diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index 206c7c5aa0ce..efff6931bbdf 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -1,2 +1 @@
-/tools/create_version_h.sh export-subst
-/CMakeList.txt export-subst
+/CMakeLists.txt export-subst
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 48efa783fbfc..dc9727a1a2b9 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -86,37 +86,43 @@ endif(WIN32)
 
 # Check if this is source package build
 if(NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/.git)
-	set(SOURCE_PACKAGE 1)
+  set(SOURCE_PACKAGE 1)
+else()
+  set(SOURCE_PACKAGE 0)
 endif()
 
 #
 # Set package version
 #
-
+file(MAKE_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/") # the src/ subdirectory won't exist yet
 if(DEFINED PROJECT_VERSION)
-   #project version is defined by -D on the cmake command line
-   # only use that value, do not upate it at make time
-   EXECUTE_PROCESS( COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/create_version_h.sh ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/version_gen.h ${PROJECT_VERSION}
-		   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
-		  )
+  #project version is defined by -D on the cmake command line
+  # only use that value, do not upate it at make time
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/create_version_h.sh ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/version_gen.h ${PROJECT_VERSION}
+    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
+  )
 else(DEFINED PROJECT_VERSION)
-	if(NOT SOURCE_PACKAGE)
-	  # this part is setting the corresponding CMake variable which gets used for example when creating a source package
-	  EXECUTE_PROCESS(COMMAND git describe --tags --dirty
-	      COMMAND sed "s,^release-,,;s,-,+,;s,-,~,;" OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE OUTPUT_VARIABLE PROJECT_VERSION
-	      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR})
-	  add_custom_target(
-			  generate_version ALL
-			  COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/create_version_h.sh ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/version_gen.h
-			  COMMENT "Updating version string"
-			  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
-			  )
-	else(NOT SOURCE_PACKAGE)
-	  set(PROJECT_VERSION "archive-$Format:%H$")
-	  execute_process( COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/create_version_h.sh ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/version_gen.h ${PROJECT_VERSION}
-			  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
-			 )
-	endif(NOT SOURCE_PACKAGE)
+  if(NOT SOURCE_PACKAGE) # i.e., a git checkout
+    # this part is setting the corresponding CMake variable which gets used for example when creating a source package
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND git describe --tags --dirty
+      COMMAND sed "s,^release-,,;s,-,+,;s,-,~,;" OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE OUTPUT_VARIABLE PROJECT_VERSION
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR})
+    add_custom_target(generate_version ALL
+      COMMAND ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/create_version_h.sh ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/version_gen.h
+      COMMENT "Updating version string"
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
+    )
+  elseif(NOT EXISTS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/version_gen.h)
+  # no need to create version_gen.h if it's already shipped. that is for example the case with our release tarballs
+#   else(NOT SOURCE_PACKAGE)
+    set(PROJECT_VERSION "archive-$Format:%H$")
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/create_version_h.sh ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/version_gen.h ${PROJECT_VERSION}
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
+    )
+  endif(NOT SOURCE_PACKAGE)
 endif(DEFINED PROJECT_VERSION)
 
 
diff --git a/tools/create_release.sh b/tools/create_release.sh
index 73d2743ae63d..66ef96dcc49b 100755
--- a/tools/create_release.sh
+++ b/tools/create_release.sh
@@ -6,33 +6,40 @@ echo "are you sure these guys received proper credit in the about dialog?"
 read answer
 
 # prefix rc with ~, so debian thinks its less than
+echo "* archiving git tree"
 dt_decoration=$(git describe --tags $branch | sed 's,^release-,,;s,-,+,;s,-,~,;' | sed 's/rc/~rc/')
 git archive HEAD --prefix=darktable-$dt_decoration/ -o darktable-$dt_decoration.tar
 
-mkdir -p tmp
-cd tmp
-tar xvf ../darktable-$dt_decoration.tar
+SRCDIR=`pwd`
+TMPDIR=`mktemp -d -t darktable-XXXXXX`
+cd "$TMPDIR"
+tar xf "$SRCDIR/darktable-$dt_decoration.tar"
 
 # create version header for non-git tarball:
+echo "* creating version header"
 echo "#define PACKAGE_VERSION \"$dt_decoration\"" > darktable-$dt_decoration/src/version_gen.h
 
-# remove docs, that's > 45 MB
-rm -rf darktable-$dt_decoration/doc/htdocs
+# remove usermanual, that's > 80 MB and released separately
+echo "* removing usermanual"
 rm -rf darktable-$dt_decoration/doc/usermanual
-tar cvzf darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.gz darktable-$dt_decoration/
-tar cvJf darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.xz darktable-$dt_decoration/
-rm ../darktable-$dt_decoration.tar
-mv darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.gz ..
-mv darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.xz ..
 
-# now test the build:
-rm -rf darktable-*
-tar xvzf ../darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.gz
-cd darktable-*
-./build.sh
+echo "* creating final tarball"
+tar cJf darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.xz darktable-$dt_decoration/
+rm "$SRCDIR/darktable-$dt_decoration.tar"
+cp darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.xz "$SRCDIR"
 
-echo "actually to test this build you should do:"
-echo "cd tmp/darktable-$dt_decoration/build && sudo make install"
+# now test the build:
+echo "* test compiling"
+rm -rf darktable-$dt_decoration/
+tar xf darktable-$dt_decoration.tar.xz
+cd darktable-$dt_decoration/
+./build.sh --prefix "$TMPDIR/darktable/"
+
+echo
+echo "to actually test this build you should do:"
+echo "cd $TMPDIR/darktable-$dt_decoration/build && make install"
+echo "then run darktable from:"
+echo "$TMPDIR/darktable/bin/darktable"
 
 
 
diff --git a/tools/create_version_h.sh b/tools/create_version_h.sh
index 487578722460..9b5a5c83d812 100755
--- a/tools/create_version_h.sh
+++ b/tools/create_version_h.sh
@@ -3,16 +3,15 @@
 set -e
 
 H_FILE=$1
+NEW_VERSION=$2
 
 VERSION_H_NEEDS_UPDATE=1
-if [ -z "$2" ]; then 
-	NEW_VERSION=`git describe --tags --dirty | sed 's,^release-,,;s,-,+,;s,-,~,;'`
-else
-	NEW_VERSION=$2
+if [ -z "$NEW_VERSION" ]; then
+  NEW_VERSION=`git describe --tags --dirty | sed 's,^release-,,;s,-,+,;s,-,~,;'`
 fi
 
 if [ -n  "`echo -e $NEW_VERSION | grep  Format`" ]; then
-	NEW_VERSION="unknown-version"
+  NEW_VERSION="unknown-version"
 fi
 
 # version.h exists => check if it containts the up-to-date version