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Gimp 2.0 Pre 2 Released
Paul Kucher writes "A second preview of GIMP 2.0 has been released. From gimp.org:
"Lots of bugs have been fixed since the last release and you are encouraged to try the new pre-release. It is now available from ftp.gimp.org or from one of the mirrors. Plug-in authors, please consider to port your GIMP plug-in to the 2.0 API. Now is a good time to do that." I have posted some screenshots here."
Since I just downloaded the pre2 release for windows and ran it, I will assume you are incorrect ;)
All you crazy Windows users an try this out (but be prepared to be dissapointed if you think it will replace p----shop) here.
Actually, GIMP 2 has menubars on image windows. No need to right-click.
This is in part a design decision, and partly due to the traditional nature of the gtk widget set. Essentially there is no MDI in gtk, for good or bad. Part of the solution to address this multiple window out-of-control problem is the dock idea that they've come up with. I configure gimp to just have one window (the default is 2, but you can easily rearrange it into one) that has the tool palette and all the other things I need docked to it. It's very dynamic and customizable. Sections can be added, tabs added, etc. That one window is always on top. Then my picture windows float next to it. That way I get the best of both worlds. I don't need another application to take over my entire screen like photoshop does. I prefer the windows. Except for the fact that the dock thing can only be vertical (having it horzonal at times would be nice), I think this is superior to the photoshop-style ui.
Besides that, I've always maintained that anyone who runs apps full screen (which you pretty much have to with MDI apps) really isn't using a windowing system to their best advantage. MDI is rapidly falling out of favor. MS no longer uses it for many applications and MacOS never ever did. Tabs work well for most things, although images are better off in windows. Anyway, the interface on gimp is light years ahead of the old interface! Now if only glade could get a similar interface makeover.
Taking a clue from Photoshop, the Gimp could be made much more user-friendly just by adding a simple window frame around all the controls and sub-windowing all the other windows.
This only happens in Windows. In the Mac version of Photoshop (actually, every single Mac application that follows the UI guidelines) there is no MDI like most Windows apps.
I do feel that they should somehow reduce the number of entries that it creates in the Gnome or KDE taskbar.
Once you get used to the idea that you right-click on an image to perform an operation on it, it's pretty good.
The right-click drop down menu still works, but now each image also has a conventional menu at the top of the window. Makes things a lot easier.
The lack of MDI is typical of Gnome apps. Now that I'm accustomed to Gnome it doesn't bother me.
I've been using Gimp 1.3.2 for awhile. It has a lot of the features of 2.0 including the new improved interface. I think it's fantastic. Millions might disagree.
Now wash your hands.
>Why don't they use a master window to contain all the other child Gimp windows?
Ack! That would be *horrible*. You'd be forced to maximize that big parent
window, in order to have enough space to spread out all your various Gimp
(sub)windows, but then it would block out everything behind; you could not,
for example, leave a gnome-terminal window showing through behind below your
image, so that you'd notice when your download/compile/whatever completed.
Please, don't force us into an opaque rectangle. There's no reason for such
a heinous restriction. The only conceivable justification would be, "Well,
Photoshop does it, so Gimp doesn't suck any worse than Photoshop". But even
if it was in good company, it would still suck.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
The is no need for MDI, when you have virtual desktops - the virtual desktop itself is the one big window, where the Gimp windows will sit. The virtual desktop solution is also more flexible - you may put some other apps windows to the same desktop as Gimp ones, when you find it useful and the Window Manager can be configured to behave as you like. Only on Windows it is useful to have one big maximized window with small ones inside it, since it doesn't have the virtual desktops.
Your problem is solved by virtual desktops. MDI is not supported by most windowing systems that Gimp is run on (X, Quartz) .. in fact only Win32 does support it. MDI is a hack that doesn't allow you to use standard windowing widgets like the window list to switch between them. It's hard to implement. It's a limitless source of bugs. It's got terrible usability - even Microsoft doesn't use it anymore.
In short, if you want to have many windows open at once and manage them all, use virtual desktops - use many of them, if you like. Have each image you are working with on a different desktop. I've done this and found it works nicely, much better than MDI ever did.
If X supports your pad, the Gimp supports it.
I've had great success (for my needs) with a Wacom PenPartner (well, until it broke and turned into an expensive mousepad :() and all the Gimp tools recognise tilt and pressure where appropriate.