LightCraft v0.7.1

LightCraft is a free, open-source photo management and RAW development application designed as an alternative to Adobe Lightroom. Built in Rust, it combines photo library organization with a comprehensive set of image editing tools, allowing photographers to adjust exposure, refine colors, apply local corrections, and prepare images for export without modifying their original files.

LightCraft is designed for desktop use on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with a WebAssembly version that runs in a browser. It also supports automation through a command-line interface and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), making it an interesting option for photographers who want local control over their workflow.

Features

Non-Destructive Photo Editing

LightCraft keeps original images intact and stores editing operations separately. You can experiment with different adjustments without permanently changing the source files.

Its editing tools include exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, tone curves, white balance, vibrance, and saturation. The application uses a wide-gamut, 32-bit floating-point processing pipeline designed to preserve tonal and color information throughout editing.

Color Grading and Presets

The color tools include an eight-band Color Mixer, RGB tone curves, and separate color grading controls for shadows, midtones, and highlights. These features provide flexibility for natural photo correction as well as creative color treatments.

LightCraft also includes built-in presets and lets users save custom looks. You can copy, paste, or synchronize selected adjustments across multiple photos, which is useful when editing a collection of images from the same shoot.

Local Masking and Adjustments

LightCraft supports brush masks, linear gradients, and radial gradients, along with selection tools for luminance, color, sky, subject, and background. Masks can be combined, subtracted, intersected, and inverted.

Local adjustments let you change exposure, contrast, color, texture, sharpness, and other properties in specific parts of an image. This helps users refine skies, brighten subjects, or create more controlled lighting effects without applying every adjustment globally.

Crop, Geometry, and Black-and-White Editing

The cropping tools support common aspect ratios, straightening, rotation, flipping, and manual geometric transformations. Composition overlays help photographers align images and refine framing.

For monochrome photography, LightCraft includes black-and-white conversion, an eight-band monochrome mixer, and additional color grading controls for creating tinted or split-tone results.

Photo Library Management

LightCraft includes tools for organizing photo collections, including folders, albums, smart albums, stacks, virtual copies, ratings, flags, labels, filtering, searching, and sorting.

Its local-first approach avoids requiring an online account or cloud catalog. The project describes its catalog as a human-readable log of editing operations, making it easier to inspect, back up, and replay changes.

Command-Line and AI Automation

In addition to its graphical interface, LightCraft provides a command-line application for rendering images and applying adjustments. MCP support allows compatible AI agents to interact with the application through an automation interface.

These capabilities are useful for repeatable editing tasks, scripted workflows, and experimentation with AI-assisted photo processing.

