How to Install PhotoGIMP (Windows) | Easiest Way to Switch from Photoshop to GIMP

In this GIMP tutorial, I show you how to download and install PhotoGIMP. PhotoGIMP is a free patch that customizes the GIMP user interface to emulate Photoshop's, while also changing GIMP's default shortcuts to match those of Photoshop. This patch makes it easy for longtime Photoshop users to switch to GIMP without having to relearn all the shortcuts, etc.
The patch comes with thousands of pre-installed fonts and some third-party brushes, as well as some popular Python filters like "Heal Selection" (from the Resynthesizer plugin).
Veteran GIMP users may also like the cleaner look and feel of this patch. However, I must note I will not be using this set up for future tutorials.
0:00 - Intro & Resources
1:12 - Where to Download & Brief Overview
2:30 - How to Download & Install
6:50 - PhotoGIMP Demonstration
8:56 - How to Restore GIMP to Defaults
9:40 - Final Thoughts
Read the Help Article version of this tutorial, available in 30+ languages:
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View the MAC Version of This Tutorial:
• How to Install PhotoGI...
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Enroll in Our GIMP Photo Editing Masterclass:
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Want to make your GIMP theme look like mine? Check out this GIMP tutorial article:
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See how you can help out the GIMP Team:
www.gimp.org/develop/
Download the latest version of GIMP 2.10:
www.gimp.org/downloads/
Download PhotoGIMP by DioLinux on GitHub here:
github.com/Diolinux/PhotoGIMP
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#PhotoGIMP #DioLinux #PhotoshopAlternative

[@Diolinux]

Thanks for that Davies, hope it helps someone :)

[@Oczkins92]

Ooo i know your channel

[@Roy_Raktim]

Can i add files to new 2.10 folder from the previous 2.10 folder ? does that work same as before ? like we added new brushes file or layer file ?

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Thanks for putting together PhotoGIMP and making it easily available!

[@rogermisterm4042]

Com certeza ajudará a muita gente, Dio!

[@heliomoscatelli]

Brasil sil sil

[@hiramabiff9138]

I've been a long time Photoshop user and recently needed to switch to GIMP because I'm not paying for Photoshop anymore, so this is extremely helpful. The simplicity of the UI is a lot less overwhelming for me and makes me feel at home a bit. A big thanks to you for this tutorial and Diolinux for creating PhotoGimp.

[@hiramabiff9138]

I wanted to leave an update to help others and help myself in the future if I forget. The Flatpack version of Photogimp is confirmed to work with the portable version of Gimp from PortableApps. The clear advantage to using applications in a "portable" state, is so you can quickly move applications to different machine and or easily backup your entire software state. Instructions for installing PhotoGimp to Gimp Portable - 1) Download GIMP portable from PortableApps and then install it to your desired app location. 2) Start Gimp Portable at least once to allow necessary files to be generated, and then close the app. 3) Within the installed directory, navigate to the .gimp folder which looks something like this... \installedDirectory\GIMPPortable\Data\.gimp 4) Backup and then Delete all of the contents of the .gimp folder but not the .gimp folder itself. 5) Download PhotoGimp v2020 Flatpack by Diolinux and extract it to your desktop. 6) Within the extracted folder, copy the contents of the below directory to the .gimp directory mentioned above. Make sure to copy or move only the contents from the 2.10 folder and not the 2.10 folder itself. \Desktop\PhotoGIMP by Diolinux v2020 for Flatpak\.var\app\org.gimp.GIMP\config\GIMP\2.10 7) Start GIMP Portable and you should see PhotoGimp begin first time setup. And you're done! So far so good. Note: Links and further file directory info was removed as a response to the "automated spam removal" system deleting my comments. This same comment will not post in the main comment feed, but it'll post as a reply. Weird.

[@happystar1000]

The more Photoshop users that switch to GIMP the better. So I understand why it is good for them to feel comfortable using GIMP with familiar shortcuts etc I may just download this for the fonts and brushes though :) Having not used Photoshop extensively, I do prefer GIMP's default shortcuts etc

[@TubeHammel]

For sure. They make more sense to me as well. M for Move, etc

[@patlab555]

I'm so used to the GIMP interface, and I customized it so much to my personal needs, that I do not want GIMP looks like photoshop in anyway. *But if it helps people for the switch, that is absolutely wonderful!* Having all shortcuts and a look alike from photoshop can help to not be _lost_ with a new software and greatly flattening the learning curve! Very nice and helpful video for the people who are still hesitating to switch 👍

[@adelaideflipper]

Success. File directories were a little confusing and all over the place but pretty happy with the final result, given GIMP is free.

