The new version of the GIMP is not released yet. The current development version
is version 2.5 and it is only a transitional package to what they are working
towards. We need to be patient. When completed the GIMP will offer CMYK/RGB
support, more color depth and non-destructive editing. It will be more like the
features found in professional editors now. The GIMP developers were limited in
the past by choices they had made early on. Now, they have abandoned those
standards and it is getting a total re-write using GEGL which gives graphing
with 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bits per pixel. It will have RGB support and full lab
color manipulation. Not only will it have advanced features, but it give the
GIMP more possiblities for adding new features in the future.