How to Zoom in Photoshop
You can zoom in Photoshop by activating the Zoom tool (with the Z key), holding down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key and scrolling with the mouse wheel, choosing View > Zoom In, or Zoom out from the menu bar, or by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and "+". You can also use animated zoom by enabling it in Photoshop settings.
For a closer look at your photos or for precision editing, you can zoom in on your images. Fortunately, Adobe Photoshop offers several ways to enlarge your photos, including on-screen options and keyboard shortcuts. We'll show you how to zoom in Photoshop here.
In this section:
How to Zoom in Photoshop
Use the Zoom tool
Photoshop's Zoom tool is the easiest way to zoom in (and out) on your images. With this tool, you just need to click on a point in your photo and the app zooms in.
While your photo is open in Photoshop, select the Zoom tool (a magnifying glass icon) from the list of tools on the left of your screen. Otherwise, press Z on your keyboard.
With the Zoom tool now activated, click on the area of your photo that you want to zoom in on. Photoshop will enlarge that region of the photo. Keep clicking to zoom in even more.
To zoom out on your photo, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click your image.
Use the mouse scroll wheel
Another way to zoom in Photoshop is to use your mouse's scroll wheel. You move the wheel and Photoshop zooms in or out on your photo.
To use it, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) on your keyboard and scroll your mouse wheel up or down. Your photo will be zoomed in and zoomed out.
Notes: This method does not require you to activate the Zoom tool. You can use any application tool while zooming in and zooming out your photo.
Use a menu bar option
If you'd rather use an on-screen option, there's a menu bar option you can use to zoom in and out of your photos.
First, open your photo with Photoshop. Then, in the application's menu bar, select "View".
From the "View" menu, choose "Zoom In" to zoom in on your photo or choose "Zoom Out" to zoom out.
Use a keyboard shortcut
If you're a keyboard ninja, Photoshop has a keyboard shortcut that lets you enlarge your images.
Press Ctrl and "+" (Windows) or Command and "+" (Mac) on your keyboard. To zoom out, press Ctrl and the hotkey “–” (Windows) or Command and “–” (Mac).
You can customize your Photoshop keyboard shortcuts if you prefer to use a custom shortcut to activate various options.
Use animated zoom
Using Animated Zoom, you can click and hold a point on your image and Photoshop will slowly zoom in on that part of the photo for you.
To use the feature, you must first activate it. To do this, open Photoshop settings from Edit (or Photoshop on Mac) > Preferences > General.
Back in the photo, activate the Zoom tool by pressing Z. Then click and hold a point on your photo and let Photoshop zoom into that area for you.
To zoom out, click and hold the photo while holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) on your keyboard.
Fit the image to your screen
You can also zoom out completely and fit the photo into your Photoshop window.
To do this, from the Photoshop menu bar, select View > Fit to Screen. Or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+0 (Windows) or Command+0 (Mac).
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