Today, GIMP 2.8.6 has been released. This is a new version in the production-use series of GIMP. It contains lots of bug fixes and enhancements, especially in the user interface for single-window mode. It is now possible to use clipboarded brushes and patterns with a size of 1024×1024 (previously, the limit was 512×512). Also, another annoying thing has been fixed: sometimes GIMP’s canvas had lost focus – you can now focus it by pressing Escape.

For a detailed list, please read below. We’ve already linked to the latest version (including the official Windows build) in our downloads section.

Changes between 2.8.4 and 2.8.6

(Taken from the GIMP NEWS file.)

Core

• Fix saving to URIs, it was broken to only allow exporting, and fix save/export of compressed files
• Fix brush spacing for drawing in any direction
• Increase the maximum size of clipboard brushes and patterns to 1024×1024
• Make sure data objects are saved when only their name was changed

GUI

• Don’t allow single-window docks to shrink smaller than their
  requisition
• Make sure a single-window’s right docks keep their size across
  sessions
• Allow to change the spacing of non-generated brushes again
• In single-window mode, make Escape move the focus to the canvas, and beep if the focus is already there
• Be smarter about unavailable fonts, and don’t crash
• Make clicking the single-window’s close button quit GIMP
• Make view-close (Ctrl+W) only close image windows and tabs, not docks

Libgimp

• Add SIGNED_ROUND() which also rounds negative values correctly

Plug-ins

• Make GIMP_PLUGIN_DEBUG work again after GLib changed logging
• Fix zealous crop for transparent borders

Installer

• Add Hungarian translation

Data

• Add a default “Color from Gradient” dynamics and tool preset

General

• Lots of bug fixes
• Lots of translation updates