#63 X11-less GIMP: Paste from system clipboard not working

[Thomas Tempelmann]

With GIMP 2.8.4 (from ftp://ftp.gimp.org/pub/gimp/v2.8/osx/gimp-2.8.4-nopython-dmg-1.dmg), running on 10.7.5 or 10.8.3, pasting graphics copied in other Mac apps (eg. in Preview.app) can not be pasted into a GIMP window.

It appears that GIMP keeps its own, separate, clipboard instead. Note, however, that copying graphics in GIMP do get synchronized to the shared system clipboard. Only the other way doesn't work.

In older GIMP versions, it appears that the fix was to change X11's preferences:

1) Click X11 > Preferences
2) Click the Pasteboard tab
3) Clear the checkbox next to "Update Pasteboard when CLIPBOARD changes"
(from: http://sourceforge.net/p/gimponosx/discussion/761056/thread/08fd3443)

However, this option isn't available any more since GIMP now works without X11, hence there's no X11 Prefs app any more. Well, in fact, I do still have a X11 app on my 10.7.5 system, but there this option is enabled, and it doesn't seem to help.

[Simone Karin Lehmann]

hhmm, have you tried my version of GIMP from http://gimp.lisanet.de ? (sorry, that there are now two GIMP builds. The so called 'official' one, which is very basic, and mine, which integrates better into OS X, fixes some OS X bugs, inlcudes Python and many plugins....)

AFAICS my build works as expected. I can open an image in Preview, copy that image with CMD + A and CMD + C and then paste it into GIMP by CMD + V

Please download a version from http://gimp.lisanet.de and give it a try.

[Thomas Tempelmann]

Simone,
Your version's Paste works correctly for a while - that is, until I Copy from GIMP.

Here's my test flow, on 10.7.5:
- Launch GIMP
- Cmd-N to create a new 640x400 img
- With the brush tool active by default, I draw a few lines into the img.
- Switch to Finder
- Making a Screenshot into Clipboard by first pressing Shift-Cmd-4, then drag a rectangle with the mouse, and pressing down the Option (alt) key before letting go of the mouse.
- Switch back to GIMP
- Paste with Cmd-V. This works
- I can repeat these Copy + Paste steps repeatedly (this doesn't work with the "main" GIMP release).

Now, here's where it goes wrong:
- I switch to the "Rectangle Select Tool"
- I drag a rect with the mouse in my GIMP image
- Press Cmd-C to copy the selection to the clipboard.
- By starting Preview.app and pressing Cmd-N ("New from Clipboard") I can verify that I have the rect from my GIMP img in the system clipboard.
- Now I repeat the previous steps of creating a screenshot into the Clipboard
- This time, Pasting into GIMP will not paste my new screenshot but the img I previously copied in GIMP. That's the issue.

Would you please try and confirm that you're seeing this issue as well?

[Michael Iles]

I see a similar problem. (I'm using Simone's 2.8.6 build on Mavericks.)

Pasting an image into Gimp worked the first time, but after I did a bit of copying and pasting within Gimp then pasting an external image in didn't work anymore.

Specifically:
1. Copy an image to the clipboard from somewhere else.
2. Paste the clipboard into Gimp to start a new image (File > Create > From Clipboard).
3. In Gimp, do some copies and pastes within the image.
4. From another app, copy an image to the clipboard (e.g. take a screenshot).
5. Attempt to paste the clipboard into your Gimp image. At this point it doesn't work, instead you get the last internal image from step 3 repeated.