Gimp is an image optimization tool where you can edit your images and save them in different file formats. By default, the save format is set to png but you can change it to jpg too. However, if you want to save your image in DDS format you will have to install the DDS plugin first. It is because the DDS file format is not given in Gimp by default.
But if you are using the latest version of Gimp or any version above 2.10 you don’t have to install the DDS plugin in Gimp from outside because it is already available. The DDS file format is added as the built-in format in the latest versions of Gimp.
If you face issues with the latest version of the Gimp application and want to continue using the older version of Gimp then in the below article we have explained the steps to install the DDS plugin on Gimp. Stay Tuned!!
What is Gimp?
Gimp is an open-source image manipulation tool used to edit images, change their sizes, convert their file format, free-form drawing, and much more. It was introduced in 1995. It is the best alternative to photoshop.
Gimp is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It was developed by Peter Mattis and Spencer Kimball. Using Gimp you can add image effects and much more to your image to make it look beautiful. It is an open-source tool that means it is free for use to everyone. All you have to do is visit the official Gimp website and download the latest version of Gimp and start using it.
You can save your edited image to any file format using Gimp but for some formats, it requires a plugin. For eg: the DDS format. So let us see how we can download images in DDS file format in GIMP. But before that let us understand what is a DDS file format
What is the DDS file format?
Direct Draw Surface (DDS) is an image file format developed by Microsoft which saves the image using the file extension .dds It is used as a container format for storing compressed raster images that can be decompressed by GPUs. It uses the S3 texture compression algorithm to compress the images.
The DDS file format is used for storing game maps, cubic environment maps, graphical textures, etc. The image optimization tools have a built-in DDS file format which helps them load and save images in this format.
However, software that doesn’t have this format built-in will have to add its plugin otherwise they will not be able to load the images that contain .dds file extension.
How to install the DDS plugin in Gimp:
To install the DDS plugin in Gimp you will have to download the DDS plugin from the internet and place it in the plugin folder of the GIMP. Below are the steps to perform the following operation:
- Open your web browser and search the Gimp DDS plugin and open the website that provides the plugin for Gimp and download it. Or you can just click here to download the plugin, after download saves it on your desktop.
- It will download a zip file named gimp-dds-win64-3.0.1.
- Open your file explorer and click on This PC >>click on Windows C >>then go to Program files (if you use the 32-bit operating system) >>go to Program Files(x86) (if you use the 64-bit operating system).
- Now search for Gimp-2.0 and click on it >> then click on lib>> then Gimp >>then click on 2.0 >> and then plug-ins
- Minimize the file explorer and go to the location where you save the gimp-dds-win64-3.0.1.zip file and double click on it.
- After you double click you will see two files dds.exe and read.txt. Tap on dds.exe file and press Ctrl + C to copy it.
- Go to your file explorer and go to the plugins folder and paste the dds.exe file in it.
- Boom!! Now you can save the images in DDS format in Gimp.
You can follow the above methods to add the DDS plugin in GIMP or you can just update your Gimp application to the versions above 2.10.
How to save images in DDS file format in Gimp:
To save the images in DDS format in Gimp follow the below steps.
- Open your Gimp application
- Do the optimization you want to do on the image.
- After you are done click on file >> click on Save As
- Select the DDS file format and click on Save to save the image in that format.
FAQs:
Q: GIMP DDS plugin is not working?
A: If the GIMP DDS plugin is not working properly then there are chances that the plugin has got a new update. So, please check for the update, and if it is there kindly update it. If that does not help download the latest version of the DDS plugin for GIMP and install it on your system by following the steps explained above
Q: How to install GIMP DDS plugin in 2021?
A: In the above article we have explained in detail how to install latest DDS plugin in GIMP and download the images in DDS file format
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Conclusion:
In the above, we have explained how to install DDS plugin in Gimp so that it can load and save images that have .dds extension. Also. we have explained how to save an image in DDS format. If you were looking for something more let us know in the comment it would help us improve.