On this page (8 sections)
Before you start
Install the app first. PhotoCraft (the open-source Photoshop alternative by the ArtCraft team) is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, with installers for macOS, Windows and Linux plus a web version entry point. Our PhotoCraft download page collects the official links, and every step in this PhotoCraft tutorial assumes the app is already running. If you want a PhotoCraft getting started guide rather than a feature reference, read it in order.
Download only from the official links, not from mirrors or file hosts. The official entry points are the product page at getartcraft.com/apps/photocraft and the download hub at getartcraft.com/download.
PhotoCraft is in early alpha (as of October 2026) — features are evolving fast.
Read that as both a promise and a warning, and save often.
The PhotoCraft workspace at a glance
If you are working out how to use PhotoCraft, the workspace comes down to four things: a document canvas, a layers panel, a tool area, and adjustment controls.
A document is the image you opened. The layers panel lists the parts that make it up, and the tool area holds what you select and draw with. Adjustment controls change colour and tone separately.
Document
The image you are editing.
Layers
A stack of elements, editable one at a time.
Tools
What you select, paint and draw with.
The interface keeps moving
PhotoCraft is early alpha, so the interface is still changing. The official GitHub repository is the place to check what is current.
Open your first PSD file
PhotoCraft reads real PSD files, so an existing layered document opens with its layer structure intact instead of arriving flat. Writing PSD files is an official feature too, which makes the PhotoCraft PSD workflow worth testing on a real project.
The steps stay general on purpose, because control wording is still changing.
- 1
Start the app
Open the app and let it load.
- 2
Use the open command in the app
Find the open command and point it at your PSD file.
- 3
Check the layer stack
A layered PSD should list its parts separately rather than arriving flat.
- 4
Edit, then write it back out
Change something small and save it back out as a PSD.
If a file opens as one flat layer, it was probably exported without layers. Start from the PhotoCraft download page if you have not installed the app yet.
Layers, masks and adjustment layers
Three ideas carry most of the work in a layered editor, and all three are official features.
Layers
Layers are the reason a PSD file is worth opening a second time. Instead of one flat picture, the document is a stack of separate elements: a background, a cut-out subject, a block of text, a shape. PhotoCraft lists layers as a core feature, so you can change one element while the rest stays as it was. Layer styles also attach to a layer, keeping an effect tied to the element that produced it. Start each project by deciding which parts need their own layer.
Masks
A mask hides part of a layer without deleting it. Think of it as a cover you can paint on: where the cover is solid the layer shows through, and where you paint it away the layer disappears while the pixels stay in the file. Masks are on the official feature list, and they pair naturally with layers, because you can cut a subject out of a photo and change your mind later. Reach for a mask instead of an eraser.
Adjustment layers
An adjustment layer changes colour or tone as an entry in the layer stack rather than as a rewrite of the pixels underneath. Because it stays separate, you can revisit it, reorder it, or hide it to compare. Adjustment layers are an official PhotoCraft feature, and they are the calm way to grade a photograph: stack a few, tune each one, and leave the underlying image untouched. Layer styles follow the same principle, since the effect belongs to one layer.
Coming from Photoshop? A quick mental map
If you already know Photoshop, most of the vocabulary transfers. The table maps the concepts you use to PhotoCraft.
| Concept | How to think about it |
|---|---|
| Document and canvas | The image you are editing, and the frame around it. |
| Layer | One separate element in the stack, editable on its own. |
| Layer mask | Hide or reveal parts of a layer without removing pixels. |
| Adjustment layer | A colour or tone change stored in the stack. |
| Layer style | An effect attached to a layer instead of painted onto it. |
| Type layer | Text that stays editable, so you can retype it later. |
| Vector shape | A shape from points and curves, sharp at any scale. |
| Brush | A painting tool whose marks land on the active layer. |
| PSD file | The layered document format that PhotoCraft reads and writes. |
The map is about ideas, not identical behaviour. Our PhotoCraft vs Photoshop comparison takes the wider view.
Five first projects to try
None of these take long.
- 1
Swap a background
Open a photo, mask the subject onto its own layer, then place a new image behind it.
- 2
Grade the colours of a photo
Add an adjustment layer to change the mood without editing the pixels, then hide it to compare.
- 3
Make a simple poster
Start a document, set a headline in a type layer, add a vector shape or two, then save a flat copy.
- 4
Open an old PSD and retype the text
Open an old layered PSD and replace the wording on a type layer. It is a quick test of how much structure survives.
- 5
Export to a different format
Save a flattened copy in a common image format, and keep the layered PSD as the master.
Where to get help
Bugs belong on GitHub Issues, where the project tracks them. Say what you did, what happened and what you expected.
For changelogs, watch the releases page and the official GitHub repository, which together show what changed between builds.
For community, the official site lists the community channels: start at getartcraft.com. PhotoCraft is one of the open-source apps from the ArtCraft team, and our ArtCraft overview covers the suite.
Our PhotoCraft Hub home page lists the other guides on this site.
Ready to try PhotoCraft?
Install it from the official links and open a PSD file of your own.
Download PhotoCraftFrequently asked questions
Does PhotoCraft open PSD files?
Yes. Reading real PSD files is an official PhotoCraft feature, and writing them is too. A file only opens with layers if it was saved with layers.
Is PhotoCraft hard to learn if I already know Photoshop?
The core vocabulary transfers: layers, masks, adjustment layers, layer styles, type, vectors and brushes all exist in PhotoCraft. Expect rough edges rather than a steep learning curve, since the app is early alpha.
Where are the official PhotoCraft docs?
The official GitHub repository is the place to check what is current, and the releases page carries the changelogs. The product page at getartcraft.com/apps/photocraft is the official overview. This site is an independent guide, not the official source.