The leader of open source image editing software receives a significant and much-anticipated update. The GEGL image editor, in particular, brings the most significant benefit to the adoption of this new version.
For GIMP users, it took patience to receive a significant update of the software. Six years of development, nothing less, were necessary to propose all the new features of version 2.10.
The results are nevertheless up to the expectations: GIMP finally supports the RAW format via the free software Raw Therapee or Darktable. The most important innovation is the new image processing engine, GEGL, in high definition. This non-destructive processing engine offers, among other qualities, a multithreaded approach and hardware acceleration. Over 80 GEGL-based filters are already available.
Other new features of GIMP 2.10 are more visible: interface, more modern visual presentation, extensions via plugins. The software now supports OpenEXR, RGBE, WebP, HGT formats and improves compatibility with Photoshop PSD format on import. Color management becomes a fundamental feature of GIMP: most windows and preview areas offer color management. The preview for all filters is compatible with GEGL. Finally, metadata viewing and editing are available for Exif, XMP, IPTC, and DICOM formats.
GIMP is not yet a 100% Photoshop replacement tool for purists, but for most image editing and processing operations, it no longer has much to envy.