Twitter photos

Now when users click photos on Twitter, a new window will appear. Previously, users had to wait for a new page to load before the could see the picture in full size. (Twitter)

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The days of twiddling your thumbs waiting for Twitter pictures to load on a new page may finally be over.

The San Francisco-based social network has announced that now when users click on pictures to expand them, they will appear in a new window above the rest of Twitter's content.

That's good news for heavy Twitter users because it helps save time previously spent waiting on a new page to load before content finally appeared -- which sometimes could be quite a while.

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The new photo viewer is a lot like the one used by Facebook in that it simply and quickly pops out front and center while the rest of the website goes dark so users can focus on the photo they are viewing.

Users can also click arrows on the sides of each image or use their keyboard to scroll between photos without leaving the pop-out window.

Anyone who wants to see photos the old way and be taken to a new page, can right-click the image or its URL and select "Open link in new tab."

Additionally, Twitter has announced that it will also now display videos users tweet in those pop-up windows as well. The addition of videos to Twitter's so-called Media Galleries makes it easier for users to view content they and others have tweeted.

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