Download LightCraft v0.7.1 - Software Mirrors
LightCraft v0.7.1 for Windows lightcraft-0.7.1-windows-x86.msi | 81.48 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-windows-x86-portable.zip | 95.99 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-windows-x64.msi | 82.71 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-windows-x64-portable.zip | 99.2 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-windows-arm64.msi | 78.92 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-windows-arm64-portable.zip | 95.3 MB
LightCraft v0.7.1 for macOS lightcraft-cli-0.7.1-macos-universal.zip | 97.6 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-macos-universal.dmg | 102.62 MB
LightCraft v0.7.1 for Linux lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | 99.01 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-x86_64.rpm | 99.84 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak | 72.82 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-x86_64.deb | 100.42 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-x86_64.AppImage.zsync | 329.46 kB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-x86_64.AppImage | 94.06 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-riscv64.tar.gz | 96.57 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | 94.91 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-aarch64.rpm | 96.47 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-aarch64.flatpak | 68.78 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-aarch64.deb | 97.14 MB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-aarch64.AppImage.zsync | 316.2 kB lightcraft-0.7.1-linux-aarch64.AppImage | 90.27 MB
LightCraft v0.7.1 for BSD lightcraft-0.7.1-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz | 98.55 MB
Others Download related to LightCraft v0.7.1 lightcraft-web-0.7.1.zip | 63.33 MB
LightCraft v0.7.1 Source Code LightCraft v0.7.1 Source code (zip) LightCraft v0.7.1 Source code (tar.gz)
LightCraft v0.7.1 Release Notes: What's Changed Add shared docking while preserving photo tools and catalog drops by @skylartaylor in #869 Integration batch 26: 31 reviewed contributor PRs by @bflatastic in #975 Brush mask: holding the brush still adds no coverage; flow builds up by passes (#518) by @bitshiftza in #767 KEY-ESC: Esc leaves the crop tool before leaving Detail by @PiMinusMax in #772 LR-CROP-FLIP: Flip H / Flip V show in the crop tool by @PiMinusMax in #773 LR-IMP-CAMERA-COVERAGE: SRF and DSLR-A100 raws open again (#702) by @AlexChambers in #774 LR-BEHAV-GPU: no indirect-call validation pipeline, which Intel Metal fails to compile (issue #250) by @radialmonster in #779 System Info, All Metadata and What's New end with one Close button, like About (#782) by @bitshiftza in #785 LR-EDIT-RESET: Reset Edits returns a raw to its import defaults, sharpening and colour NR included by @radialmonster in #792 Fix #714: mouse wheel zooms the loupe around the pointer by @PierrunoYT in #799 Fix reject flag spacing in the bottom toolbar by @shurkanTwo in #803 Block background interaction while dialogs are open by @shurkanTwo in #809 LR-VIEW-BEFOREAFTER: zoomed side by side / stacked views stay in their panes by @PiMinusMax in #817 CR3: decode CRX quantisation step 44 (QP 168), Canon EOS R50 C-RAW by @radialmonster in #829 LR-META-EXIF-FULL: All Metadata shows the raw image's Compression by @radialmonster in #831 web: stop the release zip shipping Cargo build artifacts (#793) by @eliets2 in #848 LR-CROP-STRAIGHTEN: the rotate pointer faces away from its side of the crop box by @john01px2022 in #855 LR-PROF-CAMERACOLOR: near-black pixels no longer turn white in the camera look by @PiMinusMax in #858 test(engine): cover mixed Windows path separators in folder synchronization by @THEtheChad in #873 LR-HDR-EXPORT: HDR renders keep the camera tone curve in the midtones by @robmdunn in #877 fix(ui): show completion feedback for library maintenance and Auto Sync by @Ni-zav in #883 fix(query): prevent catalog pagination overflow on 32-bit web builds by @Ni-zav in #885 Tests: hold the MCP export-cancel test's export after its first photo until cancelled (#674) by @ingolfteetz in #935 Dropping photos with XMP sidecars no longer imports the sidecars as presets (#936) by @MarekSpodBiedry in #943 Masking: Color Range "Pick" button samples the photo by @emmertex in #957 LR-VIEW-BEFOREAFTER: click tools work in the Before view of side by side / top-bottom by @PiMinusMax in #746 LR-VIEW-COMPARE: a filmstrip click shows the photo in Compare by @PiMinusMax in #747 LR-EDIT-COLOR-WB-PICKER: the selector button does what W does by @PiMinusMax in #748 raw: find the saturation plateau despite stray samples above it (CR2 white level) by @TicT4x in #753 LR-IMP-FORMATS: EOS R5 Mark II crop-mode CR3s develop without a black band by @radialmonster in #754 LR-IMP-CAMERA-COVERAGE: Nikon D4 image area and white level, measured against its camera JPEG by @Unemars in #759 Return applies the Copy Settings and Paste Selected Settings dialogs (#735) by @bitshiftza in #760 Integration batches 27–30: 80 reviewed contributor PRs by @bflatastic in #981 Fix immediate slider value entry and Reset precedence by @sanyamsingh001 in #952 fix(macos): validate signed app in final DMG (#863) by @xristosmoug in #959 LRC-LIB-CATALOG-IMPORT: describe raws from their headers without reading pixel data (step 1 of #832) by @ingolfteetz in #961 LR-IMP-PROFILES: .cube-only imports report their profiles and failures (#942) by @bflatastic in #970 LR-EDIT-DETAIL-DENOISE: dismissing the model setup turns AI Denoise back off (#922) by @bflatastic in #971 UI: star rating previews the hovered rating, Info tab and bottom bar (#647) by @MarekSpodBiedry in #665 Headless sessions honour LIGHTCRAFT_SAM3_DIR for the SAM 3 model folder (#619) by @MarekSpodBiedry in #666 Issue #99: lock tests: keep the child-process test from overlapping the others by @AlexChambers in #679 Right-click ▸ Add to Album offers New Album…, also with no album yet (#676) by @bitshiftza in #685 DNG bad-pixel opcodes: cap the pixels they repair by @haranishi in #686 XMP merge: keep refusing repeated attributes, in linear time by @haranishi in #687 LR-IMP-CAMERA-COVERAGE: Sony DSC-R1 reads its SR2SubIFD (black, white balance, crop): seed derived from the key by @radialmonster in #689 LR-PREF-PERFORMANCE: cover every GPU kernel build with the crash marker, catch internal compile errors (#250) by @radialmonster in #694 LR-EDIT-OPTICS-PROFILE: keep Sony aspect crops outside validated corrections by @QuirkyTurtle94 in #695 In-window menus: a scrolled menu draws no scrollbar over its shortcut text (#691) by @bitshiftza in #696 LR-IMP-FORMATS: decode Kodak DCS520C raw TIFF (two-component lossless JPEG with response curve) by @radialmonster in #700 Read Lightroom spot removal (crs:RetouchAreas, RetouchInfo) from sidecars and presets by @aayusharora in #703 spot.findBlemishes: heal small blemishes on detected faces (classical, no new model) by @aayusharora in #704 Catalog lock: release the library lock explicitly on drop, not by closing the handle (#680) by @bitshiftza in #710 GPU fallback reason per render; the export fallback test no longer reads process-wide state (#675) by @bitshiftza in #712 docs: point to the two Olympus patents as a clean-room base for compressed ORF by @feffef in #716 Hold Shift while dragging a crop handle to keep proportions by @itrycodinganditsbad in #720 Linux/FreeBSD: file dialogs are children of the app window (Wayland portal parent) by @jazzautomations in #721 Upper-case extensions: #705 is #342, fixed in 0.5.0; import/browse/sidecar coverage for .JPG, .Jpg, .NEF, .XMP by @bitshiftza in #723 Importing a deleted photo's file again brings it back from Recently Deleted (#706) by @bitshiftza in #726 Web: a failed render worker start no longer shifts the other workers' slots (#229) by @MarekSpodBiedry in #728 Denoise: a running job's picture is Ready only when the job reports, not when its file appears (#719) by @bitshiftza in #729 LR-EDIT-OPTICS-PROFILE: apply embedded Fujifilm RAF distortion and vignetting tables by @radialmonster in #734 Linux: default to XWayland for file drag-and-drop on Wayland desktops by @dylanmtaylor in #738 README: add a Simplified Chinese translation (zh-hans) by @lzjtugjc in #749 LR-BEHAV-LOCALIZE: craft-fonts faces of other scripts are UI fallbacks (#736) by @radialmonster in #750 LR-PREF-DISPLAY: macOS previews follow the screen's profile, so they match exports (#787) by @LloydNicholson in #791 LR-EDIT-OPTICS-PROFILE: apply DNG WarpRectilinear2 lens corrections (Pixel DNGs, #635) by @radialmonster in #794 Color Grading: Shift-drag saturation lock, range tabs, per-wheel eye (#737, #559) by @sajibsrs in #825 fix(export): expose all nine watermark positions and adjustable inset by @Ni-zav in #833 fix(previews): shard new smart previews while retaining legacy files by @Ni-zav in #834 LR-EXP-WATERMARK: preview the watermark in the Export dialog (#827) by @john01px2022 in #843 LR-EXP-WATERMARK: separate horizontal and vertical watermark insets (#827, stacked on #833) by @john01px2022 in #845 LR-EXP-WATERMARK: rotate the watermark in quarter turns (#827, stacked on #845) by @john01px2022 in #847 LR-PROF-CAMERACOLOR: read an untagged camera JPEG in the colour space the raw's EXIF states (#778) by @radialmonster in #854 LR-BEHAV-UNDO: keep file history consistent after failed renames by @sanyamsingh001 in #874 fix(sliders): nudge selected sliders with the wheel and arrow keys by @Ni-zav in #884 Progress docs: gaps.md reviewed after 0.6.0 by @cookingwithsimon in #887 README: point the font-standard note at craft-fonts (#826) by @vbasky in #890 LR-VIEW-ZOOM: sharp 1:1 in Compare and Reference (zoom windows per pane) by @cookingwithsimon in #900 Open Library recognises a Lightroom catalog and offers to import it (#891) by @bitshiftza in #907 Drafts keep the wide planes across a noise-reduction change (CPU NR drag) by @emmertex in #923 Export: Remove location info also covers Original and DNG formats by @emmertex in #925 Content-aware Remove: inpaint crate (PatchMatch) and a Fill spot mode by @emmertex in #926 Perf: parallel preview builds and faster hue/saturation tables by @emmertex in #927 Soft proofing against printer ICC profiles: intent, Simulate Paper & Ink, device gamut warning by @emmertex in #928 View: Lights Out (Shift+L), like Lightroom Classic by @emmertex in #945 Library switching: New Library…, Open Recent Library, library name in the title by @emmertex in #946 Library: create folders on