Someone Just Rebuilt Adobe for Free, and Claude Can Run Them All (7 apps tested)

Summary

The video reviews seven free, open-source creative applications from a group called ArtCraft. Presented as clean-room rewrites of familiar Adobe tools, the apps were built from scratch in Rust rather than reverse-engineered from Adobe software. They can be downloaded from ArtCraft’s website or built from source on GitHub.

Apps reviewed

• PhotoCraft — Photoshop-style image editing, with familiar shortcuts, text editing, effects, and layer styles. The presenter finds it surprisingly feature-rich for a new release, though it is not yet a perfect replacement.
• FilmCraft — Premiere-style video editing, with timeline zoom, familiar shortcuts, and controls for effects, clip size, scale, and position.
• EffectCraft — After Effects-style animation and compositing. The presenter notes that this is especially ambitious given After Effects’ complexity.
• VectorCraft — Illustrator-style vector graphics for scalable artwork.
• DesignCraft — InDesign-style page and magazine layouts.
• LightCraft — Lightroom-style photo editing.
• PDFCraft — Acrobat-style PDF tools.

Claude and agent support

The presenter tests whether Claude can operate the software. In EffectCraft, Claude creates a layered logo animation; in DesignCraft, it produces a magazine-style layout. The presenter describes both as useful first drafts that can be refined in the apps.

Agent control is supported through a CLI (command-line interface) and an agents.md file that explains the tools and features to agents. The video says this can help an agent understand, install, configure, and use the applications.

Main analysis and caveats

The presenter contrasts one-shot generative AI—which can produce a finished-looking image or video but may be difficult to fine-tune—with editable creative software. Layer-based apps provide more control for detailed adjustments, which can matter in professional work. AI-generated first drafts inside these tools may also be easier to refine than outputs from a standalone generation model.

The review is an early, cursory look: the software had reportedly launched within roughly the previous day, so features may be incomplete or change quickly. The presenter recommends trying the apps, particularly for creative work, and expects open-source contributions and agent use to improve them over time.

Main speakers and sources

• Jay E — The video’s presenter and reviewer.
• ArtCraft — The group credited with creating the applications.
• Claude — Demonstrated as an AI agent operating EffectCraft and DesignCraft.