Photoshop to GIMP Translator

Look up any Photoshop tool, menu item or shortcut and find the GIMP equivalent, where it lives, and what to do when there is not one.

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Direct match Different route Needs a plugin No equivalent

Move Tool (V) Move (M) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

GIMP moves the active layer by default. Set the tool option to "Pick a layer or guide" to grab whatever you click.

Marquee Tool (M) Rectangle Select (R) and Ellipse Select (E) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

GIMP splits them into two separate tools instead of one cycling tool.

Lasso Tool (L) Free Select (F) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Click for straight segments, drag for freehand. Both work in the same tool.

Magnetic Lasso Scissors Select (I) Different route

Found in: Toolbox

Scissors snaps to edges between the points you click, then you press Enter to convert it to a selection.

Quick Selection Tool (W) Foreground Select Different route

Found in: Toolbox

Paint roughly over the subject, press Enter, then refine. Slower than Photoshop but it handles hair well.

Magic Wand (W) Fuzzy Select (U) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Identical idea. Threshold in the tool options replaces Photoshop tolerance.

Crop Tool (C) Crop (Shift+C) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Tick "Fixed: Aspect ratio" in the tool options to lock a ratio while you drag.

Eyedropper (I) Color Picker (O) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Tick "Sample merged" to read the composite instead of the active layer.

Healing Brush (J) Heal (H) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Ctrl+click sets the source point, exactly like Photoshop Alt+click.

Spot Healing Brush Heal with a small brush Different route

Found in: Toolbox

GIMP has no one-click spot healing. Set a source point first, then dab.

Patch Tool Resynthesizer plugin Needs a plugin

Found in: Filters > Enhance > Heal selection

Install Resynthesizer. It fills a selection from the surrounding texture, which is the closest match to Content-Aware Fill.

Clone Stamp (S) Clone (C) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Ctrl+click to set the source. Same behaviour, different modifier key.

Eraser (E) Eraser (Shift+E) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

The layer needs an alpha channel first, or you will erase to the background colour.

Gradient Tool (G) Gradient (G) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

GIMP 3 keeps the gradient live on canvas until you press Enter.

Paint Bucket (G) Bucket Fill (Shift+B) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Shares the G slot with the gradient in Photoshop, its own shortcut in GIMP.

Blur / Sharpen / Smudge Blur/Sharpen (Shift+U) and Smudge (S) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Ctrl toggles between blur and sharpen on the same tool.

Dodge and Burn (O) Dodge/Burn (Shift+D) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Ctrl swaps between dodge and burn while you paint.

Pen Tool (P) Paths (B) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Press Enter to turn a closed path into a selection, or use the Paths dialog.

Zoom Tool (Z) Zoom (Z) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Ctrl+scroll works in both. Shift+Ctrl+J fits the image to the window in GIMP.

Hand Tool (H) Space bar drag Direct match

Found in: Canvas

Hold the space bar and drag. There is no separate hand tool button by default.

Frame Tool (K) Layer mask on a shape Different route

Found in: Layer > Mask > Add Layer Mask

GIMP has no frame object. Draw the shape, use it as a mask, and the image is clipped to it.

Select > All (Ctrl+A) Select > All (Ctrl+A) Direct match

Found in: Select menu

Identical.

Select > Deselect (Ctrl+D) Select > None (Shift+Ctrl+A) Different route

Found in: Select menu

Different shortcut. Ctrl+D is "Duplicate layer" territory in GIMP muscle memory.

Select > Inverse (Shift+Ctrl+I) Select > Invert (Ctrl+I) Direct match

Found in: Select menu

Careful: Ctrl+I in Photoshop inverts colours, in GIMP it inverts the selection.

Select > Modify > Feather Select > Feather Direct match

Found in: Select menu

Same idea, value in pixels.

Select > Modify > Expand / Contract Select > Grow / Shrink Direct match

Found in: Select menu

Renamed, same result.

Select and Mask workspace Foreground Select plus a layer mask Different route

Found in: Toolbox and Layers panel

There is no single refine-edge workspace. Do the rough selection, then paint the mask by hand.

