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GIMP 2.8.14 was released yesterday, bringing various bug fixes and small enhancements. This is the stable GIMP branch and no new features are added in the 2.8.x releases, just bug fixes.

GIMP 2.8.12 Ubuntu


Update: the Ubuntu / Linux Mint PPA now has GIMP 2.8.14: "Yesterday's 2.8.12 release had broken library versioning, so we had to roll out GIMP 2.8.14 today. The only change is the fixed libtool versioning".

Changes in GIMP 2.8.14 since 2.8.10:
  • Core:
    • OSX: Fix migration code for old GIMP directories;
    • Fix brush sizes when used from plug-ins;
    • Windows: Allow to Explorer-open files with UTF-8 characters in the filename;
    • Make XCF loading more robust against broken files;
  • GUI:
    • Make sure the widget direction matches the GUI language;
    • Remove the option to disable the warning when closing a modified image;
    • Fix canvas overlay widgets (like the text options) for tablets;
    • Make DND work between images in one dockable;
  • Libgimp:
    • Make gimp_image_get_name() return the string used for the image title;
  • Plug-ins:
    • Make script-fu-server more secure by listening to 127.0.0.1 by default and add a warning about changing that IP. This breaks the procedure's API, but for security reasons;
    • Bring back proper script-fu translations;
  • General:
    • Massively clean up and fix the OSX build and bundle;
    • Add Jenkins tutorial;
    • Documentation updates;
    • Bug fixes;
    • Translation updates.

The next major GIMP release - 2.10 (release date not known yet) -, should bring a complete port to GEGL / high bit depths, support layer masks on layer groups, new warp tool, seamless cloning, unified transform tool and more. Most of these features are work in progress and already available in the latest GIMP development builds - if you want to give it a try under Ubuntu, you can use a PPA to install the latest GIMP 2.10 development builds.


Install GIMP 2.8.14 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint via PPA


To install the latest GIMP 2.8.14 in Ubuntu / Linux Mint and derivatives, you can use +Thorsten Stettin's PPA. Add the PPA and install GIMP using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gimp
This PPA also provides the latest G'MIC for GIMP (which includes a collection of about 400 image filters and effects) and I recommend you check it out.

For other Linux distributions, Windows and Mac OS X, see the GIMP downloads page.