AI clones of Adobe apps spread, but PSD and legal gaps remain

Developers used Claude Opus 5.5 to reverse engineer Creative Cloud apps and release free, near-identical clones. The trend cuts switching costs but brings critical bugs, missing PSD support and legal risk for creators.

What happened

Earlier this month, a developer motivated by hatred for Adobe's subscription model used Claude to reverse-engineer Photoshop, Lightroom and other Creative Cloud apps. The team then used that information to create open-source clones of those apps with similar functionality that anyone can download and modify for free.

Brandon Thomas and his team launched the Adobe suite clones under the name Artcraft in early October. The pitch on Reddit was that they are a one-to-one replacement for Creative Cloud apps with a similar user interface, but are "free [with] no subscription, and you own the source code." Thomas said he was "bit by [Adobe's]... dark pattern ' cancellation fee ' one too many times" and used Claude Opus 5.5 to create "clean room... pure Rust" versions that he claims are more performant than the original apps.

Engadget tested the Photoshop replacement, Photocraft. It lacks AI and other advanced features, but can handle resizing, masking and color adjustments. The menus and controls are nearly one-to-one matches for Photoshop, so the author used it immediately with no steep learning curve. However, users have reported critical bugs including deleted images, randomly merged layers and lacking stability. It also cannot open native PSD Photoshop files.

A related tool called REA (Reverse Engineer Anything) has gone viral over the last several weeks with 87K forks and 346,000 stars as of October 20. Its GitHub description says it can inspect an app without source code, explain how a feature works, show the evidence, and build a version for your project. Recent feats include full decompilations of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Metroid Prime. A website called decomp.dev, dedicated to human reverse engineering of games, recently announced it's shutting down because AI-driven decompilation has overrun the community, as 404 Media recently reported.

Key facts

• Artcraft launched in early October as open-source clones of Adobe Creative Cloud apps with a similar UI and no subscription.
• Photocraft can do resizing, masking and color adjustments, but lacks AI features and cannot open native PSD Photoshop files.
• Users reported critical bugs in Photocraft, including deleting images, randomly merging layers and lacking stability.
• REA reached 87K forks and 346,000 stars as of October 20.
• Adobe's terms of use explicitly ban reverse engineering of its software, and critics on X said Photocraft "blatantly infringed" on Adobe's trademarks and copyrights.

Our analysis

The most significant shift is not that free alternatives exist — GIMP, Darktable and DaVinci Resolve have been around for years. The difference is that Artcraft clones mimic Adobe's menus and controls nearly one-to-one. That directly reduces the switching cost that has kept many users locked into subscriptions. The source says most users don't want to lose years of muscle memory; a similar interface changes that calculation, at least for casual or budget-constrained creators.

At the same time, the reported bugs and missing PSD support suggest Photocraft is not ready for professional client work. A social media manager who sends a Photoshop file to a designer or client cannot rely on an app that cannot open native PSD files. The legal picture is also unsettled: Adobe's terms prohibit reverse engineering, and critics called the clone "utter AI-driven slop" that infringed trademarks and copyrights. That suggests enforcement risk or sudden takedowns remain possible.

A deeper implication is that AI now lets a single skilled person do what used to take a team of engineers. The REA fork and star counts suggest broad demand for deconstructing software, not just Adobe apps. The source argues this could force companies like Adobe to rethink business models that many people despise, even if many resulting apps are sloppy.

What it means for operators

• Test Photocraft or similar clones on non-client drafts and internal social assets, but do not replace Photoshop or Lightroom for deliverables until PSD import and stability improve.
• Keep an Adobe subscription or licensed alternative for client work; the inability to open native PSD files creates a hard compatibility break in existing workflows.
• Watch legal status before adopting clone tools in a business context. Adobe's terms ban reverse engineering, and trademark or copyright claims could force takedowns or changes.
• Use REA-style reverse engineering carefully for internal productivity, but avoid cloning interfaces that infringe trademarks or reproducing copyrighted assets. Focus on learning from AI-assisted deconstruction to build original tools.