Jan 26, 2011 17:41 GMT  ·  By

Karelia Software has just released iMedia Browser 2, an update to its free tool to access the libraries of photos, music, videos, and bookmarks living on your Mac, all from one clean window.

Exclusively available as a free download on the Mac App Store, Karelia’s iMedia Browser is now at version 2.0, “a huge rewrite, with many aspects re-written from the ground up.”

According to Karelia, the goal for iMedia Browser 2 was to make it a whole lot snappier.

“We did this by making the browser load media as ‘lazily’ as possible, meaning that no time is spent loading anything until it is really needed for display,” the developers reveal.

As a result, access to your media libraries should now be a lot faster, Karelia claims.

iMedia Browser 2 also integrates with QuickLook now.

The core technology of iMedia Browser 2 is also an open-source Cocoa framework that Karelia Software developed originally for use in its own Sandvox app.

The iMedia framework can also be found in more than a dozen popular Mac apps, the company claims.

"We're excited about the responsiveness of this new version, which we built by teaming up with Boinx Software for the open-source framework at the core of the program," said Dan Wood, president of Karelia Software.

"Browsing is now blazing fast, which opens up a whole world of possibilities in getting quick access to your digital libraries," Wood added.

Key features of Karelia’s iMedia Browser include: · Browse Photos: iPhoto / Aperture / Lightroom library, Pictures folder, and other predefined folders. · Browse Music: iTunes library, GarageBand songs, Music folder, etc. · Browse Movies: iTunes and iPhoto libraries, Movies folder, etc. · Browse Links: Bookmarks from Safari, etc. · Drag and drop any folder into the source list to add to your library. · Available from the Dock or the Menu Bar, via application preferences. · Flip window over to control toolbar and caption preferences.

Download iMedia Browser (Free)