Using the Loupe Tool

Zoom is great for comparisons, but the most time-honored tool for looking at detail is a loupe. Aperture's Loupe tool is remarkably effective because it's so fast and it's always availableyou can drag it over any image, in any view (even thumbnails in the Browser or Projects panel), and instantly see the full-resolution RAW image in the selected area.

Let's look at the same images again using the Loupe tool.

1.	Press Z to return the images to full frame.
2.	Click the Loupe icon. It's the third tool from the right on the upper-right portion of the toolbar.
3.	Mouse over the images in the Viewer. You will notice that the pixels surrounding the pointer are displayed at full resolution.
4.	Mouse over the images in the Browser. Note that even in the Browser you can use the Loupe to display portions of images at full resolution. The universal availability of the Loupe is one of its strongest features. If you can see an image in Apertureeven on a webpage or a thumbnailyou can instantly check its full-resolution detail with the Loupe.
5.	Press Command-+ or to increase or decrease your Loupe.
6.	Press Shift-Command-+ or to zoom your Loupe content beyond 100%.
7.	Click the Loupe icon on the toolbar to deactivate the tool.