ImageCompare

Flip between image variants instantly — perfect for reviewing ML model outputs, A/B testing designs, or comparing renders across different settings. View one image at a time and switch between modalities with a keypress. Zoom and pan stay locked when switching, so you can compare fine details at any magnification.

Why ImageCompare?

• Instant Flip Comparison — Hold Space to flip between images. See differences that static side-by-side views miss.
• Batch Processing — Load hundreds of image tuples at once. Navigate with arrow keys.
• Smart Matching — Automatically matches images across folders by filename, even with different suffixes.
• Crop & Export — Crop regions across all modalities, export voted comparisons to PowerPoint.
• Winner Voting — Mark the best result for each comparison. Results saved to a simple text file.
• Remote Ready — Works seamlessly over SSH, WSL, and Dev Containers.

Installation

VS Code: Search for "ImageCompare" in Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)

Cursor: Search for "ImageCompare" in Extensions (uses Open VSX)

Quick Start

Compare Folders

Right-click a folder containing subfolders → "Open in ImageCompare"

my_experiment/
├── ground_truth/    → modality 1
├── model_v1/        → modality 2
└── model_v2/        → modality 3

Each subfolder becomes a modality. Images are matched by filename.

Compare Specific Files

Select 2+ image files → Right-click → "Open in ImageCompare"

Compare Folders from Different Locations

Select multiple folders (Ctrl+Click) → Right-click → "Open in ImageCompare"

Keyboard Shortcuts

Features

Winner Voting

In batch mode, press Enter to mark the current modality as the winner for that image. Winners are saved to results.txt:

# ImageCompare Results
image_001 = model_v2
image_002 = ground_truth
image_003 = model_v1

Win counts appear in the status bar next to each modality name.

Crop Tool

Press C or click the Crop button in the floating Tools panel to enter crop mode:

1. Draw a rectangle on the image
2. Resize using corner and edge handles; double-click a cardinal handle to snap to square
3. Press Enter or click the checkmark to crop all modalities at the same coordinates

Cropped files are saved as _cropNN.png alongside the originals and appear as new tuples in the carousel.

PowerPoint Export

Click the PPTX button in the Tools panel to export all voted tuples to a PowerPoint file. Each modality gets its own slide with a caption bar showing the tuple name and modality. Crop files include a callout thumbnail showing the crop region on the full image.

Floating Tools Panel

A draggable, collapsible panel in the top-right corner provides:

• Minimap — Always-visible thumbnail with viewport indicator when zoomed in
• Crop — Enter crop mode to crop all modalities at the same coordinates
• Delete — Delete all files for the current tuple
• PPTX — Export voted tuples to PowerPoint

Smart Filename Matching

Images are matched across modalities using a two-pass algorithm:

1. Exact match — Identical basenames are matched first
2. Fuzzy match — Trie-based longest common prefix with LCS tie-breaking

This handles different naming conventions (e.g., img_001_gt.png matches img_001_pred.png), missing files in some modalities, and coexisting original and crop files.

Live Updates

The view automatically updates when files change:

• New images appear instantly
• Deleted images are marked as removed
• Modified images reload automatically

Works reliably on all filesystems including Google Drive, FUSE mounts, and remote connections.

Supported Formats

PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, WebP, TIFF, PPMX

Settings

Feedback & Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub

License

MIT