GIMP/Plug-ins/Mac OS help, please

jowensphoto · Jan 1, 2012

I'm trying to install a GIMP plug in on my MBP. I'm still pretty new to OS and would really appreciate if someone could explain to me how/where to install the plug in and how to run it.

http://registry.gimp.org/files/cross_process.py_0.txt is the script if that helps!

cgipson1 · Jan 1, 2012

We do have some Mac users, but can't think of any off-hand that use Gimp.

Lots of info on the web. This might help...

Chapter 12. Scripting

Flickr: Discussing Installing Script-Fus and Plug-Ins on Mac? in GIMP users

jowensphoto · Jan 1, 2012

Thank you

I did some researching on my own and came up empty handed; haven't seen those links yet though!

Sirashley · Jan 1, 2012

Okay, open up the finder window and go to your applications... Find GIMP, hold down the Control (CTRL) button when you click on GIMP... Then a window pops up, click on "Show Package Contents"... Then click on "Contents"... THen click on "Resources"... Then Click on "Lib"... Then click on "gimp"... Then Click on "2.0"... THen click on "Plug-ins".... and drop your plug in packages in this folder... Its been awhile since I've done it, but that should do the trick. Bear in mind that on the tutorial I followed (and couldn't find to link for you), the folders were different once I got to the "Lib" stage, so you may have to search around for the "Plug-ins" folder... Anyway good luck and hope this helps!

jowensphoto · Jan 2, 2012

Thank you! I've gotten as far as "dropping the plug in package". I can't seem to get it to go in the folder (get circle w/ line through it).

Josh66 · Jan 3, 2012

http://registry.gimp.org/files/xpro.scm

That script is basically the same as what you're trying to install, except that you can't tweak the settings before running it, and you don't need Python to use it. From what I was reading, I don't know how big of a difference the Python version will really make. There isn't a preview, so you would just be sliding sliders, then wait for the whole thing to finish running and see what it did.

Save that file, then just put it in the scripts folder (Scripts - not plug-ins). There will then be an 'Xpro' entry on the filters menu. (You may have to refresh the scripts - Filters > Script-Fu > Refresh Scripts.)

I run Linux, but Mac should be similar. On my system there are two locations (and they are shown in the screenshot below) I can put scripts for GIMP by default (you can add any other folders you want). Open up GIMP - go to Edit > Preferences. On the little side panel of the window that comes up, go down to Folders at the bottom and expand that. Click on Scripts.

You can also add folders. So, you could make a 'GIMP Scripts' folder somewhere convenient, then just tell GIMP to look there too.

Josh66 · Jan 4, 2012

HA!

OK, I got that Cross Process Python script in the right place and working. It was extremely simple once I figured out what to do.

I'm on Linux, but it should be almost identical for you. Except that my distro came with Python on it (even if it didn't, installing it is a 3-click process), and yours apparently didn't.

OK - save that text file to your computer. Delete the ".txt" off - it needs to end in ".py". Now you have to change the permissions to make it executable. I don't know how to do that on Mac, but in Linux it's very simple - right click the file > Properties > Permissions - then there's a little box you can check off to make it executable. Now you have to move it into the plug-ins folder. (I had initially put it in the scripts folder thinking it would be the same as the Script-Fu scripts - it's not.) On my computer that was "/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins". One problem though - I tried to move it and didn't have permission - so I had to do it in the terminal as root. Not sure if you're going to have that issue or not. Anyway, here is how I did that:

sudo mv /home/josh/.gimp-2.6/scripts/cross_process.py /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins

(I guess the code tags don't work here ... quote sorta works...)
"/home/josh/.gimp-2.6/scripts/cross_process.py" is where I moved it from, and "/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins" is where I moved it to.

EDIT--->

jowensphoto said:
I can't seem to get it to go in the folder (get circle w/ line through it).

It sounds like you are having that problem. You're going to have to move it as root. If you're using OS X, open up a terminal and type in the same thing I did, but substitute the first location for where ever the file is on your machine. Capitalization matters, so if your folder names are capitalized, you have to capitalize then in the terminal too - also, if there are spaces in a folder (or file) name you have to put it in quotes. sudo mv location/of/the/file/to/move.py /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins <--Type that - it will ask you for your password after you hit enter. That will move the file to /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins. I'm pretty sure that will be the right location, but double check it. <---EDIT

And this is where it is in the menu now:

I didn't have to actually do anything inside GIMP - just drop it into the right folder and it automatically showed up there.

I really don't know why they don't tell you that on the damn site with the plug-ins. I only figured it out by looking at the Python scripts that were already in that folder - I noticed that they all ended in .py, so I figured maybe if I make that file end in .py and put it in that folder it would work. It did.