited folders
Click here to delete your browsing history.

Background Color
Allows you to select a background color for the file preview area.

Database

Optimize Database / Remove Invalid Entries
Removes invalid and unnecessary entries from the database.

Delete All Database Entries
Deletes all entries from the database.

Database Location
Allows you to specify the location for the database file.

Thumbnail

Show 5-Star rating / file name / files size and attributes / creation date
Check / uncheck these boxes to display / hide their information.

Cache Compression
Select a cache compression. Higher compression will use less disk space but cause thumbnails to be blurry.

Show hover-zoom preview / tooltip
Check / Uncheck to show/hide image previews/tooltip texts when you hover your mouse pointer over a file/symbol.

Thumbnail Size
Determines the thumbnail size used for your files.

Media files

Video

Autoplay video
If enabled, video files will auto-play once they're loaded.

Enlarge video to be at least 640 pixel wide
If enabled, any video file smaller than 640 pixels in width will be zoomed in to make it 640 pixels wide.

Mute audio while playing video
If enabled, video files will initially play without audio.

Load next file when video ends
If enabled, the program will play all videos in your current folder that succeed your current video.

Loop video continuously
If enabled, videos will be played continuously.

Image

With RAW decode JPG only
If enabled, will decode RAW images as JPGs.

Rotate JPG images based on EXIF orientation
If enabled, images will automatically be rotated according to their EXIF orientation.

Apply gamma correction to Images at load time
If enabled, the specified gamma correction will be applied to all images once they're loaded.

Audio

Autoplay Audio
If enabled, audio files will auto-play once loaded.

Load next media file
If enabled, the program will play all audio files that succeed the current file.

Loop Audio continuously
If enabled, the current file will be played continuously.

Quick-Fix Tools

Scroll Tool
If enabled, move your mouse to the edge of a zoomed image and click to scroll. If disabled, drag your mouse instead.

Plugins

Ashampoo Photo Commander Free comes with a plug-in system that allows you to install additional plug-ins to provide support for addtitional file formats if needed. If you intend to develop/adapt a plug-in, you may obtain the required SDK (software development kit) from us free of charge.

Import / Export

Use the buttons to save or restore your application settings or share them with other users.

Backups

Ashampoo Photo Commander Free's security concept allows you to play it safe. Prior to each modification, a backup image is created to restore the original file, if necessary.

After continuous use, these backup files may take up a lot of hard disk space. You can delete old backup files to free space or import and search for existing files in other locations through the user interface. You may also specify a different backup folder preferably on a spacious partition or drive.

Keyboard shortcuts

File

Open	Ctrl + O
Save as	Ctrl + S
Save	Shift + S
Reload	Ctrl + R
Close	Ctrl + Q
Browse	Enter
Print	Ctrl + P
Change file date	Shift + D
Set DPI	Shift + I
Exit	Esc

Edit

Undo	Ctrl + Z
Redo	Ctrl + Y
Copy	Ctrl + C
Cut	Ctrl + X
Paste	Ctrl + V
Crop	Ctrl + D
Use scroll tool	Ctrl + 1
Use select tool	Ctrl + 2
Draw text	Ctrl + 3
Create callout	Ctrl + 4
Remove red eyes	Ctrl + 5
Draw Rectangle	Ctrl + 6
Draw arrow	Ctrl + 7
Use marker	Ctrl + 8
Use eraser	Ctrl + 9
Clone	Ctrl + 0
Add selection to playlist	Shift + A
Select all	Ctrl + A
Refresh	F5
Find	Ctrl + F
Copy item(s)	Shift + C
Move item(s)	Shift + M
Rename file(s)	F2
Delete file(s)	Entf + Shift (instantly)
View file info	Ctrl + I

View

Always maximize window	Ctrl + M
View images as tilemap	Ctrl + T
Enter presentation mode	Alt + Enter
Next file	Page Down oder Space
Previous file	Page Up
First file	Home
Last file	End
100%	* (Ziffernblock)
Zoom in	+ (Ziffernblock)
Zoom out	- (Ziffernblock)
Fit to display area	/ (Ziffernblock)

Image

Flip	Shift + F
Mirror	Shift + G
Rotate 90° left	Shift + H
Rotate 90° right	Shift + J
Rotate 180	Shift + K
Increase exposure	Alt + Arrow Up
Decrease exposure	Alt + Arrow Down
Resize	Shift + R
Resize canvas	Ctrl + Shift + R

Animation / Video

Play / Pause	P
Stop	S
Next frame	Ctrl + Arrow Left
Previous frame	Ctrl + Arrow Right
50%	Alt + 1
100%	Alt + 2
200%	Alt + 3
1:1	Alt + 4
4:3	Alt + 5
16:9	Alt + 6
Mute / Unmute	M
Volume+	Ctrl + Arrow Up
Volume-	Ctrl + Arrow Down
Default speed	Ctrl + Home
Faster speed	Ctrl + Page Up
Slower speed	Ctrl + Page Down

Slideshow

Start/Stop

Ctrl

Space

Tools

Batch process	Shift + 1
Batch rename	Shift + 2
Create HTML album	Shift + 3
Create calendar	Shift + 4
Create collage	Shift + 5
Find duplicate images	Shift + 6
Merge images	Shift + 7
Email files	Shift + 8