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Layer Sets/Groups in GIMP 2.8! Preview Update!

By at 2009-09-06 01:02:08 UTC, last updated over 13 years ago. CC BY-NC License

Years over years GIMPusers waited for this feature – now a dream has finally become true: Layer Groups for GIMP will be available in GIMP 2.8!

Yesterday, when writing our extensive preview about GIMP’s new features in version 2.8, it was still not clear if the layer groups would make it into the final release of GIMP 2.8. Our user eek then notified us of a developer comment which said that they just implemented layer groups and that they work already in a basic way. We just compiled the latest master of GIMP – and what we just saw is awesome :) You’re now able to create a layer-folder – then you can create layers inside or move other layers into it. After that make the whole set of layers visible/invisible for example or move the whole group up or down in the layers dialog. This will make it possible to manage large amounts of layers in an intuitive and easy way, you can combine layers thematically.

Good examples:

  • web layouts: i.e. combine all layers that are used to design a navigation/menu or make different stylings in a content area.
  • photo manipulation: combine according parts of an object

Want to try it by yourself?
Follow our how-to for compiling GIMP from source for Ubuntu Linux. This howto can be used for many other linux distributions as well. Versions for Mac and Windows have to be precompiled. You maybe have to wait until someone makes it or until GIMP 2.8 is released.

Update (thanks to David Gowers – comment #2): However there is still work to be done on the layer sets. For example layer maks don’t work right now and the behaviour of locking isn’t perfectly clarified yet.

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kars rated this topic with 4/5
over 13 years ago

Great, i need this too! Too bad it will still be a few more months before it's released. I am now trying this script instead http://www.calcmaster.net/personal_projects/gimp/

Tom
over 14 years ago

This is truly awesome! I've been looking forward to layer groups for a long time. I hope someone is forwarding thinking enough to convert Photoshop's layer groups when opening/converting a Photoshop file, but I'm excited for even base functionality.

Spanish GIMP user
over 14 years ago

Is a very good feature, also, vector layers would be awesome.

23dornot23d member for over 14 years 23dornot23d 10 comments
over 14 years ago

Would love to know why the export as jpg's has been added the way it has ....
I hope its not to be similar to photoshop ....
(added more keystrokes to do something to me is a retro step) ...
Aimed at the developers at least keep it so we can do both ... please.

23dornot23d
over 14 years ago

I just got GMIC working .... but just had to point it to where the plugin is .... in the usr library ....

usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/

Using Edit Preferences Plugins ....

Cheers ... for letting me know it worked though devvv

devvv member for over 17 years devvv 1475 comments
over 14 years ago

Latest GMIC is just working fine with GIMP 2.7, not even a single problem with it. I tried it some days ago and can confirm that it is working (Ubuntu 9.04)

23dornot23d
over 14 years ago

The work that the developers are doing is fantastic ... and I use Gimp all the time now ....

Keep on the positive and good side ....

I will just add this .... if you do compile the later version as I did .... be sure to have a seperate system with the old version in it .. 2.6.6 .....

Plugins and some scripts are firing errors back -
parts of the code seem to have changed ,,, with no backward compatibility for older script files.
.... GMIC
I have not managed to get working yet and when file saving as jpg's .... I have to go to export now ..... for some reason ...

Keep up the great work .... and I know that this is still in development ....

Its just that I could not run the Old version after installing the new one .... would not like to see someone do this and find that they are stuck ..... with options missing ....

Good luck with the new development ...

David Gowers
over 14 years ago

gen2ly: there is a lot of miscommunication around this subject. The fact is that 1-window gimp is not truly possible yet. Though it's being considered as an option for 2.8, it is not implemented yet, even in the latest git version. The closest you can get currently is to position your toolbox window and other windows over a maximized image window.

Gen2ly
over 14 years ago

Ok, looked at but no idea how to do this. Could you tell us how to put gimp in a unified window?

Gimperific
over 14 years ago

omg sooo lng ive waited for this and now its here. this makes me very hopeful for other changes in gimp. hmmm it would be cool if u guys made an iphone app :D that would be cool

eek
over 14 years ago

I agree. Thanks to all the GIMP developers.

Riga90
over 14 years ago

I love you all GIMP developers!!!!!!! Thank you for your continuous work!

devvv member for over 17 years devvv 1475 comments
over 14 years ago

Thanks for clarification, David! I didn't look too deeply into the layer sets but I was just so exited about it that I had to make a news about it ;)

*preview updated*, thank you

David Gowers
over 14 years ago

"fully work" for some value of "fully work".
As you can see by
http://git.gnome.org/cgit/gimp/log/
, they do not 'fully work' yet; eg. layer masks don't work for layer groups yet. I'm pretty sure there are other things that do not quite work as expected yet either. How locking works seems to need some more thought put into it too.

Transformation works quite well.

Bill member for over 14 years Bill 2 comments
over 14 years ago

I'm about to install a second drive for linux.
Ubunto seems to be the best choice.
First time I used linux was at 0.9xxx.
Wow what a long way the free users have come!
Wish I knew more about programming. At 58 that's out of the question. Thank you folks.
Bill