GIMP 3.0 Released : opensource

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 215 points 3 months ago

Man, after decades, why does GIMP still have a marketing problem?

Just visit https://www.gimp.org/ and compare it to https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/photoshop.html

Just assume both did exactly the same thing and cost the exact same amount (free or otherwise). Which would you choose based on their website?

Why does GIMP (and pretty much all FOSS) have to be so secretive about their product? Why no screenshots? Why not showcase the software on their website?

It's so damn frustrating that every FOSS app appears to be command line software, or assumed that the user knows everything about it already.

Devs, you might have a killer piece of software, but screenshots go a long way to help with gaining interest and adoption.

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 71 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Krita.org does a nice job of showing off their work and so does Blender

They're not flashy, but they definitely make me want to download them and check them out.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 16 points 3 months ago

Yeah, I never got into illustration or 3d art/animation, but I sure as hell know what Blender is!

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[-] Xeroxchasechase@lemmy.world 60 points 3 months ago

You're welcome to contribute your experties.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 54 points 3 months ago

I wish I could, but this is a systemic problem, not a problem with one individual project.

Is the mindset that anyone looking for open source, FOSS, or Linux stuff is already tech-savvy enough to know exactly what they are looking for based solely on a text description?

[-] sushibowl@feddit.nl 68 points 3 months ago

I think it's more so that the kind of people contributing to these projects are on balance not that interested in doing the marketing work.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 20 points 3 months ago

Do the operating systems the contributors use not have a screenshot function?

I mean, seriously, simply highlighting a few features would make a massive difference.

I speak for all projects, not just GIMP.

[-] PeachMan@lemmy.world 32 points 3 months ago

These projects are run by volunteers, they don't have the unlimited budget for designers that Adobe does. And to be honest, it kinda seems like you're just criticizing them for no good reason. Have you personally designed and built a website that doesn't suck?

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 months ago

These projects are run by volunteers, they don’t have the unlimited budget for designers that Adobe does.

A few screenshots would be nice. Not asking them to make a high-production video intro shot on a cruise ship with RED cameras and featuring an A-list celeb.

And to be honest, it kinda seems like you’re just criticizing them for no good reason.

On the contrary. I want to see them reach a wider audience. I want to see FOSS, Linux, and other open-source projects become more accessible and widely available. For me, the way many of these projects present themselves is like gatekeeping to keep people away.

Have you personally designed and built a website that doesn’t suck?

Yes, but I won't doxx myself, so there's no proof I can give you.

Regardless, as a user and someone who wants to see open-source projects succeed, my comment should only be taken as constructive criticism.

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[-] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

You can if you wish. You just choose not to. Like so many of us. If more did volunteer, the problem would disappear. It's that simple.

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[-] piconaut@sh.itjust.works 47 points 3 months ago

I actually like the GIMP website homepage more than the one for photoshop.

Its simple and efficient. If I want to know more I would go to documentation or tutorials.

The photoshop site just looks like a random squarespace template with a bunch of stock photos.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 40 points 3 months ago

If I want to know more I would go to documentation or tutorials.

See, that's not normal, though. You shouldn't need to "dig deeper" to find out what a product is or what it does.

The well-designed homepage should simply tell you that within seconds of visiting. Any additional clicks should only be to "learn more", but not to learn about.

If this was an analogy, imagine a street lined with restaurants.

On one side you've got "Vinny's Italian Pizzeria", "Joe's Burgers and Fries", and "Mary's Bakery and Treats". Each has posters of what they sell posted on the windows, and a QR code to their online menu.

On the other you have "Sal's Food", "Frank's More Food", "Sal's". The windows are either covered in brown paper, or have stock images of "food", but nothing specific about what they actually make. To learn more, you have to go inside, ask someone for a menu, wait for that menu, then have a look. But the menu lacks photos! You either have to know what they are describing to you in the menu, or you would have to have already dined there before.

Does the latter experience sound good? Because that's how too many open-source projects present themselves, and it's to the loss of the volunteer devs and their potential user base.

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[-] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 19 points 3 months ago

Yeah… I was expecting a much larger contrast. Give me the one that doesn’t start off with several popups.

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[-] Flipper@feddit.org 36 points 3 months ago

Be the change you want to see.

[-] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 25 points 3 months ago

Idk if GIMP has a marketing problem but I definitely agree that FOSS projects should add screenshots and a description of what the program does to their website and repo. It really annoys me when someone links a piece of software and it just doesn't say what it does and there's no screenshots that would make it easy for me to see what it looks like and how the UI is structured. When there's no screenshots I'm rarely even interested in trying it out because, even with a description, I don't really know what it is. Like, I wouldn't be interested in a car based on only a description, I'd have to see a picture of it too.

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[-] kevincox@lemmy.ml 23 points 3 months ago

Actually I would pick GIMP.

Says what it is, an image editor.
No popups and random interruptions.
Not only AI editing examples which makes me thing the tool is AI only.
An overview of the variety of major features it has rather than just AI editing.
Links to helpful documentation rather than endless marketing pages that say nothing.

Really think only thing I would like to see is some screenshots and examples of using the tool, rather than just info on what it does. But the Photoshop page barely has this, just a few examples of the AI tools.

[-] GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 22 points 3 months ago

FOSS projects are often labors of love.

Nobody who isn't completely deranged loves marketing.

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[-] superkret@feddit.org 18 points 3 months ago

Open Source software is not a product that needs marketing.
The devs making Gimp gain literally nothing from you downloading and using it.
Stop applying capitalist logic to one of the few aspects of life that haven't been monetized yet.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 20 points 3 months ago

Open Source software is not a product that needs marketing.

