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GIMP 3.0.4 was released on May 18, 2025 as a maintenance update for the GIMP 3.0 series. It concentrated on crashes, regressions, font loading, clipboard behavior, non-destructive filters, and packaging rather than introducing major new features.
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What GIMP 3.0.4 is
GIMP 3.0.4 is the second micro-release in the GIMP 3.0 series. The project uses micro-releases primarily for bug fixes, regressions, stability improvements, and small usability corrections, while larger feature development continued toward GIMP 3.2.
It should not be confused with GIMP 3.1 or GIMP 3.2. It is a maintenance update to the original GIMP 3.0 branch, designed to make that transition more dependable for photographers, digital artists, and plug-in users.
According to the project’s release announcement, work since GIMP 3.0.2 included 90 reports closed as fixed, 59 merged requests, 280 commits, and 15 updated translations. These are project-reported figures, not an independent audit.
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Selections copy correctly to other applications
GIMP 3.0.4 fixes a clipboard problem in which copying a selected area to another application could preserve padding based on the full dimensions of the source image. The pasted result could therefore be much larger than the intended selection.
After the fix, copying an isolated object or selected region should produce content that matches the selected area rather than the original image bounds. This is particularly useful when moving elements between GIMP and layout, presentation, illustration, or other image-editing applications.
Fewer crashes when displays change
Several crash types associated with changing or disabling the primary monitor were addressed. The fix matters most to people who use multiple monitors, dock and undock laptops, or change display configurations while GIMP is open.
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This does not mean every multi-monitor, graphics-driver, compositor, or display-management crash is eliminated. It addresses the reported categories of crashes covered by the release.
Faster font loading at startup
GIMP 3.0.4 improved font loading, with the greatest likely benefit for systems containing unusually large font collections. Users with only a small number of fonts should not expect a dramatic or universal startup-speed increase.
Clearer undo history for non-destructive filters
The release makes GIMP 3.0’s non-destructive-filter workflow easier to understand and manage:
- Filter names appear in the undo history instead of being replaced by a generic label.
- Individual filter edits are tracked in the history.
- Several crashes involving non-destructive filters were fixed.
- Display glitches involving rotated layers with active non-destructive filters were corrected.
These changes are not a new non-destructive-editing system. They make the existing workflow more reliable and make it easier to identify, revise, or undo a particular filter operation.
Restored behavior and smaller workflow fixes
Several functions that had regressed in earlier GIMP 3.0 builds were restored or corrected:
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- Window Hint: In multi-window mode, the preference can again keep floating windows above the main image window.
- Space bar: It once again follows the configured Canvas Interactions action instead of always panning.
- Difference Cloud: The filter regained its settings interface.
- Plug-in Browser: The browser again displays all plug-ins.
- Sample Points: Points update when image precision changes.
- BMP warnings on Linux: The format warning appears correctly in cases where it had been missing.
- Screenshot plug-in: Its options returned to radio buttons instead of a drop-down menu.
- .ICO imports: The release includes a fix associated with the ZDI-CAN-26752 issue. That should not be interpreted as a complete security comparison against every earlier GIMP release.
UI and tool improvements
The project kept interface changes deliberately limited so that this maintenance release would not become a disruptive redesign.
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Painting and input controls
- MyPaint Brush options were redesigned to better match other painting tools.
- The generic Force slider is hidden for the Pencil Tool because it does not affect that tool.
- The Device Status dock identifies the active input device more clearly and more closely resembles its GIMP 2.10 presentation.
- Brush-size handling now uses a unified maximum value across GIMP.
Path and Scissor Select tools
In Path tool Design mode, clicking the starting point can close a path. Holding Shift lets you select or move the starting point instead.
Scissor Select also received a more direct keyboard workflow: pressing Enter connects the start and end points, and pressing it again creates the selection.
These are consistency and usability improvements, not major new capabilities.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWindows, Linux, and macOS packaging changes
Windows installer Repair mode
GIMP 3.0.4 made the Windows installer more reliable in problematic installation situations. It introduced a Repair mode that can be offered when the installer detects a broken installation—for example, when the original external drive containing installation files is no longer available.
