GIMP 3.0 is a significant update for the popular open-source image editor. Now, you can try a near-final version, and possibly help discover bugs that need to be fixed.
This will be the first major update since GIMP 2.10 in 2018, and we’ve been waiting for it. The GIMP 3.0 update adds a new logo and splash screen, improvements to the Legacy icon theme, and updates to the user interface. The work on color management in GIMP 3.0 is focused on keeping accuracy and making sure that old project files, like XCR files from past versions, will render in GIMP 3.0. This also marks GIMP’s transition from GTK 2.x to 3.x, a whopping 13 years after GTK 3 was first released.
The team has also made changes to plug-ins for formats like BMP and TIFF, alongside adding new gradient options earlier. Also, many users will be happy to know the public API has been finalized, and plug-in developers can now begin porting their 2.10 scripts. The GIMP team plans to give more tutorials and porting guides during the release candidate phase.
The blog post mentions several design updates, like the ability to use the mouse scroll wheel to flip through dockable dialogue tabs. However, the overall interface looks really similar to previous versions, so there’s no need to worry about re-learning where every menu and button is located. The team has also announced a fiscal sponsorship agreement with the GNOME Foundation, which gives stable funding for developers interested in working on GIMP.
If the community tests GIMP 3.0 and only minor bugs are found, the GIMP team will release the final version. However, a second release candidate may be needed if major bugs or regressions are discovered. The GIMP team is particularly interested in finding bugs in the API, inconsistencies when reading or rendering existing XCF files, crashes, regressions, and proper migration of configuration from previous versions. While the team doesn’t have an exact release date for the final version, they aim to release it as soon as they are confident it is stable.
GIMP 3.0 release candidate 1 is available for download on the GIMP official website. The release is available for Linux, Windows, and macOS.
Source: GIMP
