Seven apps.
One craft.
Image editing, vector illustration, video, photography, PDFs, motion graphics, and publishing. Native, open-source apps from the ArtCraft team, built from scratch in pure Rust.
100% Free & Open
Permissive on GitHub
Pure Rust 1.90+
Zero Electron bloat
Adobe Alternatives
Photoshop, AI, PR & more
WebAssembly
Runs inside web tabs
Vector illustration, reimagined in pure Rust.
VectorCraft is the open-source alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Engineered from scratch with Rust and hardware shaders: render 20,000 shapes in 27 ms, enjoy exact booleans that never fail, and automate with AI agents.
# 1. Clone the VectorCraft GitHub repository
git clone https://github.com/storytold/vectorcraft.git
cd vectorcraft
# 2. Compile and launch native binary
cargo run --release -p vectorcraft
# 3. Run headless CLI for script or AI automation
cargo run --release -p vectorcraft-cli -- --help
Pick a craft to explore.
Seven standalone applications engineered with modern graphics APIs, standard formats, and complete user freedom.
VectorCraft
Replaces Adobe Illustrator
Fast, open-source vector illustration, reimagined in pure Rust.
The pen, panels and shortcuts working illustrators expect, in a native app that keeps up with you. Open source on GitHub, and in your browser via WebAssembly.
PhotoCraft
Replaces Adobe Photoshop
The open-source image editor you already know how to use.
Layers, masks, adjustment layers, blend modes, non-destructive smart filters, and RAW camera import in a lean Rust architecture that never crashes.
FilmCraft
Replaces Adobe Premiere Pro
Professional, open-source video editing, rebuilt from scratch in Rust.
Multi-track non-linear timeline, real-time video scopes (Waveform, Vectorscope, Histogram), color grading, and GPU audio/video synchronization.
LightCraft
Replaces Adobe Lightroom
An open-source photo library and raw developer that runs on your machine.
Organize hundreds of thousands of photos, rate, cull, and develop RAW files on your local machine with zero subscription lock-in.
PdfCraft
Replaces Adobe Acrobat Pro
The open-source PDF workbench: read, organize, combine, split and secure.
Fast, privacy-respecting PDF editor. Annotate, sign, reorder pages, redact sensitive info, and OCR documents without paying recurring monthly fees.
EffectCraft
Replaces Adobe After Effects
Open-source motion graphics and visual effects, built in pure Rust.
Node and layer compositing, spline graph editor, particle systems, and 2D/3D visual effects with blazing fast multi-core caching.
DesignCraft
Replaces Adobe InDesign
Open-source page layout and publishing, rebuilt in pure Rust.
Create magazines, books, brochures, and flyers. Threaded text frames, typography controls, master pages, and print-ready PDF/X output.
ArtCraft Suite vs. Adobe Creative Cloud
Why thousands of illustrators, video editors, and designers are moving from locked subscription models to high-performance open-source tools.
| Feature / Capability | ArtCraft Suite (Pure Rust) | Adobe Creative Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & License | 100% Free & Open Source (Permissive GitHub) | $600 - $1,000+ / year recurring subscription |
| Core Architecture | Pure Rust compiled to native machine code & WASM | Legacy 30-year C++ codebase with heavy webview/CEP bloat |
| Privacy & Cloud Telemetry | 100% Local-first. Your files stay on your machine. | Mandatory cloud login, constant background telemetry |
| Agent & Automation (AI) | Native JSON CLI & MCP (Model Context Protocol) ready | Closed proprietary scripting with restrictive cloud tokens |
| Web Browser Support | PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, LightCraft run in browser via WASM | Heavily stripped-down web versions requiring cloud sync |
| Vendor Lock-in | Standard open formats (SVG, PDF, OpenType, JSON, PNG) | Proprietary binary formats with version backward incompatibility |
Built the hard way.
Every Crafting App is written from scratch in Rust and held to uncompromising engineering standards.
Open source on GitHub
Every line of source code is openly hosted under permissive licenses. Audit the security, fork features, or build extensions without corporate gatekeepers.
Native Desktop, Not Wrapped
Pure Rust compiled to true machine binaries for macOS, Windows, and Linux. No Electron overhead, no webview container lags, no memory hoarding.
Familiar from Day One
Tool palettes, shortcuts, layers, and modifier keys follow industry standard creative conventions. Zero friction migrating from Photoshop or Illustrator.
Your Files, Your Machine
Local-first architecture. All pixels, vectors, and timelines are processed on your local silicon. No cloud account required to save your project.
Agent & Automation Ready
Drive every app programmatically via headless CLI, JSON control stream, or MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for next-generation AI workflows.
Also in Web Browser (WASM)
PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, LightCraft, and PdfCraft also compile to WebAssembly and run seamlessly inside any modern browser window.
ArtCraft for Windows — Standalone MSI & Portable ZIP
Zero background telemetry, zero Creative Cloud bloatware. Choose between native MSI installers or portable ZIP packages that run immediately without installation.
Unified suite manager. Installs all 7 apps and keeps them updated automatically.
Official standalone installer for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
No installation required. Unzip and run directly with zero registry changes.
Native ARM64 binary optimized for Surface Pro and Copilot+ Snapdragon X PCs.
Why Artists and Developers Call It ArtCraft AI
Every ArtCraft tool can be controlled directly by AI assistants like Claude Desktop and Cursor using Model Context Protocol (MCP). You can ask your AI to generate vector icons, adjust photo contrast, or batch-export files through simple everyday prompts.
- Standard Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integration
- Drive VectorCraft via headless JSON control channels
- 100% Local-first: AI models never scrape your proprietary graphics
{
"mcpServers": {
"vectorcraft": {
"command": "vectorcraft-cli",
"args": ["--mcp", "--headless"]
}
}
}VectorCraft & PhotoCraft Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
Switching from Illustrator or Photoshop? Zero muscle memory friction.
| Shortcut Key | Tool Name | Action | Adobe Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| V | Selection Tool | Select, move and transform whole objects | V (Identical) |
| A | Direct Selection | Select individual anchor points and bezier handles | A (Identical) |
| P | Pen Tool | Draw precision vector paths with tangent handles | P (Identical) |
| M | Rectangle Tool | Create rectangles and rounded boxes | M (Identical) |
| L | Ellipse Tool | Draw circles and ovals with aspect ratio lock | L (Identical) |
| Shift + M | Shape Builder | Merge and subtract overlapping path shapes | Shift + M (Identical) |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo | Unlimited non-destructive state undo | Ctrl + Z (Identical) |
| Ctrl + Shift + ] | Bring to Front | Move selected layer to top of stack | Ctrl + Shift + ] (Identical) |
Everything you need to know about ArtCraft
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.
Start crafting today. Free forever.
Download ArtCraft Launcher to get PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, and the entire open-source suite with automatic background updates.