The GIMP team has been hard at work for the past three years perfecting the next-generation of its image manipulation program – time well spent.
GIMP 2.8 has got kick-ass features such as a long awaited single window mode, full on-canvas text editing capabilites, layer groups and much more.
Long awaited indeed. Single window mode makes using the GIMP so much smoother and really helps out when working with multiple images. In previous versions, having more than one image open meant having at least four windows on your desktop; each file gets its own window, obviously.
Now that you can work in more of a smoother full-screen environment, the GIMP makes completely abandoning Photo Shop easier than ever.
Single window mode is optional, of course – so there’s no need to worry if you’re a fan of that classic GIMP feel.
The open window navigation is tab-based now, as opposed to filling up your start bar or dock with a ton of windows for each image, which really helps to boost productivity and improve the whole editing experience.
Another major plus for this new version of the GIMP is its ability to work with text directly on the canvas. Before, you had to go back and forth between that annoying text box and your actual text while changing position, font, size etc. – but now you just type directly on the image. What’s more, you no longer need to add a new layer for each character or word you want to manipulate within one selection of text – just highlight the letter.
Other changes include a slew of new brushes and outlines, extended paint dynamics, revamped file export options and loads more. I couldn’t possibly get into every new feature in one blog post – so make sure to head over to GIMPusers.com and check out the full list of features included in the GIMP 2.8.
May 4th, 2012 at 3:05 PM
My biggest problem with Gimp as a photographer has always been its inability to work with RAW images. From the looks of it, they are working on this issue but its still not perfected. Once that happens, Photoshop will have some serious competition.
May 4th, 2012 at 3:26 PM
I don’t know a whole lot about photography, but according to this post, it looks like there might be a way to work with RAW images in GIMP. http://digital-photography-school.com/opening-raw-images-in-gimp-with-ufraw-for-windows-the-basics
There’s a plugin called UFRaw, which is supposed to be included in the Mac builds. Again though, I have no idea what I’m talking about with the RAW format – I just found the link. :p