PhotoCraft vs Photoshop: Compare and Download

The latest PhotoCraft GitHub release is 0.18.0 (published October 31, 2026; checked October 31). The separate ArtCraft Launcher release is 0.11.1 (published October 31, 2026; checked October 31). The same day, the vendor download page offered PhotoCraft 0.17.0 and Launcher 0.10.0, a Launcher version that has no GitHub release page; use the release pages to tell versions apart. New releases have arrived every few days, and our file test below used 0.15.1. Neither a newer version nor a successful install proves that your documents will round-trip correctly.

Your task	What the evidence supports
Learn layers, masks and manual editing	PhotoCraft advertises these tools in a free, open-source native app. Try a copy of your own document.
Open or save a complex Photoshop document	PSD/PSB support is advertised. We have not verified a complex PSD round-trip or Photoshop pixel parity.
Run one repeatable file edit	Our 0.15.1 CLI test opened a 720 × 720 WebP, mirrored it, saved a native document, reopened it and exported a correct PNG.
Replace a professional Photoshop workflow	The project's README says it is not yet a daily professional replacement. Typography, plug-ins and workflow depth remain concerns.
Generate or replace content with a prompt	The project lists AI/generative features among its largest gaps. Agent control of editing commands is a separate capability.

What we tested in PhotoCraft 0.15.1

On October 25 we downloaded the official macOS universal CLI archive and matched its SHA-256 against the release's SHA256SUMS.txt. It reported photocraft-cli 0.15.1 (60c87b988, 2026-10-23). We used an existing ImageRework showcase WebP as the input, leaving the source untouched:

photocraft-cli run input.webp \
  --cmd image.imageRotation.flipCanvasHorizontal \
  --out mirrored.pcraft
photocraft-cli convert mirrored.pcraft mirrored.png

The output remained 720 × 720 pixels. An independent decoded RGB comparison found zero difference from the expected horizontal mirror. This verifies one simple command, native save/reopen and PNG export through the CLI engine. It does not verify the desktop interface, complex layers, PSD compatibility, large canvases, print output, or any comparison with Photoshop's renderer. We have not repeated the test on 0.16.0 or later releases.

Our earlier October 13 check installed PhotoCraft 0.7.0 and ran its CLI; the October 14 check inspected Launcher 0.4.1's macOS disk image and Gatekeeper result. Those are historical installation checks, not tests of the current GUI. We did not run the current Launcher or test Windows and Linux.

Download PhotoCraft or the Launcher

Use PhotoCraft releases for the standalone editor, or ArtCraft Launcher releases to manage the Craft apps. PhotoCraft and Launcher have independent version numbers. Keep backups before updating a working project.

1. Choose the official asset for your operating system and CPU. macOS uses a universal DMG; Windows and Linux assets are listed by architecture and package format.
2. Compare the downloaded file's SHA-256 with the line for the same file name in that release's SHA256SUMS.txt. On macOS, run shasum -a 256 photocraft-0.18.0-macos-universal.dmg for the 0.18.0 editor, or shasum -a 256 artcraft-launcher-0.11.1-macos-universal.dmg for the 0.11.1 Launcher. Use the exact name of the file you downloaded if the version has changed.
3. For a macOS DMG, open it and drag the app to Applications. For Windows or Linux, follow the current Launcher README or the standalone release instructions for your package.
4. In the Launcher, choose PhotoCraft rather than installing the whole suite. Confirm the version it offers before installing. Launcher behavior described here comes from its documentation, not our current-version runtime test.

Features and limits to check on your own files

The current PhotoCraft README lists layers, masks, adjustment layers, type, vectors, brushes and layered document formats. It also describes CLI, JSON and MCP control of editing commands. These are developer statements about available interfaces, not proof that every operation matches Photoshop.

The same README labels the project early alpha and identifies gaps in generative features, typography, professional workflows and plug-in compatibility. Its menu parity checklist measures command wiring, not behavior. Test the exact fonts, masks, effects and color settings that matter to your job; compare saved and reopened files with your trusted editor before relying on them.

The vendor page advertises offline native editing and PSD/PSB handling. Its file-compatibility scores are vendor test results, not results from our small WebP test. Internet access is needed to download or update; we did not audit the app's networking or every optional integration.

Choose the tool for the change you need

Use a layered editor when you need to place, mask or adjust content yourself. For a prompt-driven change to an existing photo, ImageRework offers an AI image editor, an AI background changer, and image-to-image restyling. Generated output can change details outside the request; review protected features before treating it as a finished asset.

For a practical prompt structure, see AI image editing prompts that preserve the photo. You can then open a saved result in a layered editor for manual cleanup. This is a workflow choice, not a claim that PhotoCraft, Photoshop and ImageRework share a model or feature set.

Sources and verification dates

• PhotoCraft 0.18.0 release and Launcher 0.11.1 release, both published October 31, 2026; versions and macOS asset names checked October 31.
• PhotoCraft 0.15.1 release, published October 23, 2026; the version we tested, with its assets and checksum checked October 25.
• PhotoCraft README, Launcher README and vendor website, checked October 31, 2026.
• Our macOS CLI file test, October 25, 2026; earlier PhotoCraft installation check October 13 and Launcher package check October 14.