--- title: GIMP 3.3.2 will change the default project file format... description: GIMP is developing a new default project file format to replace XCF, which has been the primary format since 1997. The upcoming zipped XML format will address... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-3-2-will-change-the-default-project-file-format-for-the-first-time-in-almost-30-years-aabygtqie twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: GIMP 3.3.2 will change the default project file format for the first time in almost 30 years | daily.dev og:description: GIMP is developing a new default project file format to replace XCF, which has been the primary format since 1997. The upcoming zipped XML format will address... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-3-2-will-change-the-default-project-file-format-for-the-first-time-in-almost-30-years-aabygtqie og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/aabygTQie.png og:image:alt: GIMP 3.3.2 will change the default project file format for the first time in almost 30 years og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # GIMP 3.3.2 will change the default project file format for the first time in almost 30 years **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary GIMP is developing a new default project file format to replace XCF, which has been the primary format since 1997. The upcoming zipped XML format will address limitations of the binary XCF format, such as poor support for very large or complex projects, and will enable faster saves and easier autosave implementation. XCF support won't disappear entirely; existing files can still be opened, but new features planned around the format will require using it. GIMP 3.3.2 also adds Spectral Blending for brushes, non-destructive filters on layer masks, and improved PSD support. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Is GIMP replacing its XCF file format? GIMP is introducing a new zipped XML project file format to replace XCF as the default, starting with version 3.3.2. XCF has been the primary project format since 1997 but struggles with very large or complex projects, such as multi-page and animation features planned for GIMP 3.6. The new format enables faster saves and easier autosave support, though GIMP will still be able to open existing XCF files. _Track GIMP's file format transition on daily.dev before it affects your existing project files._ ### What new features are coming in GIMP 3.3.2 besides the file format change? GIMP 3.3.2 adds a Spectral Blending option for brushes, the ability to apply filters to layer masks non-destructively, and improvements to PSD file support. These come alongside the development of a new zipped XML project file format intended to replace the aging XCF format from 1997. _Follow GIMP release details on daily.dev to plan upgrades around new editing features._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [GIMP 3.2 Hits Release Candidate with Improved Text Editing \+ More](https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-2-hits-release-candidate-with-improved-text-editing-more-e2p5pxjif) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [I stopped worrying about GIMP ruining my layers after this one update fixed everything](https://daily.dev/posts/i-stopped-worrying-about-gimp-ruining-my-layers-after-this-one-update-fixed-everything-luoy8tszo) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [GIMP 3.2 RC1 Brings More UI/UX Improvements, Proper SVG Export](https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-2-rc1-brings-more-ui-ux-improvements-proper-svg-export-fjcnjnyh7) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#image-editing](https://daily.dev/tags/image-editing) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-3-2-will-change-the-default-project-file-format-for-the-first-time-in-almost-30-years-aabygtqie) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"GIMP 3.3.2 will change the default project file format for the first time in almost 30 years","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-3-2-will-change-the-default-project-file-format-for-the-first-time-in-almost-30-years-aabygtqie","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/gimp-3-3-2-will-change-the-default-project-file-format-for-the-first-time-in-almost-30-years-aabygtqie"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T07:13:19.139Z","dateModified":"2026-08-20T23:27:58.908Z","description":"GIMP is developing a new default project file format to replace XCF, which has been the primary format since 1997. 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