GIMP Version History Timeline
Every major GIMP release from version 0.54 in January 1996 to GIMP 3.x in 2025. Nearly three decades of open-source image editing history, key features introduced in each release, and the milestones that shaped modern GIMP.
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GIMP 0.54
- First public release by Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis (UC Berkeley students)
- Basic painting tools, selections, layers (rudimentary)
- Plugin system already present in first release
- Only supported SGI IRIX and Linux
The origin - released as a free Photoshop alternative for Unix
GIMP 0.60
- Script-Fu scripting introduced (Scheme-based)
- Tile-based memory management
- Multiple display support
Script-Fu scripting arrives in version 0.60
GIMP 0.99.x
- GTK (GIMP Toolkit) split into separate library - GTK+ is born
- Greatly improved plugin API
- Windows and macOS ports begun
GTK+ born from GIMP - now powers GNOME desktop
GIMP 1.0
- First stable release
- Solid plugin ecosystem established
- Script-Fu matured
- Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS
First production-ready release
GIMP 1.2
- Improved text tool
- Better JPEG/PNG handling
- Script-Fu improvements
- More brush dynamics
Stability and polish for the 1.x series
GIMP 2.0
- Complete GTK+2 port
- New layer modes
- Significantly improved text tool with Unicode support
- New color picker and blend tool
- Improved tablet support
Major rewrite - modern GIMP era begins
GIMP 2.2
- Fully integrated color management (ICC profiles)
- Better EXIF metadata handling
- New histogram docking
- SVG path support
Professional color management arrives
GIMP 2.4
- Healing brush tool (first appearance)
- Foreground Select tool
- Improved rectangle/ellipse select with corner rounding
- Scalable brushes
- New default theme
Healing brush closes a key gap vs Photoshop
GIMP 2.6
- Initial GEGL integration (optional)
- Free select (lasso) tool overhaul
- Zoom tool improvements
- SIOX foreground extraction improved
- Canvas can extend beyond the image boundary
GEGL pipeline begins its decade-long integration
GIMP 2.8
- Single-window mode (revolutionary for GIMP UX)
- Layer groups introduced
- On-canvas text editing
- Cage transform tool
- Saving vs. Exporting separated (XCF is now the only "save" format)
- MyPaint brush support
Single-window mode transforms daily GIMP workflow
GIMP 2.10
- Full GEGL pipeline - 16-bit, 32-bit float per channel
- HDR image support
- Linear light compositing mode
- Warp Transform tool
- New Paint Select tool
- Unified transform tool
- Multi-threaded rendering (faster on modern CPUs)
- Over 100 new GEGL-based filters and operations
- Improved color management
The biggest GIMP release in a decade - true high-bit-depth editing
GIMP 2.10.2
- Rulers, guides, and grid improvements
- New gradient editor
- Faster startup time
Fast follow-up polish to 2.10
GIMP 2.10.8
- Dashboard dockable added (performance monitoring)
- Improved symmetry painting
- Better clipboard handling
Developer tools and symmetry painting added
GIMP 2.10.10
- Improved PSD import/export
- Better HEIF support
- Faster layer operations
Better compatibility with Photoshop files
GIMP 2.10.18
- Passthrough mode for layer groups
- Better TIFF support
- Improved PDF handling
Passthrough blend mode for layer groups
GIMP 2.10.22
- Improved Apple M1/Silicon support
- Better WebP support
- Script-Fu improvements
Apple Silicon native performance
GIMP 2.10.32
- Extensive bug fixes
- Better compatibility across platforms
- Improved high-DPI display handling
Final polishing of the 2.10.x LTS branch
GIMP 2.99.x
- GTK3 migration in progress
- Python 3 replacing Python 2 for plugins
- Complete GEGL pipeline refinement
- New canvas interaction model
The long road to GIMP 3 - hundreds of internal improvements
GIMP 3.0
- GTK3 UI framework (modern, HiDPI native)
- Python 3 plugin API (Python 2 dropped)
- Non-destructive editing foundations
- Improved layer effects
- Better Wayland support on Linux
- Unified color management across all operations
- Dynamic canvas rotation
- Significantly improved tablet/stylus support
GIMP 3 - the most significant release since 2.0, 21 years later
GIMP 3.2
- Non-destructive filters (first real non-destructive workflow)
- Improved text rendering
- Better PSD round-trip compatibility
- Performance improvements
- New selection from mask workflow
Non-destructive editing finally arrives in GIMP
About GIMP's Development
GIMP is developed entirely by volunteers - a distributed, international community of programmers, designers, and translators who contribute code, documentation, and artwork in their own time. There is no company behind GIMP and no paid development team. The project uses GNOME infrastructure for hosting, mailing lists, and bug tracking, and the GIMP maintainers operate independently of any corporate sponsor.
Release cadence for GIMP has historically been slow compared to commercial software - the gap between GIMP 2.8 (2012) and GIMP 2.10 (2018) was six years, largely because the entire image processing pipeline was being rewritten around GEGL. The jump from GIMP 2.10 to GIMP 3.0 (March 2025) took another seven years, this time driven by the enormous effort of migrating from GTK+2 to GTK3 and finalising the non-destructive editing architecture.
Minor releases (2.10.x) are more frequent and typically focus on bug fixes, performance improvements, and format compatibility. After GIMP 3.0, the team adopted a faster minor-release cadence: GIMP 3.2 followed just two months later in May 2025 with the first real non-destructive filter workflow.
The project is hosted at gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp and accepts contributions via merge requests. Anyone can report bugs, submit patches, or contribute to translations through the GNOME Damned Lies translation platform.
What Changed Most: Key Inflection Points
Single-Window Mode (2012)
Before GIMP 2.8, every dockable panel, toolbox, and image window was a separate floating OS window. On most operating systems this created a chaotic workspace that was a major barrier to adoption. Single-window mode brought everything into one container - transforming the daily experience of working in GIMP. It remains the default in GIMP 3.x.
Full GEGL Pipeline & High Bit-Depth (2018)
GIMP 2.10 completed the decade-long GEGL integration. For the first time GIMP could work natively in 16-bit and 32-bit float per channel - unlocking HDR editing, proper linear light compositing, and access to over 100 GEGL-based operations. This single release brought GIMP into legitimate professional territory for colour-critical work.
GTK3, Python 3, and Non-Destructive Foundations (2025)
GIMP 3.0 completed the GTK3 migration, ending years of technical debt and bringing native HiDPI support, proper Wayland compatibility on Linux, and a modern widget toolkit. Simultaneously, Python 2 plugins were dropped in favour of Python 3, and the architectural groundwork for non-destructive editing was laid - a promise fulfilled immediately in GIMP 3.2 with non-destructive filters.
Get the Latest Version of GIMP
GIMP 3.2 is the current stable release, available free for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), and Linux (AppImage and Flatpak).