Frequently Asked Questions
Q:What is ArtCraft Software and who is behind it?
ArtCraft is a suite of 7 native, open-source creative applications created by the team at storytold (github.com/storytold) and built in pure Rust. It is designed to provide professional, free, and privacy-respecting alternatives to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Acrobat, After Effects, and InDesign.
Q:Is ArtCraft truly free and open-source?
Yes, 100%. Every single line of code is published on GitHub under permissive open-source licenses. There are no paywalls, no trial expirations, no subscriptions, and no hidden features.
Q:How do I install ArtCraft apps?
The easiest and recommended way is downloading the ArtCraft Launcher (v0.2.0), which manages and updates all 7 apps automatically. Alternatively, you can download standalone installers (DMG for macOS, MSI for Windows, AppImage/deb/flatpak for Linux) or compile directly from source using 'cargo run --release'.
Q:What makes VectorCraft special compared to Adobe Illustrator?
VectorCraft is engineered from the ground up in Rust for extreme performance: it renders 20,000 shapes in 27 ms, runs at 120 FPS, features exact curve booleans that never fail with 'cannot perform operation', and includes live editable mesh gradients, radial repeats, and automated image tracing.
Q:Can ArtCraft apps run in the web browser?
Yes! Six of the seven apps (PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, LightCraft, PdfCraft, EffectCraft, and DesignCraft) compile to WebAssembly (WASM), allowing you to run full-fledged creative editors right inside your browser without installing anything.
Q:Are ArtCraft apps compatible with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)?
Yes, ArtCraft apps offer Universal binaries for macOS that run natively on Apple Silicon (ARM64) as well as Intel x86_64, taking full advantage of Metal and multi-core Apple chips.
Q:How do I download and install ArtCraft on Windows 10 and Windows 11?
ArtCraft offers multiple native Windows options: 1) Download ArtCraft Launcher for Windows (MSI installer) for automatic installation and background-free updates; 2) Download standalone 64-bit MSI installers for VectorCraft and PhotoCraft; 3) Download Portable ZIP packages that require zero installation and run instantly from any USB drive or folder. Native ARM64 installers are also provided for Windows 11 on ARM and Copilot+ PCs.
Q:What is 'ArtCraft AI' and how does AI automation work?
ArtCraft is built with an 'Agent-Ready' architecture. Beyond regular graphical design, each tool provides a headless CLI mode and exposes Model Context Protocol (MCP) endpoints over JSON-RPC. This allows AI agents (such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or custom Python scripts) to autonomously generate vector graphics, execute batch adjustments, and manipulate design layers directly without opening a UI.
Q:Is there an installation guide for Windows SmartScreen warning?
Because ArtCraft is a newly released open-source project from GitHub, Windows SmartScreen may show 'Windows protected your PC'. Simply click 'More info' and select 'Run anyway'. All source code is 100% public on github.com/storytold with verifiable SHA-256 checksums.
Q:What is the relation between getartcraft.app and getartcraft.com?
getartcraft.app is the high-speed global mirror, documentation portal, and community download directory for the ArtCraft open-source software suite originally published at getartcraft.com. We provide clean, direct binary downloads (Windows MSI, portable ZIP, macOS dmg, Linux), full benchmark comparisons vs Adobe, and beginner migration guides with zero tracker scripts.
Q:What happened to DrawCraft and PrintCraft on getartcraft.com?
On getartcraft.com, the vector illustration tool was initially named DrawCraft, which was released on GitHub under the repository name VectorCraft (github.com/storytold/vectorcraft). Similarly, PrintCraft is developed and distributed as PdfCraft. Both tools share the exact same Rust codebase, features, and open file formats.
Q:Is ArtCraft a cloud AI subscription or local desktop software?
ArtCraft creative applications (PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, PdfCraft, EffectCraft, DesignCraft) are 100% free, local-first open-source desktop software built in pure Rust. They run completely on your own CPU and GPU without accounts, logins, telemetry, or monthly subscription fees. Separately, the storytold/storyteller.ai team provides an optional web-hosted AI video generation studio at app.getartcraft.com which offers cloud GPU compute credits for web users.
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