We’re happy to present the first release of GIMP 3.2!
This marks a year of design, development, and testing from volunteers and our community.*
Here are some of the many highlights to look out for:
Link Layers
You can now use Link Layers to incorporate external image as part of your compositions, easily scaling, rotating, and transforming them without losing quality or sharpness. It functions similar to the “Linked Smart Object” concept from Photoshop. The Link Layer will automatically update if the external image is changed in another editor – for example, if you include a SVG logo as a Link Layer in GIMP, you can edit it in Inkscape and see the changes live in GIMP as well!
You can create a new Link Layer by choosing Open as Link Layer… in the File menu. You can change the image used at any time in the Layer Attributes dialog, which you can access by double-clicking the layer in the dock or by choosing Edit Layer Attributes… from the layer menu.
Vector Layers
The Path tool can now create Vector Layers, which lets you draw shapes with adjustable fill and stroke settings. The shape of the vector layer also automatically updates whenever you adjust the path, and you can non-destructively rotate, scale, and transform it too
PaintBrush improvements
The MyPaint Brush tool has been upgraded, adding 20 new brushes, including a much-requested arrow brush. It now automatically adjusts to your canvas zoom and rotation for more dynamic painting.
Better Text Editor
Our Text Editor has been the focus of several development projects to improve its usability and functionality. You can now drag the on-canvas text editor to move it out of the way when writing text. Several common shortcuts are now supported (such as Ctrl + B for bold, Ctrl + I for italics, and Shift + Ctrl + V for pasting unformatted text).
Non-Destructive Filter Updates
As well as working on new non-destructive layers (vector layers, link layers, and text layers), we’ve also been working on the non-destructive filters! You can now apply filters to channels non-destructively, in addition to layers and layer groups.
Overwrite Mode
A new Overwrite paint mode allows you to draw over existing colors without blending their transparency. It has many useful applications when working with pixel art
UX/UI improvements
This release includes a TON of small user interface and user experience improvements
New System color scheme
There is a new System color scheme for Default themes. If set, it will automatically update GIMP’s theme colors to match the current OS settings.
Automatic transparency
The Crop Tool and NDE filters now automatically add transparency to a layer when necessary, rather than requiring you to remember to do it manually.
Switch between tools easily
You can now quickly switch back and forth between your two most recent tools with the Shift + X shortcut
Welcome Dialog improvements
The Welcome Dialog has received improvements to help streamline user workflows.
It now recognizes the Ctrl + 0, 1, 2… 9 shortcuts for opening the most recent images.
It now recognizes your shortcuts to create a new image, or open an existing one (whether the respective default Ctrl + N or Ctrl + O, or your custom shortcuts)
It no longer appears if you intentionally open GIMP with an image
Flip images with your keyboard
The Flip and Shear Tools now respond to the arrow keys, similar to the Move and Rotate Tools.
Flip Tool: You can use the Left and Right arrows to flip the image horizontally, and the Up and Down arrows to flip it vertically.
Shear Tool: You can use the Left and Right arrows to shear your image horizontally, and the Up and Down arrows to do the same vertically. Like the Move tool, you can hold down Shift to shear with a larger value.
For Script and Plug-in Developers
GIMP 3.0 brought non-destructive filters and a new GimpDrawableFilter API for script developers to create them. However, it was not always easy to find the names and properties for the extensive list of potential filters, especially for third-party GEGL filters.
A new GEGL Filter browser has been added to make it easier to find non-destructive filters to use.
New formats
GIMP 3.2 includes built-in support for even more file formats! These range from well-known formats like APNGs to obsolete archival formats such as Seattle FilmWorks photos, supporting your quest of old data retrieval. For retro game developers, we now support Sony PlayStation TIM and Sega Dreamcast PVR textures.
We also added export support for JPEG 2000 images, which is the standard for the digital cinema industry. This now matches our import support, which we’ve had since GIMP 2.8
In addition to our existing darktable and RawTherapee plug-ins, we’ve added support for using ART for editing Camera RAW images.
As a side effect of adding support for NASA‘s .hgt.zip image format, GIMP can now load compressed images from any format that we currently support.
Total Ink Coverage value
You can now see the Total Ink Coverage value for a color in the CMYK Color Selector. This is useful to know when soft-proofing your image for printing, as your printer may have an ink coverage limit to prevent over-saturation of the page.
https://www.gimp.org/release-notes/gimp-3.2.html#usability-improvements
This release is a GAME CHANGER!! Nothing will ever be the same. Adobe just got punched right in the face.
