Gimp 2.9 – A sneak preview of the next major version
Improved Filters
Porting filters that already existed in Gimp 2.8 to the GEGL framework has created a series of new filters. The process of porting the existing filters is not yet complete, as a quick look at the Filters | Distorts menu shows (Figure 10). In addition to the Color Temperature described above and HDR filters (Figure 11) – which are now sufficiently fast in Gimp 2.9.1 to put to meaningful use – there are some new or extended filters as GEGL variants.


Although the GEGL tool in Gimp 2.8 contained all the GEGL filters, Gimp 2.9 now only groups the new, previously non-existent filters on GEGL basis [13] there (Figure 12). For an overview of these tools, check out Table 1.

Table 1
New Filters in Gimp 2.9
Filter Name | Description |
---|---|
Bilateral Box Filter |
A blur effect keeps the edges |
Bilateral Filter |
A blur effect keeps the edges |
Box Blur |
A fast blur effect |
Fractal Explorer |
Computes complex fractals |
High Pass Filter |
Emphasizes fine details in images |
Map Absolute |
Transfers colors (absolute) |
Map Relative |
Transfers colors (relative) |
Oilify |
Simulates painting in oil paints |
Radial Gradient |
Computes a color gradient between freely selectable start and end colors |
Rectangle |
Creates single color rectangles |
Spatio Temporal Retinex-like Envelope with Stochastic Sampling |
Simulates the retinex effect filter |
Symmetric Nearest Neighbor |
Noise suppression filter |
Conclusions
As Gimp 2.9 clearly shows, the next major release of the image editing program is unmistakably heading toward professional territory. After porting all the filters to GEGL, this software will take image editing on Linux to a new level, with two effects: For users who've never immersed themselves in this topic, getting started will be more difficult. On the other hand, Gimp is moving away from its DIY status toward becoming a genuinely professional tool, which will make current users very happy.
Infos
- Gimp roadmap: http://wiki.gimp.org/wiki/Roadmap
- GEGL: http://gegl.org
- Malmberg, Filip. "Image Processing Using Graphs": http://www.cb.uu.se/~filip/ImageProcessingUsingGraphs/LectureNotes/Lecture1.pdf
- "Fine Art HDR Processing" by Karsten Günther, Linux Pro Magazine, issue 152, July 2013, page 82, http://www.linuxpromagazine.com/Issues/2013/152/Fine-Art-HDR-Processing
- Building Gimp 2.9: http://blog.hartwork.org/?p=2078
- Gimp 2.9 for Ubuntu: https://launchpad.net/~otto-kesselgulasch/+archive/gimp-experimental/
- LightningIsMyName's website: http://lightningismyname.blogspot.de/2011/08/gsoc-2011-final-results-and-how-to-try.html
- Farbman, Z., Hoffer, G., Lipman, Y., Cohen-Or, D., and Lischinski, D. "Coordinates for Instant Image Cloning": http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~danix/mvclone/
- Lab color space: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_color_space
- RawTherapee: http://rawtherapee.com
- Graph-based editing (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RBL1cVzIQik
- Chen, H.-T., L.-Y. Wei, and C.-F. Chang. "Nonlinear Revision Control for Images": https://sites.google.com/site/httimchen/2011_imagesvn
- GEGL filters: http://www.gegl.org/operations.html
« Previous 1 2 3
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.