Development of the next version of the GNU Image Manipulation Program has been stalled in recent months. We were expecting a major new version in May, or June at the latest, but it's now August and we're still waiting. Only those deeply involved in its development know why we don't have GIMP 3.0 yet, but we're getting closer to its release, and this time for real, as announced yesterday on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
" We've entered the freeze for GIMP 3.0.0! One step closer to the next major version of GIMP! " they posted. They didn't give any further details, but we already know what the freeze means : no more changes are being accepted because the intention is to finalize everything they already have in progress and, when they do, release the stable version of GIMP 3.0.
Today we entered string freeze 流 for #GIMP 3.0.0!
One more step towards the next major version of GIMP! #GIMP3 #FreeSoftware #graphics
— GIMP (@GIMP_Official) August 20, 2024
GIMP 3.0 will arrive in a few weeks?
Since no details have been given, we also can't know exactly when GIMP 3.0 will arrive. Release freezes can happen a month before a launch, maybe even longer. Given that it's August, I'd bet it will arrive sometime in 2024, but we were also expecting VLC 4.0 in 2021 , 2022, 2023, and here we are in 2024 with no sign of a stable version. We'll have to wait for more news.
GIMP 3.0 will arrive approximately 10 years after v2 and will be the version that moves from GTK2 to GTK3 , and will also make the leap from Python 2 to Python 3. The first of these changes will already give it a noticeably different design, but they will also introduce other aesthetic tweaks that will make the most popular alternative to Photoshop look better than ever.
Regarding the switch to GTK4 , the developers' opinion is that it's not a priority , that it requires a lot of work for very little gain, and that most users wouldn't even notice. In theory, they could start on it once the other features are properly implemented.