Select Subject Foreground Select Different route

Found in: Toolbox

No one-click subject detection in stock GIMP. The browser background remover on this site is often faster.

Save selection as channel Select > Save to Channel Direct match

Found in: Select menu

It lands in the Channels dialog and can be reloaded at any time.

Quick Mask (Q) Quick Mask (Shift+Q) Direct match

Found in: Bottom left of canvas

Paint in red to change the selection. Same workflow, different shortcut.

New Layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) New Layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) Direct match

Found in: Layer menu

Identical shortcut.

Duplicate Layer (Ctrl+J) Duplicate Layer (Shift+Ctrl+D) Different route

Found in: Layer menu

Ctrl+J in Photoshop also copies a selection to a new layer. In GIMP, copy then Edit > Paste as > New Layer.

Layer Group (Ctrl+G) New Layer Group Direct match

Found in: Layer menu

GIMP has no default shortcut. Use the folder icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.

Clipping Mask (Alt+Ctrl+G) Layer > Clip to Layer Below Direct match

Found in: Layer menu

Added natively in GIMP 3. On 2.10 you used a layer group plus a mask instead.

Layer Mask Layer > Mask > Add Layer Mask Direct match

Found in: Layer menu

White reveals, black hides, exactly as in Photoshop.

Layer Style (fx) Filters > Light and Shadow, or Script-Fu layer effects Different route

Found in: Filters menu

GIMP has no live, editable layer style panel. Effects are applied to pixels, so duplicate the layer first.

Smart Object No true equivalent No equivalent

Keep an untouched copy of the layer, hide it, and edit the duplicate. GIMP 3 non-destructive filters cover part of this.

Adjustment Layer No true equivalent No equivalent

Apply the adjustment to a duplicated layer, or add a solid colour layer set to a blend mode.

Blend modes Layer mode dropdown Direct match

Found in: Layers panel

Names differ slightly. Linear Burn is Linear Burn, Vivid Light is Vivid Light, Color Dodge is Dodge.

Flatten Image Image > Flatten Image Direct match

Found in: Image menu

Identical.

Merge Down (Ctrl+E) Layer > Merge Down (Ctrl+M) Different route

Found in: Layer menu

Different shortcut letter.

Lock transparent pixels Lock alpha channel Direct match

Found in: Layers panel

The chequerboard icon at the top of the Layers panel.

Levels (Ctrl+L) Colors > Levels Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Same histogram, same three sliders.

Curves (Ctrl+M) Colors > Curves Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Careful: Ctrl+M is Merge Down in GIMP. Use the menu.

Brightness/Contrast Colors > Brightness-Contrast Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Identical.

Hue/Saturation (Ctrl+U) Colors > Hue-Saturation Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Identical controls.

Color Balance Colors > Color Balance Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Same shadow, midtone and highlight split.

Black and White Colors > Desaturate > Mono Mixer Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Mono Mixer gives you the per-channel sliders Photoshop shows.

Photo Filter Colors > Color Temperature Different route

Found in: Colors menu

Temperature covers warming and cooling filters. For a colour cast, add a solid layer on Overlay.

Shadows/Highlights Colors > Shadows-Highlights Direct match

Found in: Colors menu

Added in GIMP 2.10 and still there.

Camera Raw Filter darktable or RawTherapee Different route

Found in: External, opens automatically

GIMP hands RAW files to darktable or RawTherapee. Install one and GIMP uses it as the raw stage.

Vibrance Colors > Saturation, or GEGL saturation Different route

Found in: Colors menu

No dedicated vibrance slider. Use a light Saturation move, or the G'MIC vibrance filter.

Gaussian Blur Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur Direct match

Found in: Filters menu

Identical.

Unsharp Mask Filters > Enhance > Sharpen (Unsharp Mask) Direct match

Found in: Filters menu

Same three controls.

Content-Aware Fill Resynthesizer plugin Needs a plugin

Found in: Filters > Enhance > Heal selection

The single most missed Photoshop feature. Resynthesizer is free and gets very close.

