{
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  "@id": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/gimp/#software",
  "name": "GIMP",
  "description": "Free and open-source raster image editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, covering photo retouching, compositing, artwork and scripted image processing.",
  "url": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/gimp/",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/gimp/",
  "operatingSystem": "macOS",
  "applicationCategory": "DesignApplication",
  "publisher": {
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  "softwareVersion": "3.2.6",
  "license": "GPL-3.0-or-later",
  "offers": {
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    "slug": "gimp",
    "name": "GIMP",
    "type": "SoftwareApplication",
    "entityType": "image editor",
    "description": "Free and open-source raster image editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, covering photo retouching, compositing, artwork and scripted image processing.",
    "shortDescription": "Free and open-source image editor for retouching, compositing and artwork.",
    "answer": "GIMP — the GNU Image Manipulation Program — is the long-running free software answer to a professional raster editor. It covers the usual ground: retouching and restoring photographs, compositing several images into one, painting from a blank canvas, and producing icons and interface mockups. What sets it apart from most free alternatives is depth rather than breadth: colour management aimed at print as well as screen, and a scripting layer that lets you drive image operations from C, C++, Python or Scheme, which is why it turns up as an engine inside automated pipelines. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License, so the source can be modified and redistributed. It suits anyone who needs a capable editor without a subscription.",
    "page": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/gimp/",
    "dataUrl": "https://www.nuanyue.com/data/software/gimp.json",
    "categories": [
      "design"
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    "tags": [],
    "platform": [
      "macOS"
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    "architecture": [
      "arm64",
      "x86_64"
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    "featured": false,
    "pricing": "open-source",
    "pricingDescription": "Free software under the GNU General Public License, with no paid tier and no account. The project asks for donations rather than charging for the application, and publishes its own macOS disk images outside the App Store.",
    "license": "GPL-3.0-or-later",
    "currentVersion": "3.2.6",
    "openSource": true,
    "website": "https://www.gimp.org/",
    "documentation": "https://docs.gimp.org/",
    "github": "https://github.com/GNOME/gimp",
    "download": "https://download.gimp.org/gimp/v3.2/macos/gimp-3.2.6-arm64.dmg",
    "developer": {
      "name": "The GIMP Development Team"
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    "icon": "/apps/gimp.png",
    "features": [
      "Photo retouching, restoration and creative compositing",
      "Original artwork creation from a blank canvas",
      "Production of icons, graphical design elements and interface mockups",
      "Colour management aimed at high-fidelity reproduction in digital and printed media",
      "Scripted image manipulation from C, C++, Python and Scheme",
      "Extensibility through third-party plug-ins and community scripts",
      "Customisation options for the interface and tool behaviour",
      "Runs on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows and other operating systems",
      "A published user manual in around 35 languages, with keyboard quick-reference PDFs",
      "Free software: the source may be modified and redistributed under the GNU General Public License",
      "Official macOS disk images published separately for Apple silicon and Intel"
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    "useCases": [
      "Retouching or restoring a photograph without paying for an editor",
      "Compositing several images into a single finished piece",
      "Producing icons and interface assets for a project",
      "Driving repetitive image operations from a script instead of by hand"
    ],
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    "integrations": [],
    "pros": [
      {
        "text": "Free software under the GNU General Public License, with no paid tier, no account and the source available to modify and redistribute.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Provides colour management intended for high-fidelity reproduction across digital and printed media.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Image operations can be scripted from C, C++, Python and Scheme, which makes it usable as an engine inside automated pipelines.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Extensible through third-party plug-ins and community scripts.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Publishes separate official macOS disk images for Apple silicon and Intel, so there is a native build for either Mac.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Runs on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows and other operating systems from one project.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "A published user manual covers version 3.2 in around 35 languages, alongside printable keyboard quick references.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "cons": [
      {
        "text": "The project's own manual is described as a work in progress that is known to have outdated content, errors and omissions.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The macOS build is published outside the App Store, so nothing updates it for you.",
        "status": "derived",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The interface is a cross-platform design rather than a Mac-native one, so menu layout and window behaviour differ from what macOS users expect.",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed"
      },
      {
        "text": "The minimum macOS version for the current release is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks.",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed"
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    ],
    "whoIsItFor": [
      "Designers, photographers and scientists who need a capable editor and no subscription",
      "People who want to read, modify and rebuild the software they rely on"
    ],
    "notFor": [
      "Anyone who needs a native, fully Apple-idiomatic Mac application — GIMP's interface is its own, not the Mac's",
      "Workflows that depend on a vendor support contract, since GIMP is a volunteer project with no commercial backing"
    ],
    "limitations": [
      "The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks",
