Skip to main content

File Operations

Opening Images

Open File

Shortcut: Ctrl+OOpens a file browser to select one or more images to view.

Paste from Clipboard

Shortcut: Ctrl+VPaste and view an image directly from the clipboard. Perfect for viewing screenshots or copied images.

Saving Images

Shortcut: Ctrl+SSave the current image, preserving any transformations (rotations, flips) you’ve applied.
  • Saves to original file (overwrites)
  • Preserves original format
  • Applies pending transformations

File Management

Files deleted with Shift+Delete cannot be recovered from the Recycle Bin.

Transform Operations

Rotation

Rotate Left

Shortcut: Ctrl+.Rotate the image 90° counter-clockwise. Great for fixing portrait orientation.

Rotate Right

Shortcut: Ctrl+/Rotate the image 90° clockwise. Common for correcting phone photos.

Flip Operations

Flip Horizontal

Shortcut: Ctrl+;Create a mirror image by flipping horizontally (left becomes right).

Flip Vertical

Shortcut: Ctrl+'Flip the image vertically (top becomes bottom).
All rotation and flip operations are non-destructive until you save the file.

Color Operations

Invert Colors

Shortcut: Ctrl+I Invert all colors in the image, creating a negative effect. Useful for:
  • Analyzing dark images
  • Creating artistic effects
  • Viewing film negatives
  • Improving visibility of certain details

View Color Channels

Shortcut: Shift+C View individual color channels of the image:
  • Red Channel - View red component
  • Green Channel - View green component
  • Blue Channel - View blue component
  • All Channels - Normal view

Clipboard Operations

Shortcut: Ctrl+CCopy the image pixels to clipboard. Can be pasted into:
  • Image editors (Photoshop, GIMP, Paint)
  • Document editors (Word, PowerPoint)
  • Other applications supporting image data
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+CCopy the file itself to clipboard. Use this to:
  • Paste file into another folder
  • Keep original file format
  • Maintain all metadata
Shortcut: Ctrl+XCut the file to clipboard, allowing you to move it to another location.
Shortcut: Ctrl+LCopy the full file path to clipboard. Useful for:
  • Sharing file location
  • Command line operations
  • Documentation
Shortcut: Ctrl+ ` (backtick)Clear the Windows clipboard contents entirely.

Built-in Tools

Color Picker

Shortcut: K Extract colors from any pixel in the image:
1

Open Color Picker

Press K or click the Color Picker button
2

Select Color

Click anywhere on the image to pick a color
3

Copy Format

Copy color in multiple formats:
  • HEX (#FF5733)
  • RGB (255, 87, 51)
  • HSL (10°, 100%, 60%)
  • CMYK (0%, 66%, 80%, 0%)
  • HSV/HSB
Configure color picker settings to customize output format and behavior.

Crop Tool

Shortcut: C Crop images with precision:
  1. Free Crop - Drag to select any area
  2. Aspect Ratio Presets:
    • 1:1 (Square)
    • 16:9 (Widescreen)
    • 4:3 (Standard)
    • 3:2 (Photo)
    • 9:16 (Portrait)
    • And more…
  3. Manual Input - Enter exact pixel dimensions
  4. Position Controls - Fine-tune selection location
  5. Quick Selection - Preset crop regions
Hold Shift while dragging to constrain to square ratio.

Resize Tool

Shortcut: Alt+R Resize images by pixels or percentage:
  • Enter exact width and height in pixels
  • Lock aspect ratio to maintain proportions
  • Preview current and new dimensions

Frame Navigator

Shortcut: P Manage multi-frame images (GIF, WEBP, TIFF, AVIF, HEIC):

Playback Control

  • Play/pause animation
  • Adjust playback speed
  • Loop settings
  • Frame information display

Frame Management

  • Navigate frame by frame
  • Jump to specific frames
  • Export individual frames
  • Export all frames at once

Export Frames

Shortcut: Ctrl+J Export frames from animated or multi-frame images:
1

Open Export Dialog

Press Ctrl+J while viewing an animated image
2

Configure Export

  • Select frame range (all, current, or custom)
  • Choose output format (PNG, JPG, etc.)
  • Set output directory
  • Configure naming pattern
3

Export

Click Export to save all frames as individual files

Lossless Compression

Shortcut: Alt+C Optimize image file sizes without quality loss:
  • Removes unnecessary metadata
  • Optimizes compression algorithms
  • Preserves visual quality 100%
  • Works on JPEG, PNG, and other formats
Lossless compression is destructive. Create a backup before optimizing if you need to preserve metadata.

External Operations

Open With

Shortcut: D Open the current image in another application:
  1. Press D or click “Open with”
  2. Select from configured editors
  3. Image opens in chosen application
  4. Changes in external app can be reloaded in ImageGlass

Edit in Default Editor

Shortcut: E Quickly open the image in your configured default editor:
  • Set per-format editors in Settings
  • Falls back to Windows default for format
  • Opens MS Paint on Windows 11 if no editor set
Shortcut: Ctrl+P Print the current image:
  1. Press Ctrl+P to open print dialog
  2. Select printer and settings
  3. Configure page layout
  4. Print

Share Image

Shortcut: S Share via Windows Share menu:
  • Share to mail apps
  • Share to social media
  • Share to nearby devices
  • Share to cloud storage

Set as Desktop Background

Set the current image as Windows desktop wallpaper:
  1. Right-click image or open menu
  2. Select “Set as desktop background”
  3. Choose fit style (Fill, Fit, Stretch, Tile, Center)

Set as Lock Screen

Set the current image as Windows lock screen image (Windows 10/11).

Advanced Operations

Batch Operations

While ImageGlass doesn’t support traditional batch operations, you can:
  1. Open folder in ImageGlass
  2. Navigate and perform operations on each image
  3. Use keyboard shortcuts for speed
  4. Combine with external tools for batch processing

Metadata Operations

EXIF Data

Use external tools for EXIF management:
  • ExifGlass (press X) - View and edit EXIF data
  • Image Properties (Alt+Enter) - Basic metadata
  • Third-party EXIF editors via “Open with”

Tips & Best Practices

  • Transformations aren’t applied until you save
  • Use “Save As” to keep originals
  • Test operations before committing
  • Create backups of important images
  • Use lossless formats (PNG, TIFF) for editing
  • Save JPEG at highest quality when converting
  • Avoid multiple JPEG save cycles
  • Use modern formats (WEBP, AVIF, JXL) for better compression
  • Learn keyboard shortcuts for frequent operations
  • Configure external editors for quick access
  • Use clipboard operations for quick transfers
  • Set up custom toolbar for your workflow
Combine ImageGlass’s quick viewing with external editors for a powerful image workflow. Use ImageGlass for browsing and quick edits, and launch external tools for advanced operations.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love