Support for Importing Layered GIMP (.XCF) Files (with Optional Live-Linking) #524
Description
Thank you for building such a promising and efficient animation tool. Friction 2D is rapidly becoming an essential part of the open-source creative ecosystem, especially for animators who rely on Inkscape and SVG workflows. I appreciate its clean focus on being an animation tool first, rather than a catch-all graphic design suite.
That said, I’d like to propose a feature that could dramatically improve raster-based workflows without compromising Friction’s design philosophy: support for importing layered GIMP (.XCF) files, with optional live-linking functionality.
Why This Matters
Friction is not a graphic design tool and that's a good thing. Its strength lies in animation, not painting or layout. GIMP, on the other hand, is a mature and powerful image editor that excels in raster design and layered composition.
Being able to lay out scenes, assets, and artboards in GIMP, then bring them directly into Friction with layers intact would be a major step forward. It mirrors the power of the Adobe Photoshop → After Effects workflow, but with open-source tools.
Why .XCF Over .ORA
While Enve introduced support for .ORA (OpenRaster), the format is limited and not natively used in GIMP. ORA exports tend to flatten layers, ignore effects, or break key layer structures, making it a destructive and clunky workaround.
In contrast, .XCF is:
- GIMP’s native format with full layer, group, mask, and blend mode support
- Actively maintained and widely adopted in open-source pipelines
- The only format that truly reflects the artist’s working document
Key Benefits of .XCF Import
- Non-destructive Workflow: Avoid flattening or exporting to PNGs just to bring assets into Friction.
- Creative Flexibility: Make changes in GIMP and see them reflected in Friction.
- Better Layer Control: Animate individual elements without losing the original layer logic.
- Open-Source Synergy: Build a clean, open alternative to the Adobe ecosystem.
Future Goal: Live-Linking
Looking ahead, the possibility of live-linking between GIMP and Friction would be a game-changer. Here's what that could look like:
- Friction watches the .XCF source and updates automatically when changes are saved in GIMP.
- Layers in Friction reflect current state of GIMP file without re-importing.
- Smart warnings or prompts if layer structures have changed.
This would maintain the purity of Friction as an animation tool while providing seamless access to a full-featured design pipeline via GIMP.
TL;DR – Feature Summary:
- Add support for importing layered GIMP .XCF files directly into Friction.
- Retain all visible layers, groups, blend modes, and alpha transparencies.
- (Optional/Stretch Goal) Introduce live-linking for .XCF files.
- Keep Friction focused on animation—let GIMP do the painting.
Thank you for your dedication to this project. I believe this feature could help elevate Friction 2D to a central place in open-source animation pipelines, and I’d be glad to assist with testing or further discussion.