Eye of GNOMELinux
vs
ACDSeeWindows
Eye of GNOME as a Linux alternative to ACDSee
Updated
Our verdict
Eye of GNOME is a poor replacement for ACDSee if you rely on organization, RAW editing, or facial recognition. It is a lightweight viewer only, suitable for quickly opening photos without waiting for a heavy application to load. If your workflow involves tagging, rating, or non-destructive editing, you need a dedicated photo manager like digiKam or Darktable. Eye of GNOME handles basic viewing and rotation well, but it lacks the asset management features that define ACDSee. Use it for casual browsing, not as a primary photo library tool.
- License
- GPL-2.0+ and GFDL-1.3
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 50.2 (June 27, 2026)
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Displays common image formats like JPEG, PNG, and TIFF
- Supports fullscreen viewing and slideshow mode
- Reads EXIF data for automatic image rotation
- Fast startup time for quick access to images
What is different
- Lacks facial recognition and automatic face detection
- No RAW image editing or non-destructive adjustment capabilities
- No catalog-based library management or tagging system
- Missing batch operations for renaming or converting files
- No IPTC metadata editing interface
Opening your ACDSee files
Eye of GNOME opens standard raster file formats directly from your filesystem. It does not use a proprietary catalog or database, so it will not open ACDSee's .acd files or any specific ACDSee project files. It reads EXIF and IPTC metadata from the image files themselves, but it does not edit or write this metadata back to the files. You can view any image that ACDSee can display, provided it is in a supported format, but you lose any organizational structure stored in ACDSee's database.
Switching from ACDSee to Eye of GNOME, step by step
- Export your photos from ACDSee to a folder structure on your Linux drive
- Ensure your image files contain all necessary EXIF and IPTC metadata
- Install Eye of GNOME via your package manager or Flathub
- Configure Eye of GNOME as the default viewer for image file types
- Test opening a few folders to verify slideshow and rotation behavior
- Install a separate photo manager if you need tagging or RAW editing
Key features of Eye of GNOME
- View single images or folders in slideshow mode
- Automatic rotation using EXIF orientation data
- Fullscreen viewing with navigation controls
- Supports common formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP
- Simple zoom and pan with mouse or keyboard
- Set image as wallpaper directly from viewer
- GTK-native interface, fits GNOME desktop
- Lightweight and fast startup
How to install Eye of GNOME on Linux
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.eogFrequently asked questions
Can Eye of GNOME edit RAW files?
No, Eye of GNOME is a viewer only. It does not support RAW editing or conversion. You need software like Darktable or RawTherapee for that.
Does it support facial recognition?
No, it has no facial detection or recognition features. It simply displays the image as stored.
Is it better than gThumb?
gThumb offers more features like basic editing and organizing, making it a closer, though still limited, alternative to ACDSee's basic functions. Eye of GNOME is simpler and lighter.
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