Liquify Tools > Transform Tools > Warp Transform (W) Direct match

Found in: Tools menu

Added in GIMP 2.10. Push, grow, shrink and swirl all live on canvas.

Lens Correction Filters > Distorts > Lens Distortion Direct match

Found in: Filters menu

Manual rather than profile based.

Noise Reduction Filters > Enhance > Noise Reduction Different route

Found in: Filters menu

Basic. G'MIC has far stronger denoisers if you need them.

Neural Filters G'MIC filter collection Needs a plugin

Found in: Filters > G'MIC-Qt

Not the same technology, but G'MIC covers style transfer, skin smoothing and colour grading.

Perspective Warp Tools > Transform Tools > Perspective Direct match

Found in: Tools menu

Drag the four corner handles.

Vanishing Point No equivalent No equivalent

Use Perspective transform on a separate layer and blend it in by hand.

Type Tool (T) Text (T) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

GIMP edits text on canvas. The floating toolbar holds the size, font and colour.

Character panel Text tool options Direct match

Found in: Tool Options dock

Kerning, line spacing and letter spacing all live in the tool options.

Paragraph panel Text box alignment buttons Different route

Found in: Tool Options dock

Basic alignment only. No hyphenation or paragraph styles.

Text on a path Text > Text along Path Direct match

Found in: Right click the text layer

Draw a path first, add the text, then right click the text layer and choose Text along Path.

Shape tools (rectangle, ellipse) Select then Edit > Stroke Selection or Fill Different route

Found in: Edit menu

GIMP has no live vector shape layers. Selections plus stroke or fill do the same job in pixels.

Custom Shape Tool Paths plus Stroke Path Different route

Found in: Paths dialog

Import an SVG with File > Open as Layers, or build the shape with the Paths tool.

Save As (PSD) File > Export As, choose .psd Direct match

Found in: File menu

GIMP reads and writes PSD. Layer styles and smart objects do not survive the round trip.

Save As (native) File > Save (.xcf) Direct match

Found in: File menu

XCF is the GIMP master format. Ctrl+S always writes XCF.

Save for Web File > Export As, then set the quality Different route

Found in: File menu

No dedicated export dialog with a live preview. The export options panel holds the quality slider.

Export As (Ctrl+Shift+W) File > Export As (Shift+Ctrl+E) Different route

Found in: File menu

Ctrl+E in GIMP repeats the last export with the same settings, which is faster once set up.

Image Size (Alt+Ctrl+I) Image > Scale Image Direct match

Found in: Image menu

Click the chain icon to keep the aspect ratio locked.

Canvas Size (Alt+Ctrl+C) Image > Canvas Size Direct match

Found in: Image menu

Remember to run Image > Fit Canvas to Layers afterwards if layers stick out.

Batch actions and droplets Script-Fu batch mode Different route

Found in: Filters > Script-Fu > Console

No action recorder. GIMP batches with Script-Fu or Python-Fu from the command line.

Undo (Ctrl+Z) Undo (Ctrl+Z) Direct match

Found in: Edit menu

Identical.

Step backward (Alt+Ctrl+Z) Undo repeatedly, or the Undo History dock Direct match

Found in: Edit menu

The Undo History dock lets you jump back many steps at once.

Free Transform (Ctrl+T) Tools > Transform Tools > Unified Transform (Shift+T) Different route

Found in: Tools menu

Unified Transform does scale, rotate, shear and perspective from one set of handles.

Fill with foreground (Alt+Backspace) Fill with FG Color (Ctrl+,) Different route

Found in: Edit menu

Different keys, same result.

Fill with background (Ctrl+Backspace) Fill with BG Color (Ctrl+.) Different route

Found in: Edit menu

Different keys, same result.

Swap foreground and background (X) Swap Colors (X) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Identical.

Default colours (D) Default Colors (D) Direct match

Found in: Toolbox

Identical.

Brush size ([ and ]) Brush size ([ and ]) Direct match

Found in: Canvas

Identical.

Fit on screen (Ctrl+0) Fit Image in Window (Shift+Ctrl+J) Different route

Found in: View menu

Different keys.

100 percent zoom (Ctrl+1) Zoom 1:1 (1) Different route

Found in: View menu

Just press 1 in GIMP.

