Getting Around in GIMP - Plug-ins and Scripts Management

I had written last week about building the latest G'MIC beta to test out the fancy-schmancy new patch-based inpainting algorithm that the team had cooked up. In the process of building it and testing it, I thought it might be useful for other GIMP users out there to briefly touch on the subject of installing and managing Script-Fu scripts and Plug-ins.

Plug-Ins/Scripts Folder Location

GIMP has a very handy feature that’s tucked away in the Preferences window, and that is the ability to have GIMP search for Plug-Ins and Scripts wherever you want to put them. You can access this through the Preferences:

Getting Around in GIMP - Photography Plugins & Tools

After a recent post I came across on the FOSSPhotography sub on reddit that proposed to list the “Must Have GIMP Plugins for Photographers” I got a bit irked. I made a snarky comment about how crappy the linked post was, and the mod made a pretty level-headed response: “Make a list and submit it”. So here I am.

Just a little disclaimer before I get started. This is not a comprehensive list at all. Most of my work utilizes the built–in functionality of GIMP. So they are not all done with plug–ins/scripts, rather I’ll work those built–in functions manually to modify my images. I’m 100% positive I’ve left a few other great things out, but not intentionally for the most part. If I am missing something that you think I really should have included, let me know in the comments!

Also, this is what works for me. I make no claims that this is the way you should approach things (except for the learning concepts part - everyone should learn to approach things that way).