Definition of zoom in

The term "zoom in" is commonly used in photography and video editing to describe the technique of magnifying a specific part of an image or video. The origins of this phrase can be traced back to the 1960s when the first zoom lenses were introduced in the film industry. A zoom lens allows the cinematographer to vary the focal length of a lens without physically changing it, creating the illusion of moving in or out of the scene. When a zoom lens is used to magnify a portion of an image, it is referred to as "zooming in." The term "zoom" comes from the sound that early zooms made, similar to the onomatopoeic word "zoom!" in the popular comic strip peanuts. As the lens expanded, a humming or "zooom" noise could be heard. The word "zoom" was popularized by the Hollywood studio pioneer, Fernand Nel besides being used to describe such lenses in still photography; by the early 1960s, "zoom" was a colloquial term in the film industry. As video technology became more advanced, "zoom in" became a commonly used terminology in video editing, where it refers to the technique of electronically enlarging a portion of a video frame to highlight specific details or windows or a person, using software, or hardware controls. In summary, the phrase "zoom in" has been widely adopted in photography, cinematography, and video editing as a simple and concise way to describe the technique of magnifying a portion of an image or video, originating from the sound produced by the operation of a zoom lens, a unique characteristic of the earliest zoom lenses.