GIMP Developers Outline Plan For 2019 (gimp.org)
The GIMP developers on Wednesday published a blog post in which they look back at the year 2018 (release of GIMP 2.10) and outline the things that they intend to get around this year. From the post: We expect to be shipping 2.10.x updates throughout 2019, starting with the version 2.10.10 currently expected in January/February. This version will feature faster layer groups rendering, smart colorization with the Bucket Fill tool, and various usability improvements. We are also planning the first unstable release of GIMP that will have version 2.99.2, eventually leading up to version 3.0. The prerequisite for releasing that version will be the completion of the space invasion. ZeMarmot project (which can be supported on Patreon or Tipeee) is also planning to focus a bit more on better canvas interactions, as well as animation support improvements, starting from merging existing work. On the GEGL and babl front, we expect to continue working towards better CMYK support and performance.
We have seen in the last few years many advances of Computer Vision and Machine Learning tools to do segmentation, anime drawing colorization, night picture to day picture conversion, changing meteo conditions, and so on.
Do the GIMP developpers intend to include tools of that sort in the project?
I've read the criticism about Gimp's GUI a lot, but i've learnt graphics using Gimp and it feels pretty consistent to me. Also it has one big advantage over its competitors: it hasn't changed much, meaning I didn't have to relearn everything at every new version. I built up from the knowledge I acquired over the years and I consider myself proficient with Gimp. I don't see the UI hampering my work a single bit.
On a related note, I can't use photoshop because the UI feels weird to me. I'm used to a different way to work now.