~/.gimp-2.8/

menurc

; This file installs keyboard shortcuts from Photoshop 6 in GIMP 2.8.
;
; Rename it to 'menurc' and place it into your personal GIMP directory:
; ~/.gimp-2.8 folder (Linux) or C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\.gimp-2.8
; folder (Windows).
;
; There is a web-page describing these keybindings at
; http://epierce.freeshell.org/gimp/gimp_ps.php
;
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-shrink-wrap" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug_in_iwarp" "<Primary><Shift>x")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-duplicate" "<Primary>j")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug_in_c_astretch" "<Primary><Shift><Alt>l")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/context/context-brush-select-next" "period")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-show-grid" "<Primary><Alt>apostrophe")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-color-balance" "<Primary>b")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-rotate" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-rotate-270" "7")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-mode-next" "plus")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-brushes" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-by-color-select" "<Primary><Shift>c")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-vector" "p")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-tool-options" "F5")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-channels" "<Shift>F7")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/qmask/qmask-toggle" "q")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-value-2-increase" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-alpha-selection-replace" "<Alt>a")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/file/file-open-recent-10" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug_in_colortoalpha" "<Primary><Shift>a")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/select/select-feather" "<Primary><Shift>d")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-align" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-select-top" "<Alt>braceright")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/select/select-float" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-desaturate" "<Primary><Shift>u")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/select/select-invert" "<Primary><Shift>i")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/tiny_fu_refresh" "<Primary><Shift><Alt>t")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-lower-to-bottom" "<Primary>braceleft")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-lower" "<Primary>bracketleft")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-convert-indexed" "backslash")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-zoom-1-1" "<Primary><Alt>0")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-scroll-page-left" "<Primary>Page_Up")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-zoom-fit-to" "<Primary>0")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-undo-history" "<Shift>F9")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-resize-to-image" "<Alt>y")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug_in_gauss" "<Primary><Shift>b")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-curves" "<Primary>m")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug_in_bump_map" "<Primary><Shift>m")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-airbrush" "j")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-flatten" "<Shift>i")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-merge-layers" "<Primary><Shift>e")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-scroll-page-right" "<Primary>Page_Down")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-snap-to-guides" "<Primary>semicolon")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/drawable/drawable-invert" "<Primary>i")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-paint-brush-size-increase" "bracketright")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/file/file-revert" "F12")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug-in-iwarp" "<Primary><Shift>x")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/context/context-brush-select-previous" "comma")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-convolve" "r")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/file/file-export-to" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-magnify" "z")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-zoom-in" "<Primary>equal")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-zoom-fit-in" "<Primary>0")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-gradients" "<Primary><Shift>g")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-duplicate" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/edit/edit-clear" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/edit/edit-fill-fg" "<Alt>BackSpace")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-crop" "c")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/edit/edit-redo" "<Primary><Shift>z")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/select/select-none" "<Primary>d")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/context/context-brush-select-last" "greater")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-raise" "<Primary>bracketright")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-properties" "F8")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-levels" "<Primary>l")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-document-history" "<Primary><Shift>h")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-eraser" "e")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-show-guides" "<Primary>apostrophe")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/file/file-export" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/edit/edit-fill-bg" "<Primary>BackSpace")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-colors" "F6")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-print-size" "<Primary>p")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/context/context-brush-select-first" "less")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-blend" "g")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/file/file-save-a-copy" "<Primary><Alt>s")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-rotate-180" "8")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-clone" "s")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/context/context-brush-hardness-increase-skip" "braceright")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-layers" "F7")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-scroll-page-up" "Page_Up")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/file_print_gimp" "<Primary>p")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-merge-down" "<Primary>e")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-rect-select" "m")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-scroll-page-down" "Page_Down")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-bucket-fill" "<Shift>g")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/image/image-rotate-90" "9")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-mode-previous" "underscore")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-preserve-transparency" "slash")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-measure" "u")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-cage" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-paintbrush" "b")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-dodge-burn" "o")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-color-picker" "i")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-show-selection" "<Primary>h")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-free-select" "l")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-move" "v")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-info-window" "F8")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-select-previous" "<Alt>bracketright")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/context/context-brush-hardness-decrease-skip" "braceleft")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-paint-brush-size-decrease" "bracketleft")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-select-next" "<Alt>bracketleft")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-anchor" "<Alt>h")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-show-menubar" "<Shift>f")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/drawable/drawable-desaturate" "<Primary><Shift>u")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/plug-in-c-astretch" "<Primary><Shift><Alt>l")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-scale" "<Primary>t")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-select-bottom" "<Alt>braceleft")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-smudge" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-hue-saturation" "<Primary>u")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/edit/edit-fill-pattern" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-value-2-decrease" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-ellipse-select" "<Shift>m")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-raise-to-top" "<Primary>braceright")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-iscissors" "")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-flip" "f")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-show-rulers" "<Primary>r")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/windows/windows-display-0006" "<Alt>1")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/windows/windows-display-0009" "<Alt>9")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/windows/windows-display-0008" "<Alt>8")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/windows/windows-display-0007" "<Alt>7")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-vectors" "F9")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/quick-mask/quick-mask-toggle" "q")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-palettes" "<Primary><Shift>l")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/layers/layers-mask-add" "<Alt>o")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/plug-in/script_fu_refresh" "<Primary><Shift><Alt>r")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/edit/edit-paste-into" "<Primary><Shift>v")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/tools/tools-fuzzy-select" "w")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/view/view-zoom-out" "<Primary>minus")
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/dialogs/dialogs-preferences" "<Primary>k")

SETUP.md

1. Make “Snap to Canvas Edge” the default behavior

Another thing that I find frustrating with GIMP is that it does not activate “Snap to canvas edges” by default even though the option is turned off by default. Unfortunately, you cannot turn this on by toggling in a setting. To make this change, we go back to the gimp folder (~/.gimp-2.8). Open the “gimprc” file and add the following at the end and then save it.

(default-snap-to-canvas yes)

(default-snap-to-grid yes)

2. Disable the default “Show Layer Boundary”

GIMP employs a black and yellow dotted line to indicate the boundaries of active layers. I personally find this quite useful but many others do not. New converts from Photoshop can easily change this if they find it undesirable. Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Image Windows > Appearance and uncheck ‘Show Layer Boundary under both Normal and Fullscreen Modes’. Restart GIMP for changes to take effect.

3. Make the Move tool work like Photoshop’s

By default, GIMP’s Move tool will pick either a Layer of a Guide and this can be quite annoying as Photoshop does things differently. To change this behavior, select the Move tool, then go to the tools option dialogue box (see image below) and then check ‘Move the Active Layer’. Then go to Edit > Preferences > Tool Options > Save Tool Options Now to save the settings as default. Once again, you have to restart GIMP for the settings to take effect.

4. Give GIMP a dark theme

The last thing to do is give GIMP a dark theme which is way easier on the eyes. On my Linux Mint desktop, all I had to do was change my Mint theme to a dark one. If you do not have a dark theme installed, you can also download the PrudenceDark theme, copy it to the themes folder in your GIMP installation and then got to Edit > Preferences > Theme and then select the new theme for it to take effect.