Google+ Lets Desktop Users Zoom and Pan Photos

The photo wars continue, as Google launched support late Tuesday for zooming and panning on photos viewed in Google+.

The feature, which only work on desktop, allows users to explore the intricacies of high-resolution photos shared on Google+. It follows an update at the close of 2012 that allows Google+ users with Android devices to automatically uploads their photos at their full size.

A small navigational window appears when users mouse over a photo they’ve selected from the Google+ stream, highlighting which area of the photo the user is currently viewing.

Google+, like Flickr, is evidently looking to compete for higher-quality shared photos, including those that users edit themselves using Lightbox or Photoshop, while Instagram and Twitter battle over snapshots with pre-fab filters applied.