SmallHD User Guide

Pixel Zoom

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Zooms directly into your image on the monitor to get you an exact idea of your focus distance and any other fine details.
This tool requires a video feed.

Pixel Zoom - Overview

Enable Pixel Zoom by pressing up on the joystick or pinch-to-zoom/swipe up on touchscreen monitors when viewing your camera feed normally.  When zoomed in, press the joystick/tap to switch to pan mode to move around the image.

With Pixel Zoom it's very easy and thorough to set proper focus when you have time to do so but the other methods- Focus Assist and Peaking can often be used more quickly when added to a page to swipe to for a quick spot-check.

Pixel Zoom gives you a zoomed-in view of your camera's feed which means it's most likely the tool that will enable you to spot areas where you can make improvements, be it precise focus or a piece of set dressing that's not angled correctly towards the camera, a stray light stand in the corner of the shot, etc.

As long as you have no image-altering features activated, Pixel Zoom lets you see exactly your image zoomed in, making it the best tool for 'seeing it for yourself'.

Pixel Zoom - Settings

Because Pixel Zoom isn't added to a page in the traditional way tools operate, its settings can be found in the Settings Menu > Interface > Pixel Zoom

Pixel Zoom - Quick Start

In this section we'll use Pixel Zoom to set focus and enable us to spot issues with our image.

From a distance this outdoor shot looks in focus but using Pixel Zoom reveals we need to make a slight adjustment.

If using a touchscreen, pinch-to-zoom to your desired level to check focus. (same and most mobile devices)

If using a joystick, press up to zoom in up to 8x (maximum zoom level may be adjusted in Pixel Zoom Settings).

Though a minor adjustment, this has increased the effective resolution of the entire image.

With 4k and 8k cameras becoming commonplace, achieving proper focus becomes even more important to properly utilize available resolution.

To pan around the image once zoomed-in, click the joystick once and then move in any direction.  To pan on touchscreen monitors, drag with one finger around the image when zoomed in.

Pixel Zoom, Focus Assist and Peaking are excellent tools to help keep your shots in focus.  We recommend trying each to find which works best for your shooting style.

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