Gimp

Overview

GIMP is a cross-platform raster image editor that aims to provide functionality comparable to commercial software such as Adobe Photoshop while remaining completely free and open source. It supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, and adopts the GNU General Public License (GPL 3.0 or later). GIMP is suitable for a wide range of needs from beginners to professional users, and can be used for photo editing, digital painting, graphic design, and script automation.

• License: GPL 3.0 or later
• Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, compatible with x86, x86_64, ARM and other architectures

GIMP is driven by the community, relying on volunteer development, testing and documentation, supporting plug-ins and script extensions, and is flexible and customizable.

History and Development

GIMP's origins can be traced back to 1995, when it was developed by Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis at the eXperimental Computing Facility at the University of California, Berkeley as a semester project. Here is its development history:

• 1995-1996:
  • GIMP was originally named General Image Manipulation Program, and the first public version 0.54 was released in 1996, supporting only Unix systems (such as Linux, SGI IRIX).
  • The project developed GTK (GIMP ToolKit), which later became an independent GUI toolkit and was widely used in the GNOME desktop environment.
• 1997:
  • Richard Stallman suggested changing "General" to "GNU", and GIMP became part of the GNU project.
  • Ported to Windows (GIMP 1.1), expanding the user base.
• 2000s:
  • GIMP 2.0 (2004) introduced an improved interface and tools to enhance professional use.
  • GIMP 2.6 (2008) introduced GEGL (Generic Graphics Library), supporting high-bit depth color processing.
  • GIMP 2.8 (2012) optimizes single-window mode and improves user experience.
• 2010s:
  • GIMP 2.10 (2018) implements full GEGL integration, supports high bit depth (more than 12 bits) and OpenCL hardware acceleration.
  • The development team focuses on GIMP 3.0, with the goal of introducing non-destructive editing (NDE).
• 2020s:
  • GIMP 2.99.18 is released in 2024 as the final development version of GIMP 3.0, based on GTK 3, introducing non-destructive filters.
  • In March 2025, GIMP 3.0 is officially released, marking a major update in nearly 7 years, bringing non-destructive editing, improved interface and performance optimization.
  • The new version of Wilber icon (GIMP's mascot) is updated simultaneously.
• Community Contribution:
  • GIMP is maintained by a community of volunteers, accepting code, documentation, and translation contributions through GitLab.
  • Tutorials and plugins are written by the community under free licenses (such as CC0), and user participation is encouraged.

Main Features

GIMP provides rich image editing functions, and the following are its core features:

1. Painting Tools:
   • Provides brushes, pencils, airbrushes, clone tools, etc., and supports sub-pixel sampling for high-quality anti-aliasing.
   • Supports pressure and tilt-sensitive graphics tablets, as well as USB/MIDI controllers, allowing dynamic adjustment of brush size, angle, and transparency.
2. Selection and Transformation:
   • Advanced selection tools: rectangle, ellipse, free selection, fuzzy selection, Bezier curve, and scissor selection.
   • Supports path transformation, selection transformation, and Quickmask (create selections by drawing).
   • Transformation tools include rotation, scaling, shearing, and flipping, and support for perspective correction.
3. Layers and Channels:
   • Supports multiple layers and alpha channels for easy transparency management and complex compositing.
   • Layer masks and luminance masks support non-destructive editing (GIMP 3.0 enhancement).
4. Non-destructive Editing (GIMP 3.0):
   • GIMP 3.0 introduces non-destructive filters, allowing effects (such as blur, sharpen) to be edited or removed at any time after application without changing the original image.
   • High-bit depth color processing through GEGL, reducing data loss in color adjustments.
5. File Format Support:
   • Supports a variety of formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PSD, PDF, SVG, BMP, XPM, etc.
   • Native XCF format saves all GIMP image information and supports files over 4GB (since 2.9.6).
   • Supports compression formats such as ZIP, GZ, BZ2, etc. to save disk space.
6. Plugins and Script Extensions:
   • Supports Script-Fu (Scheme language), Python-Fu, Perl and Tcl scripts, allowing automation of tasks.
   • Rich plugin ecosystem, such as GIMP-ML (machine learning filters) and OpenVINO AI Plugins (supports NPU processing image generation).
   • The community provides a large number of plugins, brushes and scripts to enhance functions (such as simulating Illustrator).
7. Customizable interface:
   • Modular interface supports custom toolbars, themes, icon sizes and docked windows.
   • Full screen mode optimizes preview and editing experience.
   • Support Windows Ink (GIMP 2.10.38 improvement) to enhance the experience of Windows touch devices.
8. Advanced editing tools:
   • Repair tools (such as clone, heal) and perspective clone tools are suitable for photo retouching.
   • Sharpening (Unsharp Mask) and blur (Selective Gaussian Blur) tools support selective adjustments.
   • Curves, levels and exposure tools support precise color adjustments.
9. Performance optimization:
   • Tile-based memory management, image size is only limited by disk space.
   • Adjustable tile cache size to optimize performance.

Advantages and limitations

Advantages

• Free and open source:
  • Comply with the GPL license, transparent code, free to use, community-driven development and maintenance.
  • Support user-contributed plug-ins, tutorials and documents, and an active ecosystem.
• Cross-platform support:
  • Runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, and the code can be ported to other systems.
  • Supports a variety of hardware architectures, suitable for low-end to high-end devices.
• Powerful:
  • Provides professional-level editing tools comparable to Photoshop, suitable for photo retouching, design and painting.
  • Non-destructive editing (GIMP 3.0) and high bit depth support enhance professionalism.
• Extensibility:
  • Rich plug-in and script support, allowing automation and feature enhancements (such as AI filters).
  • Some functions of tools such as Illustrator can be simulated through plug-ins.
• Community support:
  • Provides rich tutorials (such as layer masks, color curves) and forum support.
  • Contextual help (F1 key) and official documentation.

Limitations

• Learning curve:
  • The interface and tools are not intuitive for novices, and they need to adapt to the different operation logic from Photoshop.
  • Advanced functions (such as scripts, plug-ins) require additional learning.
• Complex plug-in management:
  • A large number of plug-ins may cause software instability or crashes, especially when too many extensions are installed.
  • Plug-in installation and configuration may require manual operation, and lack of unified management.
• Insufficient interface modernization:
  • Although GIMP 3.0 has been upgraded to GTK 3, the interface is still not as smooth or intuitive as commercial software (such as Photoshop).
  • The multi-window mode may confuse new users.
• Professional field limitations:
  • Does not support CMYK color space, which limits its application in the printing industry.
  • Limited compatibility with the Adobe ecosystem (e.g., partial feature support for PSD files).
• Performance issues:
  • Large images or complex operations may be slow due to memory management, requiring manual optimization of tile cache.
  • Some AI plugins (e.g., OpenVINO) require specific hardware support.

Summary

GIMP is a powerful, free, open-source image editing software for photo retouching, digital painting, and graphic design. Its cross-platform support, rich toolset, and extensibility make it a powerful alternative to Adobe Photoshop. GIMP 3.0 (released in 2025) significantly improves professionalism and user experience by introducing non-destructive editing, high bit depth support, and a GTK 3 interface. Community-provided plugins, scripts, and tutorials further enhance its functionality, especially in the areas of digital art and AI-enhanced editing. However, GIMP's learning curve, interface complexity, and plugin management issues may pose a challenge to novices, and the lack of CMYK support also limits its application in the printing industry. GIMP is an ideal choice for individuals on a budget, students, or open source enthusiasts; for professional users, it can be combined with plug-ins and scripts to meet complex needs.