GIMP Still Has Many Lofty Features To Develop

For those that may have extra time this holiday season to devote to open-source tasks, the GIMP graphics program still has many features they're after and aren't yet up to their v2.10 release.

The highest priority feature that GIMP developers are still after is support for layer masks on layer groups, which dates back to a bug from 2001.

Some of the other high priority features the open-source graphics program developers are after that are currently a work-in-progress include cleaning up the GIMP library (libgimp), porting from GTK2 to GTK3 (there's still GIMP's gtk3-port branch), and high bit-depths.

Additional priority features are support for filter layers, script recording and playback, smart objects, layer effects, a unified transform tool, and better support for image metadata.

The features being hoped for in GIMP 2.10 -- the next major release -- include OpenCL support in GEGL, high bit-depths, seamless cloning, the unified transform tool, unified configuration path across platforms, auto-anchoring of floating selection, and the improved image meta-data support. GIMP 3.0 will come when the GTK3+ port is complete.

For those wanting to look at the feature road-map for GIMP either out of interest for this popular, multi-platform, open-source graphics program or are wanting to possible contribute to the project, check out the GIMP.org Wiki. Other ways to help out GIMP are also mentioned on the project web-site.