GIMP 3.2.8 Brings Back Offset as a Non-Destructive Filter

GIMP 3.2.8 is out, the fourth maintenance update to the free, open-source image editor's 3.2 series, arriving almost two months after 3.2.6. The new build landed on the project's official download server on November 2, even though the downloads page on gimp.org had not been updated at the time of writing.

What's fixed and improved

According to the release notes cited by 9to5Linux and Linuxiac, the headline change is the return of Offset as a non-destructive filter, after it was mistakenly disabled when the filter was loaded. The Text tool improves right-to-left language support: corrected arrow-key navigation in RTL text, including mixed left-to-right content, new RTL and LTR direction icons in the on-canvas interface, and automatic base direction through the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm until the user picks one.

Beyond that, copying an image to the clipboard now carries DPI information, font loading can be canceled when quitting GIMP early, the Preferences dialog opens faster, dialogs are positioned better on first open, system theme leaks are fixed, and Dot to Dot renders correctly with integer display scaling. Script-Fu's Add Border now respects the alpha of the chosen border color, ICO and CUR import sorts icons with the same algorithm used on export, and the release also brings security fixes in plug-ins and improved error handling.

On macOS, cross-process transient windows now use the NotificationCenter API instead of the Accessibility one, ending repeated permission prompts, and GIMP respects the system setting that differentiates switch states without color. On Windows, the Dashboard now reports memory use through WorkingSetSize, and printing fixes address Page Setup staying tied to the default printer plus workarounds for Windows 11's UnifiedPrintDialog.

Getting it

GIMP is free software (GPL) for Windows, macOS, and Linux. As of November 3, the official download server carries the 3.2.8 source tarball, macOS builds for Apple Silicon and Intel, and Linux AppImages; the Windows installer and the gimp.org downloads page still showed 3.2.6 at the time of writing, so Windows users may need to check back shortly.