- by x32x01 ||
If you are tired of Adobe subscriptions, there is a very interesting open-source project you should know about. 🚀
The ArtCraft team is building a collection of free, open-source creative applications in Rust that aim to recreate workflows familiar to users of Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Illustrator, Acrobat, and other professional tools.
These are not Adobe's applications made open source. They are independent clean-room reimplementations built from scratch in Rust, with the goal of providing similar workflows and compatibility while remaining open source and free to use.
PhotoCraft is probably the project that will get the most attention.
It is an open-source image editor written entirely in Rust and designed as a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop.
It supports features such as:
The repository is available on GitHub: PhotoCraft on GitHub
It is a Rust-based, open-source clean-room reimplementation inspired by the workflow of Adobe After Effects.
It already includes features such as:
EffectCraft on GitHub
FilmCraft focuses on:
FilmCraft on GitHub
It provides a non-destructive editing workflow and supports formats including RAW files from cameras, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, PSD composites, and JPEG XL.
The project is also written in Rust and uses GPU acceleration through modern graphics APIs.
LightCraft on GitHub
The organization's GitHub profile currently lists these projects as part of its broader Crafting Apps collection.
Rust is well suited to software that needs high performance, memory safety, concurrency, and low-level control.
According to the project's repositories, the applications use native Rust components rather than simply wrapping a web application inside Electron. PhotoCraft, for example, uses a native desktop architecture with
This approach can be particularly useful for graphics applications where performance matters.
This is an important distinction.
These projects are not the original Adobe applications, and Adobe has not released Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, or the other products as open-source software.
Instead, ArtCraft describes its applications as independent clean-room reimplementations.
The developers state that they work from public documentation and observed behavior rather than using Adobe's proprietary source code, assets, icons, or presets.
The repositories also clearly state that the projects are independent and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.
The projects are released as open-source software, with several repositories using MIT or Apache-2.0 licensing.
That makes the idea particularly interesting for:
This is probably the most important thing to understand before replacing your existing workflow.
The projects are ambitious, but they are still developing. For example, PhotoCraft describes itself as being in early alpha, while EffectCraft also notes that some major capabilities remain on its roadmap.
So think of them as:
Promising open-source alternatives that are rapidly evolving - not guaranteed one-to-one replacements for every Adobe workflow today.
If you depend on advanced Adobe-specific plugins, complex production pipelines, or proprietary project formats, you should test compatibility before switching completely.
Clone the repository first:
Then run the application:
The repository also provides installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux through its GitHub releases.
You can explore the source code, releases, documentation, and development roadmap here:
ArtCraft GitHub Organization
It is the idea of rebuilding an entire generation of professional creative software with a modern systems programming language and an open-source development model.
The projects are also designed with automation and AI agents in mind. For example, PhotoCraft exposes application actions through a command system that can be accessed through the UI, CLI, JSON control channels, and MCP.
That could make these tools particularly interesting for developers who want to combine
It does not mean that Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro have suddenly become open source. Instead, developers are building independent alternatives that attempt to reproduce familiar workflows from scratch.
And considering how ambitious these projects already are, the bigger question may be:
How capable can a fully open-source creative software ecosystem become when it is built in Rust? 🦀
The ArtCraft team is building a collection of free, open-source creative applications in Rust that aim to recreate workflows familiar to users of Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Illustrator, Acrobat, and other professional tools.
These are not Adobe's applications made open source. They are independent clean-room reimplementations built from scratch in Rust, with the goal of providing similar workflows and compatibility while remaining open source and free to use.
PhotoCraft is probably the project that will get the most attention.
It is an open-source image editor written entirely in Rust and designed as a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop.
It supports features such as:
- Layers
- Masks
- Adjustment layers
- Layer styles
- Text and typography
- Vector tools
- Brushes
- Real PSD files
- GPU-accelerated rendering
- Native desktop applications
- WebAssembly support
The repository is available on GitHub: PhotoCraft on GitHub
🎬 EffectCraft - An Open-Source After Effects Alternative
If you work with motion graphics, animation, or visual effects, EffectCraft is the project to watch.It is a Rust-based, open-source clean-room reimplementation inspired by the workflow of Adobe After Effects.
