GIMP 3.2 RC3 Released In Preparation For The Stable GIMP 3.2

GIMP 3.2 RC3 was released this evening for testing, marking the final milestone before the stable GIMP 3.2 release. The GIMP team has been working toward a one-year release cycle following GIMP 3.0's mid-March launch, meaning the stable 3.2 version should arrive within the next few weeks if testing proceeds smoothly.

This release candidate focuses on refining the user experience and fixing critical issues discovered during the beta phase. Among the most significant changes in RC3 is improved layer handling that prevents accidental destructive alterations to layers - a common frustration for both new and experienced users.

The color correction work continues to advance, with filters like levels, curves, equalize, and white balance now using linear precision. This enhancement is part of GIMP's ongoing effort to improve color correctness across the entire workflow, addressing a long-standing criticism from professional users who require accurate color representation.

Tool improvements make the interface more intuitive and efficient. The flip tool can now be controlled via arrow keys, as can the shear tool, providing keyboard-centric users with faster workflows. The crop tool has also been enhanced to automatically add transparency to a layer when users set it to fill with transparency and make a crop larger than the current layer - eliminating several manual steps in common editing scenarios.

Platform support has been expanded with initial support for using the Global Menu with the Flatpak build of GIMP, improving integration with desktop environments that use global menu systems. OpenEXR image support has been improved for importing Luminance/Chroma images, benefiting users working with high dynamic range content.

Technical fixes address platform-specific issues, including restoring functionality to GIMP's AppImage on AArch64 architectures. This fix ensures ARM64 users on devices like Apple Silicon Macs and various Linux ARM64 systems can run GIMP without compatibility concerns.

The release also includes various bug fixes and other enhancements that polish the overall experience. With RC3 out, the development team will be focusing on addressing any critical issues discovered during this testing phase before finalizing the stable 3.2 release.

Users interested in testing GIMP 3.2 RC3 or learning more about the release can find downloads and detailed information on GIMP.org. The stable release is expected within the coming weeks, bringing these improvements to all GIMP users.