Page-Down Technique Revealed – Inspection Perfection

Summary

Discover a time-saving technique for inspecting high-resolution images in Lightroom’s Develop Module. By setting your Navigator zoom to 1:1 and using the PageDown key, you can efficiently scan images for dust, noise, and imperfections. This method automatically moves through your image vertically and resets to the top of the next column, ensuring complete coverage without tedious zoom-pan navigation.

Never Miss a Single Pixel

While preparing a series of images for print on a high resolution printer, I found myself obsessing about removing any residual sensor noise or image imperfections from my collection.

Normally, I’m pushing images to 72ppi for proofing on the web, which will often downsample out any irritable noise, dust, or imperfections. Not this time – it had to be perfectly clean! But … I’m lazy, and I wanted an easy way to inspect my images close up without the usual zoom-pan-zoom-pan tedium.

This lead me to a lesser known technique I will call the ‘PageDowner’ technique.

Call this technique what you will, it’s a complete timesaver.

In the Develop Module set your Navigator zoom ratio to 1:1. Next, press the PageDown button (mac users fn+down arrow).

You will notice that the navigator not only honors your zoom ratio as it scrolls down your image, it automatically sets itself back to the top of the image – precisely to the right of your previous vertical scroll path – booyah!

Page Downer technique in action

This gives me complete assurance I have scoured every single area of the image, while allowing me to maintain a tight zoom, and my focus on dust busting.

Here’s to obsessive image inspection!

Brandon Oelling

Hi there! I'm Brandon Oelling, the founder of XEQUALS. My team and I believe deep in our hearts that inside every one of us is an amazing photographer.