Craft Apps GuideLightCraft or PhotoCraft: Choose by the Work You Do
Use LightCraft when your main job is organizing photographs and developing RAW files. Use PhotoCraft when your main job is composing or changing an image with layers, masks, type and brushes. They are two different ArtCraft apps; you may need both for a workflow that begins with a RAW photograph and ends as a layered graphic.
Choose by task
| Your task | Start with | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Sort a photo library, rate images and develop RAW files | → LightCraft | Your camera RAW file, metadata, edits and exported photo |
| Combine images, edit layers, add text or paint | → PhotoCraft | Layers, masks, type and the saved output |
| Move a Lightroom Classic catalog | → LightCraft | Catalog import results, missing originals and how mapped edits look |
| Open or exchange a layered Photoshop document | → PhotoCraft | The PSD or PSB's layers, fonts, effects and round-trip result |
The official LightCraft page ↗ describes a photo library and nondestructive RAW developer. The official PhotoCraft page ↗ describes a layered image editor. These roles help you choose a starting app; they are not a promise that every Lightroom or Photoshop feature transfers.
Try your own file
- Copy one representative file and keep the original. If you shoot RAW, include a camera file you actually use. If you deliver layered designs, include a PSD or PSB with the kinds of layers you need.
- Do one normal task in the matching Craft App: develop and export a RAW photo in LightCraft, or edit and save a layered composition in PhotoCraft.
- Open the result in the program used by the next person in your workflow. Check appearance, dimensions, metadata, layers or edits that matter to that task.
- Record what changed. If a required element did not survive, keep using the original workflow for that file while you test a different handoff.
A successful single-file test is more useful than a generic “alternative to Lightroom or Photoshop” label.
Lightroom and Photoshop files
LightCraft's catalog import documentation ↗ describes opening a Lightroom Classic .lrcat through File → Import Lightroom Catalog…. The source catalog is read-only; the result reports imported records and missing originals. The imported develop settings are mapped, so inspect several representative images rather than assuming the rendering will be identical. Keep the catalog and original photos until the result meets your needs.
PhotoCraft's official product page ↗ says it opens and saves layered PSD and PSB documents. For a real handoff, inspect a copy with your own fonts, adjustment layers, masks and effects. Do not use one sample file to claim every PSD or PSB is interchangeable.
Neither app turns a .lrcat catalog into a PSD, or a PSD into a managed RAW library. Choose the file path that matches your actual work.
Next step
Start with the LightCraft guide or PhotoCraft guide for each app's workflow and current official download route. Get ArtCraft Apps lists the wider app family and install choices.