Orbit: Pixel Inspector

Orbit is a pixel inspector that lives around your pointer.

Move the mouse and a small cluster of chips follows it. Together they show you exactly what is on screen at the true device-pixel resolution of your Retina display. There's nothing to click, nothing to capture and nothing to paste. Just point.

THE LOUPE • A live, magnified view of the real pixels under the pointer. No smoothing, no guessing. • The centre pixel is outlined so you always know which one you're reading. • Turn on a pixel grid to count pixels and check alignment. • Zoom from a wide 99 × 99 pixel view right down to 7 × 7.

COLOUR • The exact sRGB colour of the pixel under the pointer, as hex (#1E90FF) and RGB (30 144 255). • The chip fills with that colour, so you can compare shades at a glance.

RULER • Measures how far the colour under the pointer runs horizontally and vertically, in device pixels. • Instantly check the thickness of a line, the height of a divider or the width of a gap.

PIXEL-PERFECT CONTROL • Step the inspected pixel one device pixel at a time with the arrow keys. That's finer than the pointer itself can move on a Retina display. • Or move the pointer one point at a time.

DESIGNED TO STAY OUT OF THE WAY • The chips glide after the pointer on a gentle spring and reposition themselves near the edges of the screen. • Works across all your displays. • Show or hide Orbit from anywhere with one shortcut, which you can change in Settings. It spirals in and out of view. Clicking Orbit in the Dock brings it back too. • Resize the chips to suit your display.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Every shortcut uses ⌃⌥⌘, and adding ⇧ gives the alternative. Show or hide works everywhere; the others work while Orbit is showing. • ⌃⌥⌘Space: Show or hide Orbit (change it in Orbit › Settings) • ⌃⌥⌘G: Pixel grid on or off • ⌃⌥⌘H: Show the shortcuts overlay • ⌃⌥⌘+ / ⌃⌥⌘−: Zoom the loupe in or out • ⇧⌃⌥⌘+ / ⇧⌃⌥⌘−: Make the chips larger or smaller • ⌃⌥⌘0: Reset size and zoom • ⌃⌥⌘ Arrow keys: Move the inspected pixel by one device pixel • ⇧⌃⌥⌘ Arrow keys: Move the pointer by one point • ⌃⌥⌘Q: Quit Orbit All of these are also in the menus.

PERFECT FOR • Designers checking colours, spacing and alignment in real apps • Developers verifying layouts pixel by pixel • QA and accessibility reviewers checking contrast and sizing • Anyone who has ever wondered "what colour is that?"

PRIVATE BY DESIGN Orbit reads screen pixels only to show them to you, live. Nothing is recorded, saved or sent anywhere, and Orbit never connects to the internet. The only permission it needs is Screen Recording, so it can see the pixels.

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