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In this article, we’ll show you the GIMP plugins and add-ons that we think are the best for 2022. You can watch the video below or keep scrolling to read the whole article. Since we just talked about the best Photoshop plugins, it seems fair to also talk about the best Gimp Plugins. After all, GIMP is the most popular image editor for Linux and Adobe Photoshop’s biggest open source rival.
Even though GIMP and Photoshop look and work differently, Linux beginners are often told that GIMP is “the Photoshop alternative.” GIMP comes pre-installed on many popular Linux distributions, but if you think the basic version is missing some features, it’s easy to add more with GIMP plugins and scripts.
Best Gimp Plugins
DarkTable
Both DarkTable and RawTherapee can be used on their own, but they also work well as GIMP plugins that let you process raw files and make changes to images that don’t hurt them. Darktable is a free programme that a lot of people use instead of Lightroom.
We recommend it if you’re new to processing images because, even though it’s not as detailed in some areas, like colour correction, its interface makes it easier to use, especially for beginners. DarkTable is a good alternative to Adobe Camera Raw, just like GIMP is a great choice over Photoshop. You can check How to install the Darktable plugin from here.
G’MIC
Sometimes all you need is a quick filter, and G’MIC has over 500 of them, plus more effects you can add to your GIMP toolkit. As an open-source project, the community is always adding to the huge number of filters.
Whether you just want to change the colours of an image or make it look like a painting, G’MIC has a wide range of options that will cover any GIMP filter you might need. This is one of the best Gimp Plugins that you can download right now.
Resynthesizer
Even though Resynthesizer is one of the oldest GIMP plugins, it is also one of the most useful, and the GIMP community still supports it. Resynthesizer basically adds Content-Aware Fill, one of Photoshop’s most popular features, to GIMP.
It can take a texture from a photo and make more of it quickly and easily. This has a lot of uses, but the most common one is to get rid of unwanted images, like that Starbucks cup in your picture of a mediaeval knight, without leaving any sign that it was ever there.
Wavelet Decompose
If you’re working with pictures that include people, you’ll have to retouch their skin at some point. Even though GIMP has some tools built in, Wavelet Decompose is by far the most powerful retouching tool you’ll find.
It works by breaking up a single layer into multiple layers of fine details. This lets you fine-tune your images and get rid of things like blemishes or wrinkles that you don’t want. Wavelet Decompose can also help you change colours or get rid of other things that don’t belong in your images.
Refocus
Refocus is a way to fix any problem with how an image is focused. During photo processing, an image can be scanned and resized, which often makes it a bit blurry. The pixels in the photo are averaged with the ones around it to make this look. Photos that aren’t clear and sharp look like they were taken with a camera that wasn’t focused well.
FIR Wiener filtering is used by this plugin to try to refocus the photo. Unsharp masking used to be the best way to make a photo sharper, but Refocus has shown that it works better in most cases. This is why it’s one of the most popular GIMP extensions out there.
UFRaw
This GIMP plugin is one of the most flexible ways to work with RAW digital negatives. The plugin is based on the source code of a freeware programme called “dcraw,” which is why UFRaw supports so many RAW formats from different DSLR manufacturers.
UFRaw has automatic white balance, exposure correction, and auto-correction, as well as factory white balance presets. UFRaw is able to change the colour (target profile, monitor profile, camera profile). It also lets you fix distortions caused by the way the camera’s optics work (chromatic aberrations, geometrical distortions, etc.)
BIMP
BIMP, or the Batch Image Manipulation Plugin, is the next plugin on my list. This plugin makes up for the fact that GIMP doesn’t have an easy way to edit or change many photos at once. Once the plugin is installed on your computer, you can add multiple photos to it and then do different things to them, like change the way they look or add a watermark.
This is a great plugin for making simple changes to a group of similar photos, resizing a group of photos, or adding your logo to the bottom corner of your images, to name a few examples. Overall, it is one of the best Gimp Plugins that you can download.
Simplify
The “Simplify” plugin, which we just discovered, is another one of my favourites. With this free, easy-to-install plugin, you can reduce the total number of nodes on a path to make it easier to follow. This is useful when converting selections or text to a path, for example.
This is because, by default, GIMP adds a lot of nodes along your path. If your path has too many nodes, the curves can look bumpy. This plugin helps to smooth out the curves and get rid of the clutter that comes from having too many nodes.
FAQs
Are there presets for GIMP?
Presets are saved settings for a tool that are easy to get back when you need them. You can give each preset a name to make it easier to find the one you want. All tool options dialogues have four buttons at the bottom that let you save, restore, delete, or reset presets.
Does GIMP have preset filters?
Most filters in GIMP 2.10 are GEGL filters. GIMP uses GEGL, which is a library for processing images. There are a few options that are the same for all of these filters, but some of them only show up in certain situations. Filter presets are like tool presets in that they let you save your favourite settings and use them again when you need to.
What are script plugins in GIMP?
Plugins are one of the best things about GIMP because they make it easy to add new features. Plugins for GIMP are outside programmes that run under the control of the main GIMP programme and work closely with it. Users can change images in almost all the same ways that plugins can.
What plugin makes GIMP like Photoshop?
The GIMP community steps in to help, and Diolinux’s PhotoGIMP is a complete replacement for GIMP’s user interface. It is based on Photoshop. Not only does it replace the UI, but it also adds Photoshop shortcuts, icons, and Python image filters.