Chapter 2. Starting GIMP
| Part I. Getting Started |

## Chapter 2. Starting GIMP

## 1. Running GIMP

Usually you start GIMP either by clicking GIMP's icon on your desktop (if available), selecting it from a menu, or by typing gimp on a command line. If you have multiple versions of GIMP installed, you may need to add the exact version number: gimp-2.99.

You can, if you want, provide a list of image file names on the command line after the program name so that GIMP automatically opens those files after it starts. It is also possible to open files from within GIMP once it is running using the Open Image Dialog.

Most operating systems support file associations, which associates a class of files (as determined by their filename extension, such as .jpg) with a corresponding application (such as GIMP). When image files are properly “associated” with GIMP, you can double click an image in your file browser to open it in GIMP.

If you installed the Flatpak version of GIMP from flathub.org, you start GIMP either by clicking an icon, or by typing flatpak run org.gimp.GIMP//stable on a command line.

### 1.1. Changing the Language

GIMP automatically detects and uses the system language. In the unlikely event that language detection fails, or if you want to use a different language, the easiest way is to change the language used in the Interface Preferences: Edit → Preferences, then go to the Interface section; Language can be set at the top.

If you prefer to change language by setting environment variables, you can use:

Under Linux

  In LINUX: in console mode, type `LANGUAGE=en gimp` or `LANG=en gimp` replacing en with fr, de, etc. according to the language you want. Background: Using `LANGUAGE=en` sets an environment variable for the executed program `gimp`.

Under Windows

  Control Panel → System → Advanced → Environment button in “System Variables” area: Add button: Enter LANG for Name and fr, de, etc. for Value. Watch out! You have to click OK three successive times to validate your choice.

  If you change languages often, you can create a batch file to change the language. Open NotePad. Type the following commands (for French for instance):

  `set lang=fr
  start gimp-2.99.exe`

  Save this file as `GIMP-FR.BAT` (or another name, but always with a `.BAT` extension). Create a shortcut and drag it to your desktop.

Under Apple macOS

  From System Settings, click General in the sidebar. Then select Language & Region. The desired language should be the first in the list.

Another GIMP Instance

  You can use command line parameter `-n` to run multiple instances of GIMP. For example, `gimp-2.99` starts GIMP in the default system language, and `LANGUAGE=en gimp-2.99 -n` starts another instance of GIMP in English. This can be very useful for translators.

### 1.2. Command Line Arguments

Although command line arguments are not required when starting GIMP, they can be useful in certain situations. On a Unix system, you can use `man gimp` for a complete list.

These arguments must be added to the command line that you use to start GIMP as gimp-2.99 [OPTION...] [FILE|URI...], where “OPTION...” can be one or more of the arguments listed below, followed by one or more file names.

-?, ,-h, --help

  Display a list of all command line options.

--help-all

  Show all help options.

--help-gegl

  Show all GEGL options.

--help-gtk

  Show GTK+ Options.

-v, --version

  Print the GIMP version and exit.

--license

  Show license information and exit.

--verbose

  Show detailed start-up messages.

-n, --new-instance

  Start a new GIMP instance.

-a, --as-new

  Open images as new.

-i, --no-interface

  Run without a user interface.

-d, --no-data

  Do not load patterns, gradients, palettes, or brushes. Often useful in non-interactive situations where start-up time is to be minimized.

-f, --no-fonts

  Do not load any fonts. This is useful to load GIMP faster for scripts that do not use fonts, or to find problems related to malformed fonts that hang GIMP.

-s, --no-splash

  Do not show the splash screen while starting.

--no-shm

  Do not use shared memory between GIMP and plug-ins.

--no-cpu-accel

  Do not use special CPU acceleration functions. Useful for finding or disabling buggy accelerated hardware or functions.

--session=`name`

  Use a different `sessionrc` file for this GIMP session. The given session name is appended to the default `sessionrc` filename.

-g, --gimprc=`filename`

  Use an alternative `gimprc` file instead of the default one. The `gimprc` file contains a record of your preferences. Useful in cases where plug-in paths or machine specs may be different.

--system-gimprc=`filename`

  Use an alternate system `gimprc` file.

-b, --batch=`commands`

  Execute the set of commands non-interactively. The set of commands is typically in the form of a script that can be executed by one of the GIMP scripting interpreters. When the command is `-`, commands are read from standard input.

--batch-interpreter=`proc`

  Specify the procedure to use to process batch commands. The default procedure is Script-Fu.

--quit

  Quit immediately after performing requested actions

-c, --console-messages

  Do not display dialog boxes on errors or warnings. Print the messages on the console instead.

--pdb-compat-mode=`mode`

  PDB compatibility mode (off|on|warn).

--stack-trace-mode=`mode`

  Debug in case of a crash (never|query|always).

--debug-handlers

  Enable non-fatal debugging signal handlers. Useful for GIMP debugging.

--g-fatal-warnings

  Make all warnings fatal. Useful for debugging.

--dump-gimprc

  Output a gimprc file with default settings. Useful if you messed up the gimprc file.

--show-playground

  Show a preferences page with experimental features.

--display=`display`

  Use the designated X display (does not apply to all platforms).

### 1.3. Configuration Folders

When first run, GIMP performs a series of steps to configure options and directories. The configuration process creates a user-writable configuration directory named `GIMP`, with a per-version subdirectory, i.e. `GIMP/2.99`. All of the configuration information is stored in this directory. If you remove or rename the directory, GIMP repeats the initial configuration process, creating a new `GIMP/2.99` directory. You can use this capability to explore different configuration options without deleting your existing installation, or to recover if your configuration files are damaged.

Where your configuration folder will be stored, depends on your Operating System:

Under Linux

  `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` (defaulting to `$HOME/.config`);

Under Windows

  `%APPDATA%` (usually `c:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\GIMP\2.99\`);

Under Apple macOS

  `NSApplicationSupportDirectory` (usually `~/Library/Application Support`).

### 1.4. Tips and Tricks

Just a couple of suggestions before you start:

- GIMP can provide tips you can read at any time using the menu command Help → Tip of the Day. The tips provide information that is considered useful, but not easy to learn by experimenting; so they are worth reading. Please consider reading the tips when you have the time.

- If at some point you are trying to do something, and GIMP seems to have suddenly stopped functioning, the Getting Unstuck section may be able to help you out.

- Don't forget to check out the Preferences Dialog. GIMP is very customizable. There are a lot of settings that you can adjust to your personal preferences.

2. What's new in GIMP |  | Chapter 3. First Steps with GIMP

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