Roadmaps
Feature Prioritization
This page shows roughly how the core development team plans GIMP evolution. The absence of features from these roadmaps doesn’t mean we are not interested: since GIMP is developed as a community, all it takes to revise priority is for someone to contribute.
The bottom line is that GIMP is what we all make of it. There is no single company or entity heading the software (code admission is based on quality and usefulness, not dictated by someone’s business).
GIMP 3.4
List of features for which some work was started and we hope to have in GIMP 3.4:
| Feature | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Modern default set of resources | WIP | See #307 |
| Filters on layer mask | done | Initial implementation: !2528 |
| Vector layer mask | WIP | !2522 |
| New XCF format | Discussed | An archive-based format should allow us more easily to load data on-use, therefore allowing much bigger project files (ex.: page and animation) |
| Auto-save | No | It will make use of the new XCF format based on GEGL buffers. |
| High-end CMYK support | WIP | As a backend pixel storage. See !2379 and early experiments. Also see the main GIMP FAQ for details |
| Layer effects and adjustement layers import from PSD | WIP | (Some legacy effects only are supported right now). Depends on Photoshop descriptor handling (!2338). |
| Layer effects export to PSD | WIP | Second step of the Photoshop descriptor handling |
| Re-Enable OpenCL? | WIP | With GSoC 2024 work and recent work on OpenCL in GIMP core’s GEGL ops (!2414 and !2415), we may experiment re-enabling OpenCL |
| Paint Select tool | playground | Released as experimental in 2.99.4, needs work |
| Rework of Foreground Select tool | Designing | This tool definitely requires usability and workflow rework; rethinking it as a Particle Select tool (hair, fur, etc.), in combination wih Paint Select for rough selection part (hence foreground selection) of the work is also worth investigating (cf. next item). |
| Particle Select tool | No | See comment on issue 2912 The Foreground selection interaction should be reworked as a tool to select particles or object borders |
GIMP 3.6
List of features for which some work was started and we hope to have in GIMP 3.6:
| Feature | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Core animation | WIP | Animation plug-in is dropped, this is being rewritten as a core feature |
| Page support | WIP | Proper document’s “page” concept (instead of using layers) |
| Inpainting tool | No | Feature long-available with resynthesizer third-party plug-in; would deserve GEGL-based core implementation |
Development Focus
We have several focus projects these days. These will happen on minor point releases (when the second number of the version increases) as micro point releases (third number increment) is for bug fixes.
The features are gathered per topic below, though they may be spread through several releases.
Non-destructive editing
Some work has been started already around new types of layers, which will also be the start point for new tools (such as a Shape Tool which makes sense as a vector tool).
| Feature | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Shape tool | No | Easily create circles, rectangles, N-side polygons, stars etc. Either a new tool or a rewrite of the path tool with shape options |
| Less destructive transform | WIP | Squash successive transforms into a single matrix and merge the result as just-on-time before other types of edits |
Non-destructive filters
A first implementation of non-destructive filters was released in GIMP 3.0!
Note that both adjustment layers and layer effects/styles are the terminologies currently used in requests by users.
| Feature | Status | Comments |
|---|