GIMP, the open source image editor frequently compared to Photoshop, has released version 3.2.8, bringing a number of bug fixes and security updates.
GIMP is one of the most popular open source image editors, offering powerful features for users looking to move away from the Adobe ecosystem. The project has released the latest version, featuring a number of UX improvements:
The Add Border filter now allows you to create semi-transparent borders based on the color you choose in the filter.
Jehan fixed a bug introduced in GIMP 3.2.6 when we added better support for cutting/copying from layer groups. Non-rectangular selections on layers within a layer group will now be copied over correctly.
Jehan improved our font-loading code so that it can be cancelled early (for instance, when quitting GIMP while the fonts are still loading). This should speed up our shut-down times.
Bruno Lopes made improvements to some dialogs so they appear on the correct screen for users with multiple monitors. In addition, the Dot to Dot setting now works again. It was reporting wrong pixel density since GIMP 3.0.
The new version of GIMP also includes a number of security improvements, prompted largely by a surge in security reports driven by advances in software scanning and testing programs.
As many free and open source software projects can attest, we have continued to receive a large quantity of security reports due to recent advances in software scanning and testing programs. Jacob Boerema and Alx Sa along with new contributors Mike Gorse, Dirk Müller, and Alynx Zhou have proactively responded to and patched these reported issues when applicable.
We take security seriously, but this is not quite as scary as it first sounds. There are no personal accounts or banking information to exploit since we of course don’t access or store that information! The most common report that we get is our older image plug-ins and legacy filters are too trusting of the image size information provided by the image file, and if you intentionally alter this information, you could cause the plug-in (not GIMP itself) to crash.
GIMP 3.0 was a major new version, bringing a more modern interface and features users had long clamored for, such as improved layer support. With version 3.2.8, the project continues to mature and offer a viable alternative to Photoshop.
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