KIPI (KDE Image Plugin Interface) is an effort to develop a common plugin structure for Digikam, KPhotoAlbum, Showimg and GwenView. Its aim is to share image plugins among graphic applications. Kipi is based on the old digiKam plugins implementation.

One of the nicest things about KDE Photo Management Programs like "digiKam", "KPhotoAlbum", "GwenView" and "ShowImg" is how easily its functionality can be extended, by using plugins. Plugins can manipulate image files in almost any way that users can. Their advantage is that it is much easier to add a capability to the host application by writing a small plugin than by modifying the host application core. Many valuable plugins have C++ source code that only comes to 100-200 lines or so.

Kipi plugins are additional functions for the KDE Images Managment Host Programs. They can add extra menus and shortcuts, and extend the host programs features. You can install as many or as few as you like, from within host programs.