New features in Gimp 3

Non-Destructive Fun

© Photo by Park Troopers on Unsplash

© Photo by Park Troopers on Unsplash

Article from Issue 297/2025
Author(s):

It's been a long wait, but the latest Gimp release offers a non-destructive workflow and an improved codebase that promises future enhancements.

The wait is over. After several years of work, the Gimp development team has unleashed version 3 of the premier open source image editing application. Gimp 3 [1] mixes changes under the hood with new features that improve both the workflow and capabilities of the program.

Headlining this release, more of Gimp's features now fit within a non-destructive approach. In other words, you can make changes to an image without committing to them. This includes images that have been saved and then reloaded in Gimp's native XCF format, which means that you retain full editability and can back out of changes at any time, a boon both for individual users and collaborative teams.

Beyond this, nearly every area of the program has a few new features to offer. Read on for an overview of the improvements.

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