Workspaces Windows > Dockable Dialogs plus saved window positions Different route

Found in: Windows menu

GIMP saves your layout on exit. There is no named workspace switcher.

Single window mode Windows > Single-Window Mode Direct match

Found in: Windows menu

Off by default on some builds. Turn it on first, it makes GIMP feel far more familiar.

History panel Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Undo History Direct match

Found in: Windows menu

Same purpose.

Navigator panel Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Navigation Direct match

Found in: Windows menu

Same purpose.

Preferences (Ctrl+K) Edit > Preferences Direct match

Found in: Edit menu

Theme and icon size live under Interface. Set the tile cache under System Resources.

Keyboard shortcut editor Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts Direct match

Found in: Edit menu

You can remap GIMP to Photoshop keys here if the muscle memory is too strong.

Nothing matched. Try a shorter search, like "fill" or "mask".

The Five Gaps That Actually Matter

Most of Photoshop maps onto GIMP with a different name and a different shortcut. Five things do not, and knowing them up front saves a lot of searching.

Missing from GIMP	Why it hurts	What to do instead
Adjustment layers	Colour edits are baked into pixels	Duplicate the layer before every adjustment, so you can throw it away
Smart objects	Scaling down then up destroys detail	Keep a hidden full size copy of the layer as your backup
Content-Aware Fill	Removing objects becomes manual work	Install the free Resynthesizer plugin, it gets remarkably close
Live layer styles	Drop shadows are not editable afterwards	Apply effects to a duplicate layer you can delete and redo
Actions and droplets	No recording repetitive steps	Use the Script-Fu generator to write the batch script

Shortcut Traps That Will Bite You

These are the ones that do something in both programs, but something different. They cause more frustration than any missing feature.

Keys	In Photoshop	In GIMP
Ctrl+I	Invert the colours	Invert the selection
Ctrl+M	Open Curves	Merge the layer down
Ctrl+D	Deselect	Duplicate the image
Ctrl+E	Merge down	Export with the last settings
Ctrl+S	Save in the current format	Always saves XCF, never JPG or PNG
Ctrl+T	Free Transform	Toggle the toolbox

The single biggest surprise: Ctrl+S in GIMP writes an XCF project file, not a JPG. To produce an image file you use File > Export As. This trips up every new arrival exactly once. The saving and exporting guide explains why the split exists.

If the muscle memory is too strong to fight, GIMP lets you remap everything under Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts. The full list of defaults is in the GIMP keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet.

Three Changes to Make in the First Ten Minutes

Turn on single window mode. Windows > Single-Window Mode. Without it GIMP floats panels around the desktop and feels nothing like Photoshop.
Raise the tile cache. Edit > Preferences > System Resources. Set it to about half your RAM. GIMP ships with a conservative default that makes large files crawl.
Add Alpha Channel by habit. Right click a layer and add it before you erase anything, otherwise the eraser paints the background colour instead of clearing pixels.

For the wider comparison of what each program is genuinely better at, see GIMP versus Photoshop.

Common Questions

Can GIMP open PSD files?

Yes, and it keeps the layers. What does not survive are layer styles, smart objects, adjustment layers and text that stays editable. Flatten those in Photoshop first if you can.

Can I use my Photoshop brushes?

Plain bitmap .abr brushes work. Anything relying on Photoshop brush dynamics or dual textures will import blank or wrong. Drop the files into your brushes folder, which the GIMP folder finder can locate for you.

Is there a way to make GIMP look like Photoshop?

Partly. Single window mode, a dark theme, and remapped shortcuts get you most of the way. Themes that try to clone the Photoshop layout exist but tend to break with each GIMP release.

What about CMYK for print?

GIMP works in RGB. It can soft proof with a CMYK profile, but it does not edit in CMYK. For real print separation work you would export and convert elsewhere.

Related Tools

Keyboard Shortcuts

The full GIMP shortcut cheat sheet.

GIMP Folder Finder

Where to drop brushes, fonts and plugins.

Script-Fu Generator

The closest thing GIMP has to Actions.