How To Install GIMP on Ubuntu 20.04

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program is a application which allows users to change and manipulate images.

It is a cross-platform tool available for different operating systems such as GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, Solaris, AmigaOS 4 etc. As it is open-source, its source code can be downloaded. It is packaged with most of the Linux distros.

Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP provides you with sophisticated tools to get your job done. You can further enhance your productivity with GIMP thanks to many customization options and 3rd party plugins.

It is a useful tool for various image manipulation tasks such as photo editing, image composition, image construction, logo designing, painting, and many more. It is capable enough of being used as a simple paint tool, an advanced photo editing tool, a mass production image renderer, or an image format converter tool.

The free and open-source raster graphics editor was developed back in 1995 by Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis, students at the University of California, Berkeley.

GIMP is distributed under licensing terms defined by the GNU project. You are likely to find GIMP as one of the optional applications that come in any large Linux package such as those distributed by Debian and Red Hat. You can also download it directly.

Key Features of GIMP

  • Cross-Platform application available for different operating systems such as GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows etc.
  • Free and Open Source.
  • GIMP is expandable and extensible.
  • Extremely powerful gradient editor and blend tool.
  • File formats supported include bmp, gif, jpeg, mng, pcx, pdf, png, ps, psd, svg, tiff, tga, xpm, and many others.
  • Original artwork
  • SVG path import/export
  • Load, display, convert, save to many file formats
  • Graphic design elements
  • Digital retouching
  • Photo Enhancement
  • Available in 80+ languages

Method 1: Installing GIMP as a Snap Package

The easiest way to install GIMP on Ubuntu 20.04 is by using the snap packaging system.

A snap package is a type of universal Linux package that you can enjoy irrespective of the distro. Its an self-contained software packages that include the binary all dependencies needed to run the application.

All you need is the snap service pre-configured, In the case of Ubuntu 20.04, it comes with snap pre-installed.

If snapd package is not already installed then you can install it by running following command.

$ sudo apt install snapd

Note: Snap packages can be installed from either the command-line or via the Ubuntu Software application.

This is actually the Snap version of the GIMP. It can be used on any Linux distribution that has Snap support.

Open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type the following command to install the GIMP package.

$ sudo snap install gimp

That’s It. Now you can open the GIMP application with the help of Activities search bar.

If you are not comfortable with the command line, open Ubuntu Software, search for “GIMP” and install the application.

Method 2: Installing GIMP via PPA

Personal Package Archives (PPA) are software repositories designed for Ubuntu users and are easier to install than other third-party repositories. PPAs are often used to distribute pre-release software so that it can be tested.

With the help of PPA, we can install GIMP application easily.

This method allows you to install the latest GIMP version. Follow the following steps to install GIMP.

Note: Before installing let me make you clear that this is an unofficial PPA.

Step #1

First of all open the terminal from system application launcher and type the following command to add the GIMP PPA to your system.

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp

Step #2

Then, execute the following commands to install GIMP on your Ubuntu system.

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install gimp

Note that the PPA is available for Ubuntu 18.04 and higher supported versions.

Starting GIMP

You can start the GIMP application either from the terminal by typing gimp or by clicking on the GIMP icon (Activities -> GIMP).

GIMP user Interface:

How to Uninstall GIMP from Ubuntu 20.04

For some reason, If you want to uninstall GIMP application, refer following commands.

If you have installed GIMP via Snap type the following command:

$ sudo snap remove gimp

If you have installed the appication via PPA then uninstall by running the below commands.

Step #1

It’s most likely that you added the PPA using add-apt-repository command. You can use the same command to remove the PPA as well. Just give it --remove option in the command.

$ sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp

Step #2

As of now we removed the PPA. What about the applications installed using these PPAs? Will they be removed as a result of removing the PPA? The answer is NO.

So this is when ppa-purge comes in picture. It not only disables the PPA but also uninstalls all the programs installed by the PPA or revert them to original version provided by your distribution.

So type the following command to install the ppa-purge package and uninstall the GIMP package.

$ sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gimp

Conclusion

I hope that now you have a good understanding of How To Install GIMP on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa.

If anyone does have any questions about what we covered in this guide then feel free to ask in the comment section below and I will do my best to answer those.

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