Some Photoshop tools are completely unrelated to altering the image in any way. As opposed to that, they are meant to make Photoshop work more efficiently. The zoom tool is one of these.
Photoshop’s Zoom Tool allows you to freely zoom in and out of your canvas so that you can increase or decrease its size of it. You can use the tool options at the top of the screen to zoom in and out, or you can zoom out by holding down the Alt or Option key while using the tool.
This article demonstrates how to zoom, scroll, and move around images in Photoshop like a pro. Along with some great tips and tricks to speed up your workflow, you’ll learn how to use the Zoom Tool, the Hand Tool, the View commands, and more!
Table of Contents
How To Zoom In And Out In Photoshop?
Use The Zoom Tool
1. The Zoom tool can be chosen by pressing Z on your keyboard or by clicking the tool’s icon, which is a magnifying glass in the Tools Palette on the left side of the screen.
2. Click on the area of the image you want to see in more detail to zoom in. Clicking will advance the zoom by one level, up to Photoshop’s maximum zoom.
3. The Zoom Out option, which resembles a magnifying glass with a minus sign in it, is located in the Tool Options bar at the top of the screen (or bottom if you’re using Photoshop Elements). After doing so, click the image once more to return to the original zoom level. When you’re finished, remember to go back to the Zoom In option.
4. When using the Zoom tool on the image, you can also use the keyboard shortcut of pressing and holding the Alt key (or Option key on a Mac) to zoom out.
Use The Keyboard Shortcut
Let’s begin by using the quickest method—the keyboard shortcut. With your image open, all you have to do is hit Ctrl + + (Cmd + + on a Mac) to zoom in. To zoom out, just hit Ctrl + – (Cmd + -).
To make the image jump to fit the screen (by either zooming in or out) hit Ctrl + 0 (Cmd + 0).
Use The Mouse Scroll Wheel
The magnification of an image can be changed without choosing the Zoom tool; if your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can do so while using any tool.
1. Put the mouse pointer over the area of the image you want to zoom in or out on.
2. In order to zoom in or out, hold down the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac while using the scroll wheel.
Use The Zoom Percentage Box
Although it takes a little longer, this method of zooming gives you greater accuracy.
1. There is a small box with a percentage in it at the bottom of the Photoshop screen. Your zoom level is indicated by this percentage.
2. To change the percentage, click the box and enter a new number. Your level of zoom is indicated by a higher number.
Use The Navigator Panel
You can also zoom through the navigator panel. The icon that resembles a ship’s helm can be found on the right side of your screen and clicking it will take you to this panel.
Click the large mountains on the right to zoom in, and the small mountains on the left to zoom out. Or you could slide the slider to the left or right to zoom in or out, respectively.
How to Change Your Keyboard’s Zoom Tool?
Therefore, using the Zoom Tool to focus on a particular area is a great idea. A better method, however, is to temporarily access the Zoom Tool from your keyboard rather than selecting it from the toolbar each time you need to zoom in or out.
Just hold down the spacebar and the Ctrl key on a Windows PC, or the spacebar and the Command key on a Mac. Mac users may need to hold the spacebar first, then the Command key, to prevent a conflict with the MacOS operating system.
As long as the keys are depressed, the Zoom Tool will be available for you to use, allowing you to click an area to zoom in. To zoom out, add the Alt key, or the Option key on a Release the Alt or Option key to return to zoom in on your Mac, and all keys to return to the previous tool so you can carry on working.
Continuous Zoom
Another way to use the Zoom Tool is with a feature known as Continuous Zoom. When you want to zoom in, click the area you want to and hold down the mouse button while using the Zoom Tool. When you hold down the mouse button for a moment or so, Photoshop will begin to continuously zoom in. To zoom out continuously, add the Alt key or the Option key, and then click and hold.
Zooming With The Scroll Wheel
Finally, one more way to zoom in and out is by using the scroll wheel on your mouse. And not only the Zoom Tool, but any active tool also functions in this manner.
