The hardest culling calls are the ones a thumbnail cannot settle: two frames of the same moment, and the question is which one has the eyes sharp. Since version 1.5.10, the full-size view on imagic's Review & Cull step zooms and pans, so you can check focus at 100% and make the call without leaving the culling flow. This guide covers the controls and a fast way to use them.
Step 1: Open a photo full size
On Review & Cull, double-click any photo. It opens large, with the score summary and the Keep, Trash and Review buttons underneath. The usual keys work here: K keeps, L trashes, J or H sends a photo back to Review, the left and right arrows move between photos, and Esc closes the view and puts you back on the grid where you were.
Step 2: Zoom where you are looking
Scroll with the mouse wheel or the trackpad to zoom in and out. On a Mac trackpad you can pinch instead. Zoom follows the pointer, so put the pointer on the nearest eye before you scroll and that eye stays under it as the photo grows. imagic stops at four screen pixels per photo pixel, which is past the point where focus is easy to judge.
Step 3: Jump between fit and 100%
For a quick check you do not need to scroll at all. Click the photo, or press Z or Space, and it jumps to 100% (one photo pixel per screen pixel) around the point you clicked. Click or press the key again and it returns to the whole photo. From any zoom level, that same click or key goes straight back to fit.
Step 4: Pan, then decide
While zoomed in, drag to move around the photo. When you have seen enough, press K or L. Moving to the next photo with the arrow keys shows it whole again, ready for the next check.
A fast rhythm for burst frames
- Double-click the first frame of the burst.
- Point at the eye, press Z, look.
- Press K or L, then the right arrow.
- Repeat: Z, look, K or L, arrow.
Your hand never leaves the keyboard after the first double-click. imagic already flags blinks and soft frames when it scores a shoot (see how the closed-eyes check works); zooming is for the frames where you want to see it with your own eyes.
RAW photos no longer darken when you open them
Before 1.5.10, a RAW photo could look darker in the full-size view than in the grid. The grid thumbnails come from the camera's own embedded preview, which carries the camera's tone curve, while the big view used imagic's neutral render. The full-size view now uses the same embedded preview whenever it is at least as detailed, so what you saw in the grid is what opens.
Also in 1.5.10: a bigger film strip in the editor
The film strip under the editor can now be resized. Drag the grip on its top edge upwards and the thumbnails grow with it, up to 260 pixels tall or 45% of the window. imagic remembers the height you chose; double-click the grip to put it back. Hover over any thumbnail to see its file name and position in the set.
More walkthroughs are in the imagic help centre, and the free trial gives you 500 exports with no card, culling and editing unlimited.
Frequently asked questions
Which version do I need?
imagic 1.5.10 or later. It is a free update on every licence tier and on the trial.
Does zooming change the photo or its score?
No. It is only a view. Nothing is edited, re-scored or exported.
Can I zoom in the editor too?
The editor has its own zoom. This guide is about the full-size view on Review & Cull, where you make keep and trash calls.
Does it work on Windows and Mac?
Yes. Wheel, trackpad scroll, click, Z and Space work on both; pinch is the Mac trackpad gesture.