GIMP Version History - What's New in GIMP 3.x

GIMP 3.2.4 is the current stable release as of 2025. This page covers the full version history, what changed between major releases, how to check and update your installed version, and how to track upcoming development.

Current Stable Version: GIMP 3.2.4

GIMP 3.2.4 is a point release in the 3.2 stable branch, addressing bug fixes and stability improvements over the 3.2.0 initial release. It represents the culmination of years of work porting GIMP to modern infrastructure and should be the version all new users install. If you are new to GIMP, see what GIMP is for an introduction. GIMP is completely free to download and use for any purpose.

To get GIMP 3.2.4, visit the GIMP download page for installation instructions for your operating system.

Complete Version History

GIMP has been in active development since 1995. The table below covers every significant stable release, highlighting the changes that mattered most to users at the time.

What Changed in GIMP 3.x vs GIMP 2.10

GIMP 3.0 was a major version bump that took years to arrive and represents the most significant infrastructure change in GIMP's history. Here is what changed and why it matters:

GTK3 Interface Framework

The most fundamental change in GIMP 3.x is the migration from GTK2 to GTK3. GTK is the widget toolkit that draws every button, slider, and panel in GIMP's interface. GTK2 was released in 2002 and became increasingly outdated - It did not support HiDPI displays properly, and major Linux distributions began dropping support for it.

The GTK3 port took approximately seven years of ongoing work alongside regular GIMP development. The result is an interface that renders crisply on 4K and Retina displays, integrates properly with modern system themes, and has a maintainable codebase going forward.

Layer Effects

GIMP 3.x introduced non-destructive layer effects - Drop shadows, glows, strokes, and blending effects that are applied to a layer without permanently modifying its pixels. In GIMP 2.10, these effects had to be merged into the image, making them difficult to adjust later. In GIMP 3.x, you can return to any layer effect and adjust it at any point. This is a significant workflow improvement for designers.

Full GEGL Integration

While GEGL was introduced in GIMP 2.6 and expanded through 2.10, GIMP 3.x completes the integration. All operations - Including the canvas itself - Run through GEGL's graph-based processing pipeline. This enables consistent 16-bit and 32-bit per channel editing throughout the entire workflow, not just in specific tools.

New PDB 3.0 Plugin API

The Procedural Database (PDB) is the interface that allows plug-ins and scripts to control GIMP. GIMP 3.0 introduced a completely redesigned PDB 3.0 API with cleaner Python bindings, better error handling, and an updated libgimp library. Plug-ins written for GIMP 2.10 need to be updated to work with GIMP 3.x, which is why some older plug-ins may not yet be available.

Improved HiDPI Support

GIMP 2.10 on macOS Retina and Windows HiDPI displays looked blurry and had interface scaling problems. GIMP 3.x resolves this with proper HiDPI awareness throughout the interface, including tool icons, dialog boxes, and the canvas rendering.

How to Check Your Installed GIMP Version

Finding your installed GIMP version takes two seconds:

1. Open GIMP
2. Click the Help menu in the menu bar
3. Select About GIMP

The About dialog shows your exact version number (e.g., GNU Image Manipulation Program version 3.2.4) along with build date and platform information.

On Linux, you can also check from the terminal:

gimp --version

This prints the version string directly without opening the GUI.

How to Update GIMP

GIMP does not have a built-in auto-updater. The update process varies by operating system:

Windows

Download the latest installer from the download page and run it. The installer will upgrade your existing installation in place. Your settings, brushes, and scripts in the GIMP user directory (typically %APPDATA%\GIMP\) are preserved between upgrades.

macOS

Download the latest DMG from the download page, open it, and drag the new GIMP.app into your Applications folder. When prompted, click Replace. Your user data in ~/Library/Application Support/GIMP/ is unaffected.

Linux - Package Manager

Most Linux distributions include GIMP in their package repositories. Update it with your distribution's package manager:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade gimp

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf upgrade gimp

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -Syu gimp

Note that distribution packages often lag behind the official GIMP release by weeks or months. If you need the latest version on Linux, use the Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak update org.gimp.GIMP

GIMP's Development Cycle: Stable vs Development Builds

GIMP follows a branched release model common in open-source software:

• Stable branch - The current stable branch (3.2.x) receives only bug fixes and security patches. No new features are added to a stable branch. Point releases like 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3 are safe to install and upgrade to without risk.
• Development branch - New features are developed in a separate branch (currently targeting GIMP 3.4). Development releases have odd minor version numbers in GIMP's historical convention, though this numbering scheme has varied between release cycles.

Most users should always use the stable branch. Development releases exist for testing and contributor feedback, not production use.

Getting Nightly Development Builds

If you want to test upcoming features before they reach a stable release, GIMP provides nightly builds through several channels:

Flatpak Nightly (Linux)

The easiest way to run a GIMP development build on Linux is through the Flatpak nightly channel:

# Add the GNOME nightly remote (if not already added)
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists gnome-nightly https://nightly.gnome.org/gnome-nightly.flatpakrepo

# Install GIMP nightly
flatpak install gnome-nightly org.gimp.GIMP

The nightly Flatpak installs alongside your stable GIMP installation and can be run independently - It will not overwrite your stable version.

GNOME GitLab CI Artifacts

Every commit to GIMP's development branch triggers a CI pipeline on gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp that produces downloadable build artifacts for multiple platforms. These are unsigned development builds intended only for developers and testers.

What to Expect from Nightly Builds

Development builds can be unstable. Features may be incomplete, the interface may change between runs, and the builds may crash. They are not appropriate for production work. However, if you are interested in helping test GIMP or providing early feedback on new features, running nightly builds is the best way to participate in the development process.