[@MrJueKa]

I had never really liked the original GIMP, it wasn't until I discovered PhotoGIMP that I saw a new chance for GIMP and with this tutorial I was able to install everything properly this tutorial is the first for me whose explanations actually worked, all the others didn't work, so the ones I had found so far - thank you very much for that 😊👍🏆

[@LuizMetellojr]

This is great. Jumping from ps to gimp was a shock. This made things much easier.

[@BeHappy-gs8ox]

Changing shortcut keys really helped me and sped up my workflow

[@Flowersinthebody]

The instructions were perfect, and they still work! Easy to understand and move quickly!

[@RegularRegs]

Yes i was so happy they changed the shortcuts, cuz i already installed a mod for that that got overwritten. awesome big thanks!

[@godbibo]

Thanks ! I installed PhotoGIMP relatively easily with this tutorial ;)

[@artigotale]

Your are frankly awesome, end of story. Thank you for your amazing and helpful tutorials.

[@lifewithdad6069]

Very helpful. I had been trying to do this on my own with little progress. Thank you!

[@sloth451]

whew, much appreciated! was struggling to get it to work ty!

[@mypasswordiscringe5963]

me not being a fan of the gimp layout nor the giant price of photoshop, this video helped alot. thanks!

[@jesusguerrero9515]

Thanks!! Easy and simple for Windows.

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

Thanks for the tutorial!

[@user-kz5kd8su1p]

Thank you very much! This is a very useful lesson! It helped me a lot. I wish you good luck and success!

[@OscarInterliggi]

Gracias ( Thanks ) from Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@erichcoetzee7862]

This makes things rather easy.

[@praveenmaurya5993]

I am waiting for the Linux version. Great tutorial by the way. Appreciate the good content.

[@tkgcreations3247]

Thank you for this video

[@FeDraw]

You're Awsome! THank you Verymuch!

[@walhalladome5227]

This is a very good instruction, thanks!!!

[@rafaeltorres5009]

E muito orgulho, ver o DioLinux ser mencionado em páginas estrangeiras. Parabéns Dionatan, aprendo muito com voce cara, e economizo uma grana usando a distro Mint, nos pcs de escritorio aqui em casa. Agora, voce começa a me mostrar como não ser escravo da Adobe.

[@deemaalami8106]

cant believe i did that felt like IT expert after following ur steps THX

[@rockporttigger7138]

Thanks Michael!

[@darkijah-andersjehovahsn7893]

Great it worked.

[@phonkstalker498]

Thank you!

[@galina_lis]

Thank you very much 😘

[@wagnerpereira1707]

very good, thanks brother.

[@colbyrichmond6758]

Faster method of backing up the gimp folder is to just "right click folder / send to / compressed (zipped) folder".

[@ayushsidam289]

Thanks Davies for the video. 😀👍

[@mavewade2087]

Thanks a lot Michael.

[@joannacort6492]

OMG thank you so much

[@carloslagares1097]

Thanks! :)

[@thilinaalagiyawanna3680]

Thank you very much

[@BusinessWolf1]

I wanted to swtich to gimp anyways, but this is amazing

[@purefoysgirl]

Thank you for the tutorials, you're always very helpful! May I ask, will this let you run photoshop actions in GIMP?

[@kalillita]

Great content👍👍👍

[@sebastianussembara3463]

nice tutorial!

[@jobcentertycoon]

Thank you

[@simbadtrevejosrojas]

EXELENTE GRACIAS POR TODO SALUDOS DESDE PERU

[@1ofthedudeswatching57]

Thanks Dude

[@deanjones2525]

Thank you.

[@zbyna2567]

thank you

[@CaptainFooz]

We need a GimpShop next!

[@EduardQualls]

Simpler way: With gimp NOT running, (1) select the original 2.10 folder, and rename it to "2.10 - gimp". (2) Copy the photogimp 2.10 folder into place, right "beside" the original that you've just renamed, to replace the original. (3) Start gimp, and it will run photogimp. THEN, If you need to switch back to the gimp version, quit gimp, go back in, to this folder and just (1) rename the active "2.10" folder to "2.10 - photogimp" and (2) rename "2.10 - gimp" to "2.10". Restart gimp, which is then restored to the original. There's no need to do full delete-copy sequences, because gimp will ignore everything under the "decorated" folder-names.

[@dinecas5002]

it worked on debian too, nice

[@0zzburn313]

Hi there! I really like this patch! Does Gimp have any plugins to make a guide tool like in PS with Columns, Rows and Margin settings?

[@godstenrules]

One question would it still work if you left the backup for in the default 2.10 folder with the Photo Gimp 2.10 folder?

