Comparing images

You can use the Compare Images feature to compare a group of images. The tool highlights both the similarities and the differences in the properties, metadata, and pixel intensity levels of images you select. You can save your preferred images to a new location on your hard drive, or tag images you would like selected in Manage mode, and then delete, move, rename, or alter the images.

To compare images:

1. In the File List pane, select the images that you want to compare.
2. Click Tools | Compare Images. Up to four images display in the Compare Images Viewer.
3. To change which image displays in the comparison view, do one or more of the following:
   • In the Comparison List, right-click an image and click Send to Active View (indicated by a pale box).
   • In the Comparison List, drag an image to a box in the Compare Images Viewer.
   • In the Compare Images Viewer, right-click an image and click Next Image or Previous Image.
   • In the Compare Images Viewer, right-click an image and click File | Remove From View or click the Remove icon in the image toolbar.
4. To tag images, do one of the following:
   • In the Comparison List, click the check box that is located at the bottom of the image on the right side.
   • In the Compare Images Viewer, right-click an image and click Tag or click the Tag icon in the image toolbar.
   • Click the Tag All button in the bottom left corner to tag all of the images, or click Untag All to untag all of the images.
5. To rate images, right-click an image, click Set Rating, and then select an appropriate rating.
6. To categorize images, right-click an image, click Set Categories, and then select an appropriate category (or create an appropriate category).
7. Click OK.

Compare Images toolbar

	Previous	Swaps the selected image with the previous image in the Comparison List.
	Next	Swaps the selected image with the next image in the Comparison List.
	Zoom In	Increases the magnification of the selected image.
	Zoom Out	Reduces the magnification of the selected image.
	Zoom menu	Opens a menu of zoom options. Select from the following options: Actual Size: Displays the image at its original size. Fit Image: Displays the image at the largest magnification that fits in the Compare Images Viewer. Fit Width: Displays the image to fit between the left and right sides of the Compare Images Viewer. Fit Height: Displays the image to fit between the top and bottom of the Compare Images Viewer. Zoom Lock: Displays all images at the zoom option of the current image. If the zoom is adjusted, the new zoom level is applied to all images that you view. Zoom To: Opens a dialog box where you can select a zoom option.
	Pan Lock	Locks the panned image area, so that when you zoom and pan an image to a specific area, the Compare Images Viewer displays the same area for all images you view.
	Exposure warning	Indicates pixels that may be over or underexposed.
/Images/CompareImagesToolbar/properties-16x16.png">	Properties	Displays properties for each image in the Compare Images Viewer. Click the Metadata Setup button to specify which file properties are displayed. The Compare Images tool displays the file properties in a field below each image. Differences in properties are bolded, while similarities are displayed in regular font.
	Histogram	Displays a histogram for each image in the Compare Images Viewer.
	Metadata Setup	Opens a dialog box where you can select the metadata to display for each image in the Compare Images Viewer.
	One Image	Displays one image in the Compare Images Viewer.
	Two Images	Displays two images in the Compare Images Viewer.
	Three Images	Displays three images in the Compare Images Viewer.
	Four Images	Displays four images in the Compare Images Viewer.
	Properties Pane	If one image is displayed, displays the Properties, Histogram, Magnifying Glass, and Navigator panes.
	Help	Opens the Help file.

Image toolbars

Each image in the Compare Images tool has a toolbar located below it. You can use this toolbar to adjust each image individually.

	Save	Opens a dialog box where you can save the image with a different file name and a different file format.
	Previous	Swaps the displayed image with the previous image in the Comparison List.
	Next	Swaps the displayed image with the next image in the Comparison List.
	Zoom In	Increases the magnification of the image.
	Zoom Out	Reduces the magnification of the image.
	Delete	Deletes the image from your hard drive.
	Remove	Removes the image from the Comparison List.
	Tag	Tags the image so that it will remain selected when you close the Compare Images tool.

See also:

• Finding duplicate files

Comparing images