A method and apparatus for viewing digital images is provided. A digital image may be viewed using a digital image system that employs a virtual loupe. A virtual loupe comprises a lens region and a target region. A user may position the target region over a portion of a screen, which may correspond to a digital image, to cause a depiction of visual information associated with the portion of the screen identified by target region to be displayed in the lens region. The user can configure the virtual loupe to display visual information in the lens region at different levels of magnification. The lens may automatically move and change in orientation with respect to the target region as the target region moves on the display to ensure that the display of the lens region on the display is always unobscured.