How To Use The Enhanced Zoom Tool In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic

Learn how to use the new Box Zoom and Scrubby Zoom Tools in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic.

The first thing that you might notice about the new Enhanced Zoom Tool after you upgrade to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic version 10 is that Adobe has finally replaced the old zoom ratio numbers with percentages. The switch from displaying ratios, like 1:1, to percentages, like 100% view, is a minor change but dig deeper and you will also discover that the Zoom Tool has gained two wonderful new features.

The change from ratios to zoom percentages though is the least interesting part of this update. I never understood why Adobe decided to use those A:B zoom ratios for Lightroom Classic in the first place. Adobe’s design team never used a similar ratio-based zoom display system in any of their other photography Applications so I am glad to see that this decade old User Interface mistake has been finally been corrected.

With the Lightroom Classic v.10 upgrade, the Zoom Tool also now includes a feature called Box Zoom which you can access when you are working in the Library Module and a new feature called Scrubby Zoom that is only available you are working in the Develop Module.

Hold down the Control key on your keyboard (PC) or the Command key (Mac) and drag out a rectangle to activate the new Box Zoom feature when you are working in either the Loupe or Compare View Modes. I find Box Zoom handy when I want to quickly enlarge one specific part of my image.

To use the new Scrubby Zoom Tool in the Develop Module, you must have the Use Graphics Processor option enabled in the Performance section of your Preferences Menu and Lightroom Classic must support your computer’s graphics card. If this preference switch is set to Disabled, or if using GPU acceleration makes your computer unstable, then unfortunately the Scrubby Zoom feature is not for you.

Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard with one finger, to activate Scrubby Zoom in the Develop Module, and then drag your mouse to the right to zoom in or to the left to zoom out. I find this one type of zooming super handy. I use the Scrubby Zoom feature all of the time in Adobe Photoshop and I wish that Lightroom Classic offered it in the Library Module’s Loupe and Compare View Modes as well.

Related Tutorials: