@LegoBrickOnFire @plateee For raster layers, yes (at the moment). You can do non-destructive transforms on vector layers and link layers (so you could add an external PNG/JPEG/SVG/etc to a composition as a layer and then non-destructively transform it).
Transforms are really a filter under the hood, so we have the infrastructure to make them all non-destructive. Just need to work on the UI elements. :)
@daniskarma @cm0002 Stable releases in general (like 3.2.x) are not intended to be “revolutionary” - I’ve learned that people don’t like it when you make too many changes. :)
3.x releases are where the bigger changes happen.
@pnwpixel @psycotica0 We welcome feedback! We even have a dedicated UX design now to collect and discuss it: https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work/_items
https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work_items
@spacegoat @borosilicate Are you familiar with the action search feature? If you type ‘/’, it pulls up a search box to find and use features. It also shows the menu path & associated keyboard shortcut.
Not an excuse to stop improving the UI, but I’ve found it to be really helpful myself.
@Ertain @cm0002 We have a UX repo for people to post design issues & discuss improvements. Anyone is welcome to contribute feedback, which we try to implement as we can: https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work/_items :)
https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work_items
@clb92 @daggermoon We have a UX design issue tracker specifically for feedback on the user experience - feel free to share specific concerns, no donation required! https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work/_items
We also now dedicate a section in our release/news post to UX improvements, to further encourage people to contribute in that area: https://www.gimp.org/news/2026/08/16/dev-update-august-2026/#user-experience-and-interface-updates
https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work_items
@unwarlikeExtortion Sure - what additional things would you like accessible via API? Public docs for reference: https://developer.gimp.org/resource/api/
As for separation, the styling of elements is done via separate (GTK3 subset of) CSS so that’s fairly flexible. The GUI elements themselves are defined in C, which is less flexible but we do separate them out in source in our /widgets and /gui folders as best we can.
@SaharaMaleikuhm @spartanatreyu As of GIMP 3.2, we have vector layers: https://www.gimp.org/release-notes/gimp-3.2.html#vector-layers
You can also export to vectorized PDF or SVG (with an option for Inkscape SVG to retain shared project settings). Inkscape is definitely the better choice for dedicated vector work, but vectors as part of a composition is possible now in GIMP.
@BlackLaZoR @Vosh I think lots of people talk about it. :)
We have a dedicated UX site for people share to feedback on that very topic, which we try to implement as we can: https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work/_items
The hope is that over time, designers will get more comfortable and work on larger design challenges (like how new code contributors start small and hopefully grow to develop more complex features)
@janus2 @Vosh You’ll be happy to know it’s in the cards. Proof of Concept now that we have vector layers: https://fosstodon.org/@CmykStudent/116455148076446506
I haven’t touched it lately since a new contributor was interested in implementing it, but one way or the other I hope to get it into 3.4.
@Hadriscus @phoenixz Just FYI, that’s from our testing page (note the subdomain), so it’ll give you a 404 again once we push it from drafts to the live site.
@schnurrito @thingsiplay Yes, the XML is for file structure descriptions not binary data.
The GEGL buffers we use for image data in GIMP can be synced across files, so this new format will allow us to quickly auto-save the image/layer/etc to file as you make edits. Still in-progress work, but it’s really cool.
@atomicbocks @anewfox We actually have a UX site where we ask for user feedback and design suggestions - no coding required! https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/work/_items
Feel free to contribute if interested. It’s not always immediately possible to implement everything, but we do our best as we’re able - recent news posts have included a UX/UI section so we can highlight the work being done and show that we *are* willing to take feedback. :)
@SkavarSharraddas @Vosh @AllNewTypeFace Actually, there’s been “official” development on that front: https://www.gimp.org/docs/userfaq.html#i-dont-like-the-name-gimp-will-you-change-it
@Paranoidfactoid No worries! I think I misunderstood what you meant by “mask”. Technically, each filter has an associated mask (set to the active selection when applying the filter) - we just don’t have the UI yet to edit it after the fact. It’s on the TODO list.
I have a pending merge request for exporting Inkscape SVGs that didn’t quite make it into 3.2. I’d like to add better SVG import (as vector not raster) integration as well - Inkscape is awesome.
@Paranoidfactoid Trust me, I’m well aware the UX can be a lot better - I’m the person who implemented initial non-destructive filters for GIMP 3.0. :)
I’m just saying that it can be done in GIMP right now, and I linked a plug-in that makes it easier (it adds a menu option that does all I said in a single step). I’m happy to hear feedback from people who use GIMP on how to improve it further.
@Paranoidfactoid @monica_b1998 We actually do have masking on Adjustment Layer Groups. Basically, make a layer group in passthrough mode, put whatever combination of filters you want on it, then add a layer mask.
Someone even made a plug-in to simplify that process while we continue to work on the UX: https://github.com/yousei3/GIMP3-Aseudo-Adjustment-Layers/releases/tag/Ver1.0
@Blue_Morpho @mech We actually welcome user feedback and try to make improvements as we’re able. We have a dedicated UX site now (https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/GIMP/Design/gimp-ux/-/issues) and we encourage people to share designs and discuss proposals for implementation.
@anticurrent @webdoodle We have non-destructive filters now, so you can apply pretty much any filter as a “layer style”. Like, you can add a Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, etc to any layer and it will be adjustable afterwards (unless you choose to merge down).
We have vector layers in 3.2, so it’s just a matter of designing a tool to make “preset” vector layers in certain shapes. We have it as GSoC project for this summer, so hopefully someone will take it up soon!
@jlow @asdfasdfasdf Some context and current direction: https://www.gimp.org/docs/userfaq.html#i-dont-like-the-name-gimp-will-you-change-it
https://www.gimp.org/docs/userfaq.html#i-dont-like-the-name-gimp-will-you-change-it