Why I still use version 2.8

[Darto]

I have used gimp for years, have spent hundreds of hours at least using it. I can't use the later versions, never could.
Reason is copy,paste,move.
Here is what I do in 2.8:
1 select a small square portion of the image
2 copy it (control C)
3 paste it (control V)
4 drag that duplicated portion I just made around and then paste it where I want it. 

With the later versions I cannot easily do step 4. The copied (duplicated) portion will not move when I place a cursor on it and try to drag it. I have to use the M key + the arrow key   And only then can I drag it around. This is cumbersome !!

The procedure above is what I do to remove text or bad spots that is on in the image. I copy a similar part of the image that doesn't have the unwanted text or spot and drag it on top of the part that does. In that way I have removed the unwanted thing from the image. Such as a watermark. I have done this thousands of times. It's the main reason I use Gimp.

This is not an issue at all with 2.8 or older versions that I have used for years.

[Ofnuts]

This is something that is really done a lot faster with the clone/rubber stamp tool (). You Ctrl-click where you want the "source" to start, and then move to the area you want to cover and paint. There are several copy options, in particular if your source moves with the copy (so you can clone an area bigger than the brush). Except for the Ctrl-key at the beginning, you don't need to use the keyboard...

About your technique: as far as I can tell it still works in Gimp 3.x: when I use  Paste as floating data(*)  and move the cursor over the floating area, the Move tool indicator appears, and I can move the pasted area without any use of the keyboard. This is how it looks in the latest version

   

Was is strange in your description is that once you have started the Move tool ('M') you should be able to move with the mouse (the Move tool works with the mouse and/or the keyboard).

(*)  because in Gimp3, the plain "Paste" pastes as a true layer and not as a floating selection. But you can redefine the Ctrl-V shortcut to be Paste as floating data and have the same behavior as in previous releases. In Gimp 2.10 that you have probably tried, Paste/Ctrl-V still creates a floating selection.

[BobArt]

I had a similar problem in 3.0 - not exactly the same - when selecting and deleting. Couldn't find a way, so went back to 2.10. Why "fix" (change) it, if it ain't broken?

[Ofnuts]

(09-22-2025, 03:57 PM)BobArt Wrote: I had a similar problem in 3.0 - not exactly the same  - when selecting and deleting. Couldn't find a way, so went back to 2.10. Why "fix" (change) it, if it ain't broken?

Because your treasure is someone else's trash. I saw a lot more people confused by the "floating selection" behavior that people dismayed by it being made a non-default option in 3.x. Contrary to popular belief, the devs don't do this kind of change on a whim. And very often a technique disappears or is made more difficult because it had vastly better alternatives anyway. I don't use Gimp at all as I used it in 2010. Gimp has changed, and my techniques have changed accordingly, usually wit great benefit (faster, easier, tweakable...).

[sallyanne]

Then once you create a new layer of the pasted area (the green icon under the layers dialog) you can then move it around - 2.10 had this feature but I cannot see it in 3. However, you can copy,and paste 'ctrl V' and move with the move tool in vs 3 if you need to do it this way

[Caffeine]

I had to create an account just to rate this post. Same. I hate that everything is different in the new version of Gimp. major disappointment.

[sallyanne]

@ caffeine, You will get used to it. Unless of course you want to use something else and pay for a subscription. Every major version of gimp has had changes. What more can/should we ask of people who do this for us for free. And then the changes they make are often for the better.