Editing GIMP (section)

== Development ==
GIMP is primarily developed by volunteers as a free and open source software project associated with both the [[GNU]] and [[GNOME]] projects. Development takes place in a public [[git]] [[source code]] repository,<ref name="gimp-git">{{cite web |title=GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program |url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp |date=2020 |website=Gimp.org |publisher=GNOME |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-date=24 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524063856/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp |url-status=live }}</ref> on public mailing lists and in public chat channels on the GIMPNET [[IRC]] network.<ref>{{cite web |title=Get Involved |url=http://www.gimp.org/develop/ |date=2020 |website=Gimp.org |publisher=GNOME |access-date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929182144/http://www.gimp.org/develop/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

New features are held in public separate source code branches and merged into the main (or development) branch when the GIMP team is sure they won't damage existing functions.<ref name="gimp-git" /> Sometimes this means that features that appear complete do not get merged or take months or years before they become available in GIMP.

GIMP itself is released as source code. After a source code release, installers and packages are made for different operating systems by parties who might not be in contact with the maintainers of GIMP.

The [[Software versioning|version number]] used in GIMP is expressed in a ''major-minor-micro'' format, with each number carrying a specific meaning: the first (major) number is incremented only for major developments (and is currently 3). The second (minor) number is incremented with each release of new features, with odd numbers reserved for in-progress development versions and even numbers assigned to stable releases; the third (micro) number is incremented before and after each release (resulting in even numbers for releases, and odd numbers for development snapshots) with any bug fixes subsequently applied and released for a stable version.

Previously, GIMP applied for several positions in the [[Google Summer of Code]] (GSoC).<ref name="Wiki SummerOfCode">{{cite web |title=SummerOfCode |url=http://wiki.gimp.org/gimp/SummerOfCode |date=30 April 2009 |website=Wiki.Gimp.org |publisher=GIMP developers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827115720/http://wiki.gimp.org/gimp/SummerOfCode |archive-date=27 August 2009 |access-date=12 April 2023 }}</ref><ref name="gsoc-gimp-2009">{{cite web |title=GNU Image Manipulation Program |url=https://socghop.appspot.com/org/home/google/gsoc2009/gimp |date=2009 |website=Google Summer of Code 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423053949/http://socghop.appspot.com/org/home/google/gsoc2009/gimp |archive-date=23 April 2009 |access-date=30 June 2009 }}</ref> From 2006 to 2009 there have been nine GSoC projects that have been listed as successful,<ref name="Wiki SummerOfCode" /> although not all successful projects have been merged into GIMP immediately. The healing brush and perspective clone tools and [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]] bindings were created as part of the 2006 GSoC and can be used in version 2.8.0 of GIMP, although there were three other projects that were completed and are later available in a stable version of GIMP; those projects being Vector Layers (end 2008 in 2.8 and master),<ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program |url=https://git.gnome.org/browse/gimp/commit/?id=39af762f615a6a86a82f154638bfca133592e140 |website=Git.Gnome.org | date=25 October 2008 }}</ref> and a [[JPEG 2000]] plug-in (mid 2009 in 2.8 and master).<ref>{{cite web |title=GNU Image Manipulation Program |url=https://git.gnome.org/browse/gimp/commit/?id=6e581ca990326ca083986ae209443612439b3e51 |website=git.gnome.org| date=June 2009 }}</ref> Several of the GSoC projects were completed in 2008, but have been merged into a stable GIMP release later in 2009 to 2014 for Version 2.8.xx and 2.10.x. Some of them needed some more code work for the master tree.

