Create an X11 shortcut to launch GIMP

Dec 17, '08 07:30:02AM

Contributed by: dronkert

This is for those who have installed the graphics program GIMP from SourceForge (or from the developer's homepage). GIMP is not Cocoa native, but uses the X11 windowing protocol. As such, it runs within the X11 application on OS X -- you'll see the X11 program's menu in the OS X menu bar when GIMP is running, including an Applications menu. On the Applications menu are entries for a few programs (including keyboard shortcuts), and a Customize menu item can be used to add more entries to the list.

To make it easier to run GIMP from X11, click Customize, then click Add Item. Put GIMP in the Name column, and in the Command column, enter the path to the actual GIMP executable, which is: /Applications/Gimp.app/Contents/Resources/bin/gimp. (If you installed it elsewhere, you'll need to change the portion of the path to the left of "Gimp.app".) In the Shortcut column, press the letter that you'll use with Command to launch the program -- I used 'g.'

So now, whenever X11 is active, I can start GIMP by pressing Command-G.

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