[@timeisgold7793]

Thank u

[@billgregory8211]

Hi, again a great tutorial. One other point to assist me please: no matter what I do only the old Gimp icon comes up and not the Photogimp icon. When opening the program, the initial splash screen is that of Photogimp. How do I make a icon from this to replace the original gimp icon which shows on the desktop etc. Thanks

[@beastialmoon2327]

02:33 OOOOHHHH, so THAT'S how a lot of github files can be downloaded. I've always just scrolled around until I found a "download file" button, but sometimes they're missing entirely. Thanks!

[@tyleropsahl6153]

Can you help? I followed the instructions (the old 2.10 folder is backed up elsewhere and completely deleted from the GIMP folder, path located from the plugins folder within the gimp application), I get the new splash screen when starting up, but the menus and tools haven't changed.

[@Corpsecrank]

Just rename the original 2.10 folder to 2.10 backup and drop the new version right in beside it. Change back to the original by renaming it to 2.10 and the other to 2.10 PG. Have you tried merging the 2 folders to see exactly what files have changed between the 2? Might be interesting to see which files are even needed so you can thin down the package some.

[@unionics]

This is cool looks like Photoshop

[@cmsrodrigues79]

Funcionando em novembro de 2021... Tentando mais uma vez me adaptar ao Gimp.

[@EdgeLagerthaSeawolf]

Will you Please let us know when NEW RELEASES to this Version are available and how to go about upgrading PhotoGimp? I've been using PhotoGimp now for over 5 months I prefer it I'd really like it if you would also do some tutorials about PhotoGimp.

[@buttergolem8584]

If we only need the .var file, wahy are the a .local and screenshot file in the download?

[@giovannidipinto2822]

Is it possible to use Nik collection on gimp on windows ? Thanks

[@obediahchitewe7654]

Hi, I'm from Zimbabwe 🤓 and I love your tutorials, I'm already creating content & editing like a pro. Gimp is all I know so when it's ready can we get that patch for mac OS as well? Thanks😬😇

[@kevinvuong4877]

I think the problem is that the GIMP-Developer have not released GIMP 2.10.20 yet. It'll come but later.

[@zigaudrey]

Although I used both GIMP and Photoshop, this is interesting. I wonder, GIMP 2.10.24 crashes when we open a photo with a photo viewer. It happened on Windows 8, not on Windows 10. Does PhotoGIMP triggers the crash?

[@ricardolakue]

Is there a way we can choose not to have the fonts w/out commercial license?

[@idevpas]

Does it add an adjustment layers? :D

[@TheAnonYmouse]

Made the switch, now it's missing basic settings for select by color and the fuzzy select - I can't make adjustments to the edges and fine tune anything. Any idea how to bring these settings back?

[@kittentikkamasala]

does it support to edit smart objects?

[@mackenzie2184]

Will this work for Gimp 2.10.36, or will users need to follow your other video?

[@ravindralele9614]

hi, I installed photogimp above Gimp 2.10.32. From that moment, my heal selection filter just stopped working. Also GIMC-QT is working sporadically. then I uninstalled and reinstalled 2.10.32, uninstalled and installed 2.10.30, but photogimp refuses to go and heal selection filter does not work at all. Is it possible to guide me on how to correct? I have subscribed for your class in Udemy. Thanks

[@oscarfilms9375]

Hello Michael, I previously responded to you and then seemingly got the silent treatment... I have tried on different OSs Windows and Linux to install this feature with flatpak. I have researched instructions and no matter what cannot. Is there any way you can help me? Currently I did a fresh install of Linux Fedora and its the second app I am trying to set up. I have no problem installing GIMP flatpak. But the plug in will not work !!! Please HELP!

[@bondo532]

is pepper brush still there?

[@locusruizlopez5997]

cool

[@vkpprt]

Should exist a GimpShop for Gimp users that wanna try Photoshop :V

[@Beezarrinha]

obg

[@manueldouglas3435]

i installed it but changed all the panels to my previous layout. I just looove that spalshcreen though

[@le-ar]

how can i make it stop using tabs for each project and have floating windows for each project?

[@katium9176]

The only reason I'm doing this is because Adobe screwed me over with Photoshop. The version I was using was compatible with Windows 8.1 until they updated Creative Cloud, which sucks since I was in the middle of finishing up something art related. I have other art programs installed that felt similar, but after getting used to Photoshop's interface since I was... 12, it all felt alien to me. I know that GIMP is missing some features that I enjoyed using the most from Photoshop, but I'll find a way to make it work, starting with this patch.

[@billgregory8211]

By the way, I AM running both the the latest version of Gimp and Windows 10, 64 bit version

[@CraftyPip]

.......was a bit of fun working with a portable version..................hide and seek springs to mind 🤣

[@OzzieTheHead]

.icons folder has the GIMP icon...

