GIMP Version: 2.10.9
Operating System: Linux
OS Version: Linux Mint
GIMP Experience: Experienced User

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I'm just testing out latest GIMP and this is mostly a check to see if others experience this as well ... When I switch to the Smudge tool I don't actually get the effect of smudging but what appears to basically be the painting tool.

It's very easy to reproduce for me; just open a blank canvas select the Smudge tool. Drawing with smudge on an empty canvas should show no visible results but instead it paints with the foreground color.

Have I missed some new functionality of the Smudge tool or is this a bug? Is anyone else seeing this with 2.10.9?

I use 2.10.8
Seems to have all the same options as a painting tool but mine does not colour unless you have 'set' the source image first which I am sure you never had to before. Then it doesn't seem to smudge the same as before.

EDIT: I just had another look. Seems it jumped to 'clone' before. Which is weird because I chose it from the drop down menu and not the toolbox. Now it is doing proper smudge and not asking for a source.

I'm guessing you have checked everything ?

At the bottom of the Smudge tool options, the slider Flow

Set this to zero and smudge works as Gimp 2.8

Very small values 1 , 2 have a blending effect. Worth experimenting with.

Any larger value and as stated, more like a brush, but blends in linear mode so none of those dark boundaries you get with RGB blend.

That's really handy to know. I look forward to playing with this!

Interesting, thanks! Yes with a low flow value I get the behavior I expected.
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Griatch

Sending you a HUGE KISS!! Thanks for that answer! I was about to cry! xx

While the fix works, it's very confusing default behavior. I would suggest the default Flow value be zero. Thanks.

It is the way Gimp works by default. Whatever changes you make to the tool settings Gimp "remembers" for the next time.

For a brand new Gimp installation, the value for flow is zero. If it is some other value, then you changed it. Gimp is not sentient, it does not do anything of its own accord.

It is possible to 'freeze' the tools from Edit > Preferences > Tool Options. Each time opened those values initially apply.

Well okay, I probably inadvertently fiddled with it at some time, not knowing what it did.

But the UI is still confusing to newbies. Instead of "Flow", perhaps it should be "Blend" or "Add Brush Color", or something. We can ponder that one. However, I realize there are established naming conventions, and that change may break the pattern.

The roll-over pop-up perhaps can be reworded as "The amount of brush color to include". Right now it says "...to blend". That's not clear, as it can be interpreted as "amount of brush color to recognize when blending [blurring/smudging]", among other various interpretations that I won't include per TLDR.

Another suggestion is to change the control tint if their value is different than the default. That helps newbies know what to check when things don't work as expected. It's kind of, "okay, what did I accidentally bump?" The lock suggestion could be helpful, but I'm not sure that's a good feature for newbies to start with.

Just some suggestions. The truth is, Gimp does have a reputation for being hard on newbies, and I'm just making suggestions that may help that in the future so that GIMP grows and gets support. (I'm not really a GIMP newbie, but I am a newbie to the recent version, and got tripped by multiple changes to it.)

Thanks for the reply! Live, Learn, Improve, Create

I do not think the Gimp developers ever visit this forum. You could post your very sensible suggestions as enhancement requests on https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/issues

I tend to agree with you about some of the way Gimp works. I would like to see the "Save all the settings on exit" the other way round for beginners. Start each session with a standard interface. You have no idea how many Gimp is not Working, how do I fix it requests are made because the user has changed a setting and forgotten about it. Of course it is never PEBKAC
Once a bit of experience is gained, then is the time to mess with the traditional interface and settings. PS look-a-like seems to be favourite these days. But what do I know, only been using Gimp since version 2.2

I am using the Portable Apps version and the flow has always been by default on 74.1. I have done nothing to change anything. It's probably not a good idea to be so certain that what should be, is, to the extent that you are sarcastic to other people.

Not being sarcastic, however you will find that the default value is zero. This a new portable apps installation in Windows 10 and the value for flow is zero. https://i.imgur.com/p9OhDOm.jpg
There is a possibility that your installation has picked up some previous value from an existing Gimp installation. The regular Gimp installer does this migration. Life too short to check up what the portableapp does.

Unlike some people I check before I write. Really do not understand your comments.

I tried the flow tool suggestion by setting it to zero and its not working at all. Now it's literally doing nothing.

You need to read the documentation https://docs.gimp.org/2.10/en/gimp-tool-smudge.html

Guessing you have screwed up your tool settings, reset them back to defaults.

Edit -> Preferences -> Tool Options then Reset Saved Tool Options to Default Values