5.3. Zoom
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### 5.3. Zoom

The Zoom submenu of the View menu

The "Zoom" commands can be accessed from an image menubar, in the submenu View->Zoom. In GIMP 2.2, you can also zoom an image using the Zoom button on the image window. Zooming means changing the magnification level of the image. Zooming in to an image is useful for pixel-level image modifications, and zooming out can be handy for working with broad effects. Note that zooming is not undoable, because it does not affect the image data, only the way it is displayed.

Here are the available Zoom commands, 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 6%.

Zoom In

  (Shortcut: +) Each time Zoom In is used, the zoom level is increased by a factor of around 30%. The maximum possible zoom level is 1600%.

  | Note
  The keyboard shortcut for "Zoom In" has been a subject of some controversy, because this is a very commonly used operation, and on English keyboards it requires the Shift key to be pressed. (For European keyboards, it does not.) If you would like to have an easier 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 as large as possible while still keeping it completely within the window. Padding will probably show on two sides of the image, but not on all four sides.

Fit Image to Window

  This command zooms the image as small as possible without requiring any padding to be shown: it causes the image to fit the window perfectly in one dimension, and extend beyond the window borders in the other dimension.

A:B

  Here you have a series of menu entries for specific zoom levels, including, most importantly, the 100% zoom level, which has a simple keyboard shortcut: 1

Other

  This command brings up a dialog that allows you to choose any zoom level you want, within the allowed limits of 6% to 1600%.

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