Last hebdomad I covered NuFile , which fulfills a feature request from many former Windows users : the ability to mightily - click to make a newfangled file in Mac OS X ’s Finder . Another request I see frequently from Windows - to - Mac whipper is for a way to quick preview images files in the Finder . A couple years back , I wrote about QuickImage CM ( ) , a contextual carte du jour quid - in that countenance you consider — and even edit — picture file in the Finder , but some hoi polloi palpate that even QuickImage CM is too inconvenient .
These mass will in all likelihood opt Launey Software ’s freeMilkyWay 1.5.6 ( ) . When MilkyWay is running — it operate well when set to launch mechanically at login , as it runs invisibly in the background — dawn on an image in the Finder ( JPEG , GIF , TIFF , PNG , PDF — any image data format supported by QuickTime / Preview , it seems ) brings up a small , floating window displaying that image .
If your mouse has a scroll wheel , you could commute the size of the window by get across on it and then scroll . get through another figure in the Finder immediately changes the display to that range of a function ; come home anywhere else in the Finder ( to unselect the image ) or switching to another app shut the window . ( If you prefer , you may set MilkyWay ’s predilection to expose image continually . ) MilkyWay is a dandy direction to quickly consider all those “ IMG_xxxx.jpg ” filing cabinet you ’ve been send via email , copied off Web internet site , or downloaded from your digital camera .
If you move your mouse over MilkyWay ’s image windowpane , a small toolbar appears offer several choice : you could shut the window ; rapid growth to fullscreen mode ( twofold - clicking the windowpane also accomplishes this ) ; turn out the image ; create a thumbnail for its Finder picture ; or move the image file to the Trash . ( regrettably , these buttons do n’t expend tooltips to explain what they do ; some are obvious , but others you simply have to acquire by learn MilkyWay ’s corroboration . ) More options are hide in the windowpane ’s contextual menu : Right / control - dawn on the image preview and you may coif the image as your Desktop picture or open up it in its nonpayment app .
MilkyWay ’s preferences dialog — accessible via the come out - up toolbar or the utility ’s ikon in the menu streak — provides many ways to customize its behavior . Some of the most notable are transparence and size place setting for the catch windowpane ; a “ 3D ” view that mime iChat ’s AV conference appearance ; and many ways to customize effigy display .
Apart from the unlabeled buttons , one other caution I should mention is that once it ’s go , MilkyWay pop up its viewing windowwheneveryou snap on an image or PDF Indian file in the Finder , even if you do n’t needfully want to preview that image at that especial moment . For this rationality , I ’ve move MilkyWay ’s viewing windowpane off to the corner of my screen so it ’s less intrusive . But even with this worriment — which is admittedly unavoidable given the usefulness ’s functionality — I mistrust many people will love the power to promptly view an ikon while browsing file in the Finder .
MilkyWay is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3 and later .
