How to Use PhotoCraft: Download, Install & Editing Guide

This independent PhotoCraft guide connects desktop downloads with a practical first edit in our pinned v0.12.0 browser editor. It is not the project's official documentation. The native downloads linked here are PhotoCraft v0.12.0 and ArtCraft Launcher v0.6.1; their features and update paths are separate from the hosted web build.

1. Where to download PhotoCraft

The download guide separates the native app, portable files, launcher and free web editor. Use the Windows, Mac or Linux guide for a package matching your system and processor. For the original source and native release instructions, visit the official PhotoCraft v0.12.0 README.

If you only want to try editing now, open the PhotoCraft online editor. You do not need a PhotoCraft account or a desktop download to use the hosted browser build.

2. Install a desktop app or open the browser editor

Check the release, filename, architecture and checksum before opening a native package. Windows MSI installation, a portable ZIP, a Mac DMG and Linux packages have different setup steps; follow the corresponding platform guide. ArtCraft Launcher is a separate manager for the app suite, not the PhotoCraft executable or an APK.

For the browser editor, wait for the engine and canvas to load. The page text can be translated, but the pinned editor interface remains English. Use a small image copy first. Our mobile guide explains why phone layout checks are not a guarantee of compatibility with every device.

3. How to update PhotoCraft

For a directly installed native app, save your work, quit and use a verified newer package for the same system and architecture, following that release's instructions. For a portable copy, extract the new ZIP into a separate folder and test it with document copies before replacing your previous working folder. Keep backups rather than assuming settings or documents will migrate automatically.

For Launcher-managed apps, follow the Launcher v0.6.1 documentation for available app updates; Update and restart updates the launcher itself. Our embedded browser editor remains v0.12.0. Reloading this site or installing a desktop release does not upgrade that pinned package. Save before a reload: the hosted build has no autosave or crash recovery.

4. Open an image and make one visible edit

Click the editor canvas, then choose File → Open or drag a PNG or JPEG from your computer onto it. The file is read locally. Select its image layer, make a brush stroke and use Edit → Undo to compare. Try one operation at a time so you can identify which step changed the image.

Our browser review records a reproducible 320 × 320 PNG workflow, including painting, a PNG download and PSD save/reopen. That small test is a starting point, not proof that every PSD, tool or large document works identically to Photoshop.

5. Understand layers and masks

Find the Layers panel and check which layer is selected before painting. A flattened exported image and an editable layered document are different outputs. On a copy, explore layer visibility, opacity and masks; a mask controls where an effect is visible rather than requiring you to erase the original pixels. See the layers and masks guide for the concepts and current limits.

6. Use shortcuts with the canvas focused

Click inside the canvas before using keyboard shortcuts. Browser and operating-system shortcuts can take precedence, and key combinations differ between Windows/Linux and macOS. Use the visible menu command when a shortcut is intercepted. The keyboard shortcut reference records the defaults for the pinned web release.

7. Save a project, export an image and reopen it

Use File → Save As to download an editable document in an available format. Export PNG for a lossless flattened image, or JPEG where offered for photos. Inspect the downloaded file before sharing. For PSD handoff, reopen the saved copy in the receiving app and check fonts, layers, masks and appearance. The PSD guide explains the limits of a simple round trip.

Save and Export are not browser autosave. Download your work before closing, refreshing, changing language or switching renderers. The current web build has no crash recovery, so keep the original elsewhere and verify the saved copy.

8. If the editor does not load

Check the editor's loading hint and allow time for the WASM download. Use the Editor not loading? controls to try WebGL2 or CPU rendering when the default renderer fails; save any active work first because switching restarts the editor. Large images can exceed browser or device memory, so retry with a small copy and a compatible browser. CPU rendering is a fallback, not a speed guarantee.

For upstream web-hosting requirements, read the official v0.12.0 web documentation. Use source and provenance to identify the hosted package and the safety guide for the distinction between local document processing and website analytics. Report bugs upstream with the version, browser, operating system and a non-sensitive reproducible example.

Pick a complete practice workflow

Start with the PNG editing and export tutorial. It includes a synthetic input, screenshots and output checks. Follow the sequence once without adding extra operations, then repeat it with a duplicate of your own small file. Note the first step that differs from the expected result rather than guessing at a cause after several changes.

Next use the browser backup workflow to set up originals, numbered checkpoints and reference exports. The difference between a live tab and a verified file on disk is the most important saving habit in this release. Reopen a checkpoint before depending on it, and keep important files in your normal trusted backup process outside the application.

Match a problem to the right evidence

Use the renderer troubleshooting guide when startup fails or a document works differently from the known sample. Record the browser, operating system, selected renderer and exact operation. A failed asset request, a graphics problem and a large-file failure need different observations. Save before changing conditions and use synthetic material for public reports.

For a document exchange, use the PSD checklist and include the receiving application in acceptance. The review explains the narrower scope of our browser tests. Finish each learning session with an output you can inspect and a specific record of what remains unverified. That is a sounder basis for the next task than assuming a familiar interface proves all advanced features.