dezoomify.ophir.dev

What is Dezoomify?

Dezoomify is a free, browser-based tool for downloading zoomable images — the kind of high-resolution pictures you normally view through a pan-and-zoom viewer on museum, library, archive or map websites. You paste in the URL of such an image, and Dezoomify fetches the underlying tiles and reassembles them at maximum resolution. You then right-click the result and save it as a PNG.

Dezoomify

What it actually does

Many sites don't serve a single big JPEG. Instead they use formats like Zoomify, Deep Zoom, IIIF or IIPImage, which split an image into many small tiles that load as you zoom. Dezoomify reads the tile structure and stitches the pieces back into one full-resolution file. The page states that the image is downloaded at maximal resolution and can be saved as a PNG.

Who it's for

• Researchers and students who need a high-resolution copy of a digitised artwork, manuscript or map for study.
• Designers and editors checking fine detail in a public-domain image.
• Anyone who wants offline access to an image that only exists inside a zoom viewer.

How to use it

1. Open the Dezoomify page.
2. Paste the image URL into the text field.
3. Wait for it to assemble, then right-click and save as PNG.

If the URL doesn't work, the site suggests installing the Dezoomify browser extension, which can locate the address of a zoomable image automatically on pages you visit. A beta version of the next Dezoomify is also offered for testing.

Trade-offs and things to know

• It needs JavaScript — the tool won't run without it.
• Extremely large images may not display in your browser; the site links to advice for handling those.
• Legal responsibility is yours. The developers explicitly decline responsibility for illegal use, so check the source site's terms and the image's copyright status before downloading.
• Support is community-driven. There's a GitHub bug tracker where you can search existing issues, report bugs or request support for a specific site. The developer notes limited time and offers paid personalised support separately.

A practical next step

If a straightforward paste fails, don't give up immediately. Search the GitHub issue tracker for the site you're trying to download from — someone may have already posted the working URL pattern. As a fallback, open your browser's DOM inspector, search the page source for zoomifyImagePath, and paste that path directly into the form.

How do I download a zoomable image from a website using Dezoomify?

Paste the URL of the zoomable image into Dezoomify's text field and let it fetch the tiles at maximum resolution. When the image appears, right-click it and choose "Save As" to store it as a PNG on your computer. That is the whole workflow: no account, no install required for the basic web version.

Getting the right URL

The hard part is usually not Dezoomify itself but finding the address it needs. The tool expects the URL of the zoomable image, not the page you are viewing. If you paste a normal gallery page and nothing happens, Dezoomify simply could not find a zoomable image there.

Three practical approaches:

• Use the browser extension. Dezoomify offers an extension that detects the address of dezoomable images automatically on pages you visit. This is the easiest route if you do not want to read page source.
• Find the path manually. Search the page source for zoomifyImagePath using your browser's DOM inspector and paste that path into the form.
• Try the page URL first anyway. Some sites expose the image directly enough that the plain address works.

When it fails

If you get an error, it almost always means no zoomable image was found at that address, not that the software is broken. Check the FAQ before assuming a bug. For very large images that refuse to display in the browser, Dezoomify's own guidance for large images is worth reading.

Dezoomify also has a GitHub bug tracker. Searching existing issues is often faster than posting, because someone may already have documented how to download from your particular site. The developer notes limited time for adding new site support, so a specific, polite report in English with technical details has a better chance of helping. Paid personalized support is mentioned as an option if you need it.

A realistic scenario

Say you are researching a museum object and the institution's viewer only lets you zoom a few levels. You open the page, run the extension or grab the zoomifyImagePath from the inspector, paste it into Dezoomify, and save the full-resolution PNG. You now have a file you can inspect closely or cite. Note the developer's own warning: illegal use of the software is your responsibility, so check the site's terms and any copyright before redistributing what you download.

For a related open-source option, GitHub hosts the project's source and issue tracker, and the beta version is available for testing if you want to try newer behavior.

Why does Dezoomify say it couldn't find a zoomable image at the address I gave?

Dezoomify expects a direct link to a zoomable image tile set — the kind of address used by Zoomify, Deep Zoom, or similar viewers — not the ordinary page URL you see in your browser's address bar. If you paste the human-facing page (for example, a museum object page showing a viewer embedded in it), Dezoomify has nothing to fetch, so it reports that it couldn't find a zoomable image at that address.

What usually causes this

• You gave the page URL, not the image path. The viewer's real data lives at a separate path, often containing something like zoomifyImagePath or a .dzi/tile-directory reference, which is loaded by the page's scripts.
• The image isn't actually zoomable. A plain JPEG or a gallery lightbox is not a tile pyramid, so there's nothing to dezoomify.
• The site loads tiles dynamically or behind a login. If the tiles are fetched only after interaction, or require a session, a bare URL may not resolve.
• The viewer uses an unsupported format. Dezoomify supports several common zooming systems, but not every custom viewer.

