Figure 10.47.
The “Zoom” submenu of the “View” menu
The Zoom submenu contains various commands
which affect the magnification of the image in the image window
(zooming). Enlarging an image (zooming in) is useful if you need to
work with high precision, making pixel-level image modifications or
precise selections.
On the other hand, reducing an image (zooming out) is handy for getting
an overall impression of the image and seeing the results of changes
which affect the entire image. Please note that zooming is not undoable,
since it does not affect the image data, only the way it is displayed.
Tip
Besides the entries in this submenu, there is also a zoom pull-down
menu at the bottom edge of the image window (if the
status bar is
displayed). You can also make settings regarding zooming in the
Navigation dialog. You
can also use the Magnify tool
which lets you zoom a particular area of the image.
8.4.1.
Activating the Submenu
You can access this submenu from the image menubar through
View->Zoom.
Note that the “Zoom” label on the “View”
menu shows the current zoom factor, for example,
Zoom (100%).
8.4.2.
Contents of the “Zoom” submenu
The various “Zoom” submenu commands are described below,
along with their default keyboard shortcuts, if any.
Zoom Out
(Shortcut: -) Each time “Zoom Out”
is used, the zoom factor is decreased by about 30%. There is a
minimum zoom level of 0.39%.
Zoom In
(Shortcut: +)
Each time “Zoom In” is used, the zoom factor is
increased by about 30%. The maximum possible zoom level is
25600%.
Note
The keyboard shortcut for “Zoom In” has been
somewhat controversial because this is a very common operation
and on English keyboards, the Shift key must
be pressed to use it. (This is not the case for European
keyboards.) If you would like to have a different keyboard
shortcut, you can create a dynamic shortcut for it; see the
help section for User Interface Preferences
for instructions.
Fit Image in Window
(Shortcut:
Shift-Ctrl-E).
This command zooms the image to be as large as possible, while
still keeping it completely within the window. There will
usually be padding on two sides of the image, but not on all
four sides.
Fit Image to Window
This command zooms the image as large as possible without
requiring any padding to be shown. This means that the image
fits the window perfectly in one dimension, but usually
extends beyond the window borders in the other dimension.
A:B (X%)
With these commands, you can select one of the pre-set zoom
levels. Each of the menu labels gives a ratio, as well as a
percentage value. The 100% zoom level has a simple keyboard
shortcut: 1.
Other
This command brings up a dialog which allows you to choose any
zoom level you would like, within the range of 1:256 (0.39%) to
256:1 (25600%).
Tip
When you are working at the pixel level, you can use the
New view command. This
allows you to see what is happening to the image at its normal size
at the same time.
Published under the terms of the GNU General Public License
![[Tip]](../images/tip.png)
![[Note]](../images/note.png)
