Re: [Gimp-user] GIMP user friendliness suggestion

[Steve Kinney <admin pilobilus net>]

On 11/14/18 6:21 PM, Anthony Dunk via gimp-user-list wrote:
> I find GIMP very useful as an image editor on Linux, but my one big issue with this program is that it does 
> not save to PNG or JPG unless you use the "Export" option. It would be so much more intuitive if GIMP's 
> "Save as" feature had PNG and JPG as file options.
> This is the one thing that makes GIMP feel awkward when I use it, and as a developer myself it seems like 
> it would be dead simple to change it...

Hey Anthony,

I was literally just thinking to myself, "I know there's no show-stopper
bugs or issues with the latest GIMP versions, because I'm not seeing any
long complaint threads on gimp-user, like the firestorm introducing
Export vs. Save started."  Then I read your post.  :D

Ultimately, Save vs. Export is just a semantic issue:

The GIMP "saves" image editing projects as XCF files, with all layers,
channels, paths, etc. intact.  XCF is the GIMP's native file format.

The GIMP "exports" images from editing projects into flat file formats
intended for display or print only, typically with some loss of
resolution compared to their XCF 'master' files.

"Saving" an image that took an hour to produce as a JPG file without
also saving to XCF would discard an hour's work.  Making corrections or
changes to the image later would involve either starting over from
scratch, or accepting significant noise and loss of resolution in the
updated image.

In addition to accurately describing what they do, the GIMP's division
of Save and Export commands provides a safety net of sorts, a built in
reminder to "save" the project as well as "exporting" the project's
finished product.  I like that.

:o)