XnView Software

When you're in zoom & pan mode (say when you have zoom & pan function enabled for left mouse click), intuitively I expect to move the "zoom window", not the image itself. Moving the zoom window down would result in the image moving up. Instead the image moves with my mouse movement. The zoom navigator model better corresponds to the scenario where the mouse movement moves the model window rather than the image.

Another point in favor of the inverted direction of movement is that if you click to zoom at a location - unclick - move mouse down - click again, the image moves up, inverted with respect to the direction of mouse movement. But if you click to zoom and move mouse down while clicked, the image moves down. This behavior feels inconsistent with itself.

panning directions are fine
it's the same as in Lightroom, FastStone and other apps

FastStone behaves as I describe in the request (inverted with respect to mouse movements), not as XnView. I just verified with the latest version of FastStone image viewer.

yeah, you are right, there is difference

• panning in zoom&pan mode
  • move viewport straight direction
    - FastStone
  • drag image inverted direction, same behavior as panning normally zoomed image
    - Lightroom
    - XnView

• panning in normal zoom mode
  • drag image inverted direction
    - all apps

I would also prefer FastStone's approach, but it works better with tweaked panning speed (so you can always pan from side-to-side, not just the area around cursor)

tyb, you can sort of have the behavior you want if you enable the navigator.
Settings->View->Show Navigator. Then if you drag in the Navigator inset window, you'll be moving the viewport in the way you prefer.

Not the same, but I thought it might help.

It's debatable which way is more intuitive. I like it the way it is, but an option to change it would be fine.