A practical next step

Open your browser's DOM inspector on the page with the viewer, search the source for zoomifyImagePath (or similar tile-path variables), and paste that extracted path into Dezoomify instead of the page URL. The tool's own FAQ and its browser extension are designed for exactly this: the extension finds the dezoomable address automatically as you browse.

If it still fails, check whether the image is extremely large — very big images sometimes don't render in the browser even after a successful download, and there are separate tips for that case. For site-specific problems, the project's GitHub bug tracker is where users report which sites work and which don't; searching existing issues is often faster than filing a new one.

A quick rule of thumb: if you can't find a tile path or a zoom-viewer variable in the page source, the site probably isn't serving a format Dezoomify can read, and the page URL alone will keep producing the same error.

How can I find the zoomifyImagePath in a webpage's source code?

Search the page's source for the string zoomifyImagePath. That variable holds the base path Dezoomify needs; paste its value into the URL field on Dezoomify.

Steps to locate it

1. Open the page containing the Zoomify viewer.
2. Open your browser's DOM inspector / developer tools (usually F12 or right-click → Inspect).
3. Search the HTML source for zoomifyImagePath (Ctrl+F in the inspector's Elements panel, or search the page source).
4. Copy the URL value assigned to it — it typically ends with a folder path and a trailing slash, e.g. http://images.famsf.org/Zoom/7822312331480020/.
5. Paste that path into Dezoomify's text field and start the download.

Why the path matters

The viewer loads image tiles from that base directory. Dezoomify reads the tile structure from it and reassembles the full-resolution image, which you can then right-click and save as a PNG.

If you can't find it

The variable may be named differently or built dynamically by JavaScript. In that case, use the Dezoomify browser extension, which locates zoomable image addresses automatically as you browse. The project's FAQ covers other failure cases.

Practical scenario

A researcher wants a high-resolution scan from a museum's online viewer. The visible page only shows a small tile, but the source contains the Zoomify path; pasting it into Dezoomify yields the maximum-resolution file for citation or study. Check the site's terms before downloading or redistributing.

What should I do if my downloaded image is too large to display in my browser?

Use Dezoomify's advice for large images rather than trying to force the browser to render the full-resolution PNG. Dezoomify downloads at maximal resolution, so a very large result can exceed what a browser will comfortably display even though the file itself is fine.

What to do instead

• Save the PNG first: right-click the image and choose "Save As." The download is the goal; on-screen display is optional.
• Open the saved file in a desktop image viewer or image editor, which usually handles large images better than a browser tab.
• If you only need a smaller version for sharing or web use, downscale a copy and keep the full-resolution original.

If the download itself fails That is a different problem from a display problem. Check the FAQ, and if the image is in a supported format but does not open correctly, report it on the GitHub bug tracker with the technical details requested. If Dezoomify cannot find a zoomable image at the URL, the browser extension can locate the address automatically on pages you visit. For sites needing new support, the developer notes that paid personalized support is available.

Decision guide

Next step: save the file, then try opening it in an image editor such as GIMP or your system's default photo viewer. If you want to know whether a specific site is supported before trying, search the GitHub issue tracker for that site first.

Is Dezoomify legal to use, and what are the restrictions?

Dezoomify is a tool, not a permission slip. Its own page states plainly that it declines responsibility for illegal use, which tells you the legality depends entirely on what you download and what you do with it — not on the software itself.

Where the real restrictions sit

• Copyright and licence of the image. Zoomable viewers are often used by museums, libraries, archives and map collections. Some of that material is public domain or openly licensed; much of it is not. Downloading a high-resolution copy does not change the rights attached to it.
• Terms of service of the host site. A site may permit viewing but prohibit bulk downloading or circumvention of its viewer. Breaking those terms is a contractual matter, separate from copyright.
• Personal study vs. republication. Saving a copy for private reference is a different act from reposting it, printing it, or using it commercially. The second set of uses is where most problems arise.
• Attribution and licence conditions. Even openly licensed images usually carry conditions — credit lines, share-alike, no derivatives. Check the individual item page, not just the collection.

A practical decision path

1. Identify the source institution and find the item's rights statement.
2. If it says public domain or CC0, you are broadly free to reuse.
3. If it says "no known copyright restrictions," treat that as the institution's assessment, not a legal guarantee.
4. If it says nothing, assume all rights reserved and limit yourself to private viewing.
5. For maps, newspapers and manuscripts, check whether a national library or archive offers the same scan directly — Library of Congress and Europeana both publish rights labels alongside their images, which removes the guesswork.

Whose observation is this? The developer's own note about responsibility is a disclaimer, not legal advice, and it is worth reading as exactly that. My practical reading: the tool is neutral, the risk is in the reuse.

A concrete scenario. A researcher wants a high-resolution detail of a 17th-century map for a thesis figure. The archive's viewer blocks right-click saving. Using Dezoomify to obtain the file is likely fine if the archive marks the map public domain and the thesis credits the archive; the same download becomes risky if the archive claims rights and the researcher later licenses the figure to a publisher.

Next step. Before downloading, note the item's rights line and the date you checked it. That single habit answers most legality questions later.