GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source raster image editor aimed at photographers, designers, and illustrators who need professional-grade editing tools without a commercial licence, and it is positioned in this registry as the open alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

What it is

GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program, a long-running image editing application written in C and developed as part of the GNOME ecosystem. Source code lives at https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/, and the copy tracked by this registry is a read-only mirror of that GitLab repository. The branch described in the README is the GIMP 3.3 development series, which the project itself labels an unstable development release rather than a stable one. Work is coordinated through GitLab, with documentation hosted separately at https://docs.gimp.org/ and contributor material at https://developer.gimp.org/.

The concrete problem GIMP solves is the cost and licence lock-in of proprietary photo and video editing suites. This registry classifies it as the open alternative to Adobe Photoshop, and it replaces that product for users who want local, licence-free image editing on their own hardware. Instead of a subscription that gates access to the tool, GIMP ships as installable software whose source is publicly readable, forkable, and available for the users to build themselves. The README also documents a themeable GTK interface, so the application can be reshaped to match a user's existing desktop conventions rather than the other way around.

Key capabilities

• Raster image editing under the GNU Image Manipulation Program, currently developed on the GIMP 3.3 branch, which the README explicitly marks as an unstable development release.
• GTK-based theming: the interface can be customized like any other GTK application by editing files in ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/, in particular settings.ini and gtk.css.
• GIMP-specific styling through ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/GIMP/3.3/gimp.css, letting settings apply only to GIMP rather than to every GTK app on the system.
• Ready-made themes, which the README describes as prebuilt customizations of the interface appearance.
• Fully rebindable keyboard shortcuts, configured by editing ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/GIMP/3.3/shortcutsrc to any key combination the user prefers.
• Detailed installation instructions maintained in the INSTALL file in the source tree, covering how to build and set up the application.
• Developer documentation in devel-docs/README.md, plus beginner resources on setting up a development environment, the GIMP coding style, and submitting a first patch.

Who uses it and how

• Designers and photographers who would otherwise pay for Photoshop and want a locally installed editor that does not require a subscription to keep working.
• Linux and GTK desktop users who already theme their applications and extend that customization into GIMP through gtk.css, settings.ini, and gimp.css.
• Users with strong keyboard preferences, who rewrite shortcutsrc so GIMP matches the shortcut habits they bring from other editors.
• Contributors working against the development branch, who follow the setup guide on developer.gimp.org and report bugs in the development release through the project's own tracker rather than this mirror.
• Community members who seek support and discussion on GIMPNet IRC channels such as #gimp and #gimp-user, reachable on servers including irc.gimp.org:6667, irc.us.gimp.org:6667, and irc.eu.gimp.org:6667.

Getting started

The README directs users to the INSTALL file for detailed installation instructions, and points to https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ for the latest version of GIMP. Because this registry entry is a read-only mirror, development, bug reports, and patch submissions belong on https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/.

How it compares

Against Adobe Photoshop, the contrast is the licence and the cost model: Photoshop is commercial and paid, whereas GIMP is offered as an open alternative that users download and run themselves, with no subscription standing between them and the editor. That also settles data ownership, since work stays on the user's own machine rather than passing through a vendor's account and cloud services. Self-hosting here means installing desktop software and, if building from source, following the INSTALL instructions, not operating a server.

When to use it — and when not to

Choose GIMP if the priority is a no-cost, locally installed editor that can be themed and rebound to taste, and be prepared to build from source or install a packaged build following the INSTALL file. Avoid it if a stable release is required, because the branch documented here is the GIMP 3.3 development series, which the project describes as unstable. Note two more caveats before relying on this entry: the registry's licence field reads NOASSERTION rather than naming a licence, and this GitHub copy is a read-only mirror with zero open issues, so no bug reports or pull requests can be handled here.

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               GNU Image Manipulation Program
                   3.3 Development Branch
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https://www.gimp.org/

https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

    https://docs.gimp.org/

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/

    https://developer.gimp.org/

    https://www.gimp.org/discuss.html

irc.gimp.org:6667
irc.us.gimp.org:6667
irc.eu.gimp.org:6667