Developer releases open-source Artcraft suite cloning Adobe software with Claude
Software developer Brandon Thomas has launched Artcraft, an open-source, subscription-free suite of seven creative applications built in Rust using Claude AI to replace Adobe Creative Cloud programs.
Software engineer Brandon Thomas has released Artcraft, a collection of free, open-source creative applications written in Rust designed to replace Adobe's subscription-based Creative Cloud suite. According to reports across tech outlets and developer posts, Thomas built the software using Anthropic's Claude AI, with accounts citing either Claude Opus 4.5 or Claude Opus 5.5. The project has drawn attention from publications including Ars Technica, Tom's Hardware, and Gizmodo, with Thomas declaring that "software is over" as AI makes clean-room equivalents of proprietary tools easier to assemble.[4][2][5][7][3][6]
The Artcraft suite targets seven core Adobe applications: PhotoCraft for Photoshop, VectorCraft for Illustrator, FilmCraft for Premiere, LightCraft for Lightroom, EffectCraft for After Effects, DesignCraft for InDesign, and PrintCraft for Acrobat Pro. Thomas initially claimed Artcraft would reach 100 percent parity with Adobe's software within a month, but later scaled back his timeline in Hacker News comments, estimating that 99 percent parity would take months rather than years. Early users have encountered bugs in basic functions, and early accounts note PhotoCraft is not yet ready to completely replace Photoshop for professional daily work despite being estimated at roughly 90 percent complete.[4][1][6]
Thomas cited ongoing pushback over Adobe's subscription practices and cancellation fees as motivation for the project. In June 2024, the US government sued Adobe over hidden early-termination charges, resulting in a $150 million settlement in March 2026, though Adobe denied wrongdoing. To fund the development of the free suite, Thomas stated that Artcraft will sell access tokens for AI image and video models while relying on community bug reports and open-source contributions.[4]
Key facts
- Brandon Thomas developed Artcraft, a free and open-source creative suite written in Rust to clone seven Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
- The suite pairs PhotoCraft with Photoshop, VectorCraft with Illustrator, FilmCraft with Premiere, LightCraft with Lightroom, EffectCraft with After Effects, DesignCraft with InDesign, and PrintCraft with Acrobat Pro.
- Accounts conflict on the AI model version used, with some reporting Claude Opus 4.5 and others reporting Claude Opus 5.5.
- Early testers report problems with basic functions, and PhotoCraft is not yet considered ready to fully replace Photoshop for daily professional work.
- Thomas initially predicted reaching 100 percent feature parity with Adobe within one month before revising his estimate on Hacker News to 99 percent parity taking months rather than years.
- Thomas linked the initiative to Adobe's cancellation fees, citing a June 2024 US government lawsuit and Adobe's March 2026 $150 million settlement.
- Artcraft plans to fund open-source development by selling tokens for AI image and video models.
Sources · 7 sources
- VC
VideoCardz.com@VideoCardzPost on X ·
Adobe Photoshop, Premiere and Illustrator now have AI-built open-source clones 🔗https://t.co/HUFbb3D8nS https://t.co/A5o3JOqR6a
Open source - CB
Crypto BriefingArticle ·
Developer builds free Adobe Creative Cloud alternatives using Claude Opus 5.5 The emergence of open-source Adobe alternatives highlights AI's potential to democratize software development, challenging industry norms. The post Developer builds free Adobe Creative Cloud alternatives using Claude Opus 5.5 appeared first on Crypto Briefing .
Open source - GI
Gizmodo@GizmodoPost on X ·
Someone Vibe Coded a Free Knockoff of Adobe Creative Suite https://t.co/dGrVz2Ulba
Open source - MA
Massimo@Rainmaker1973Post on X ·
Software is over? Brandon Thomas, who describes himself as a software veteran with about 15 years in the industry and roughly a decade of work in Rust, is building the suite under the name Artcraft. He used Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.5 to write the replacements in Rust. The set is meant to cover more than photo editing: Photocraft for Photoshop, Vectorcraft for Illustrator, Filmcraft for Premiere, Lightcraft for Lightroom, Effectcraft for After Effects, Designcraft for InDesign, and Printcraft for Acrobat Pro. The apps are free, with no subscription. Thomas says users can download the source, change it, and send fixes. He also says the project has a team behind it and will not be dropped after the announcement. On the timeline, he first said Artcraft would reach 100 percent parity with the Adobe apps within a month. In comments on Hacker News he pulled that back, while still saying 99 percent parity would take months rather than years. That gap between the claim and the current software is already visible. The apps are early, and people trying them have reported trouble with basic functions. They can resemble the Adobe programs they are named against, but the early reports do not describe them as ready replacements for tools that have been in professional use for years. Thomas ties the project to Adobe’s cancellation fees. In June 2024 the US government sued Adobe, alleging that the company hid early-termination charges and made subscriptions hard to cancel. Customers who ended certain annual plans early could be charged about half of the remaining payments. Adobe disputed that account and said its terms were clear and cancellation was straightforward. In March 2026 the company agreed to a $150 million settlement: $75 million in civil penalties and $75 million in free services for customers, plus clearer fee disclosures and an easier way to cancel. Adobe continued to deny wrongdoing. How seven free apps stay funded is a separate question. Thomas says Artcraft’s other business, selling tokens for AI image and video models, will help pay for development. He is also asking users to file bugs and contribute code. The legal exposure is left open. A suite that tracks Adobe’s products too closely is the sort of thing Adobe would be expected to notice, even if the public case against Adobe’s subscription practices has already been made in court and in the settlement. Existing free options already cover part of this ground, including GIMP, Krita, and Photopea for Photoshop-type work. Artcraft’s pitch is that an Adobe-like layout would make the switch easier, without the subscription or the cost of leaving early. Thomas expects other developers to do the same thing with other paid software. In his words, people can now make highly performant, cross-platform, clean-room equivalents that match the function of existing apps, and nothing is stopping them. He extends that to search, phones, and infrastructure, and to stripping ads out of software. The line he put on the project is the one in the headline: “Software is over.”
Open source - TH
Tom's Hardware@tomshardwarePost on X ·
Solo developer rebuilds Adobe Creative Suite in Rust using Claude, releases it free to all https://t.co/uAXXF0TKNn
Open source - CH
Chubby♨️@kimmonismusPost on X ·
A developer says he used Opus 5.5 to recreate seven essential Adobe apps, including Photoshop, as free, open-source alternatives (no more subscriptions). Built in Rust, free to use, with public source code. These are early versions, PhotoCraft is not yet ready to replace Photoshop for daily professional work completely, bout about 90% they say. What a fantastic time to be alive. I love it.
Open source - AT
Ars Technica@arstechnicaPost on X ·
“Software is over”: Bold AI developer takes aim at Adobe with open source clones https://t.co/bjY7ZPiJsi
Open source