You can support Gimp
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If you’re a developer, we always welcome more code contributions – we’ve even marked some reports for “Newcomers” to help you ease into the codebase.
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We’re looking for more feedback from designers to help create a better user experience.
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You may also donate to support the existing team members.
Thank you SO MUCH to developers, designers, translators, testers, donors and all members of our community 👏🏼👏🏼.
Still no shape tool /j
The long awaited shape tool is coming up next. So the next GIMP version is shaping up to be a great release. This reply is in no shape or form a word play. :>
Still doesn’t properly display HDR images for me, but I suppose this is a pain point for most photo software.
They can add all the features they want, but it won’t be usable until they fix their damn UX/UI.
After working for ~30 years with adobe software, when I switched to Linux I learned inkscape in no time. Same happened with Affinity Studio. Both are great, intuitive.
Gimp’s is just a hot mess
Disclaimer:
I’ve never used Adobe’s photoshop.What’s wrong with GIMP UI/UX? I’ve used it for small stuff and it did the job. It was… fine? No complains.
So a genuine question: what’s wrong with it for someone who uses these programs more in depth?
This work for you?
I wouldn’t call this a “face-punch” to adobe, but GIMP is one of those softwares that just keeps getting better with every update no matter what
they finally fixed their awful text editor!
Yes, that’s not even a slap. It’s a gentle caress on the cheek.
well the affinity pro release sure seemed like a solid punch.
Affinity gets shit for not being open source, but Heck! it’s really a pro suite, and free, what are you complaining about!
I like the workflow and UI way better than Adobe’s, and the feel is like driving a Miata on a mountain road, insted of Adobe’s coaler pickup.
What was wrong with the text editor?
If they really want to punch Adobe in the face they need to give GIMP’s UI the Blender treatment.
If you need a different GIMP UI, PhotoGIMP is a patch that may make it more useable for you.
There’s two screenshots. One is just promotional art.
The other one doesn’t look much different to me than the single window mode Gimp introduced some time back.
Why aren’t there any side by side screenshots pointing out what is different?
I think it is great that people made the effort for this, but like almost all github projects they really lack a good showcase of what they have.
This video gives the install overview, plus does a good comparision of stock and PhotoGIMP.
Wow, never knew this existed. I usually don’t use gimp all that much compared to inkscape - so I’m not sure if it’s worth the trouble…but this is very nice. I honestly don’t know what they wouldn’t pull these settings into the default gimp, even if only as an alternative skin option you can select.
The major drawback of gimp for many people is the interface, I think. That’s why blender has really taken off since it’s UI/UX update.
It wasn’t until a couple years ago that GIMP finally made single window mode the default. They are irrationally against fixing their UI.
No they are just severely limited by dev time (and even more by a lack of UI designers). They have less than a thousandth of Adobe’s resources. Why don’t you help improve it?
Why not merge or give the option to install PhotoGIMP during installation?
PhotoGIMP doesn’t fundamentally improve anything. It just rearranges the tools and keyboard shortcuts to copy Photoshop.
Personally I tried it and hated it, cause I’m used to the GIMP layout and never used Photoshop.
And the purpose of GIMP isn’t and never was to just be a copy of Photoshop.
Trying to turn it into one will attract lawsuits.
Thanks friend! I remember GimpShop from back in the day, glad to see something else has picked up the torch.
at minimum it would be nice if they just looked at the spacing and organization of the different palettes. This does not look tidy… or professional, really. It looks cramped and messy.
I might be dumb, but… it looks fine. I didn’t really have other expectations besided it being functional and it functioned.
It worked for my small “projects” and I didn’t have problems finding different features.
Half the elements are sharp, half are blurry. Icons look different sizes. Random amounts of spacing between elements. This is the UI of a piece of graphic editing software too…cmon guys.
From my experience Gimp also has issues when one of the screens connected to the pc has fractional scaling. It just makes the UI look like shit on all screens for some reason.
gimp qt/imgui port when
Spirituality it’s probably krita. Though they have different focuses in mind. Krita is very much more oriented to painting etc.
I’d use krita if there was a “editing” toggle that switches it to a GIMP-like interface, since I never really do digital art
I do have friends that love krita, though
Krita has some features I wish gimp had and vice versa. And I absolutely do use krita for editing sometimes. At this point 30 years of familiarity with gimp gets in it’s way a bit. But I’m glad we have both.
