RMD Focal Zoom Point

WordPress plugin that stores a focal point and a zoom factor on every image. Wherever a theme crops an image (wide banner, square card, round portrait), the important part stays in view. Built by reichelt media.design.

Features

• Set it once on the image. A "Focal point & zoom" field in the media library: click the important part or drag the dot, set the zoom, check previews of typical crops.
• Or right where the image is used. A panel in the block editor sidebar for image blocks and blocks your theme registers. Changes are saved to the image; the switch "Adjust for this block only" keeps different values for one place.
• Zoom enlarges the image around the focal point and keeps it as close to the middle as the edges allow. It also lets you move the focus sideways in a tall image shown in a square or circle, where the focal point alone has no room.
• Works with any theme for cropped <img> elements (object-fit: cover): content images, wp_get_attachment_image(), featured images, core image blocks with an aspect ratio or the "Rounded" style. Images that are not cropped look exactly as before.
• Live preview in the block editor canvas.
• Cover block: when you choose an image, its focal point is copied into the cover block's own focal point.
• Theme API for background images, own templates and own blocks; see the theme integration guide.
• Automatic updates from GitHub releases.

Requirements

WordPress 6.8 or newer, PHP 8.1 or newer.

Installation

1. Download rmd-focal-zoom-point.zip from the latest release. Do not use the “Source code” downloads – they lack the built editor script, translations and the update library.
2. In WordPress go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the zip and activate it.
3. Open an image in the media library and use the field Focal point & zoom.

Later releases are offered under Dashboard → Updates like any other plugin.

Usage

Media → Focal Point & Zoom explains the plugin to editors and shows the theme integration guide for developers.

For theme developers

What works automatically, and what a theme has to do for zoom on its own containers, background images and own blocks, is described in docs/theme-integration.md. The guide is also shipped with the plugin and shown in the admin under Media → Focal Point & Zoom.

The short version:

// Background image: custom properties for the style attribute.
$style .= function_exists( 'rmd_fzp_style' ) ? rmd_fzp_style( $image_id ) : '';

// Own blocks: panel and per-block override.
add_filter( 'rmd_fzp_blocks', fn( $blocks ) => $blocks + [ 'mytheme/hero' => 'imageId' ] );

.hero { background-position: var(--rmd-fzp-pos, center); }

<!-- Zoom in own templates: mark the clipping container. -->
<div class="card__image rmd-fzp-frame"><img …></div>

Privacy

The plugin stores no personal data and makes no external requests, except for checking GitHub for plugin updates from the WordPress admin.

Uninstalling

Focal points and zoom values stay on the images (post meta _rmd_fzp). They are part of your content, and reinstalling the plugin brings them back.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later. Uses plugin-update-checker (MIT).