      "The project's own manual is described by its authors as a work in progress with outdated content, errors and omissions",
      "It is distributed from download.gimp.org rather than the Mac App Store, so updates are the user's responsibility",
      "The interface is a cross-platform one rather than a Mac-native design, which shows in the menu layout and window handling"
    ],
    "firstUse": {
      "installation": {
        "value": "Downloaded as a disk image from download.gimp.org, with separate builds for Apple silicon and Intel; it is not distributed through the Mac App Store.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "firstLaunch": {
        "value": "No account or licence key is involved. The first launch asks you to let GIMP create its personal configuration folder before the main window appears.",
        "status": "derived",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "systemIntegration": {
        "value": "Installs as a self-contained application bundle; because it is not sandboxed through the App Store, plug-ins and scripts are installed into the app's own folders rather than managed by the system.",
        "status": "derived",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "appleSilicon": {
        "value": true,
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    },
    "updates": [],
    "faq": [
      {
        "question": "Is GIMP really free?",
        "answer": "Yes. GIMP is free software under the GNU General Public License. There is no paid tier, no account and no licence key, and the source may be modified and redistributed under the same licence. The project asks for donations to fund development.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Does GIMP run on Apple silicon Macs?",
        "answer": "Yes. The project publishes separate official macOS disk images for Apple silicon and Intel in the same version folder, so there is a native arm64 build rather than one running through translation.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Where do I download GIMP for macOS?",
        "answer": "From download.gimp.org, in the folder for the major version you want — for example the v3.2 folder for the 3.2.x releases. GIMP is not distributed through the Mac App Store, so updates have to be downloaded and installed by hand.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Can GIMP be automated?",
        "answer": "Yes. The project describes GIMP as a high-quality framework for scripted image manipulation with multi-language support including C, C++, Python and Scheme, and extensibility through third-party plug-ins and community scripts.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Is the GIMP manual complete?",
        "answer": "Not entirely, and the project says so itself: the US English manual that translations are based on is described as known to have outdated content, errors and omissions, and the translations are listed with completion percentages that range from 0% to 100%.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "target": "affinity-photo",
        "type": "competitor",
        "reason": "Both are raster editors used for photo work and compositing, but Affinity Photo is a free closed-source application tied to a Canva account while GIMP is free software built around a cross-platform interface and a scripting layer.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "krita",
        "type": "alternative",
        "reason": "Both are free, open-source raster editors for macOS, but Krita is built around digital painting and illustration while GIMP is oriented towards photo retouching and compositing.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "inkscape",
        "type": "complements",
        "reason": "The two cover different halves of a design workflow — GIMP edits pixels while Inkscape edits vectors — and the GIMP project itself points at Inkscape as a companion in a free desktop publishing pipeline.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "gimp:official",
        "type": "official_website",
        "url": "https://www.gimp.org/",
        "title": "GIMP — official website",
        "trustLevel": "B",
        "accessedAt": null
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        "id": "gimp:documentation",
        "type": "documentation",
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        "title": "GIMP — documentation",
        "trustLevel": "C",
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      },
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        "id": "gimp:repository",
        "type": "github",
        "url": "https://github.com/GNOME/gimp",
        "title": "GIMP — source repository",
        "trustLevel": "D",
        "accessedAt": null
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
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        "id": "software:gimp.isA",
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        "id": "software:gimp.listedInCategory",
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        "id": "software:gimp.pricingModel",
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        "id": "software:gimp.developedBy",
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        "id": "software:gimp.ownership",
        "subject": "software:gimp",
        "predicate": "ownership",
        "value": "Third-party product — not published by Nuanyue",
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        "id": "software:gimp.isOpenSource",
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        "id": "software:gimp.licensedUnder",
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        "id": "software:gimp.currentVersion",
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        "id": "software:gimp.hasFeature",
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        "id": "software:gimp.audienceFor",
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          "Anyone who needs a native, fully Apple-idiomatic Mac application — GIMP's interface is its own, not the Mac's",
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        "id": "software:gimp.limitation",
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          "The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks",
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          "It is distributed from download.gimp.org rather than the Mac App Store, so updates are the user's responsibility",
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        "id": "software:gimp.advantage.1",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
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        "id": "software:gimp.advantage.2",
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        "id": "software:gimp.advantage.4",
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        "id": "software:gimp.advantage.6",
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    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z",
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  }
}