That's highly debatable.

Surely, if nobody is using the software, then there's no incentive to keep making it.

Marketing generates interest. Interest gets users. Users (hopefully) get donations and/or contributions to the project.

Even from a purely practical standpoint, why not be clear and avoid wasting people's time as they try to figure out what exactly a project is about?

I'm not suggesting that GIMP take out Facebook ads. But my god, would a few screenshots kill the project?

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[-] Leeuk@feddit.uk 17 points 3 months ago

Agree, however on clicking the photoshop link was first hit with 2 popups before I could see the page.

[-] GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I would have to choose GIMP (in spite of this awful name) because that page loaded without javascript and the photoshop page requires me to enable javascript.

I know I'm being a bit facetious, here, but... Adobe can afford to hire full time front end devs and designers. FOSS projects can't really compete with Adobe's investors.

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[-] Majestic@lemmy.ml 115 points 3 months ago

Incredible. This is one of those hard to believe moments.

It's been 21 years since the release of GIMP 2.0.

It's been more than 10 years since work on a majorly overhauled GIMP 3.0 was announced and initiated.

And it's been 7 years since the last major release (2.10).

I can't wait for the non-destructive text effects. After all these years of dealing with the fact applying drop shadows meant the text couldn't be edited, at last it's no longer an issue.

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[-] xnx@slrpnk.net 107 points 3 months ago

zero screenshots on the announcement page and zero screenshots on the homepage. Exactly what i expect from gimp lol

[-] AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world 43 points 3 months ago

The UI looks the same lol

The layers are the big thing, but its hard to show because the final result looks the same anyways

[-] xnx@slrpnk.net 53 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Aw man i was hoping for a big ui upgrade like when blender released version 2.8 that now even cinema4d is copying.

I fear gimp truly doesnt care about its ui/ux because technically everything you want to do is possible as long as you learn the ways ans they dont care to attract an audience thats not die hard FOSS people. For example schools havent been able to use it because theyre so deadset on their nsfw name and schools cant have kids googling gimp with the pictures that will show up

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[-] ManaOatbun@jlai.lu 69 points 3 months ago

I opened it, changed brush, got a segmentation fault crash lmao

[-] RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world 36 points 3 months ago

Isn't C just wonderful?

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[-] iamkindasomeone@feddit.org 21 points 3 months ago

It's always the user's fault. Why do think you could change the brush using an UI element!?

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[-] TheWilliamist@lemmy.world 67 points 3 months ago

To all of the authors below who have disparaging opinions on the UX/UI experience and or the download ability. It’s a volunteer project for a reason. If you have such grand ideas and abilities put your money where your fingers are and fucking sign up.

[-] the_q@lemm.ee 26 points 3 months ago

A lot of the hate GIMP gets is people coming from Photoshop expecting it to work like Photoshop. In fact that's true for a lot of Adobe-like open source projects. That's why "industry standards" are dangerous and really only exist to keep one company rich.

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[-] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 21 points 3 months ago

God forbid people offer feedback.

[-] TBi@lemmy.world 33 points 3 months ago

Helpful Feedback is fine. As the OP said there is no need for disparaging feedback.

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[-] Kirk@startrek.website 18 points 3 months ago

So true for all FOSS projects, the more successful they become the more new users expect a customer service dept.

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[-] DioEgizio@lemm.ee 57 points 3 months ago

So in the end we got gimp 3 before GTA 6

[-] tauren@lemm.ee 18 points 3 months ago

We got gimp 3 before half life 3.

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[-] mtchristo@lemm.ee 56 points 3 months ago

Next. They should drop everything and solely focus on improving ux & ui . Every time I open gimp to try and get acclimated to it, I close it back out of frustration. Nothing is intuitive in that software. Not even the naming of the tools settings.

[-] Nalivai@lemmy.world 29 points 3 months ago

To be honest, nothing is intuitive in any complex software. Every time I open Photoshop I want to cry in pain. But it isn't because Photoshop is bad (that I don't know actually), but because I am not familiar with it at all

[-] hexagonwin@lemmy.sdf.org 21 points 3 months ago

i mean its pretty good if you get used to it.. i remember the shortcuts for all the major tools i use and it's very quick and easy to use for me.

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[-] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 14 points 3 months ago

Don't touch my workflow. Just because you couldn't get acclimated to it, doesn't mean no one did.

[-] prototype_g2@lemmy.ml 22 points 3 months ago

Reminds me of this:

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[-] joshfaulkner@lemmy.world 44 points 3 months ago

[-] weker01@sh.itjust.works 37 points 3 months ago

No, no, no. It's the end of times. I can hear the trumpets of the apocalypse.

Now Valve needs to release half life 3 and the world as we know it will truly perish.

Jokes aside. I hope this means work on a UI overhaul can seriously begin.

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[-] arc@lemm.ee 36 points 3 months ago

GTK 3 support just in time for GTK 4 & 5

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 28 points 3 months ago

Off-Canvas Editing Paint tools can now automatically expand the width and height of a layer as you draw! You can select “Expand Layers” in the tool options to enable drawing past the current boundaries of layers.

More features such as guides and auto-expanding layers can be used to work in the off-canvas space!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

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[-] Octagon9561@lemmy.ml 25 points 3 months ago

Now do VLC 4.0 :D

[-] Leeuk@feddit.uk 22 points 3 months ago

Brilliant and huge congrats to the amazing people who worked on it. One silly question though, is the "new" Gimp logo supposed to look out of focus or are my eyes getting old?

[-] mogoh@lemmy.ml 21 points 3 months ago

Already on flathub. Nice modern packaging world. https://github.com/flathub/org.gimp.GIMP

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