GIMP 3.0.6: Free image editor update paves the way to making ditching Adobe even easier
Previously, we covered the GIMP 3.0 launch announcement and all the myriad UI and compatibility improvements the new build of the free image editor would introduce. Since then, the GIMP team has been working towards version 3.2, which will again add some substantial changes to features like vector layers, link layers, the text tool, and plugins as well as polishing the UI.
With update 3.0.6, however, there are numerous bug fixes, quality of life updates, and even some tweaks that make using Photoshop brushes feel more cohesive.
One of the biggest features to be announced for GIMP 3.0 was the non-destructive editing workflow, and the non-destructive filters have been cleaned up to improve stability. This code clean-up matches the development and the stable code bases, meaning the latest improvements to the non-destructive filters from the 3.1.4 release have been backported to GIMP 3.0.6. There is also now clear messaging indicating which filters can and cannot be applied non-destructively. There are also performance improvements applied to the non-destructive filters.
The UI has also received some love, with the palette, brush, and font dockers now adopting the theme colours — a seemingly minor change that may go a long way towards making the UI more cohesive. Also on the topic of UI, clicking sliders in GIMP will now trigger a more accurate cursor, as opposed to the pointing hand that was introduced with the 3.0 update.
As of 3.0.6, GIMP will also automatically add transparency to a layer when using a feature that calls for it and regardless of the file type — although the file type limitations will still apply at export. This is another change that will hopefully make those features more intuitive to users, and less experienced users especially.
Some more revolutionary changes will be coming to GIMP, with CMYK colour management and printing being some of them, however many of the changes will also be background updates that will make the free image editor more stable and performant. The GIMP dev team is also working on making it easier to maintain and work on the GIMP codebase, which should also make it easier to reach feature-parity with far more well-funded products, like Photoshop.
You can download GIMP 3.0.6 from the official website, and it is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Source(s)
GIMP (1, 2, 3), @aka_reju on Mastodon
No comments for this article
