GIMP 3.1.2 arrives as more than a routine development build. It’s the first waypoint on the march to GIMP 3.2, stacking substantive new features on top of the landmark 3.0 release earlier this year and signaling where the project is headed next. For Windows creatives who split time between multiple tools and formats, this build is a notable step forward in interoperability, non-destructive editing, and everyday UX polish—while also reminding that development releases are still best kept off the critical path.
GIMP 3.0 landed on March 16, 2025, delivering the long-awaited GTK3 port, a modernized UI, and first-class non-destructive editing via layer filters. Quick follow-up maintenance releases in March (3.0.2) and May (3.0.4) stabilized the new platform. On June 23, 2025, the team published GIMP 3.1.2 as the first 3.1-series development build for what will become 3.2.
Two themes stand out in this cycle:
Unsigned integer parameters now generate widgets correctly in GimpProcedureDialog, and the GimpChoice type defaults to radio buttons when there are only two options—simplifying common UI patterns without manual overrides.
Perhaps most important is the clarity about what’s next. Linked layers and vector layers—if implemented with the same pragmatic focus—would close long-standing capability gaps for Windows-based designers who prefer or require FOSS tooling. The refinements in 3.1.2 are the groundwork for those ambitions: a tidier filter pipeline, cleaner dialogs for plug-ins, and more reliable packaging.
GIMP remains, by design, a community-driven application with wide-ranging contributors and use cases. That can make the surface area feel eclectic—one release adds EXR views and PS1 textures in the same breath. But for users juggling mixed sets of tools and formats on Windows, the 3.1.2 development build points to a user experience that is steadily becoming more cohesive, more interoperable, and better adapted to the realities of modern creative work.
Source: 9to5Linux GIMP 3.2 Promises New Paint Mode, Support for Importing Photoshop Patterns - 9to5Linux
From 3.0 to 3.2: a faster cadence with clear priorities
GIMP 3.0 landed on March 16, 2025, delivering the long-awaited GTK3 port, a modernized UI, and first-class non-destructive editing via layer filters. Quick follow-up maintenance releases in March (3.0.2) and May (3.0.4) stabilized the new platform. On June 23, 2025, the team published GIMP 3.1.2 as the first 3.1-series development build for what will become 3.2.Two themes stand out in this cycle:
- Refine and extend non-destructive editing foundations introduced in 3.0.
- Reduce real-world friction through smarter format handling, bidirectional theme alignment with the OS, and small but meaningful workflow fixes.
A new paint blend mode for precise control
Overwrite: pixel art’s new favorite
GIMP 3.1.2 introduces a new paint blend mode called Overwrite. Rather than blending brush opacity with underlying pixels, Overwrite directly replaces the opacity and color in the area you paint. That behavior makes it especially useful for pixel art or any workflow where crisp, predictable coverage matters.- The mode is primarily tuned for the Pencil tool, where the expectation is hard-edged, exact changes.
- With softer tools like Brush, some interpolation will still occur for gradients and anti-aliased strokes.
- Overwrite is a paint mode only; it does not appear in layer or effect blend modes.
Text and typography refine the details
Text outline direction
GIMP 3.0 added outline styles to the text tool; 3.1.2 gives that feature precision. A new Outline Direction option lets outlines grow inward, outward, or both ways. This granular control improves legibility and design flexibility, especially for UI mockups, logo drafts, or typographic posters where subtle halo behavior can change the feel of the composition.Non-destructive editing: deeper, cleaner, broader
Under-the-hood refactoring
The non-destructive filter pipeline—central to GIMP 3.0’s promise—gets internal cleanup and refactoring in 3.1.2. While invisible to end users, this work is about lower bug rates and smoother maintenance. It also sets the stage for more ambitious features that rely on the same infrastructure.Filters on channels
A practical, user-facing expansion: non-destructive filters can now be applied to channels, not just layers. The Channels dockable gains the same Fx column found in the Layers panel, allowing editing, reordering, and merging of filters on channel data. For compositors and colorists, this opens nuanced control of masks and alpha with the same reversible workflow used on layers.Color management and print: more actionable numbers
CMYK selector: Total Ink Coverage
The CMYK Color Selector now displays Total Ink Coverage (TIC) for the selected color. For anyone preparing files for print, this number matters: different presses and paper stocks cap how much ink the substrate can accept before smearing or drying issues occur. Having TIC readouts reduces guesswork and helps keep files within tolerances demanded by print providers.Theme parity and visual ergonomics
Auto-match Windows and Linux system themes
GIMP’s new System Colors scheme lets the app automatically match the host OS theme on Windows and Linux (where supported). That means the UI will follow dark or light preference changes, reducing harsh visual transitions when moving between apps.- Preferences still allow explicit theme selection, but auto-match brings GIMP into line with the rest of a desktop’s behavior.
- macOS support is not yet listed; the team invites platform contributors to help implement it.
