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Developer Releases Free Open-Source Adobe App Replacements

By Drooid · Oct 17, 2026, 2:23 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Brandon Thomas Replaces Adobe

Brandon Thomas used Claude Opus 5.5 to develop free, open-source replacements for seven Adobe Creative Cloud apps.
The replacements—PhotoCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, VectorCraft, PDFCraft, MotionCraft, and LayoutCraft—run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Thomas wrote the code in Rust for performance and memory-safety, and posted it on GitHub under the ArtCraft project.
He said repeated Adobe cancellation fees motivated the year-long effort to lower subscription barriers.

Summary

LightCraft Mirrors Photoshop

LightCraft’s AI-powered masking uses Meta’s SAM 3 model and accepts plain-English prompts.
LightCraft’s interface mirrors Photoshop’s menus, shortcuts, and panels, easing user transition.
The Remove tool creates blurry patches, lacking Photoshop’s generative AI background reconstruction.
LightCraft struggles with RAW files from older Panasonic cameras, causing compatibility issues.
Batch editing lets users adjust multiple photos simultaneously, streamlining large-scale projects.

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Brandon Thomas Replaces Adobe

Brandon Thomas used Claude Opus 5.5 to develop free, open-source replacements for seven Adobe Creative Cloud apps.
The replacements—PhotoCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, VectorCraft, PDFCraft, MotionCraft, and LayoutCraft—run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Thomas wrote the code in Rust for performance and memory-safety, and posted it on GitHub under the ArtCraft project.
He said repeated Adobe cancellation fees motivated the year-long effort to lower subscription barriers.

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