PhotoCraft FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Got questions about PhotoCraft? Here are clear, honest answers to the most frequently asked questions.

---

What is PhotoCraft?#

PhotoCraft is a free, open-source desktop image editor designed as a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop, written 100% in Rust. It natively handles layers, adjustment layers, vector paths, layer styles, brushes, and layered PSD/PSB files.

Is PhotoCraft really free?#

Yes, absolutely. It is dual-licensed under MIT OR Apache-2.0. There are no recurring subscriptions, no premium feature paywalls, and no required accounts. It works 100% offline.

Can it replace Photoshop for my daily work?#

Not for every professional workflow yet. As of v0.3.0, it is in early alpha. While core editing, PSD opening, and adjustment layers work exceptionally well, about 20 specialized tools are missing, native .8BF C++ plugins are not supported, and there are no cloud generative AI fill features. It is ideal for hobbyists, illustrators, students, and as a fast secondary editor.

Is PhotoCraft safe to download and install?#

Yes. The codebase is completely open source on GitHub (storytold/photocraft). The macOS builds are signed with Apple Developer ID and fully notarized. Windows builds may temporarily prompt SmartScreen because newly published open-source binaries have not yet accrued Microsoft trust scores.

Which operating systems are supported?#

PhotoCraft provides native builds for macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon), Windows 10/11 (64-bit), Linux (Flatpak, AppImage, .deb, .rpm), and FreeBSD 14. A WebAssembly browser build is also available.

Does it open real Photoshop PSD files?#

Yes. Real layered .psd and .psb files open, render, and save cleanly. PhotoCraft achieves pixel-accurate rendering for 307 of 309 test files in the standard psd-tools benchmark suite.

Can I install my existing Photoshop plugins?#

No, native .8BF Photoshop plugins are not supported by design. PhotoCraft uses a modern, memory-safe WebAssembly (WASM) plugin architecture accessible under Filter → Plug-ins.

Does PhotoCraft require an internet connection?#

No. Everything runs locally on your machine. Selection tools, image transforms, and filters run entirely offline without telemetry or server round-trips.

Who develops PhotoCraft?#

It is created by the ArtCraft Team, an independent open creator collective. It is part of their "Crafting Apps" suite alongside VectorCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, and PrintCraft.

Is this website (photocraft.si) official?#

No. photocraft.si is an independent, third-party community guide. We are not affiliated with the ArtCraft Team or Adobe Inc. See our Disclaimer.