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MysticThumbs   Follow us on Twitter

Thumbnail provider for Windows 7, Vista and XP - x64 and x86

MysticThumbs generates thumbnails of many image types not natively supported by Windows. It does this transparently and in the background for Explorer so you don't have to run a separate application to preview your images.

It is a native Windows Explorer plugin which means you don't have to do anything other than install it. This means you don't have any new interfaces to learn, think about or otherwise deal with.

File types supported

Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat*, Targa, TIFF, RAW Camera, PCX, Windows Metafile WMF/EMF, Adobe PDF*, JPEG 2000, Maya, Google Sketchup, and many other formats as well as Postscript based images*.

For a full list of supported images install the trial version and check the control panel.
* Ghostscript required for postscript images.

Features

MysticThumbs has a control panel and context menu function that allow adjustments to thumbnail generation settings as well as perform a number of other functions.

  • Transparency support. For each file format you can define how MysticThumbs generates thumbnails:
    • No transparency
    • Transparent - so you see the folder/desktop behind the thumbnail
    • Checkboard - gives you a distinctive backdrop behind the thumbnail that shows the transparent or semi-transparent areas.
  • Maximum image size - performance enhancement to prevent thumbnail generation for excessively large images. Definable for each file type.
  • Scale Up - for small images allows the generation of full size thumbnails for thumbnails larger than the image.
  • Thumbnail cache clear - to easily clear the entire thumbnail cache.
  • Per image refresh - refresh the thumbnail of images if required.
  • Per image options (transparency/scale up) - some images may not conform to the default options for that image type - use this context menu option to override the default.
  • Folder icon enhancement.
    • Vista and Windows 7 do not refresh the folder icon for image folders very well. MysticThumbs improves upon this.
    • Use the refresh option on a folder to update the folder's images and it's icon.
    • Generated thumbnails of images automatically update their parent folder icon.
  • System tray applcation to inform you when thumbnails are being generated by MysticThumbs. Quick access to the control panel for options.
  • Windows supported image types enhancement. MysticThumbs can override the default Windows supported image types (jpeg, png, tiff) so you can get the benifits of MysticThumbs features such as transparency, maximum image size etc.
  • Color profile support.
  • PSD almost all formats and bit depths supported. Internal thumbnail used for excessively large images.
  • DDS almost all formats and bit depths supported for all your game textures. Cube maps represented as a cross.
  • Localization - 15 languages supported.

Download v2.2.4 (Windows 7 / Vista / XP) 30 day free trial

x86 Installer (32 bit OS)
Download x86 installer

x64 Installer (64 bit OS)
Download x64 installer
To display Postscript based images (PDF, AI, EPS, PS) you must also install Ghostscript (free)

x86 Installer (32 bit OS)
Download x86 installer

x64 Installer (64 bit OS)
Download x64 installer

Install Notes

  • You must install as Administrator.
  • You must use the correct installer for your system (x86 or x64).
  • If updating from an version prior to v2.19 please uninstall the previous version first to ensure a clean install.

Known issues and FAQ

  • If thumbnails don't appear immediately after installation please restart Windows for MysticThumbs to take effect.
  • PSD images saved without the 'Maximize Compatibility' option use the embedded thumbnail.
  • Large images not generating thumbnails? Adjust the 'Maximum Size' for that file type in the control panel.
  • PDF, AI, PS, EPS thumbnails not working? Install Ghostscript for your machine - see the download link above.
  • MysticThumbs can invalidate your file associations with other thumbnail generators.
  • User guide coming to this website soon.

Purchase

Single User License - US$15

If you use this tool and enjoy having all your image types displayed in Explorer please consider purchasing a full license. Payments are made securely via PayPal. Your email and information is kept secure and free from marketing and spam.

We also accept payments via MoneyBookers if you can't use PayPal. Contact us for more information.

Purchasing a license:
  • Removes 30 day free trial limitation.
  • Removes MysticThumbs watermark from generated thumbnails.
  • Removes Shareware reminder notices.
  • Entitles you to free updates.
  • Entitles you to full product support and feature enhancements.

Licenses are for a single user only. For commercial or bulk license requests please contact the author at the email below.

Purchasing a license also helps support the author to continue development of this software, add new features and improve existing features..

EMAIL / SPAM BLOCKING: Licenses are emailed to your registered PayPal email address. In some cases your service provider may block addresses and your license will not arrive. If you have not received your license within an hour contact us at the email below to request your license be sent to another email address.


Version History

Version

Date		 Changes Download
2.2.4

08/08/10
  • New: Overlay file type icon onto thumbnail with size, placement and opacity options.
  • Opt: Thumbnails generated information in control panel is updated in real time.
  • Opt: Dutch translation update.
  • Opt: French translation update.
  • Opt: Notification tray icon working animation more visible.
 x86

x64
2.2.3

05/08/10
  • Fix: Rotation on embedded RAW thumbnails.
  • Fix: Date taken on non-RAW files is represented with date created time.
  • Opt: Dutch translation update.
 x86

x64
2.2.2

02/08/10
  • New: Added .cbz comic book support, displays first page encountered.
  • New: Added .rw2 camera RAW support.
  • Fix: RAW white balance and image rotation support added.
  • Fix: RAW edge case fixes and error handling.
  • Opt: Refresh thumbnail works on 256 level to ensure immediate refresh of all sizes.
 x86

x64
2.2.1

20/07/10
  • New: Support image rotation for RAW thumbnails.
  • Fix: Some AI and PDF thumbnails not generated due to being CYMK format.
  • Opt: Set thread priority to normal so thumbnails can be generated whilst other processes work.
 x86

