PhotoCraft Photoshop
in pure Rust
PhotoCraft is a clean-room, open-source image editor with full support for layers, masks, adjustment layers, typography, vectors, brushes, and native PSD files—built from scratch in Rust for desktop and WebAssembly.
Runs natively on every platform, automatable by any agent
Get PhotoCraft running in three commands
From a fresh clone to a saved, layered document.
Clone and build
git clone the PhotoCraft repo and run cargo run --release -p photocraft to build the native desktop app, or compile the entire engine to WebAssembly for the browser.
Edit with familiar tools
Menus, shortcuts, panels, and tools sit right where you expect them. Includes layers, masks, adjustment layers, layer styles, typography, vectors, and a full brush engine.
Save and automate anywhere
Open, edit, and save layered PSD and PSB files, then control the engine via the UI, the CLI, a JSON channel, or an MCP server.
PhotoCraft: a serious editor, not a demo
PhotoCraft's engine, tools, and file formats are all built from public specifications.
Familiar by design
Menus, shortcuts, and panels sit right where you expect them, from ⌘J to ⇧⌘D.
Native and fast
Powered by a GPU compositor on wgpu (Metal, Vulkan, DX12, WebGPU), copy-on-write tiles, and multithreaded filters. No Electron, no web view.
Real PSD files
Open, edit, and save layered Photoshop documents. Re-saving preserves visual fidelity across 307 of 309 psd-tools test files.
Edit non-destructively
16 adjustment layers, including Curves with per-channel editing and Levels with a live histogram—all fully maskable and reorderable.
Smart selection tools
Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand, Quick Selection, Object Selection, and Select Subject—all executed locally on your machine with no cloud dependencies.
Type, vectors, and brushes
On-canvas typography, pen and shape layers with gradient fills, and a custom brush engine driven by pressure, tilt, and rotation.
One engine, every interface
A decoupled document model and command engine sit beneath a lightweight UI, ensuring the UI, CLI, and AI agents run identical commands.
Groups & clipping
Nest layers, clip masks, link layers, and align selections.
Pixel & vector masks
Mask using bitmap pixels or resolution-independent paths.
Smart objects
Live smart filters alongside lossless transforms and warps.
27 blend modes
Per-layer opacity, fill, lock states, and color labels.
Layers & masks
Groups, clipping masks, pixel and vector masks, fill layers, smart objects, and 27 blend modes.
Explore layersWhere PhotoCraft stands
How PhotoCraft compares to traditional proprietary editors and lightweight tools.
| Feature | Photoshop Subscription | Generic editors Limited PSD | Most Popular PhotoCraft Open source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open source (MIT / Apache-2.0) | Partial | ||
| Offline, no account | Partial | ||
| Real PSD round-trip | Partial | ||
| Scriptable + MCP | Partial | ||
| Runs in the browser | Partial | ||
| Pure Rust, no Electron | |||
| Daily-driver feature parity | Early alpha | ||
| Learn more | Learn more | View on GitHub |
Fits your platform and workflow
Targeting desktop, web browsers, industry formats, and AI agent automation.
macOS
Signed and notarized desktop app and CLI binaries.
Windows
Native desktop builds and installers.
Linux
AppImage, deb, rpm, tarball, and Flatpak packages.
Web (WASM)
The entire engine and UI compile directly to WebAssembly.
PSD & PSB
Open, edit, and re-save complex layered documents faithfully.
PNG, JPEG, TIFF, WebP
Symmetric read and write operations at 8, 16, and 32 bits.
OpenEXR & HDR
High dynamic range and 32-bit float pipelines.
.pcraft
PhotoCraft's native document format.
MCP server
Control the engine via any MCP-capable AI agent.
photocraft-cli
Headless image editing and automated batch processing.
ArtCraft
Part of the Crafting Apps suite: VectorCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, and more.
craft-fonts
Optional build resources for Japanese localization and typography fonts.
Clean-room, offline, and transparent
PhotoCraft is implemented strictly from public specifications and observed behavior. Zero proprietary code, shaders, or assets.
MIT / Apache-2.0
Dual-licensed under permissive terms—free to use, study, and fork.
Clean-room
Built from public specifications and functional analysis, not Adobe code.
Offline & local
No user accounts required and zero cloud dependencies for core tools.
1,700+ tests
Comprehensive test suite including PSD round-trips, compositor oracle tests, and multi-depth validation.
Pure Rust
Structured into 24 crates with strict architecture boundaries enforced at compile time.
Runs in the browser
Compiles natively to WebAssembly for execution in modern browsers.
Certified & Compliant with
Built for real workflows
Production workflows powered by PhotoCraft, a native, scriptable image editor.
"Stack Levels, Curves, and Vibrance on a scanned painting, mask them, and preserve the original pixels intact."
Retouch public-domain art
Adjustment layers
"Apply automated action pipelines across hundreds of images from the command line without opening a UI window."
Batch-grade a folder
photocraft-cli
"Point an MCP-capable AI agent at a layered document to insert text, layer styles, and adjustment layers automatically."
Automate PSD edits with AI
MCP
"Run the exact same engine and UI on the web with zero installation and no account required."
Design in the browser
WebAssembly
Engine first, UI on top
A pure-data document model and command engine paired with a lightweight egui interface.
24 crates
Layered by design
Strict architectural layering is enforced across the workspace at compile time.
Two compositors
CPU oracle + wgpu
A reference CPU compositor and a GPU compositor continuously cross-tested for rendering accuracy.
Copy-on-write tiles
256² sparse tiles
Instant undo operations and low memory usage on massive canvases, featuring per-layer cached effect maps.
Ready for real work
Open a PSD
Open complex layered files, perform edits non-destructively, and re-save with full format fidelity.
PhotoCraft roadmap
PhotoCraft is currently in early alpha. Here is where we stand today and what remains to be built.
PSD engine, tools, and MCP
Layered PSD round-trips, 34 editing tools, layer styles, and the MCP automation channel are fully shipped.
Native + WebAssembly
A unified engine running across macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and the browser.
Advanced typography & tooling
Implementing approximately twenty remaining tools alongside deeper typography controls and professional workflow utilities.
AI & generative features
Integrating native generative AI workflows and expanding third-party plugin compatibility.
Daily-driver parity
Reaching complete feature parity to serve as a full professional replacement.
Frequently asked questions
Can't find what you're looking for? Open an Issue on GitHub.
What is PhotoCraft?
PhotoCraft is an open-source, clean-room image editor written from scratch in Rust, featuring layers, masks, adjustment layers, layer styles, typography, vectors, brushes, and native PSD support.
Is it a full Photoshop replacement?
Not yet. PhotoCraft is in early alpha. While much of the feature set is functional, key development areas include generative AI capabilities, about twenty secondary tools, advanced typography controls, and plugin compatibility. See our roadmap for an honest overview.
Which platforms does it run on?
PhotoCraft runs natively on macOS, Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD, as well as anywhere on the web via WebAssembly. Linux distributions are supported via AppImage, deb, rpm, tarball, and Flatpak installers.
Does it open real PSD files?
Yes. It opens, edits, and saves layered Photoshop documents. Re-saving preserves render fidelity across 307 of 309 test files in the psd-tools suite, maintaining unmodeled data without dropping structure.
How can an agent drive it?
Every action is exposed through a unified registry of 500+ commands. You can execute them directly via the UI, photocraft-cli, an authenticated JSON control channel, or an MCP server.