GIMP 3.0 Enters String Freeze, Inching Closer To Release

[ZenoArrow]

To those that doubted that GIMP isn't looking for ways to fund full-time developers, all it would have taken to disprove this would be to look on the crowdfunding campaigns listed on the GIMP website:

https://www.gimp.org/donating/

Neither of those crowdfunders has reached the level that would support a full time developer, but it's clearly not something that the GIMP team is discouraging.

There's also this blog post on the GIMP website:

https://www.gimp.org/news/2021/07/27/support-gimp-developers-sustainable-development/

This blog post has the following statement:

What these donations through GNOME still cannot do is funding paid development, so if that’s what you want, please fund the developers directly as explained above. GIMP project obviously welcomes the 2 types of donation, for community needs through GNOME and for paid development through the 2 crowdfundings listed.

All this took to discover was a couple of minutes of searching online, much more efficient than arguing about it for multiple comments.

[L_A_G]

Really god? You've got GIMP 3.0 entering feature freeze and Half-Life 3 rumors going around at the same time? If you're going to start throwing hints that the rapture is coming you could be at least a little subtle. Stuff like it raining blood and not something as in-your-face as this...

[billyswong]

You- The 3 in GIMP3 is indeed part about porting to GTK3 and part about porting to Python3. Also a lot of new features and old cleanups.

The problem of "GTK4" is *not* FUD, at least not "all of it". For if/when GIMP port to GTK4, there will be a loss of subpixel AA in UI text for people who prefer subpixel AA.

Libadwaita, while prevalent in GNOME4+ ecosystem, is not 100% necessary for GTK4. We may label the problem as "GTK4-era software" instead as most other issues are caused by Libadwaita.

[You-]

It is surprising how much from the first days of the release of gtk4 has still stuck around on these forums (and elsewhere). All of it was FUD and not based on technical merits.

Gimp WILL benefit when it moves to gtk4. Including improved cross platform support - the MacOS developers involved wanted this to happen faster as they wanted to use the updated support, but they will have to wait.

With the next releases of gtk4 there will also be a credible HDR story that photo editors like the GIMP will benefit from.

Finally, the jump to gtk will be easier than the gimp 3 releases - the initial port to gtk3 was ready around 7-8 years ago, but that was not enough. They then also ported to "modern gtk3" API and then also had to redo all the extension work to get rid of python 2 and other deprecated dependencies. Gimp 3 didnt port to just gtk3 but cleaned up 2 decades of cruft and added features like space invasion and even an initial implementation of non destructive editing. It is a HUGE release.

[Anux]

Support for higher-precision pixel formats and colour management.

Yes HDR is my most wished for feature in GIMP, but does it need GTK support for that? You need a server (X or wayland) and a compositor that supports the color spaces and handles blending of different color spaces and then a simple vulkan instance to display the image. In my current understanding, GTK could be totally unaware that something outside of srgb 8 bit is even happening.

[MrCooper]

I'm not sure why so many are eager to get GTK 4, is there something that would benefit Gimp?

Support for higher-precision pixel formats and colour management.

[diegodamohill]

Who will arrive faster? Gimp 3 or Half Life 3?

You joke, but between GIMP 2.9 and 3.0 Valve literally made a Half Life game

[RomanAverin]

Nice, then GIMP 4 development will start and get released when GTK 6 is released

I don't think our contemporaries will live to see this event. 🤭

[royce]

That's not the point. They simply don't want to add full time developers even if that was possible. As I said, it's not about not having resources but rather about lack of any interest in doing it. And I think it's bad for Gimp's users becasue taking a decade to implement this feature is insane.

What do you mean by "they"? And who's going to pay for full-time developer salaries? Do you think there's some sort of magical GIMP company that owns a magic money tree and chooses to spend their resources on something else?

[Anux]

It's fine, all the sane Gimp users are now Krita users instead.

Not sure what this has got to do with sanity? One should use the right tool for their job and that might be krita or gimp depending on what you want to do.