Thanks to a highly productive month from GIMP’s core contributors (spearheaded by Jehan), and an especially productive weekend, GIMP 3.0 has made huge strides in development and could be released in as little as 6 days.
According to the GIMP 3.0 RC1 Milestones page, GIMP 3.0 RC1 is now 99% complete and has a due date of November 3, 2024.
That’s just 6 days away (at the time of this article).
Out of 372 total issues, there are only 3 remaining – with 2 issues already a work-in-progress and only 1 unassigned or “unstarted” issue.
In my last article providing an update on GIMP 3.0 RC1’s progress, which was released on October 1st, the project was 96% complete with 11 open issues and 5 unassigned issues.
It is apparent, therefore, that the GIMP team has been busy over the last few weeks and has made great strides toward getting GIMP 3.0 RC1 released.
My previous prediction as to when GIMP 3.0 RC1 would be released was January 1st, 2025, so this puts the project way ahead of that schedule – though behind the GIMP developers’ original estimate of end of February 2024 for GIMP 3.0 RC1, and May 9, 2024 for the GIMP 3.0 stable release. Jehan has said in a post on the ZeMarmot Patreon page that the main reason for the long delay was that everyone working on the project fell ill after attending Libre Graphics Meeting and took longer than anticipated to recover.
It has already been confirmed that GIMP 3.0 will contain important features like Non-destructive editing, improved color management (including CMYK support), smart guides, outlined (stroked) text, multi-layer features, performance improvements, better support of popular scripting languages to make it easier to develop GIMP plugins (i.e. Python 3, JavaScript, Lua, and Vala), and much more.
GIMP is a free Adobe Photoshop alternative primarily used as photo editing and photo manipulation software. It also has digital painting and limited graphic design features.
Check back on DaviesMediaDesign.com for updates on GIMP 3.0, including latest news, features, and where to download.
Learning GIMP and its many tools/features can be a huge challenge, especially when you simply want to focus on editing great photos or creating designs for your projects.
There’s only so much information I can share in blog articles and video tutorials, which is why I’ve put together the GIMP Masterclass: From Beginner to Pro in Photo Editing and Design. This course is an in-depth education on GIMP and how you can use it to edit better photos or create more professional designs for any project.
For a limited time, you can get this 40+ hour course with over 200 video lectures at a steep discount! In the course, you’ll learn important concepts like:
- How to Master GIMP 2.10
- How to use all the tools in the GIMP toolbox.
- The GIMP layout and its most important features
- All 38 layer modes (blend modes) for creating image effects.
- Important design and image editing concepts like Layers and Selection Areas
- What’s new in the latest versions of GIMP
I’ve taught over 15,000 students just like you how to finally master GIMP and take their skills to the next level. Plus, with over 10 years experience with GIMP and photo editing, I’ve got tons of experience creating stunning photos and design with free software that I’ve included in the course.
The course has over 3,700 ratings, more than any other course on the platform, and a 4.6 star rating. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to finally start your journey master GIMP, the free photo editor!