Zoom in by moving your cursor over the desired area. Press and hold the Alt key or the Option key on a Mac: Use the scroll wheel to zoom in or out by moving it up or down.
And if you add the Shift key, you’ll limit the zoom values to just those presets we looked at earlier that give you the sharpest and most accurate view. The fundamentals of zooming in and out in Photoshop are presented in the previous sentence.
To zoom in or out, scroll up or down while holding Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac).
Scrubby Zoom
But my favorite way, and the fastest way, to use the Zoom Tool is with a feature called Scrubby Zoom. The default setting for this function ought to be on. Select the Zoom Tool from the toolbar to double-check everything.
the Zoom Tool is chosen.
And in the Options Bar, make sure Scrubby Zoom is checked.
Scrubby Zoom is a menu item in the Options Bar.
Afterward, just click and drag to the right to zoom in on a region and to the left to zoom out. The zooming will happen more quickly the faster you drag.
The only drawback to Scrubby Zoom is that you must immediately begin dragging after clicking. If you take too long, Photoshop will presume that you want Continuous Zoom. Dragging also has no impact once Continuous Zoom has begun. To use Scrubby Zoom, start dragging as soon as your mouse button is depressed.
Dragging A Selection Outline To Zoom In
If Scrubby Zoom is disabled by unchecking it in the Options Bar:
Once this happens, the Zoom Tool starts to act more like the Rectangular Marquee Tool. To encircle a region, click and drag a selection outline:
Turn off Scrubby Zoom and use the Zoom Tool to click and drag a selection outline.
Photoshop immediately zooms in on that area when you let go of the mouse button. You can choose to work in this manner by leaving Scrubby Zoom unchecked. Just reselect Scrubby Zoom in the Options Bar if you prefer it.
When you let go of the mouse button, Photoshop enlarges the selected area.
In Photoshop, How To Pan An Image?
Let’s now examine how to scroll or pan an image from one area to another. When we’re zoomed in and unable to see everything at once, panning or scrolling is most helpful.
So I’ll zoom my image to 100% by going up to the View menu and choosing 100%. Or by pressing that keyboard shortcut we learned in the previous section, Ctrl+1 or Command+1 on a Mac.
Using The Hand Tool
To pan the image from one area to another, we use Photoshop’s Hand Tool which is found in the toolbar directly above the Zoom Tool. You can also select the Hand Tool from the keyboard by pressing the letter H.
deciding on the Hand Tool in the toolbar.
Your mouse cursor becomes a hand icon when the Hand Tool is selected.
Simply click the image and drag it around to view and examine various areas while holding down the mouse button. To let go, click the mouse button once.
The Hand Tool is used to pan the picture.
Flick Panning
While performing a drag, if you let go of the mouse button the image will be tossed or thrown in that direction. And it will continue to move until it finally comes to a stop gradually. Another option is to manually stop it by clicking the image once more. This is known as Flick Panning.
In the middle of dragging an image, let go of the mouse button to launch it in that direction.
Check to see if flick panning is enabled in Photoshop’s preferences if it’s not working. On a Windows PC, go up to the Edit menu. On a Mac, go up to the Photoshop menu. From there, choose Preferences, and then Tools.
navigating to Edit (Windows) or Photoshop (Mac) > Preferences > Tools.
Make sure Enable Flick Panning is checked, and then clicking Choosing OK will close the Preferences dialog box.
Ensure that Enable Flick Panning is activated.
How To Temporarily Access The Hand Tool?
You won’t want to choose the Hand Tool from the toolbar each time you need to pan to a different area of the image, similar to how we discussed the Zoom Tool earlier.
So using the Hand Tool temporarily from your keyboard is a quicker way to work. And you can do that by pressing and holding the spacebar. So you can temporarily access the Zoom Tool by holding the spacebar down while also pressing the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) key, and you can access the Hand Tool by holding down the spacebar alone.
When you’re finished panning, let go of the spacebar to return to your previous tool.
Read More: Make A Conference Call From iPhone