GNU Image Manipulation Program: free raster editor for photo work, compositing, and texture authoring. This was the missing general-purpose raster tool beside Krita (painting-first) and Pixelorama (pixel-art-first). The program is GPL-3.0 or later. The FAQ states that GIMP does not restrict the kind of work you produce with it.
At a glance
Licence
GPL-3.0-or-later
Commercial use
commercial OK
Credit
Not required
Status
active: License spot-checked at the source; the entry carries dated evidence.
FAQ "Can I use GIMP commercially?": yes, and no restrictions on the kind of work produced. That is the output-ownership statement. GPL copyleft applies if you distribute a modified GIMP binary
Native format is XCF. Export PNG/TIFF/EXR for engines. PSD import exists and is lossy on Photoshop-only features, same class of caveat as Krita
Wrap-around / tile preview is weaker than Krita's W-key wrap-around mode. Prefer Krita when the job is seamless trim sheets
Website images and Wilber are a separate question (many are CC-BY-SA). Do not ship the mascot from gimp.org without reading linking.html
Third-party "buy GIMP" stores are legal under GPL if they ship source. Prefer gimp.org downloads
Source headers elect "or any later version", so the SPDX identifier is GPL-3.0-or-later rather than the bare, deprecated GPL-3.0.
Evidence
Live GitHub app/main.c header (2026-09-22): "either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version"
Live FAQ, "Can I use GIMP commercially?" (2026-08-24): "Yes, you can. GIMP is free software, it doesn't put restrictions on the kind of work you produce with it"
Same FAQ, license section (2026-08-24): "distributed under terms of General Public License v3 and later"
Live /about/COPYING (2026-08-24): "GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007"