The GIMP Team has unveiled a major landmark release of its powerful open-source image editing tool. GIMP 3.0 is now available for Windows, Linux and macOS, and offers some major new features, an updated user interface based on GTK3 and the promise of usability improvements.
GIMP opens with a completely updated GUI library, which is now based on GTK3. In addition to under-the-hood improvements, users should find the user interface now scales much better on HiDPI screens, while there’s also improved tablet support as well as native Wayland support in Linux.
The most notable new feature is support for non-destructive filters. This means that filter effects are no longer automatically merged into layers, leaving them active and editable via the Filters menu at any time. Filters are also stored in this active state when images are saved in GIMP’s native XCF format, ensuring they can be tweaked at a later time or date too.
Users also gain the ability to search directly for filters using the / keyboard shortcut – the search also encompasses third-party filters.
Elsewhere, GIMP now offers more extensive support for RGB colour spaces beyond sRGB, such as those offered by third-party profiles. This groundwork should eventually see support for CMYK and LAB image colour modes. There’s also a new optional Welcome dialog offering quick access to key tools, previously opened files and settings.
The release also promises multiple usability improvements, most based on user requests. Notable highlights include support for selecting multiple layers, channels and paths along with a new layer set feature, off-canvas editing (with paint tools able to automatically expand a layer’s width and height when required), and various improvements to the user interface, workflow and shortcuts. Full details on these and other changes can be found in the program’s detailed release notes.
GIMP 3.0 is available now as a free open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux.
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