What Artcraft actually is

Last weekend, developer Brandon Thomas announced Artcraft, a set of seven free apps that take on Adobe's most used creative tools, and he built them with AI. It is one of the most exciting things we have seen this month, and it says a lot about where software is heading.

The seven apps and the Adobe tools they are inspired by are:

  • PhotoCraft: Photoshop
  • VectorCraft: Illustrator
  • FilmCraft: Premiere
  • LightCraft: Lightroom
  • EffectCraft: After Effects
  • DesignCraft: InDesign
  • PrintCraft: Acrobat Pro

The apps are written in Rust and run on macOS, Windows and Linux, with a WebAssembly version that can run right in a browser. Thomas says he built them with Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 as clean room reimplementations rather than copies of Adobe's code, and they are released under MIT and Apache licences, which means anyone can use, modify and build on them.

What it can already do

The progress has been quick. Version 0.1.0 appeared only days before the news broke, and v0.5.0 was already out by 8 October. OMG! Ubuntu tested PhotoCraft and found it fast to start and responsive, even on modest hardware. It already includes layers, masks, layer styles, smart objects, a brush engine, 34 tools, 27 blend modes, filters, and the ability to open and save PSD files.

PhotoCraft showing Levels and Vibrance adjustment layers with a histogram panel

The layout and shortcuts will feel familiar to anyone who has used Photoshop, so there is very little learning curve. And because the project is open source, the developer community is already jumping in, with Thomas offering bug bounties and inviting contributors on GitHub.

PhotoCraft layer style dialog adding an outer glow and stroke to a text layer
PhotoCraft previewing a twirl filter inside a selection

Still a work in progress

To be clear, this is very early alpha software, and that is part of what makes it fun to follow. Expect rough edges, a few glitches and some heavy memory use while it matures. Thomas has said full parity with Adobe's tools will take months of community feedback, and as with any new project, things like colour management and plugin support are still to come. We are treating it as a project to watch rather than a tool to bet client deadlines on today.

Why this is exciting for small businesses

Creative software subscriptions are a real monthly cost for small teams. Thomas has said frustration with a cancellation fee helped inspire the project, and HotHardware notes Adobe recently settled a $150 million lawsuit over hard to cancel subscriptions. A free, open source alternative, even an early one, means more choice for freelancers, startups and small businesses creating on a budget.

It also connects to a bigger shift. Last week it was Shopify building a store from a chat. This week it is one developer rebuilding a suite of professional apps with AI. The cost of making software is dropping fast, which opens the door for more people to build, create and compete. The tools are getting easier. Knowing what to make with them, and why, is where we love to help.

How to try it

  • Visit getartcraft.com and download the alpha builds from the GitHub releases page.
  • Try PhotoCraft on a personal or practice project and see how it feels.
  • Report any bugs you find. Early feedback is exactly what the project needs.
  • Check back in a few months, because this space is moving fast.

Sources

  • HotHardware: https://hothardware.com/news/dev-uses-ai-to-build-clones-of-photoshop-and-entire-adobe-suite-for-free
  • OMG! Ubuntu: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/10/artcraft-free-photoshop-ai-clone
  • Cybernews: https://cybernews.com/ai-news/ai-adobe-alternatives-open-source/
  • Screenshots: PhotoCraft by ArtCraft, https://github.com/storytold/photocraft (code licensed MIT or Apache 2.0). The artwork shown in the screenshots is in the public domain.