Theme-aware previews and quieter docks
Several UI panels now better respect theme context:- Theme colors for Brush, Font, and Palette previews reduce visual glare in dark or gray modes by replacing stark white preview backdrops with colors aligned to the active theme.
- The Palette dockable automatically selects the next swatch after deleting one, enabling faster cleanup.
Undo and selection workflows get smoother
- Toggling Lock pixels now creates its own undo step, aligning with other lock operations and preserving a reliable history trail.
- The Foreground Selection algorithm avoids firing when no selection has been made, eliminating unnecessary lag when switching tools.
- The Merge Filter checkbox for non-destructive filters no longer gets flipped by performing an action that must be destructive; it retains the state set by the user.
Interop, ingest, and delivery: GIMP’s most format-friendly release yet
The 3.1.2 cycle leans hard into compatibility with de facto standards in design, photography, and game art. The objective is clear: minimize the friction of moving assets between tools, teams, and pipelines.Photoshop-centric improvements
- Photoshop Patterns import (.pat): Place Adobe .pat files in GIMP’s pattern folder and they load with native patterns. RGB and grayscale patterns are known-good; broader coverage will benefit from user testing.
- Curves and Levels presets: GIMP’s Curves and Levels filters can now import Photoshop presets (Curves .acv, Levels .alv). For mixed-tool studios, this enables consistent tone shaping across apps.
- Initial PSB export: GIMP adds first-cut support for exporting Photoshop Large Document (PSB). PSB extends PSD’s 30,000‑pixel ceiling up to 300,000 pixels in width or height, addressing large-format and VFX mats. As “initial” support, it’s wise to validate complex documents in downstream tools before committing.
Krita and OpenRaster: better cross-editor exchange
- Krita palette export (.kpl): A new option in the Palette dockable lets GIMP export to Krita’s palette format. Teams straddling GIMP and Krita can now keep swatch libraries aligned.
- OpenRaster extensions: Beyond standard ORA, GIMP now reads and writes two official extensions that preserve which layers were selected and which were content-locked. Layer state fidelity makes cross-app collaboration less lossy.
High dynamic range and VFX
- OpenEXR multi-layer loading: GIMP can load multi-layer or multi-view EXR files as layered compositions. Multi-view images exported from tools like Blender arrive as separate layers, preserving the structure needed for compositing.
- JPEG 2000 export: GIMP already imported JPEG 2000; now it can export it too. While JP2 is a niche choice on the web, it still sees use in archival and broadcast domains where visually lossless compression and metadata options are valued.
- HEJ2 export: GIMP can export HEJ2, an HEIF container carrying a JPEG 2000 image. This bridges ecosystems experimenting with HEIF beyond AVIF/H.265.
Animation and game assets
- APNG import: Animated PNGs can be imported directly. APNG is a common format for UI, web stickers, and game HUDs when alpha-friendly animation is needed without GIF’s limits. (Export is not listed; pipelines expecting round-trip APNG may still require external tooling.)
- PlayStation 1 TIM load/export: The classic TIM format returns as a standard plug-in updated for GIMP 3. It’s a boon for retro game modders and preservationists who previously depended on aging third-party tools.
RAW photography
- ART (AnotherRawTherapee) as a Camera Raw loader: On systems where ART is installed, GIMP can call it—alongside darktable and RawTherapee—to open camera RAWs. The benefit is flexibility: pick the RAW developer that best matches a given camera or workflow, then hand off to GIMP for further edits.
Historical and oddball formats
- Over-the-Air Bitmap: Import Nokia’s monochrome OTA bitmaps—an artifact of an earlier mobile era.
- Jeff’s Image Format (.jif): Import the GIF variant sometimes encountered in old asset collections.
- AVCI stills import: Ingest still images encoded with Advanced Video Coding, widening compatibility with frames extracted from certain broadcast or camera workflows.
Build and packaging: stronger Windows integration
Auto-generated Windows associations
The build system now auto-generates a list of image formats that GIMP can open on Windows. Installers and MSIX packages use that list to associate supported file types with GIMP. This ends the game of whack‑a‑mole where new importers shipped but file associations lagged behind.Universal installers across architectures
The project continues shipping a universal Windows installer for x86 (32‑ and 64‑bit) and ARM64, alongside a Microsoft Store package. For Windows on ARM devices, native packages reduce emulation overhead, improving responsiveness for brush-heavy or filter-stacked projects.Cross-platform hygiene
Build scripts have been made POSIX‑compliant and CI now guards against regressions. On Windows, the tangible outcome is fewer platform-specific surprises after updates and a more predictable install footprint.Developer-facing upgrades that pay down future complexity
A better auto-generated dialog toolkit
Plug-in authors gain a new API to create a GimpCoordinates widget in auto-generated dialogs. This links two numeric fields with a chain toggle and unit dropdown—exactly the kind of small control that gets implemented ad‑hoc otherwise, inconsistently and with extra code.Unsigned integer parameters now generate widgets correctly in GimpProcedureDialog, and the GimpChoice type defaults to radio buttons when there are only two options—simplifying common UI patterns without manual overrides.
