Open Source Image Editor GIMP Now Available as a Native OS X App

Thursday August 30, 2012 1:16 pm PDT by Jordan Golson

The free, open-source image editor GIMP is now available for OS X as a native application. It is available for download from Gimp.org.

GIMP is a popular and fairly powerful free image editor from the linux world that is basically like a freeware version of Photoshop, complete with many of the tools used for photo retouching and image manipulation that you’d expect. It’s a great free PS alternative, but Mac users have long had to install X11 to get it to run. But not anymore! The newest version of Gimp for Mac OS X is bundled as a self-contained native app, that means no X11 installations, no Xcode, nothing but a simple dmg download.

Previously, GIMP required the installation of X11, a windowing system for some specialized software -- something that is difficult for more inexperienced users to accomplish. Pixelmator is an excellent alternative image editor for most users, though it currently costs $15.

Top Rated Comments

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avanpelt

10 months ago

Pixelmator got me away from the GIMP about a year ago, and I won't be switching back.

Rating: 12 Positives

Akarin

10 months ago

...this application is open source. I use it since years on PC. If you feel like it is bugged, you have two choices: Help to make it better by either reporting bugs or contributing fixing bugs - or just wait. It will be fixed. I would understand if you complain about a program you paid for - but you didn't for this one, so be patient.

Aaaaah... but you see, as a developer of an open-source framework for PHP, this is exactly the kind of answers I hate: "it's free so don't complain".

Mediocrity and sloppy releases give a bad name to open source projects. You then hear things like "deal with a crappy open source software or pay big bucks to have quality". I disagree. Strongly.

First, any open source developer should be open to criticism and even more to complaints. Serious complaints, I mean, not childish ones. Reading this thread, my current feeling is that Gimp crashes a lot. Open source or not, this is not giving good publicity to the software as now, I won't even bother downloading it.

Anyway, to cut it short, "open source" should not mean "free therefore buggy".

Rating: 11 Positives

justinfreid

10 months ago

Thanks GIMP team.

Rating: 11 Positives

Pakaku

10 months ago

Pixelmator got me away from the GIMP about a year ago, and I won't be switching back.

But for a free app, it's decent enough for most people.

Rating: 11 Positives

Mad-B-One

10 months ago

Rating: 10 Positives

wikus

10 months ago

If GIMP supports CMYK based export it will render Pixelmator useless for any print professional.

Still, the industry standard is Photoshop so most studios and clients work pretty much only with PSD files which is risky to rely on Pixelmator or Gimp alone.

Rating: 6 Positives

Reason077

10 months ago

Bring out the GIMP.

Rating: 6 Positives