Second public Development 2.9-Version was 2.9.4 with many deep improvements after initial Public Version 2.9.2.<ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP 2.9.2 Released |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2015/11/27/gimp-2-9-2-released/ |website=Gimp.org |date=27 November 2015 |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041938/https://www.gimp.org/news/2015/11/27/gimp-2-9-2-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP 2.9.4 Released |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2016/07/13/gimp-2-9-4-released/ |website=Gimp.org |date=13 July 2016 |access-date=18 December 2016 |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112231331/https://www.gimp.org/news/2016/07/13/gimp-2-9-4-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Third Public 2.9-Development version is Version 2.9.6.<ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP 2.9.6 Released |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2017/08/24/gimp-2-9-6-released/ |website=Gimp.org |date=24 August 2017 |access-date=9 September 2017 |archive-date=24 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824210851/https://www.gimp.org/news/2017/08/24/gimp-2-9-6-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the new features is removing the 4 GB size limit of XCF file.<ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP 2.9.6 Readying New Clipboard, GUI Improvements – Phoronix |url=http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=GIMP-2.9.6-Features |website=Phoronix.com |access-date=26 May 2017 |archive-date=13 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413034202/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=GIMP-2.9.6-Features |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program |url=https://git.gnome.org/browse/gimp/commit/?id=226fb033859e64b2e6bea67df50ee76de53370a7 |website=git.gnome.org| date=30 May 2017 }}</ref> Increase of possible threads to 64 is also an important point for modern parallel execution in actual [[AMD]] [[Ryzen]] and [[Intel]] [[Xeon]] processors. Version 2.9.8 included many bug fixes and improvements in gradients and clips.<ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP 2.9.8 Released |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2017/12/12/gimp-2-9-8-released/ |website=Gimp.org |date=12 December 2017 |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213122622/https://www.gimp.org/news/2017/12/12/gimp-2-9-8-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Improvements in performance and optimization beyond bug hunting were the development targets for 2.10.0.<ref>{{cite web |title=GIMP 2.10.0 Release Candidate 2 Released |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2018/04/17/gimp-2-10-0-rc2-released/ |website=Gimp.org |date=17 April 2018 |access-date=19 April 2018 |archive-date=17 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417224553/https://www.gimp.org/news/2018/04/17/gimp-2-10-0-rc2-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref> MacOS Beta is available with Version 2.10.4.<ref>{{cite web |last=Prokoudine |first=Alexandre |date=4 July 2018 |title=GIMP 2.10.4 Released |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2018/07/04/gimp-2-10-4-released/ |website=Gimp.org |access-date=15 April 2019 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429205521/https://www.gimp.org/news/2018/07/04/gimp-2-10-4-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first [[release candidate]] for version 3.0, RC1, was released on 6 November 2024.<ref>{{cite web |author=GIMP Team |title=GIMP 3.0 RC1 Released |date=6 November 2024 |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2024/11/06/gimp-3-0-RC1-released/ |website=Gimp.org |access-date=30 November 2024 }}</ref> After several more months of development, version 3.0 was completed and released on 16 March, 2025.<ref name = gimp_3.0>{{cite web |author=GIMP Team |title=GIMP 3.0 Released |date=16 March 2025 |url=https://www.gimp.org/news/2025/03/16/gimp-3-0-released/ |website=Gimp.org |access-date=16 March 2025 }}</ref> This represented the completion of seven years of development to complete a major overhaul of many of GIMP's features and dependencies.

GIMP developers meet during the annual [[Libre Graphics Meeting]].<ref>{{cite book |last=James |first=Daniel |title=Crafting Digital Media: Audacity, Blender, Drupal, GIMP, Scribus, and other Open Source Tools|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8dZdPl3fT8C&pg=PA99 |date=2011 |publisher=Apress |isbn=978-1-4302-1888-3 |page=99 }}</ref> Interaction designers from OpenUsability have also contributed to GIMP.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sanders |first1=N. |title=OpenUsability Funds Student Projects |website=Linux.com |date=25 August 2006 |url=https://www.linux.com/news/openusability-funds-student-projects/ |access-date=11 December 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727172409/https://www.linux.com/news/openusability-funds-student-projects/ |url-status=live }}</ref>