ArtCraft vs Adobe: what is going on
In October 2026 headlines said someone had "reverse engineered Adobe". What actually happened: the ArtCraft team published seven open-source apps that copy the workflows and file formats of Adobe's Creative Cloud, written from scratch in Rust, largely by AI coding agents. Here is what that means for you.
Last checked 11 Oct 2026. Independent site; not affiliated with ArtCraft or Adobe.
Which Craft app replaces which Adobe app
| Adobe app | Craft app | Project's "ready for real work" | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photoshop | PhotoCraft | ~45% | PhotoCraft |
| Lightroom | LightCraft | ~61% | LightCraft |
| Premiere Pro | FilmCraft | ~56% | FilmCraft |
| After Effects | EffectCraft | ≈45% | EffectCraft |
| Illustrator | VectorCraft | ~65% | VectorCraft |
| Acrobat | PdfCraft | 49% | PdfCraft |
| InDesign | DesignCraft | Not published | Coming |
| Firefly / generative AI | ArtCraft (the studio app) | Shipping since 2025, cloud models | Overview |
Numbers are the projects' own estimates from their roadmaps on 10 Oct 2026. The home page tracker keeps them current.
Is it legal? Is it a crack?
It is not a crack, a leak or a modified Adobe binary. The repositories describe each app as a clean-room reimplementation: new code that reads and writes the same file formats and copies the menu layout and shortcuts, with no Adobe code, icons or assets. Copying a workflow and a file format is how LibreOffice, GIMP and Inkscape have existed for decades. The ArtCraft repositories carry an explicit notice that Adobe's names are trademarks used only to describe compatibility. None of this is legal advice, and Adobe has not, as far as we can find, made any public statement.
How was it built so fast?
Each roadmap estimates remaining work in "Opus 5.5 agent-hours" and calibrates against the repository's merged pull requests (PhotoCraft alone cites 1,004). In plain words, the apps are written mostly by AI coding agents directed by the team, which is why seven large apps appeared in a few weeks and why they already have thousands of menu items. It is also why the teams publish a separate "ready for real work" figure: a menu item existing is not the same as it behaving like Adobe's on your file. Hacker News and Reddit discussions of the launch were split for exactly this reason.
Should you switch?
- Try now: VectorCraft and LightCraft, if you do not depend on plug-ins, exact camera profiles or Lightroom catalogs. Both are free, offline and open your existing files.
- Try alongside: PhotoCraft and FilmCraft for everyday work, keeping the Adobe app for files that do not round-trip.
- Wait: EffectCraft if your work lives in .aep templates, and anything that needs Adobe's cloud features.
Everything is alpha by the authors' own label. Save copies, and expect weekly releases: every app shipped a new version on 11 October 2026 alone.
Questions
Is ArtCraft owned by Adobe?
No. It is an independent open-source project by the Storyteller.ai team. Adobe has no involvement.
Is ArtCraft a free Adobe Creative Cloud?
The Craft apps are free and cover Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, After Effects, Illustrator, Acrobat and InDesign workflows. They are alpha software, between 45% and 65% ready by their own estimates. Firefly-style generative AI is in the separate ArtCraft studio app, which uses paid cloud credits.
Can I open my Adobe files?
PSD, PSB, .ai, PDF and EPS open. Premiere .prproj and After Effects .aep do not yet. Lightroom catalogs do not yet.
Is ArtCraft safe to install?
The macOS builds are signed and notarized and the Windows installers are code-signed, according to each README. Download only from getartcraft.com or github.com/storytold and compare the SHA256SUMS.txt if you want to be certain. Avoid third-party mirrors.