ArtCraft released PhotoCraft v0.5.0 on October 8, 2026. Its directory lists seven free, open-source creative apps: two are in early alpha and five are in development. All seven have native versions listed for macOS, Windows and Linux; six also have browser versions listed.
PhotoCraft v0.5.0 and ArtCraft’s current lineup
The release notes for PhotoCraft v0.5.0 describe changes to rendering modes and CPU fallback, along with editing and interface updates and format support. The release followed v0.3.0, which was dated October 7, 2026.
ArtCraft presents its apps as alternatives across familiar Adobe software categories. The directory describes the apps as written in Rust and says they run locally on users’ files.
The seven apps in ArtCraft
| App | Stated creative role | Status listed by ArtCraft |
| PhotoCraft | Image editing, in the Photoshop category | Early alpha |
| VectorCraft | Vector illustration, in the Illustrator category | In development |
| FilmCraft | Video editing, in the Premiere Pro category | In development |
| LightCraft | Photo library and RAW development, in the Lightroom category | In development |
| PdfCraft | PDF workbench, in the Acrobat Pro category | Early alpha |
| EffectCraft | Motion graphics and visual effects, in the After Effects category | In development |
| DesignCraft | Page layout and publishing, in the InDesign category | In development |
ArtCraft lists browser versions for PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, LightCraft, PdfCraft, EffectCraft and DesignCraft. Its directory lists no browser option for FilmCraft.
PhotoCraft’s capabilities and limits
PhotoCraft’s maintainers describe it as an early-alpha Photoshop reimplementation and say it is not yet a replacement for daily professional Photoshop work. The repository lists tools for layers, masks, adjustment layers, layer styles, text, brushes, vector shapes and filters. It also lists PSD and PSB support, along with formats such as TIFF, PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, OpenEXR and AVIF.
The maintainers report identical rendered results after opening and resaving 307 of 309 files in a psd-tools test set and 169 of 170 files in a mixed ag-psd/psd-tools set. The resaved files were not byte-identical to their originals. These results describe those test sets; they do not guarantee identical rendering for every document.
The repository also identifies gaps in generative features, typography, professional workflows and plugin compatibility, as well as roughly twenty missing tools. That leaves a significant gap between a feature list and dependable professional use.
Automation, licensing and the Claude claim
PhotoCraft’s command engine can be accessed through its desktop interface, command-line interface (CLI), JSON control channel and MCP server. MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. The PhotoCraft repository names its license as MIT OR Apache-2.0; that license statement applies to PhotoCraft.
An account presenting itself as ArtCraft’s creator said Claude Opus 5.5 helped build the suite. The account described full feature and file-format parity as a goal while acknowledging substantial work remained.
