I've just upgraded my Vista installation to XP, and am still having a silly problem with the GIMP. It doesn't seem to work very well with window focus.

Example would be if I open a image in the GIMP, it'll open behind my current active Windows, and it can take a bit of effort to raise the Window to the top. Even maximise/restore down don't seem to work particularly well.

Is this a 'feature' on GIMP for Windows? Or am I being a bit stupid?

Radioactive said:
Or am I being a bit stupid?

heh, I'm also stupid ;D
most annoying point is that I couldn't hide the task bar behide gimp sometimes -_-

I got it installed, but it keeps telling me this:
"The procedure entry point gdk_pixbuf_new_from_file_utf8 could not be located in the dynamic link library libgdk_pixbuf-2.0-0.dll"
What's my next step?

Something sounds a bit broken. I can only suggest post the error message on the GIMP forum.

missing gdk libs?

admin2 said:
missing gdk libs?

Sorry, admin2. I have no clue what you're talking about.

Try this http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable

midzki said:
Try this http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable

The portable version worked fine until I tried to open an image. Then it said something was crashed and couldn't run the picture.

I guess my computer doesn't like GIMP. Thanks for the suggestions.

Regarding window focus: go to Preferences, Window management and set the hints to Normal window.

As for the dll problem, search for libgdk_pixbuf-2.0-0.dll on your computer, and delete any copies you find in Windows or Windows\System32 directories (and if you then get the error for other dlls, search & remove them, too).

ender said:
Regarding window focus: go to Preferences, Window management and set the hints to Normal window.

Thanks.

ender said:
Regarding window focus: go to Preferences, Window management and set the hints to Normal window.

As for the dll problem, search for libgdk_pixbuf-2.0-0.dll on your computer, and delete any copies you find in Windows or Windows\System32 directories (and if you then get the error for other dlls, search & remove them, too).

Both GIMP and GMIC are running. Thanks.

Isn't GIMP for Linux? So the Windows need a program to open it i see...

What the special of GIMP anyway if I can ask...

it was GREYCstoration. now I'm using it for Unsharpmask 2

josewhiteheart said:
Isn't GIMP for Linux?

Also for Windows & MAC

personally I think you should upgrade GIMP to PS since you're using windows. other than being free software, what exactly is so good about GIMP? I tried using it recently because I was asked to retouch some photos and I thought it'd be better if I did them right there at the time... (I used GIMP because there wasn't anything installed on that computer that I could use, unless you want to count MS Paint)
I eventually gave up and took the photos home and worked on them in PS...
Horrible program, horrible UI, overly complicated...

superior than PS?
to compair to my CS2,
1) variable & flexible default filters
2) it can show any filters/windows same time
3) file exports
4) canvas isn't limited at image size
5) high quality image resizing preview
6) rotate image with free degree
7) flexible tonecurves
8) more customizable UI
9) USM2

I'm more used to PS's UI, but I still break out the GIMP pretty often.
1) Rotation like midzki said
2) Color correction because they don't display properly in PS for me
3) PS runs out of memory when I try to descreen large images. It's slow going in GIMP as well, but it still works.
4) Saving PNG's in PS is...

midzki said:
superior than PS?
to compair to my CS2,
1) variable & flexible default filters
2) it can show any filters/windows same time

well granted, the less said about PS's default filters the better -_-;

midzki said:
3) file exports

not applicable unless you're trying to export to weird/uncommon formats

midzki said:
4) canvas isn't limited at image size

you can change canvas size in PS under the image menu or by hitting Alt Ctrl & C

midzki said:
5) high quality image resizing preview
8) more customizable UI

CS4 fixes those...

midzki said:
6) rotate image with free degree

the move tool has a checkbox with 'Show Transform Controls'
that's more than enough for your free rotation needs

Aurelia said:
3) PS runs out of memory when I try to descreen large images. It's slow going in GIMP as well, but it still works.

PS can be a memory eater but I've never had that happen... I have 4GB RAM plus generous settings for the scratch disk etc though, i wonder if that's why...

aurica said:
other than being free software, what exactly is so good about GIMP?

...

Radioactive said:
...

apologies, but it's just the cynical part of me speaking here... I don't consider software to be good just because it's free, but I've seen too many people around the internet and irl who actually think so. with GIMP though, my personal experience with it hasn't been a good one so therefore I've preferred to use photoshop... I've been told too many times to use GIMP though, and 99% of the time, when asked for reasons, 'It's free' has always been one of the reasons I was given...
well whatever, I've also been told several times that I'm too skeptical and cynical...

I always (100%) work in fullscreen mode in PS (press F once), where the canvas size is unlimited. (A bug in CS4 means you can't pan outside of the image with the navigator, though. That drives me crazy.)

...

I don't suppose you have anything to add other than a meaningless ellipsis?

the move tool has a checkbox with 'Show Transform Controls'
that's more than enough for your free rotation needs

I don't know what you're referring to, but Photoshop's free transform rotate is bugged. It can only rotate in 0.1 degree increments; when aligning large images to stitch, you need much finer control than that.

You can do finer rotations with Image->Rotate->Arbitrary, but that's a pain since it only works on the whole image--you can't put the parts together and then use it to adjust them.

8) more customizable UI

GIMP's UI sucks, no matter what you do to it. It's a horrible floaty-window mess straight out of the 90s. PS's interface is much better, particularly since the latest major UI update (CS2 or CS3, I forget).

petopeto said:
I don't suppose you have anything to add other than a meaningless ellipsis?

I'm just showing my disapproval of auricas comments. No need to get worked-up.

It's meaningless to show "disapproval" without any explanation of why. Your empty ellipses are condescending and irritating.

Shall we move on?

Nice--another condescending reply.

petopeto said:
Nice--another condescending reply.

I'll close the door on my way out.

aurica said:
I've been told too many times to use GIMP though, and 99% of the time, when asked for reasons, 'It's free' has always been one of the reasons I was given...

just they don't have enough experience of image editing.
I always use multiple tools (at least PS, Gimp, SAI, Xnview).

petopeto said:
GIMP's UI sucks, no matter what you do to it. It's a horrible floaty-window mess straight out of the 90s. PS's interface is much better, particularly since the latest major UI update (CS2 or CS3, I forget).

it's CS3, but it became consuming more memory. thus I'm using CS2 instead.

So what is better than the best?