That is different from Customize mode. Customize mode was restricted primarily to clean installations because its behavior during updates or reinstalls had become unreliable. Repair mode is not a promise that every Windows installation problem can be repaired automatically.
The GIMP project also said that GIMP 3 remained more than 300 MB smaller than GIMP 2.10 even when all available Customize-mode components were selected. That is the project’s own comparison, not an independently measured benchmark.
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GCC 15 compatibility
Older code prevented default builds with GCC 15 because some identifiers had become reserved keywords. GIMP 3.0.4 updated that code, which matters mainly to Linux distributors, package maintainers, and people compiling GIMP or its components from source.
Linux AppImage changes
The Linux AppImage removed debug symbols from most dependencies, with babl and GEGL being exceptions. This reduced the package size. Developers who need to debug the AppImage should use the debugging guidance linked from the official release material rather than assuming the standard package contains complete debugging information.
macOS developer DMG
A developer version of the macOS DMG was included to make plug-in development easier and faster. It is separate from the normal end-user DMG packages and is not required for ordinary image editing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.GEGL and babl updates
GIMP 3.0.4 incorporated:
- GEGL 0.4.62: Included crash-prevention fixes and more sensible UI ranges for some operations, including Fractal Trace.
- babl 0.1.114: Included fixes intended to ensure tone-reproduction curves are stored correctly from color profiles.
- Build-script modernization: Many scripts in GIMP’s related projects were converted to Python.
These versions describe the GIMP 3.0.4 release bundle. They should not be treated as the current GEGL or babl versions in 2026.
Who benefited most from GIMP 3.0.4?
In its original release context, 3.0.4 was especially valuable if you:
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- Copied selections between GIMP and other applications.
- Used multiple monitors or frequently changed a laptop’s display configuration.
- Had a large font collection and experienced slow startup.
- Relied on non-destructive filters and needed a more informative undo history.
- Used the Path tool, Scissor Select, Difference Cloud, Plug-in Browser, or Screenshot plug-in.
- Were affected by a broken Windows installation.
- Built GIMP or related components with a newer compiler such as GCC 15.
Should you install GIMP 3.0.4 now?
For a new installation, generally no. Check the official GIMP downloads page for the current stable release. As of August 18, 2026, that page listed GIMP 3.2.4, released April 17, 2026.
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GIMP 3.0.4 still makes sense in narrower situations:
- You need to reproduce a project in a GIMP 3.0-era environment.
- A plug-in, script, or production workflow was built specifically around the 3.0 series.
- You are diagnosing whether a problem was introduced or fixed between GIMP 3.0.2 and 3.0.4.
- Your organization requires a pinned, tested version for compatibility or reproducibility.
Before moving an important project to a later GIMP series, test copies of the files and confirm that your plug-ins and scripts support the target version. The release information does not establish universal compatibility for all third-party extensions.
Where GIMP 3.0.4 was available
The original announcement listed official packages for:
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- Linux Flatpaks for x86 and ARM 64-bit.
- Windows installers for x86/32-bit, x86/64-bit, and ARM 64-bit.
- Microsoft Store packages for x86 and ARM.
- macOS DMGs for Intel and Apple Silicon.
The Microsoft Store version could be delayed by certification, so not every package was necessarily available simultaneously on May 18, 2025.
If you specifically need the historical build, use GIMP’s official 3.0.4 release page and archived download information. Avoid treating search-result mirrors or unofficial repackaged installers as equivalent to the project’s official downloads. Linux users may also prefer a trusted distribution repository when it provides a suitably tested package.
Bottom line
GIMP 3.0.4 was a substantial maintenance release for the early GIMP 3 transition. Its most meaningful changes were practical: correct selection copying, fewer monitor-related crashes, faster font initialization for large collections, clearer non-destructive-filter history, restored tool behavior, and a more capable Windows installer.
It was not a feature-heavy release, and it is no longer the recommended starting point for a fresh installation. Treat it as a useful historical or compatibility-focused version, while using the official downloads page to choose the current GIMP release.
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