[@bimar01]

Didnt work on windows 8. or did I make something wrong?

[@uweinhamburg]

Each new software layer, you put between the user and the original software makes things a tiny bit slower....

[@oscarfilms9375]

Thanks for this BUT, for three nights now i have not been able to get this to work on my new windows 10 laptop. I followed your tutorial and it will not work. The copy back up portion of folder 2.10 doesnt help either, it throws me way off. I download Gimp freshly and try to install the plugin and it just does not go. Can you please help? I dont need to back anything up in gimp. Is there a way to simply download this version of gimp already arranged??????? Please!!!!!

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Are you following the steps exactly in the tutorial? Is there anything maybe you did slightly differently than the steps in the video?

[@oscarfilms9375]

@@DaviesMediaDesign Thank you for replying. I did the steps exactly as you instructed and after it didn't work I tried several other ways and also looked up other tutorials on how to install plugins into GIMP. NOTHING has worked.

[@JayNL]

Uhm, there is no folder 2.10 in GIMP/

[@jamesbrinn9701]

I learn a lot from your channel, But I'm a Linux user. so some of your content is not applicable. Keep up the great work

[@robynhighart2026]

Thanks for the tutorial. I finally cancelled that extortionate subscription. I love photoshop, but the background processes running at all times and restarting themselves drove me nuts.

[@JJDumonceau]

I just try to see the difference but just mention the "Focus Blur" isn't working properly, and crash Gimp.

[@thelostvillageatterlinguat1906]

it doesnt work for me on WIN 10. But thanks for all the work. Maybe I did something wrong

[@user-rm4yo1hs9m]

basically none of the keyboard shortcuts actually worked lol

[@Luciel_yt]

fr

[@whanethewhip]

The fact that you have to pay a monthly sub to use PS now has sent a lot of users to gimp, or the ship.

[@dennisdevine9563]

How to Download and Install Plugins for GIMP (Linux)??????

[@onlineworkitalia]

I tried to follow the tutorialma to me on windows doesn't work. I use a version of Gimp 2.10.22 portable. The folder for me is 2.0 instead of 2.10 but I don't think that's the problem! [SOLVED] I solved it, only instead of copying as suggested: E:\Applicazioni portable\GIMPPortable21022_x64\App\gimp\share\gimp\2.0 I copied all the content inside the VAR folder C:\Users\Gianluca\Downloads\PhotoGIMP-1.0\PhotoGIMP-1.0\.var\app\org.gimp.GIMP\config\GIMP\2.10 inside the folder: E:\Applicazioni portable\GIMPPortable21022_x64\Data\.gimp also modifying the gimprc file at the line (language "en_US") with (language "it_IT") to start it with my language which is Italian. Now it works perfectly. Thank you.

[@KH_1]

As a long term photoshop user, I just try it for few seconds and know it's still not as same as photoshop. Open a picture first, press Ctrl+J to duplicate layer, it create a new empty layer instead of duplicate the current layer, then I try Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V and see something called "floating selection" and I need to right click it and select "To new layer" to make it as an actual layer, just why? I just want to copy the layer, why some much steps? Then I press M to select, I find I need to hit enter to decide the selection, oh please, these extra steps are very annoying and make the control not fluent at all. The UI are closer to PS now, but the control ara still very "GIMP", any PS users don't assume you can instant switch to GIMP by just install this add-on. 😅

[@miguelpereira318]

I've subscribed and I even not being gay (and not against them) I want to marry you! XD Thank you !!!!!

[@odumahojorma]

Still looks odd, wish open source will pay attention to ui and ux. Great functionality but not so great UI

[@anashamed100]

it didnt work for me

[@gamerhawk5466]

CAN YOU TELL ME WHICH IS BETTER GIMP OR PHOTOGIMP

[@kevinvuong4877]

It's the same program. Photogimp is a UI that almost looks like Photoshop. The same functions in another Layout and Design.

[@gamerhawk5466]

@@kevinvuong4877 oh ok

[@patrickkerhoas2410]

Merci mais pas en Français ?

[@patrickkerhoas2410]

c'est tout bon, Il faut remettre l'ancien fichier GIMPRC sauvegardé dans 2.10. Cela après avoir remplacé le fichier 2.10 de PhotoGimp pour Windows.

[@Oddzey]

this guy looks like jake gyllenhaal

[@Vet4FallujahCJ]

Man I totally fucked this up. Downloaded the version, decided I didnt like it, lost the file folder that was open and couldnt get gimp back. Fuck!! Help. I uninstalled that version, after losing the file, and tried to redownload Gimp, but it just downloads this photoshop version now. I found my folder "Gimp Back up". How do I reinstall it to get the original version of gimp back?