GIMP's UI Shackles: Users Ready to Pay for Polish as Functionality Gets Pinned Down by Specialization
GIMP 3.2.0's major impact was limited to bug fixes for layer groups, not a revolutionary overhaul, according to thingsiplay. Technically, GIMP's framework is behind; GTK 3 support arrived in November 2024, and GTK 4 support is still in development, LiveLM noted.
The user base has a sharp disagreement over tool roles. Blaiz0r insists on specialized definitions: Inkscape owns vectors, Krita owns painting, and GIMP handles general tasks. Meanwhile, others point out that these functions are not interchangeable, regardless of how similar the apps look. Regarding GIMP itself, jackal stated flatly that the only obstacle is the UI. Kirk backed this sentiment, expressing a willingness to pay for a polished, Photoshop-like alternative.
The clear fault line is the interface. While GIMP has specific functions, the consensus shows users are tired of the look. The willingness of users like Kirk to pay money for a better-skinned version proves polish trumps pure open-source dogma for many paying customers.
Key Points
The GIMP UI is the primary functional barrier.
jackal stated the UI is the only barrier; Kirk indicated a willingness to pay for a professional skin.
Tools maintain distinct, non-interchangeable specialties.
Blaiz0r enforced roles: Inkscape for vectors, Krita for painting, GIMP for general image work, challenging arguments of overlap.
New GIMP releases are not major paradigm shifts.
thingsiplay scored the GIMP 3.2.0 update as primarily a bug fix, diminishing hype.
There is market demand for a paid, polished GIMP alternative.
Kirk demonstrated this by stating he'd pay for a Photoshop-like GIMP clone.
The origin and legitimacy of third-party tools are suspect.
thingsiplay pointed out a past rejection of a 'Fog Panther' clone for potentially containing 'AI Slop', flagging skepticism.
Current aesthetic elements detract from usability.
Marthirial criticized themes, calling icons 'too bright and chunky' and lacking definition.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.