PhotoCraft app features and browser limits

One editor, two environments

PhotoCraft is a Rust image editor from the ArtCraft team. The upstream desktop application and WebAssembly target share the engine and egui interface. This site hosts the original v0.12.0 web package; it does not substitute another editor.

What you can explore

The upstream project implements pixel layers, masks, adjustment layers, text, brushes and layered PSD/PSB reading and writing. Try tools on a small copy before moving a real workflow. Available features are not a promise of complete Photoshop compatibility.

What changes in the browser

Open uses a browser file picker or drag-and-drop; Save and Export download files. Preferences can use localStorage. There is no desktop TCP control server, server document store or crash recovery. A GPU-capable modern browser and sufficient memory are required.

Use a task to evaluate a feature

A useful feature list should tell you what you can attempt and how to verify the result. Start with the small browser workflow: open a local image, select a brush, make a visible mark and export a PNG. Inspect that PNG in a separate viewer. This checks the path from input to output rather than inferring functionality from a toolbar icon. Our downloadable synthetic sample makes this exercise repeatable without a personal photograph.

The hosted application is the original v0.12.0 WebAssembly package. The surrounding website is localized, but the embedded editor interface is English. Newer upstream releases and native applications can have different capabilities. When a feature matters to your task, record the version you actually ran. A current project roadmap describes direction; it does not automatically describe a released browser function.

Local files, painting and image export

Opening a local file gives the browser application access to the file you choose. It does not send the image to a processing API on this site. A small brush edit and PNG export are covered by the published browser workflow. Those checks demonstrate changed pixels in a downloaded file. They do not establish every brush option, color workflow or supported input format.

For a practical evaluation, choose a duplicate input with recognizable details. Make an obvious edit in one region and keep another region unchanged. Export the result and inspect dimensions, the intended change and unaffected detail. If an export looks stale, check the active document and the actual downloaded filename. Browser suffixes can make it surprisingly easy to inspect an older output.

Saving and document exchange

The small test also saves a PSD, checks the file header and dimensions, reopens the saved file in PhotoCraft and compares another exported PNG. That is evidence for a limited round trip. It is not a general claim about Photoshop equivalence, smart objects, detailed typography, adjustment layers or professional layered designs. The PSD guide provides a feature-by-feature checklist for those separate questions.

Evaluate a working document both visually and structurally. A rendered composite can look right while a feature is no longer editable in the way you need. Before sending a document to someone else, include their application in the acceptance test. Keep the original, an editable checkpoint and a reference PNG so the recipient knows which appearance you expect.

Canvas controls and renderer choices

The website provides panel toggling, fullscreen and a separate-tab control around the original workspace. These help manage the available screen area; they do not add a new editing engine. Browser support determines whether fullscreen succeeds. A fallback can open the editor in another tab, which is a separate session rather than a transfer of the unsaved document.

Default, WebGL2 and CPU canvas controls are available for troubleshooting. Changing renderer restarts the embedded application. Save first and change only one setting at a time when comparing behavior. A renderer name alone is not a benchmark: a browser can use software graphics, and different devices can have different memory and driver constraints. The troubleshooting guide explains what evidence to collect.

Features that need explicit limits

No generative fill, prompt-based editing or remote AI processing is provided by this pinned browser build. The site does not require a login, paid plan or API key. It also does not offer cloud document storage, shared editing sessions or automatic recovery. A restored browser tab should not be treated as a guaranteed saved project.

Do not infer a batch-processing system from the ability to open more than one file, or a print-proofing workflow from the presence of a PNG export. Before documenting such a capability, test the exact operation and its output. When the guide cannot establish a result, the useful answer is “unverified,” accompanied by a safe way to test it on a copy.

A short capability acceptance record

For each required feature, write the input, exact operation, expected output and observed output. Add the browser, operating system, pinned version and renderer. Store a screenshot of the process together with the exported file; they serve different purposes. Repeat with a representative file only after the small sample succeeds.

Choose PhotoCraft for a task when the verified output satisfies that task and you can tolerate the early-alpha limitations. For a deadline-sensitive or specialized workflow, keep a proven alternative and use a small pilot before committing the full project. This turns a feature overview into an informed choice rather than an assumption that a familiar-looking interface implements everything you have used elsewhere.