PhotoCraft: AI clone of Photoshop built by developer Brandon
Tech journalist David Nield tests PhotoCraft, a free AI-generated clone of Adobe Photoshop created by software engineer Brandon Thomas.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- A solo developer used AI to create clones of major Adobe software applications.
- "PhotoCraft" serves as a free-to-download and use imitation of Photoshop.
- The user interface and tools closely mirror the original software with minor glitches.
- The reviewer notes he will not abandon genuine Photoshop for the AI dupe anytime soon.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the technology landscape, with developers now employing AI to reverse-engineer major software packages and publish them as free open-source tools. No major corporation appears immune to this wave, including Adobe and its flagship legacy software like Photoshop, which now faces a free-to-download AI clone named "PhotoCraft." Technology journalist David Nield, who has over 20 years of experience writing about gadgets and apps, decided to test out this clone to see how it stacks up against the industry standard.
The project is spearheaded by veteran software engineer Brandon Thomas, who utilized Claude Opus 5.5 and the Rust coding language to build replications of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom, Acrobat Pro, After Effects, and InDesign. While rebranded with names like PhotoCraft and FilmCraft, these applications mimic the features and layouts of Adobe's subscription-based software suite. Thomas noted that the project was motivated by frustration over hidden cancellation fees, arguing that AI allows developers to build high-performance, cross-platform functional equivalents with ease.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The rise of AI-generated software clones highlights an impending seismic shift in the software industry, raising complex legal questions regarding intellectual property rights and the training datasets used by AI models when mirroring proprietary user interfaces.
During his hands-on testing, Nield found that PhotoCraft mirrors Photoshop's color schemes, panel layouts, menu orders, keyboard shortcuts, and preference screens almost identically. Routine tasks such as cropping, combining images, and adjusting color balances were seamlessly transferred to the clone using familiar tools like the clone stamp and magic wand. While the application proved to be fast and slick, Nield encountered minor bumps during snapping and selecting operations that stopped short of breaking the workflow.
"Software is over."
Brandon Thomas
Despite its surprising capability for basic tasks, Nield suspects that power users utilizing advanced tools and intricate layer functions will likely encounter limitations under the hood. Consequently, he plans to stick with the authentic version of Photoshop rather than switching permanently to an AI dupe.
Source: Lifehacker
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