Performance and quality-of-life fixes with real impact
- If a transformation or filter requires transparency on a layer that lacks an alpha channel, GIMP now automatically adds it, avoiding the distortions that trip up newcomers and veterans alike.
- A fix for a DDS-loading issue on 32‑bit systems closes an edge case that still matters in certain embedded or tooling contexts.
- The legacy Jigsaw filter works on transparent layers again, better suiting non-destructive overlay techniques.
What it means for Windows-focused workflows
Interop is now a first-class design goal
For Windows shops that rely on Photoshop for some tasks and GIMP for others, 3.1.2 reduces the penalty of moving between tools:- Patterns and tone presets transfer across with fewer surprises.
- PSB export offers a path for ultra-large comps.
- OpenRaster extensions and Krita palette export tighten collaboration with Krita-based paint or storyboard teams.
- EXR and JPEG 2000 improvements provide better hand-off to and from VFX or archival systems commonly deployed on Windows.
UI parity with the desktop reduces cognitive switching costs
Auto-matching Windows theme preferences and theme-aware previews form a quieter visual baseline. For power users working across multiple displays or color-managed environments, subtle consistency saves mental cycles and limits distraction.ARM64 support matters
As Windows on ARM gains traction, native ARM64 packaging keeps GIMP responsive on devices like ultraportables and tablets, particularly when paired with the Overwrite paint mode’s pixel art use cases or stylus-based editing.A look ahead to GIMP 3.2: vector and linked layers
The roadmap calls out two high-impact features under active development for 3.2:- Linked layers: An umbrella term that could enable referencing content across documents or layers with non-destructive transforms and filters. In practical Windows workflows, that maps to common “smart object” behaviors where a source asset updates across multiple comps.
- Vector layers: The absence of fully-fledged vector layers has long complicated logo and interface work inside GIMP. Bringing vector-native layers into the non-destructive stack would elevate GIMP’s utility for UI designers and brand work without exporting to a separate vector app.
Strengths, limits, and risks in this development snapshot
Strengths
- Real-world interoperability: Photoshop patterns and presets, PSB export, EXR multi-layer loading, and JPEG 2000 export address tangible, recurring pain points.
- Non-destructive maturation: Filters on channels and code refactoring push the 3.0 architecture toward durability and breadth.
- Quality-of-life polish: System theme auto-match, theme-aware previews, refined selection performance, and undo consistency add up to a noticeably smoother session.
- Windows integration: Auto-generated file associations and wide-architecture installers reduce friction from install to first open.
Limits and caveats
- Development build stability: 3.1.2 is an early 3.2 series snapshot. It’s not intended for production use, and regressions are part of the deal.
- Overwrite mode nuance: The algorithm is still being tuned for non-pencil tools to balance opacity behavior with expected brush softness.
- Partial format coverage: APNG support is import-only at this stage; PSB export is labeled “initial.” Complex documents should be validated downstream.
- Platform differences: Auto-matching system colors depends on platform support. macOS isn’t listed, and behavior can vary on themed Windows setups or unusual high-contrast configurations.
- Non-destructive scope: Non-destructive filters cover GEGL-based effects. Legacy or niche filters may still require destructive application.
Practical risk management
Teams considering the new features for day-to-day work should isolate 3.1.2 to test environments. For interop testing—especially PSB export and imported Photoshop presets—construct smoke tests that mirror real assets: layered comps with text, masks, and curve stacks. Where APNG or TIM appear in pipelines, set up round-trip paths with external tools to validate outputs until GIMP supports full write cycles for those formats.The broader picture: GIMP’s trajectory on Windows
GIMP 3.0 proved the project could ship a modernized editor with a non-destructive core. GIMP 3.1.2 shows the team applying that foundation to practical problems Windows users face: better theme alignment across apps; predictable pixel behavior for exacting artwork; import and export paths that meet collaborators where they are; and install experiences that feel native.Perhaps most important is the clarity about what’s next. Linked layers and vector layers—if implemented with the same pragmatic focus—would close long-standing capability gaps for Windows-based designers who prefer or require FOSS tooling. The refinements in 3.1.2 are the groundwork for those ambitions: a tidier filter pipeline, cleaner dialogs for plug-ins, and more reliable packaging.
GIMP remains, by design, a community-driven application with wide-ranging contributors and use cases. That can make the surface area feel eclectic—one release adds EXR views and PS1 textures in the same breath. But for users juggling mixed sets of tools and formats on Windows, the 3.1.2 development build points to a user experience that is steadily becoming more cohesive, more interoperable, and better adapted to the realities of modern creative work.
Source: 9to5Linux GIMP 3.2 Promises New Paint Mode, Support for Importing Photoshop Patterns - 9to5Linux