Developer Brandon Thomas has released ArtCraft, an open-source project recreating the look and some functionality of seven Adobe creative applications using Anthropic's Claude AI and the Rust programming language, according to TechRepublic.
The suite includes PhotoCraft, VectorCraft and FilmCraft, built as alternatives to Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro, with source code available through Thomas's GitHub repositories.
Thomas describes the applications as clean-room implementations, reproducing functionality without copying Adobe's proprietary source code, though that remains his own characterization rather than an independently verified legal assessment.
AppleInsider tested PhotoCraft and found a layout, editing tools and a layers panel closely resembling Photoshop.
TechRadar's separate review found different results: PhotoCraft struggled with HEIC image support and file-saving options, while FilmCraft showed missing or incomplete video-editing functions.
The project targets macOS, Windows and Linux, though compatibility and available features vary by application.
Thomas has cited frustration with Adobe's subscription and cancellation practices as motivation, and has since extended the same approach to open-source alternatives modeled on Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, according to Tom's Hardware.
Adobe itself has been folding generative AI deeper into its own products, expanding Firefly's integration with Google's Gemini and adding Anthropic's Claude to its Acrobat PDF tooling.
ArtCraft's limitations underline a distinction between prototyping a convincing interface and delivering the file handling, output accuracy and consistent performance professional workflows demand.
