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Software Engineer Brandon Thomas Launches ArtCraft, Open-Source AI-Built Adobe Alternatives

digital · 2026-10-07

Brandon Thomas, a software engineer with 15 years of experience, has introduced ArtCraft, a free, open-source alternative to Adobe's Creative Cloud. This suite includes applications such as PhotoCraft (similar to Photoshop), FilmCraft (akin to Premiere), and LightCraft (comparable to Lightroom), compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. Established nearly a year ago, Thomas utilized Anthropic's Opus 5.5 AI LLM to develop these popular tools in Rust, aiming for "100% feature parity" within a month. Currently in its alpha phase, a beta release is anticipated soon. While the software circumvents copyright issues, it may face potential patent challenges. ArtCraft can be found on GitHub and its own site, offering optional subscriptions for generative AI credits. PetaPixel has contacted Adobe for a response.

Key facts

  • Brandon Thomas released ArtCraft, an open-source, free alternative to Adobe's Creative Cloud suite.
  • ArtCraft includes recreated versions of seven Adobe apps: Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom (not Classic), Acrobat, After Effects, and InDesign.
  • The apps are available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
  • Thomas used Anthropic's Opus 5.5 AI LLM to recreate the apps in Rust.
  • Thomas founded ArtCraft nearly a year ago and previously worked as CEO of Storyteller.ai and as a software engineer at Square.
  • Thomas aims for "100% feature parity" with Adobe's software "within a month."
  • The suite is currently in alpha, with beta expected quickly.
  • Thomas describes the apps as a "clean-room reimplementation" of Adobe's apps on GitHub.
  • Potential patent infringement remains an open question, as Adobe holds thousands of patents.
  • ArtCraft can be used without a subscription, but subscriptions with generative AI credits are available.
  • PetaPixel has asked Adobe for comment.

Entities

Artists

  • Brandon Thomas

Institutions

  • ArtCraft
  • Adobe
  • Storyteller.ai
  • Square
  • Anthropic
  • GitHub
  • PetaPixel
  • Reddit
  • r/Adobe
  • Abode Kickstarter
  • Depositphotos.com
  • Microsoft
  • Google
  • Discord
  • X
  • Artcraft
  • Hacker News
  • Bluesky
  • Ars Technica
  • YCombinator
  • Napster
  • Creative Cloud

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom

Sources

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