x64
2.2.0

12/07/10
  • New: Photoshop PSB format suport.
  • New: RAW camera support replaces DNG support. Most cameras supported.
  • New: EXIF RAW camera properties.
  • New: Performance enhancement - embedded thumbnail extraction options for PSD and RAW images in control panel and context menu. Now able to choose to ignore, always use or only use embedded thumbnails when they are larger then the requested thumbnail size.
  • Opt: Version changed from X.XX to X.X.X to better represent build numbers.
  • Opt: DLL waits for a second before unloading when context menus have been used. Work around for some machines crashing when using context menus.
 x86

x64
2.19

03/07/10
  • New: x64 installer now installs x86 side-by-side dll. This enables x86 and legacy applications to use MysticThumbs.
  • New: Open/Save dialog boxes now work within 32 bit applications. This is a significant enhancement to MysticThumbs many users have been asking for.
  • New: Site and Corporate licenses now work through HKLM registry to enable easier installation and multiple users to share the same settings.
  • Opt: Chinese translation update.
 x86

x64
2.18

28/06/10
  • New: Re-introduced right click context menu on folder background due to context menu fix.
  • New: Image scale options in context menu.
  • Fix: Correctly report to Explorer when the DLL can be unloaded.
  • Fix: Right click on folders in navigation pane crashed Explorer due to DLL being unloaded whilst still in use.
  • Fix: 32 bit BMP transparency, now checks for and ignores transparency when the alpha channel is empty.
  • Fix: MysticThumbs control panel was being removed from the 'Appearance and Personalization' group after settings change.
  • Opt: Cache icon bitmaps for performance improvement.
  • Opt: Improved registry handling.
  • Opt: Improved multiple selection - if all images share the same transparency or scale property that property is shown selected.
  • Opt: File types are now picture and image property kinds for Windows Search handling. Were just picture.
  • Opt: Added 'px' (pixels) to Image Size setting in control panel for clarity.
  • Opt: Chinese simplified and traditional translations thanks to Yuan Wen Zhi.
 x86

x64
2.17

18/06/10
  • Fix: Win7/Vista - Explorer crash after right clicking on a window or desktop background.
  • Opt: File size optimizations.
  • Opt: German translations.
  • Opt: Chinese translations.
 x86

x64
2.16

15/06/10
  • New: Win7/Vista - Refresh and transparency context options operate recursively on folders. *CAUTION* refreshing very large folder trees can take a long time and cause instability - this will become an option in future versions.
  • New: Win7/Vista - Refreshing folder icons when thumbnails are generated on their content.
  • Fix: v2.15 install on XP was broken.
  • Fix: German translations.
  • Opt: Updated DNG converter to v1.3 SDK
 x86

x64
2.15

30/05/10
  • New: Win7/Vista - Refresh thumbnail updates parent folder icons.
  • Fix: Win7/Vista - Refresh thumbnail no longer touches file modification date.
  • Opt: Updates to Swedish translations.
 x86

x64
2.14

23/05/10
  • New: OpenEXR support added.
  • New: Language selection in control panel.
  • Fix: Translation fixes and improvements for several languages.
  • Opt: Cleanup and improvements to control panel.
 x86

x64
2.13

18/05/10
  • Fix: Broken file registration in v2.12.
  • Fix: Some PSD images not making thumbnails.
  • Opt: Optimized file ping for some file types to prevent excessive delay in finding properties.
 x86

x64
2.12

16/05/10
  • New: Added support for WMF and EMF metafile formats.
  • Fix: Bindings to default Windows file types restored when enabling/disabling in the control panel.
  • Fix: Fixed memory leak with registry lookups.
  • Fix: Context menu no longer acts on files that are not enabled in the control panel.
  • Fix: Ratings and tags corrected for Windows default file types.
  • Opt: Optimizations to increase performance of context menu.
  • Opt: Cleans up registry for files with no active overrides.
  • Opt: Control panel no longer applies changes on exit if nothing has changed.
 x86

x64
2.11

16/05/10
  • Fixes edge case for metadata property bindings.
 x86

x64
2.10

11/05/10
  • Fixes metadata property bindings (tags, star ratings etc.) to system image types (jpeg, tiff, png, gif).
  • Removed process priority option since it could cause system instability.
 x86

x64
2.09

1/05/10
  • Fixes potential lockup when applying changes in control panel.
  • Added Scale Up option for each file type. Scales up thumbnails to the target thumbnail size.
  • Added SKM Google SketchUp materials support.
  • Fix for corrupt registry entries causing thumbnails to not be generated.
 x86

x64
2.08

26/04/10
  • Enables context menu options without shareware notice.
  • Fix notification tray icon re-added after Explorer restarts.
 x86

x64
2.07

24/04/10
  • Fix context menu crash on non-English systems.
  • Fix potential install error.
  • Added some missing language strings.
  • Optimized memory allocation performance.
  • Added support for SKB files (Sketchup backup).
 x86

x64
2.06

22/04/10
  • Sets number of image processing threads based on CPU core count.
 x86

x64
2.05

21/04/10
  • Fixed images displaying incorrectly with transparency disabled.
  • Removed maximum image size limit of 4096.
 x86

x64
2.03

18/04/10
  • Installer not finishing should be fixed.
2.02

17/04/10
  • A few random patches.
2.01

17/04/10
  • Fixed problems with PDF files.
  • Fixed some install problems.
2.00

14/04/10
  • Control panel applet to control file types and options.
  • More image formats supported including: DNG, Maya IFF, Google Sketchup SKP, PDF, AI, EPS, PS if Ghostscript installed.
  • Optimizations and extensions to standard Windows supported images such as JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF & TIFF.
  • Specific file type options such as alpha channel / opacity display.
  • Thumbnail cache eraser.
  • OpenMP support for multi-core CPU conversion performance.
  • ICC colorspace profile support.

 
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