Found the problem.
babl.pc file was transfered to /usr/lib/pkgconfig ok.
But gegl.pc wasn't.
Then when gimp compile is started it concludes that gegl is not installed.
I got the latest babl,gegl and gimp from git and now it compiles fine.
I used "find" to look for babl.pc and gegl.pc in /.
It found babl.pc in both /root and /usr/lib/pkgconfig.
It found gegl.pc only in /root.
Thus it was not transfered during make install.
Must be something in gegl files.

Gimp-2.7.2 runs fine.
I am now little by little going to find out whether or not plugins and scripts will work.
Gerard.

I finally got brave and installed Gimp-2.7 on my regular Gentoo install.
Since it would be installed in /usr/local it should be possible to have them side by side.
It wouldn't start however.This was at 1 am my time,so I decided to call it a day and look into it next day.
Today I started it again and lo and behold it works!
This will make it easier to find out if the claim made in the INSTALL file that it would be backwards compatible.
It made a separate ./.gimp-2.7 file in my userdirectory and copied all the files in ./.gimp-2.6 to it.
So trying plugins and scripts should be easy.
I'll keep you posted,have to leave now.
Gerard.

I would not recommend installing to /usr/local if you expect to continue using gimp-2.6 (presumably installed in /usr). The problem is not that gimp-2.7 won't work but that 2.6 might not (though it probably will). This is because 2.6 will find whatever libraries are installed in /usr/local/lib (e.g., libbabl and libgegl) before finding their corresponding versions in /usr/lib. While newer versions of these libraries will most often be backwards compatible with their earlier versions (e.g., libbabl 1.4 should support everything that libbabl 1.2 supports), this is not guaranteed -- and isn't the point of using a stable version of GIMP that it actually be stable?

If you wish to have both a development version and your distro's stable version installed at the same time, the safest thing to do is to place the development version (with all of its non-standard libraries) in a directory that is not in your system's library search path (the library search path is specified in /etc/ld.so.conf). /opt is the traditional place for such installations.

You're right saulgoode.
Gimp-2.6.11 errors out.
I will try installing it in /opt and try that.
Thanks,
Gerard.

gerard,
when you get some free time I'd appreciate some info on how you got 2.7.2 to compile and install. I was successful in getting recent BABL and GEGL compiled, installed and working properly, but even though Gimp went through the whole "compile, make, install" sequence smoothly, I got an error starting Gimp that it was 2.6.11 trying to use 2.7.2 libraries - and that was even after completely removing Gimp, and using several different methods to try to track down stray files. Maybe there's something stuck in a cache somewhere, but I can't seem to locate it.

BTW, I used the tarballs.

PM is okay if you don't want to put it here, and thanks.

Hi Bob,
I didn't have much luck with the tarballs either.
I used git.
It needs to be installed obviously.
Log in at a terminal as root.
(If you're on ubuntu you might not have a root account)
Anyway with git installed enter this:
git clone git://git.gnome.org/babl
git clone git://git.gnome.org/gegl
git clone git://git.gnome.org/gimp
Then you have to compile them one by one.
Start with babl.
cd ./babl
./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr
and follow the instructions.
If you don't want it to end up in /usr you only have one choice /usr/local (default)
I tried to get in /opt but gave up.

To make a root account do the following:
sudo passwd.
Type a root password twice.
Log out and then login as root with your new password.
If you don't have "mc" installed install it.
It is an excellent tool to browse and edit files in your system.
Hope this will get you going.
Gerard.

Finally got Gimp-2.7.2 to compile and run (on Ubuntu-Linux)!

gerard, I used a subdirectory of my home for the prefix: --prefix=/home/bob63/gimp-2.7.2, then to run I open a terminal in /home/bob63/gimp-2.7.2/bin and type ./gimp-2.7 (Have not built a shortcut yet.)

I saw several Python-related warnings zip by during the install part of the process, but I didn't capture them. They seemed to have something to do with PyGtk or PyGimp and Gimp-Perl sections. Very few of my scripts or plugins work. FX Foundry still seems to work (mostly) but throws error messages. Saul's Platonic calender (my newest script) works but also throws Script-Fu-related errors.

Edit: BTW, my system's Python is v2.6.

I may un-install and redo specifically to capture the make error output....

Edit #2: Maybe it's something I haven't figured out yet - or hasn't been re-implemented, but I am not getting the brush outlines on the canvas. I have the Edit > Preferences > Appearance tab options set, but theres no change.

That problem may be in the brush dynamics dialog itself Bob.
That is a totally new animal in Gimp 2.7.2.
Something like what Photo-Shop utilizes from what i hear.

You can adjust quite a bit in there.

I know 2.7.1' s brush dynamics dialog is pretty amazing.

You don't realize how much you come to rely on something like that...I do a lot of detail work, and I sure miss seeing the outline of my brush. Fortunately, since I figured out the "right way" to install 2.6.11 and 2.7.2 side-by-side, I can jump back and forth if I want.

Hey Rod, maybe you should install a Linux distro and "come to the dark side."

I played around with the brush dynamics for about a half-hour or so this afternoon. They can give some pretty cool effects. Here's two:

soon my friend .... soon

It's broken. (That what you get in a dev version!) It worked in my previous compile. I pulled and compiled today and it shows 1/2 the screen off to the left, so often looks like no outline.

-Rob A>

LOL, yup that's a beta development program for you. =)
I am still a little stuck with this GLIB issue, but i will keep working at it.
So far i have compiled and installed GLIB 2.24.2 twice, but apparently it's not
being installed where the Gimp configure file want's it...

I even tried the windows binary with no luck.