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Introduction: AI Takes on Adobe
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard this story.
A software developer, working with Claude, the AI, has built free alternatives to some of Adobe’s most popular applications.
Free. Open source. And aimed squarely at software that has dominated the creative world for decades.
Now, if you’re thinking this is a story for graphic designers and video editors, think again. It could matter a great deal to authors, editors, and independent publishers.
But there’s a catch. We’ll get to that, but first, let’s rewind for a second.
Backstory: When You Actually Owned Your Software
There was a time when you bought a piece of software, and it was yours. You paid once. You installed it. And you used it until you decided an upgrade was worth the money.
Adobe’s Creative Suite worked exactly that way. Photoshop for photos. Illustrator for graphics. Premiere Pro and After Effects for video. And InDesign for books and publication layout.
Then, in 2012, Adobe introduced Creative Cloud. By 2013, subscriptions were the main way forward.
So instead of buying the software, you rent it. Month after month after month.
Remember when you could buy software and use it until your computer died? Now your software might outlive your marriage, and you’ll still be making monthly payments.
And Adobe isn’t alone. Subscription pricing is everywhere these days.
Which brings us to the news.
Hot News: Meet ArtCraft
A project called ArtCraft has released a collection of thirteen open-source applications. And many of them are built as alternatives to programs you already know.
Let’s run through them.
On the Adobe side, PhotoCraft goes after Photoshop. VectorCraft takes on Illustrator. FilmCraft is the answer to Premiere Pro, and LightCraft aims at Lightroom. PdfCraft targets Acrobat, EffectCraft is the stand-in for After Effects, and DesignCraft is the clone of InDesign.
Then it gets broader. SoundCraft is up against Pro Tools. WordCraft takes on Microsoft Word. DeckCraft goes after PowerPoint, and GridCraft is the Excel alternative. CADCraft covers CAD software, and FigCraft is the one for Figma.
That’s an ambitious list.
Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, and a whole lot of expensive software, all with potential free alternatives. And yes, the source code is public.
But before you go canceling subscriptions, hang on. There’s something you need to understand.
What Happened? One Developer and an AI Assistant
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TJ Culler is an author, reader, and an adventurist. She loves working at The Author Spot as an Author Platform Specialist. Her hobbies include hiking, camping, and driving her Jeep in the great outdoors. After publishing her first book in 2017, TJ discovered what a daunting task an author platform really was. She now dedicates her time to helping authors who struggle with technology. |
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