PhotoCraft review: the verdict
This page is the opinion, not the manual. For what PhotoCraft is, what stage it is at and how to install it, read the PhotoCraft overview page. Here the only question is whether to install it today.
Last updated
Tested on 0.20.2
We ran the headless CLI build of PhotoCraft 0.20.2 on macOS arm64. It opened a layered PSD with layer names, order, visibility, opacity and a Multiply blend preserved, and exported PNG and JPEG with explicit flattening warnings. The round trip was not byte-identical.
That is enough to say file handling is real for layer metadata. It is not enough to judge the interface, which we have not used.
The one-paragraph verdict
Install it if you are curious, if your editing is occasional, or if you want to stop paying for a seat on simple jobs. Do not install it as your only editor if you have deadlines, client files you cannot recreate, or a plugin chain you depend on. PhotoCraft is a credible early-alpha image editor, and early alpha is the operative phrase.
What it does well
It is a native application rather than a browser wrapped in a window. That matters for how a photo editor feels: canvas responsiveness, file handling, and the absence of a web runtime in the middle of your work.
It belongs to a coherent suite. The same interface language runs across image, video, audio, layout and office apps, which is something no other free tool offers today.
It costs nothing and the source is public. You can evaluate it without a trial clock, and you can read what it does.
The project moves. Releases arrive, apps get added, and the changelog is public. For an alpha, visible motion is the main thing to look for.
What it does not do yet
Depth. Photoshop is not one program, it is a vocabulary of non-destructive editing, smart objects, camera raw, actions and a plugin ecosystem. An early-alpha editor will not have all of it, and you should assume the parts you rely on most are the ones that will surprise you.
File compatibility, in the specific sense of opening your existing layered files and getting them back. This is the single test that decides most migrations, and it cannot be answered from a feature list.
Answers. When something breaks in an alpha, you are often the first person to hit it. With a mature tool, someone has already posted the fix.
Who should install it
Hobbyists and occasional editors who work on their own files and can tolerate a crash.
People evaluating the ArtCraft suite as a whole who want to see the strongest app first.
Anyone willing to report a bug while the project is small enough to act on it.
Not: studios on delivery schedules, retouchers with a plugin workflow, or anyone whose originals exist in one place only.
How to decide in one sitting
Open one real project. Make one real edit. Export at your normal settings. Compare the result with what your current editor produced from the same source.
If that takes less than twice as long and loses nothing, you have a candidate. If it loses a layer or a text style, keep paying and re-test after the next release.
The PhotoCraft app page has the detailed test sequence if you want the longer version.
Questions
Is PhotoCraft any good?
It is credible for an early alpha and usable for simple edits. It is not yet a production replacement.
Should I switch from Photoshop?
Only after your own layered files open, edit and export correctly. Test before you cancel anything.
Is it really free?
Yes. The Craft Apps are free and open source; the paid ArtCraft plans fund the separate AI Studio.
What is the biggest risk?
Losing work in an alpha build. Work on copies and keep backups.