GIMP G'MIC
Installation

Install Gimp

GIMP 2.10.10

I got the installer (gimp-2.10.10-setup.exe) for GIMP, so this part was as easy as clicking a button.

Because I want to keep all the programs for this project in the same directory (nice and localized), I installed GIMP into:

C:\alpha\gimp

Personally (in years past), I found GIMP to be non-intuitive... and getting more so all of the time. Of course, that might have more to do with the idiocy of (me in my) youth than anything else, as I didn't have much problem this go around. I suppose I've had a lot of mental time to deal with (and therefore, expect) the hanging detached windows that GIMP uses (and that very few other Window programs do).

Install G'MIC

G'MIC-QT 2.6.3

I had a hard time discovering the right place to install the G'MIC Plug-In.

In the end, I installed into:


C:\alpha\gimp\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins


But one could, also, install into:


C:\Users\DATA\AppData\Roaming\GIMP\2.10\plug-ins


Note AppData is a Hidden Directory. And installing into this directory (because it is in the C:\Users\ branch) makes the plug-in only available to the named user.

Further, by installing, I mean unzipping the file I downloaded and copy/pasting the gmic_gimp_qt folder into the aforementioned directory. So, rather than pasting a grouping of loose files, I pasted the provided directory wholesale.

Ironically (as I think this is really where any user supplied plug-ins are supposed to go), I could not get the plug-in to work in:


C:\Users\DATA\.gimp-2.8\plug-ins


Beyond knowing the proper location, the major plug-in installation difficulty that I had was in knowing when the G'MIC Plug-In had been successfully installed into GIMP. Yeah, there's some scrolling information at start up. But it goes by too fast to be of use. Besides, having installed G'MIC in GIMP, how does one use it?


GIMP -> Filters -> G'MIC-QT 2.6.3


Meaning, at the bottom of the Filters Tab in GIMP, there is an entry (once again, all the way at the bottom) that reads G'MIC-QT 2.6.3. Selecting this button (well, it is technically a button) brings up (yet, another) window. And at this point, it really does feel (at least, to me) like G'MIC is using GIMP as a carrier vessel and not as an integrated service. On the other hand, I hear tell there are hundreds (upon hundreds) of filters in the G'MIC Plug-In, so it was going to overrun GIMP no matter what it did. So, maybe a separate window is the way to go.

Either way, the G'MIC-QT 2.6.3 button won't do a thing unless an image is loaded.

Odds & Ends

I have no immediate need for GIMP, but the installer was taking up too much space on my desktop, so it was time to pull the trigger and just install it.

Before this, I had had GIMP 2.8.22 installed. But I never used it successfully. One thing I can say (well, two) is that I like the Dark Theme better. And version 2.10.10 is a lot heavier (zipped installer size):

GIMP 2.8.22    87,481 KB
GIMP 2.10.10  211,156 KB
-------------------
difference    123,675 KB

Based on the little I've seen, I am willing to assume they (the developers) have made GIMP easier to work with... and all those bytes must represent some kind of functionality; though, I like the idea that someone just decided to add a bunch of dead-weight, so it looked like something had been improved.

'But 2.10 isn't ready to go. It doesn't add any functionality.'
'Listen, I'll just add a 100MB matrix full of NUL characters and we'll be good to go.'
'What will that do?'
'Um, enable us to delete 100MB of dead weight on the next update... while implementing sparse matrices, but of course.'
'And they say crime never pays.'

Whatever.

My brief excursion (applying a single G'MIC Filter and saving the output) was successful, which is really more than I can say I ever did with any other version of GIMP (eh, it's a lie, but not that big of one).

I have been thinking about playing with the RawTherapee. But it's possible any such functionality I would gain (by use of that program) has already been implemented in GIMP. I mean, that extra weight has to do something. I will have to explore the full potential of GIMP, further.

But not today.

Believe it or not, the install (and write-up, let us not forget the write-up) has (maybe) consumed close to two hours of my time (well, this and one other small editing project did). Thus, it is high-time for a break.