A screenshot of GIMPshop on Windows XP |
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| Developer(s) | Scott Moschella |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 2.2.11 (based on GIMP 2.2.11) / May 17, 2006 |
| Development status | On hold |
| Operating system | Mac OS X, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Solaris |
| Type | Raster graphics editor |
| License | GNU General Public License |
GIMPshop is a modification of the free and open source graphics program GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), with the intent to replicate the feel of Adobe Photoshop.[1] Its primary purpose is to make users of Photoshop feel comfortable using GIMP. According to the developer:
| “ | My original purpose for GIMPshop was to make the Gimp accessible to the many Adobe Photoshop users out there. I hope I’ve done that. And maybe along the way, I can convert a Photoshop pirate into a Gimp user.[2] | ” |
It shares GIMP's feature list, customisability, and availability on multiple platforms, while addressing some common criticisms regarding the program's interface: GIMPshop modifies the menu structure to more closely resemble Photoshop and adjusts the program's terminology to match Adobe's. In the Windows version, GIMPshop uses a plugin called 'Deweirdifyer' to combine the application's numerous windows in a similar manner to the MDI system used by most Windows graphics packages. More compatibility with Photoshop can be achieved using a third-party add-on for GIMP that supports Photoshop plugins, called pspi, which runs on Microsoft Windows or Linux.[3] All of GIMP's own plugins (filters, brushes, etc.) remain available.
GIMPshop was created by Scott Moschella of Next New Networks (formerly Attack of the Show!) as an unofficial fork of GIMP. He encountered resistance from GIMP's lead developers due to the methods he employed to implement his hacks.[4] GIMPshop was originally developed for Mac OS X and is now a Universal Binary. It has also been ported to Windows, Linux, and Solaris.
Due to the GIMP interface changes found in GIMPshop, many tutorials for the popular Photoshop can be followed in GIMPshop without modification, and others may be adapted for GIMPshop users with minimal effort. One of GIMPshop's differences from standard GIMP, in addition to the menu layout and Photoshop naming conventions, is that it adds a background window to the user interface. This background window causes significant bugs in the Windows version, and often causes windows to gray out or become unresponsive.
For Mac OS X, GIMPshop is compatible only with Panther (10.3.x) and Tiger (10.4.x). It requires Apple's X11.app (based on the X Window System display protocol) to render the user interface. Although the latest version of Apple's operating system installs X11 by default, its version of X11 is no longer compatible with GIMPshop.
GIMPshop was based on the old GIMP 2.2.11, and is not current with the latest GIMP codebase. In order to maintain usability, some users have taken to manually updating GIMPshop's libraries themselves.[5] Unfortunately, due to pending concerns over rights to the GIMPshop name, and a dispute with the individual who purchased the gimpshop.com domain, plans for an update are on hold. As explained by Moschella:
| “ | Not more than a few days after the OS X version was released and spread virally, someone who isn't me bought "Gimpshop.com", put up a site with hot-links to the files on my site and began advertising - LOTS of advertising. Soon, there were donate buttons, my name in the site's title and much more - making it look like my website. I asked that the owner stop hot-linking my files (and draining my bandwidth), so he hosted them somewhere else. I questioned his motives and he said he was just a fan and that the site was a "fan-site". It has been five years, the software has stagnated (due in no small part to my becoming discouraged by this one profiteer who trumped me, stole much of my traffic and bumped my site down to the second result when you search for "Gimpshop"). I assumed the guy would just give it up as I sadly let the project stagnate, but that hasn't happened.[6] | ” |