We’re all aware The GIMP is the best free alternative to Photoshop — but is there a way to make it look like Photoshop, too?
This is open-source software we’re talking about – of course there’s a way!
![Make Make](https://images.designtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/10095734/Awesome-Fire-Brushes-For-Photoshop-Download.jpg)
By making GIMP look and act more like Photoshop, it should dramatically reduce the learning curve. As you can see in this screenshot, PhotoGIMP looks quite similar to Adobe Photoshop in terms of organization, tool location and the overall user interface.
- Gimp doesn't look like photoshop!' Dev: 'Here, we recreated the photoshop interface for Gimp. You may be more comfortable with it now' User: 'Wah! Gimp doesn't act like photoshop!' Holy shit people. The Gimp rocks, be thankful for that. Yes it doesn't have some of photoshop's features, but most people don't need those features anyway.
- First: Find Your GIMP Folder. In this tutorial, we'll be tweaking some configuration files in the GIMP's.
Why Use a GIMP Photoshop Theme?
For FOSS purists it must sound like a heresy, but there is a method in the madness of trying to make Gimp look like Photoshop.
It certainly helps those switching to open-source tools. If a designer has spent several years using Photoshop they’ll be used to its layout, its app shortcuts, its tools. Skinning GIMP to look (and work) more like Photoshop helps switchers feel more comfortable, and lowers the learning hurdle that (naturally) exists in transitioning.
On a more minor note it may be that some simply prefer the aesthetic of Photoshop, like its monochrome toolbar icons and simple window layout.
Whatever the reasoning behind wanting to adopt the look, DeviantArt user DoctorMo has made it easy. He’s packed up some of best known GIMP Photoshop tweaks into one ready-to-roll bundle.
The pack includes:
- Photoshop icons for the toolbox
- Photoshop keyboard shortcuts (e.g., ‘p’ for pen, ‘c’ for crop, etc.)
- A dark grey background
- Photoshop layout
- Tool options placed on the right-hand side
Download GIMP Photoshop Theme
The first thing to do is to download the ‘GIMP 2.8 Photoshop Tweaks’ pack from Doctor Mo’s DeviantArt page:
Once the archive download has completed you can unzip it.
Now, don’t be confused if you don’t see anything here as the configuration folder is hidden. You will need to enable ‘view hidden files’ in your file manager — if you’re using Nautilus press
Ctrl + H
— to see the extracted GIMP config folder (and the existing one you’ll be replacing).With hidden files visible replace the existing
~/.gimp-2.8
configuration folder in your Home folder with the one you just extracted.Finally, open (or quit and re-launch) GIMP to enjoy your new Photoshop-y experience.
Do you have any tips or suggestions for making GIMP work a little bit more like Photoshop? Share them in the comments below!
Make Gimp Look Like Photoshop
As a few of my regular readers know, I hate a bright interface so I was looking around how to make GIMP look darker. I found a theme online that looks rather like Photoshop and is much easier on my eyes while doing logo work for www.theaudiodb.com and www.thesportsdb.com
As you can see, I also use the single window interface as its much easier to work with on the desktop.
How To Make Gimp Look Like Photoshop
To install
- Download the theme from here
- Copy the “PrudenceDark” folder to C:UsersUsername.gimp-2.8themes
- Relaunch GIMP
Set Up Gimp Like Photoshop
I don’t really understand why GIMP don’t provide a dark theme as default but this is a great way to make it look great, and keep the familiar icons.