Comparison

A FastRawViewer alternative for Windows

FastRawViewer is the well-known program for fast culling. FlashView is faster - and doesn't stop once you've culled.

Faster, in the grid and in single view

Same folder, same machine, arrow key held down: FastRawViewer shows around 12 images per second, FlashView around 30. That's as fast as Windows repeats a held key - FlashView shows every image the key asks for.

In the grid the difference is even clearer. While you scroll, FastRawViewer shows hourglasses; the images only arrive once you stop. FlashView shows them while you're still moving.

Culling with one key

In FlashView every decision is one key: 1 to 5 for stars, 6 to 9 and V for color labels, P for pick, X for reject. With auto-advance, FlashView then moves straight on to the next image. FastRawViewer puts stars, color labels and reject on Alt combinations by default - every decision takes two keys. Across two thousand images after a job, you notice.

Several selected photos in the grid being rated with stars at once. — Rating with one keystroke, one image or the whole selection. The stars then sit beside the file as standard XMP.

Your whole archive instead of a fixed list

In FlashView, one click on a folder in the tree shows everything below it - the whole archive, one year, one shoot. One click a level up or down, and the view follows. All levels, no dialog, nothing read in first. Group depth keeps every shoot together if you want.

FastRawViewer opens subfolders through a separate dialog. Depth is set to three levels there, the limits to 100 folders and 10,000 files. After that the list is fixed: new files don't appear, folders can't be created or renamed, moving is blocked - including to "Rejected" - and copying only goes to folders outside. All images sit in one flat list, not grouped by folder. For a different section, it's back to the dialog.

In FlashView everything stays available across all subfolders: rate, filter, copy, delete, re-read with F5.

FlashView showing a grid of photos across several year folders, with the folder tree on the left. — One click in the folder tree, every subfolder below it, no dialog and nothing read in first.

After culling, the work goes on

FastRawViewer stops at culling. It writes exposure or white balance only as an instruction for Adobe programs into the XMP file; it can't crop, apply a look or export a finished JPEG.

FlashView keeps going, from the card to the finished image: import with day folders and your own file names, non-destructive editing with real raw development, one look across the whole series, redacting or pixelating license plates and faces, handoff to Photoshop and back automatically, export as JPEG.

FlashView's edit mode with sliders for exposure, contrast and color beside the image. — The quick fix without switching programs. Non-destructive, the original stays untouched.

FastRawViewer and FlashView compared

Criterion	FastRawViewer	FlashView
Images per second when paging	around 12	around 30
Scrolling the grid	hourglasses until you stop	images while moving
Rating	Alt + key by default	one key, auto-advance
All subfolders	dialog, default 3 levels, 100 folders, 10,000 files	one click, all levels
Working in that view	list fixed, moving blocked	everything available, F5 re-reads
Editing	only as an XMP instruction for Adobe	non-destructive, with raw development
Redacting and pixelating	no	right while culling
Export as JPEG	no	yes

Try it yourself

Run both on the same folder: hold the arrow key, scroll the grid, switch to a subfolder. FlashView runs for 60 days, complete and free, with no registration. Go to the download - after that a one-time purchase, no subscription.