It already includes features such as:
- Compositions
- Layers
- Keyframes
- Text and shapes
- Effects
- Layer styles
- 3D cameras and lights
- Motion graphics
- Expressions
- Render queues
- Lottie import and export
- Multiple video and image formats
EffectCraft on GitHub
🎥 FilmCraft - An Open-Source Premiere Pro Alternative
For video editing, the project includes FilmCraft, an open-source clean-room implementation inspired by Adobe Premiere Pro.FilmCraft focuses on:
- Video editing
- Color grading
- Audio
- Effects
- Titles
- Timeline-based editing
- Video export
- Multiple media formats
FilmCraft on GitHub
📷 LightCraft - An Open-Source Lightroom Alternative
LightCraft targets photographers who need photo management and RAW development.It provides a non-destructive editing workflow and supports formats including RAW files from cameras, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, PSD composites, and JPEG XL.
The project is also written in Rust and uses GPU acceleration through modern graphics APIs.
LightCraft on GitHub
🖌️ There Are More Than Just Photoshop and After Effects
The interesting part is that ArtCraft is building an entire family of creative applications rather than a single Photoshop clone.| Project | Designed for |
|---|---|
| PhotoCraft | Photoshop-style image editing |
| VectorCraft | Illustrator-style vector graphics |
| FilmCraft | Premiere Pro-style video editing |
| EffectCraft | After Effects-style motion graphics |
| LightCraft | Lightroom-style photo development |
| PrintCraft | Acrobat-style PDF workflows |
| DesignCraft | Page layout and publishing |
🦀 Why Rust?
One of the most interesting aspects of the project is that these applications are being built primarily in Rust.Rust is well suited to software that needs high performance, memory safety, concurrency, and low-level control.
According to the project's repositories, the applications use native Rust components rather than simply wrapping a web application inside Electron. PhotoCraft, for example, uses a native desktop architecture with
egui/eframe and wgpu, while its web version can compile to WebAssembly.This approach can be particularly useful for graphics applications where performance matters.
🔓 Are These Actually Adobe's Apps Made Open Source?
No.This is an important distinction.
These projects are not the original Adobe applications, and Adobe has not released Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, or the other products as open-source software.
Instead, ArtCraft describes its applications as independent clean-room reimplementations.
The developers state that they work from public documentation and observed behavior rather than using Adobe's proprietary source code, assets, icons, or presets.
The repositories also clearly state that the projects are independent and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.
💰 Are They Free?
Yes.The projects are released as open-source software, with several repositories using MIT or Apache-2.0 licensing.
That makes the idea particularly interesting for:
- Students
- Developers
- Designers
- Linux users
- Open-source enthusiasts
- People who want alternatives to subscription software
- Developers interested in learning from large Rust projects
⚠️ Can They Replace Adobe Completely Right Now?
Not necessarily.This is probably the most important thing to understand before replacing your existing workflow.
The projects are ambitious, but they are still developing. For example, PhotoCraft describes itself as being in early alpha, while EffectCraft also notes that some major capabilities remain on its roadmap.
So think of them as:
Promising open-source alternatives that are rapidly evolving - not guaranteed one-to-one replacements for every Adobe workflow today.
If you depend on advanced Adobe-specific plugins, complex production pipelines, or proprietary project formats, you should test compatibility before switching completely.
🚀 How to Try PhotoCraft
If you already have Rust installed, the PhotoCraft repository provides a simple way to build and run the application.Clone the repository first:
Bash:
git clone https://github.com/storytold/photocraft
cd photocraft Bash:
cargo run --release -p photocraft -- image.psdYou can explore the source code, releases, documentation, and development roadmap here:
ArtCraft GitHub Organization
🧠 Why This Project Is Interesting
The most interesting part isn't simply getting a free Photoshop or After Effects alternative.It is the idea of rebuilding an entire generation of professional creative software with a modern systems programming language and an open-source development model.
The projects are also designed with automation and AI agents in mind. For example, PhotoCraft exposes application actions through a command system that can be accessed through the UI, CLI, JSON control channels, and MCP.
That could make these tools particularly interesting for developers who want to combine
Rust, creative software, automation, and AI agents.📌 Final Thoughts
The ArtCraft project is worth watching if you are interested in open-source software, Rust, creative applications, or alternatives to Adobe's subscription model.It does not mean that Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro have suddenly become open source. Instead, developers are building independent alternatives that attempt to reproduce familiar workflows from scratch.
And considering how ambitious these projects already are, the bigger question may be:
How capable can a fully open-source creative software ecosystem become when it is built in Rust? 🦀