Is there any reason you will ever want to erase other layers and save just the selected layer erasing all others ? When you can just cut paste a single new layer elsewhere?
While it is happening rarely, I just found out my option has magically switched to Selected Layer export… erasing all other all because I have added a black background beneath to fill. And now I have a nice black rectangle from the entire dds file. It’s pissing the heck out of me.
And you know, if you select a box, delete some part of an image and even exit the Gimp, turn on your PC/lap another day, you actually can restore it with Levels - Alpha channel because some data still remains. Sometimes I had to specially remove alpha to make sure nothing remains of the deleted. Now this would have been nice but nope, an entirely new layer with black rectangle and nothing to recover
I can certainly agree from my own experience (though not with DDS export) that it can be frustrating when you notice you saved something with different settings than you thought.
That said, I can remember people saying they use one XCF image to save several textures and where the final texture depends on which layers are visible. So yes, exporting a single layer is a valid user option that I don’t see going away.
I think there also is an issue with exporting when you have group layers that require using the selected layer for the correct export, if I recall correctly.
Besides that, the Save type has several other options for exporting to specific kinds of DDS images.
Yes but I think an extra lock should be added to ensure it defaults to All Visible layers and when unlocking the lock to choose other option. I have not manually changed the option it must have come with a tab press or some keyboard key. And because it rarely happens, then one can close the image without looking. But that “rare” is enough to cause so much more work. I know backing up and such but it is better UX to have something more restrictive.
The reason you export to DDS and not save is that not everything is saved; xsf is the native save format. Use Save or Save As to save your project, and Export or Export As to make a DDS file (or JPEG or whatever) to use outside GIMP. This is also why GIMP warns that the file has been exported but not saved on exit. You can also add %EE to the title bar in preferences and you get an E in front of the filename when the file has been exported as-is. But watch for the unsaved * too.
I use XCF when I want to keep the layers in order because I may change something in the future or use part of it. Then of course I merge things outside that xcf file for whatever purposes.
This was a quick edit to add something small in DDS. There is no purpose to save every single file as XCF and the other format. This would make an unnecessary flood of files not needed. I guess we just do as always and hope to not make such mistake - but it has happened once in a while with DDS.
At least Export all visible layers should be the default after new install, although here some hotkey may have changed it. It’s about UX/QoL really.