GPicView - Fast image viewer

GPicView is a lightweight, fast, and user-friendly image viewer designed for Linux desktops, particularly with LXDE and other lightweight environments in mind. It supports various image formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, and ICO. Its low memory footprint and quick startup make it ideal for users who want a simple yet efficient image viewer. In this blog, we will go through the detailed process of installing GPicView on Ubuntu.

1. Update Your System

Before installing new software, it is good practice to update your package lists to ensure you have access to the latest versions:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Enter your password when prompted and wait for the updates to complete.

2. Install GPicView Using APT

Ubuntu’s default repositories include GPicView, making installation straightforward.

1. Open the Terminal (use the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T).
2. Run the installation command:

sudo apt-get install gpicview

3. When prompted, type Y and press Enter to confirm the installation.

After a few moments, GPicView will be installed on your system.

3. Launching GPicView

You can open GPicView either via the terminal or the graphical interface:

• Terminal: Type

gpicview

• Graphical Interface: Open your application menu (press the Super key) and search for GPicView, then click the icon to launch.

4. Use GPicView

GPicView provides essential image viewing functionalities:

• Fullscreen mode: Press F11 to toggle full screen.
• Zooming: Use + and - to zoom in and out.
• Rotation & flipping: Right-click on an image to access rotation and flip options.
• Slideshow mode: Automatically advance through images in a folder.
• Toolbar: The compact toolbar appears at the bottom for quick access to functions, and you can toggle it with T.

5. Optional: Set GPicView as Default Image Viewer

To set GPicView as your default image viewer:

xdg-mime default gpicview.desktop $(grep 'MimeType=' /usr/share/applications/gpicview.desktop | sed -e 's/.*=//' -e 's/;/ /g')

This ensures that all compatible images will automatically open with GPicView.

6. Uninstalling GPicView

If you want to remove GPicView from your system, the process is simple:

sudo apt-get remove gpicview

Optionally, clean up dependencies and configuration files:

sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get purge gpicview

7. Advanced: Installing from Source (Optional)

For users interested in the latest features or customization:

1. Clone the GPicView repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/onlyshk/GPicView.git

2. Navigate into the directory:

cd GPicView

3. Follow the instructions in the INSTALL file to compile and install the software. Generally, this involves:

./configure
make
sudo make install

Conclusion

GPicView is an efficient and lightweight image viewer for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions. Its simple interface combined with essential features makes it ideal for quickly browsing and managing images. Whether you use the standard APT installation or build from source for advanced customizations, installing GPicView is straightforward and adds a powerful image viewing tool to your Linux system.

By following this guide, you should now have GPicView installed and ready for use on your Ubuntu machine. Enjoy a fast, clutter-free, and responsive image viewer experience!

Source(s):

1. https://askubuntu.com/questions/237310/what-fast-image-viewers-are-available-for-ubuntu
2. https://www.itsmarttricks.com/how-to-install-gpicview-best-image-viewer-in-ubuntu-19-04/
3. https://learnubuntumate.weebly.com/gpicview.html
4. https://lxde.sourceforge.net/gpicview/
5. https://github.com/onlyshk/GPicView/blob/master/INSTALL