Though if GIMP ever switched to QT that would be nuts. Once the reason and naming influence for the GTK behind GNOME. Now an almost secondary and separate concern left so far behind the rest of the suite. Gtk 5 is in planning and gimp just managed to get to 3 after a decade of hard work and planning. Though a lot of that was back end code. Not really UI or elements of. I’ve only dabbled a bit in GTK and QT over the years. I’m not sure if there would be much reason to switch toolkits. Though easy effects did.
If they really want to punch Adobe in the face they’d change their name to something not related to sexual kinks.
Huh?
Maybe BDSM? Bundled Digital Scalable Media-editor
A bite in the ankle, but still damaging. Go GIMP!
Nothing says “gratuitous overstatements” quite like marketing copy.
I am excited about new GIMP and somehow still exhausted with current GIMP
OP… It’s a software release. Stop with this unnecessary tribalism bullshit
I’m not for “tribalism” if it’s related to a specific piece of software vs. another. But I definitely am on the side of open source vs. a garbage subscription based model of closed source software.
I find the vibe unnecessary as well, but I think it’s more than tribalism, the stake here is freeing generic image editing from the capital
Do you tell people at the bar to calm the fuck down when the hockey game is on?
Hockey is full of chuds; you won’t find me anywhere close to a sports bar.
lmfao had no idea lemmys supported bigotry so much
So you don’t tell them to calm down, you just stay away. Hm.
Oh you must be FUN at parties, just try Gimp it’s awesome
I have no idea what almost any of that means but I assume professional graphics designers will. And go gimp! I still struggle with understanding how to do things whenever I need to do something new but I absolutely and exclusively use gimp for image editing. I am forever grateful for such a great tool.
PS: please don’t accept slop contributions ever
as a media professional i can tell you that the non destructive editing features are huge. that used to be the first thing I’d point out as a specific reason i didn’t use gimp.
the ui/ux is still the biggest problem, but honestly THIS was a big part of the issue. how tedious is was to make itterarive adjustments.
may the kindly lords of foss save you if you did work for a client and they wanted you to change something minor. if you did it all destructivly in gimp, you basically just had to start over. now you can organize by linked layers and vector layers to create layer masks and adjustment layers. it’s most useful for photo manipulations and composites, but I’m sure most advanced users will find it solves something for them regardless of what they make.
this isn’t enough to get me to switch, but it’s a great step in a good direction. I’ll always be supportive of that.
Is this version gonna be in the Ubuntu repos?
I use GIMP nearly daily for drawing with my tablet. Overall, it’s adequate, though I agree with a few other comments that the name is terrible. “PhotoShop” is partially popular because it has a (somewhat) descriptive name. “Inkscape” is far better than GIMP.
If it were my call, I’d just go with something simple and descriptive, like “Linux Image Studio” or, like, “GNU Image Studio,” if GNU’s gotta go in there. IMHO, it’s best to not over-think it, tho someone clearly took that approach to get here.
Well, this version is going to be in the Ubuntu repos eventually, but might take a while. Ubuntu 26.04 is already in feature-freeze, so it’ll be in 26.10 at the earliest (or 28.04, if you follow the LTS releases).
I guess, it would probably also show up in the “backports” repo before that, if you enable that, but might be easiest to use the Flatpak or AppImage instead…
Gotcha. Thank you.
Photoshop is not popular because of its name. It’s popular because it’s very powerful and was one of the first on the market. I’m sure there were a lot of anti competitive moves over the years also. But it’s not due to the name.
I fully believe that, but the name is simple and straightforward, as well, which I expect is worth a lot.
If the point is the GIMP’s name hurts it and Photoshop’s does not, I can fully agree to that.
Linux Image Studio
It runs on other platforms too right?
You mean Debian repos. And yes
Damn, that sounds great! Hard to believe we’re already at 3.2, it felt like I was waiting for 3.0 for a decade!
nice
wake me up when they realize naming their software after an ableist slur is not a good idea
edit: also wake me up when lemmy users stop being reactionary fossbros… i fear gnu imp will be on version 6 before that happens tho
I thought Gimp was a kink thing.
It means a person who has a disability affecting their gait, or making them otherwise unable to locomote, but acting like it’s the namesake is ridiculous and takes away from the credibility of people fighting the reactionary movements in software development, which are much deeper than clunky acronyms. Demanding rebranding from projects fighting for relevance isn’t helping anything.
The kink people, if they are still doing that, can come up with a new term for it. How about “restraintcel” see that was fun
GNU Image Manipulation Program
Yes, but they’d be well served to just call it GIM and not have it come up every time.
Anyone that gets upset by an innocent acronym needs to grow the fuck up. It’s not malicious and it’s accurate to the name.
TIL: Graphics Image Manipulation Program is an ableist slur
