For a while, those hoping to sidestep the complexities and costs of Adobe’s Creative Suite have relied on free and open-source alternatives. Now, one ambitious developer aims to outdo the industry giant with AI-powered software that mirrors Adobe’s well-known applications. Artcraft, a project that started as a tool for editing AI-generated content, has pivoted to developing seven open-source applications that mimic Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom, After Effects, InDesign, and Acrobat Pro.

Developer Brandon Thomas has used Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 to create clean-room replacements for Adobe’s proprietary software, ensuring no direct copying. He has shared his vision on platforms like Reddit, promising that the software will soon be feature-parity with Adobe’s offerings. Thomas asserts that within a month, bugs will be squashed and features added, aiming for a product just as functional as Adobe’s.

However, early versions of the software have faced criticism for their limitations. Commenters on Hacker News noted that while the user interface and some basic functionalities are replicating Adobe’s, the current builds are far from perfect. The challenge lies not just in replicating the software’s look and feel, but also in emulating its complex and nuanced tools.

Despite the skepticism, Thomas remains confident. On Hacker News, he stated that while 99% feature parity might take longer, it will certainly not take years. The developer is seeking community feedback to improve the software, and hopes to achieve near-perfect fidelity within a month.

The race to replace Adobe with open-source AI-driven tools is heating up, and the success of such projects could potentially democratize access to high-quality design and video editing software. Whether Artcraft’s ambition will be realized remains to be seen, but the tech community is watching closely.