this thread is about my thoughts (and maybe misunderstandings) concerning GIMP and scripts

im a bit of a purist, so in the beginning i thought that GIMP is a toolbox, that doesnt need much addition and i wanted to be able to create most things without adding lots of scripts

i realized this is not true at all, especially because of the open source nature of GIMP

there are things you just cant do with the basic program alone and scripts come handy everytime you need a special tool for something you want to do

now, there are lots of scripts, there is even a website for scripts alone and i was wondering if there is the danger to install too many scripts
i mean, you have to learn how to use each script and sometimes i install stuff that i use once and then forget about it
then a bit later i go through one of the menus and i see something that i cant remember what it was or how it works

i guess its the same with brushes or fonts, you can really download too much, cant you ?

so whats everybodies thought on scripts ?
do you install a lot ?
do you use them all ?
do you have too many scripts installed ?

I had 289 in my old scripts folder before I upgraded my os. I used each of them at least once but then some fell by the wayside.

I'm going to go through them to see which ones I want to add to my current folder.

Anyway, there was no problem having that many except I'd forget where some of them were or I'd stumble upon one I had completely forgotten about.

1. I am one of those people that get hooked on scripts so yes I install a lot.
2. No, I don't use them all. Most of them, I forget what they are for.
3. Scripts don't take up a lot of room so I don't think it matters how many you install.

Bottom line, some of them I can't live without, they are very helpful and you can cut out a lot of steps with them. My #1 script is Saulgoode's Combine layers. If you are doing animations it is a must have. There are many more in that same category.

One approach to maintaining a lot of scripts is to create folders filled with scripts helpful for a particular, and then add/remove those folders as needed in GIMP's Preferences dialog.

For example, you might have the following set of folders in your .gimp-2.X/scripts directory:

I have tons.
Using GURM allows you to only import scripts you want to use for a certain session.
So if you set GURM brush resource folders up to something like Saul shows it works very well also.
/usr/rod/GURM/Resources/Scripts>web-text-photo- ect...ect...ect
Then just open GURM and import a folder you need ...such as web.
After you close Gimp - empty the usr/.gimp-2.8/scripts folder and next time you start Gimp it will be ready to import new scripts.

It works excellent this way.And it's very organized.

thats an interesting idea, so if i understand you correctly, you put all your scripts in one folder with various subfolders
and instead of putting your scripts in the user/program script folder, you tell GIMP in the preference options the location of your new custom made folder, right ?

thats clever !

Yes and you do a super job Graechan.

I don't use "effect" scripts... I prefer to know how to do things. Scripts lock me in the thought processes and choices of their authors. On the other hand, reading a script tells me a lot more than watching a video tutorial. There is a lot more thought in a script, that must work in a wide range of situations, than in a video tut, that only needs to work on the demo image.

"Tools" script are a whole other matter. There are things you cannot do economically by hand. But then I tend to write my own, I must have 5 "foreign" scripts on my system: shape-paths, Luca De Alfaro's color corrections, and a couple by esteemed GC members that shall remain nameless.

I agree. I like your scripts Graechan and I've never had a problem with any of them.

im so glad you wrote that, ofnuts, because thats exactly how i feel and a topic i had in the back of my mind for the future

its the push button creativity syndrome

obviously, these effect script are a good thing, especially, if you want to do something without spending hours on a certain text effect
but there is also the danger that everything looks the same very quickly

it also depends on what kind of GIMP user you are, surely the casual user hasnt got the time or the interest to learn every technique
but if you are really interested in using GIMP in a more "serious" way, learning those techniques is the better choice

so in that sense, its so wonderful that we have people like Draconian, who make all these cool metal tutorials, but at the same time Greachan, who makes a script out of a certain metal effect

Scripts are extremely useful to help avoid repetitive tasks. I certainly don't want do the same mundane task over and over when I can just use a script or plug-in to make my project faster and easier.

The way I see it, it's up to the individual user to decide if they want to learn the individual steps required to manually create the effect or perform the task. Some do, some don't. Such is life.

I'd hazard to guess that not many people know, or care about, the manual steps required to achieve all the effects in G'MIC, for example,