First Look at GIMP 2.4

Liam30 writes "Newsforge (ed: part of the OSTG family) is running a story that gives a first look at the next version of GIMP." From the article: " A major update to the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), widely regarded as the leading free software raster image editing program, is scheduled for this month. The 2.4 release is expected to include a number of new features and enhancements to existing features ... The first thing most users will notice about 2.4 is the addition of three new tools to the palette: the Align tool, the Foreground Extraction tool, and a new 'Simple' Rectangle Selector. The Align tool lets you vertically and horizontally align image layers -- a task you had to perform manually before. You can align an image to any edge or the center, specify an offset in any direction, and adjust vertical and horizontal alignment separately."

Comments

UI

[Anonymous Coward]

They need a better one. Yes I know I can learn it but with paintshop or photoshop I just start the programe and I can do what I want. I didnt, and dont, have to learn how to use their more common functions. With gimp I do, and until they improve the ui its advantages are outweighed by the loss in productivity.

What I want to know: Can I paint circles in it?

[Misagon]

In older version of The Gimp it was very difficult to draw perfect concentric circles in it. I had to manually measure and mark the corners of the bounding box around the circle, and then I had to adjust for the "Stroke" feature drawing one pixel down and to the left instead of inside ... and so on.

It's the little things that separate the good programs from the bad. Not the amount of features.

professional tools

[idlake]

A Leica M lacks what a Canon SureShot has out of the box; that doesn't make the SureShot a better or more professional tool camera. Ease of use and multitude of features are not the measure of how good a tool is for commercial use.

I think both the Gimp and Photoshop are poor photo editing applications for professional users because they have too many extraneous features and don't focus on addressing the essentials well.

In the case of Photoshop, its real problem is that, in addition to trying to be a photo editing application, it's a web design application, an application for creating computer art, and lots more. It's the typical feature bloat that successful Windows applications experience.

Re:professional tools

[afd8856]

Man, you must really don't know what you're talking about.

The reason for the success of Photoshop is given by not trying to be a niche tool for either designers or photographers. Any designer can, in any day, need Photoshop under its multiple facets. Creating a photo album or a contact sheet, designing a webpage or touching a photo for that website, it all has to be under the same app, with the same familiar workflow. The photographer might need to add a frame to that photo, or maybe he wants to add some text to get a postcard out of his picture.

Re:professional tools

[arose]

There absolutely is no other tool to touch Photoshop, simple as that. Ask any one of several million Photoshop using professionals.

Why don't you ask Cinepaint using special effects professionals how great Photoshop is?

Re:professional tools

[spectre_240sx]

Man, you must really don't know what you're talking about.

I'll second that... One of the reasons that Photoshop is so popular is that there's pretty much no limit to what you can do. Maybe you should take some time to sit down and actually learn the program. Find out what all these tools do and I bet you'll change your attitude a bit. There are very few, if any, tools in photoshop that I haven't found a use for at least once.

GIMP is becoming a real threat for Photoshop

[ravee]

I have been a GIMP user for the past few years. I started using GIMP first on windows and then when I switched over to linux, it became my graphics package of choice. I think GIMP will become a real threat to Photoshop in the near future. The only thing stopping it is CMYK support which (most probably) will be added in the next version.

I think it pays to use open source or GPLed software.

Re:GIMP is becoming a real threat for Photoshop

[IamTheRealMike]

Probably it'd be a threat today if the Windows version supported a containing window (to work around the lack of good WM in Windows) - Photoshop is easy to pirate but there are still lots of people who would happily use a free alterntive rather than pirate a commercial program. I for one haven't used Photoshop in years, as a simple web designer/software developer the combination of the Gimp and Inkscape easily meet my needs. Why would I pay for Photoshop, a program that I'm not familiar with, when the Gimp has every feature that I want already?

Re:It moves

[Rik Sweeney]

Anyone noticed that the gimp icon (on /.) is moving its eyes now and then? Funny ...

Yep, his eyes move. As far as I know, Wilbur (the name of the Coyote) is the only icon on Slashdot that is animated.

Re:SOIX!

[eno2001]

Some good points. But I have to wonder why so many people are so concerned with getting "onto the commercial market"? This software is made for the sake of people who want to use it. Not to make money. That is to say, that the software is not made for people who want to make a profit by selling/marketing software. It's made for people like me who want to edit images. It's fine if GIMP is used by someone to edit images for profit. That's different. The point being that GIMP is simply a tool to many of us and not something to be sold in the traditional sense. Now if you're talking about grabbing more mindshare (vs. marketshare), then I can agree that more people should look at GIMP and that adding newer innovative features is only a good thing. Nothing against you or your comment, I just get a bit annoyed when people think that this stuff is done to make money. I see it this way;

GNU Software is to Proprietary/Commercial Software as Libraries are to Bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble.

One organization is interested in getting something into the hands of their users for their users' edification, the others are interested soley in profit.

When will they integrate the GTK?

[krygny]

It doesn't bother me personally, but most traditional Windows users will always be turned off to the separate GTK download. This is a form of "dependecy hell" that Linux users have come to accept and Windows users never will. Even PDF Creator managed to integrate AFPL GhostScript.