disk and move photos between folders by @emmertex in #947 Reverse geocoding: fill City / State / Country from GPS (offline GeoNames) by @emmertex in #948 UI: favorite themes and appearance shortcuts by @luniiya in #950 Fix #812: the window's renderer can't kill the start-up (DX12 shader errors) by @emmertex in #951 LR-EXP-PSD: Edit in PhotoCraft (right-click Edit In, flat PSD hand-off) by @cookingwithsimon in #953 masking: keep zoom and pan while masking; improve sky mask edges by @David-T-Campos in #547 Remember the last crop aspect as the default by @danielspruce in #617 LR-IMP-FORMATS: Sony ARW6 (Compressed RAW 2) decoder for the ILCE-7RM6 by @dev-null-undefined in #625 LR-EDIT-LIGHT-HIGHLIGHTS: keep local contrast under Highlights and Shadows by @radialmonster in #645 HDR: read crs:HDREditMode from XMP into hdr.enabled by @JordyUSA in #663 HDR: PNG export as 16-bit Rec. 2020 PQ (cICP, cLLI) by @JordyUSA in #664 LRC-LIB-CATALOG-IMPORT: find moved root folders relative to the catalog by @mrpdaemon in #667 UI: Add system appearance and light themes by @luniiya in #683 HDR: HDR button next to B&W in the Edit panel header (as Lightroom) by @JordyUSA in #688 Settings ▸ Faces: Recognise faces stays off until a recognition model is chosen (#678) by @bitshiftza in #698 AI Denoise: run tiles on another computer's graphics card (remote offload) by @akvaithi in #813 Integration batch 31: translations, raw header previews, XMP import warnings, Apple Photos, HDR histogram, JPEG XL, Edit In for many photos by @bflatastic in #998 Report unsupported XMP profiles & geometry during photo import by @bogusyogi in #434 LR-EXP-PHOTOS: add exported files to Apple Photos (macOS, #236) by @AlexChambers in #643 HDR: HDR histogram for HDR edits (fixed 5-stop scale, Lightroom layout) by @JordyUSA in #677 Complete Simplified Chinese (zh-hans) catalog by @Twdhsi-666 in #725 LR-IMP-PREVIEW-READ: a preview reads the raw's header, not the raw (56.5 MB → 5.9 MB, 10 s → 1 s over SMB) by @lzjtugjc in #755 Updated Russian translation (again) by @wondarkus in #822 fix(windows): preserve legacy MSI install folders via App Paths by @THEtheChad in #879 New Contributors @skylartaylor made their first contribution in #869 @PiMinusMax made their first contribution in #772 @PierrunoYT made their first contribution in #799 @shurkanTwo made their first contribution in #803 @eliets2 made their first contribution in #848 @john01px2022 made their first contribution in #855 @THEtheChad made their first contribution in #873 @robmdunn made their first contribution in #877 @Ni-zav made their first contribution in #883 @ingolfteetz made their first contribution in #935 @emmertex made their first contribution in #957 @TicT4x made their first contribution in #753 @Unemars made their first contribution in #759 @xristosmoug made their first contribution in #959 @haranishi made their first contribution in #686 @aayusharora made their first contribution in #703 @feffef made their first contribution in #716 @itrycodinganditsbad made their first contribution in #720 @jazzautomations made their first contribution in #721 @LloydNicholson made their first contribution in #791 @sajibsrs made their first contribution in #825 @luniiya made their first contribution in #950 @David-T-Campos made their first contribution in #547 @danielspruce made their first contribution in #617 @dev-null-undefined made their first contribution in #625 @JordyUSA made their first contribution in #663 @mrpdaemon made their first contribution in #667 @Twdhsi-666 made their first contribution in #725 Full Changelog: v0.6.0...v0.7.1

Performance and Compatibility

LightCraft is written in Rust and uses background rendering to keep the interface responsive during common editing operations. The project reports that it can display embedded camera previews or cached renders quickly while preparing full-resolution images in the background.

The application supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as a browser-based WebAssembly build. Available Linux packages include AppImage, DEB, and RPM formats, with builds for x86-64 and ARM64 systems.

However, LightCraft is still a developing project. Its feature list should not be interpreted as proof of complete Adobe Lightroom compatibility. Photographers with established Lightroom workflows should verify RAW camera support, editing results, and catalog migration before moving their primary library.

System Requirements

• Operating systems: Windows, macOS, and Linux.

• Browser support: A WebAssembly build is available.

• Processor architectures: Linux releases include x86-64 and ARM64 builds.

• Build requirements: Rust and the project's documented dependencies are needed to compile from source.

The project does not establish a comprehensive minimum hardware specification in the information reviewed. Actual performance will depend on image resolution, RAW processing requirements, and available system resources.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free and open-source under the MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses.

• Non-destructive editing preserves original photos.

• Extensive controls for exposure, tone curves, color grading, and local adjustments.

• Photo library organization tools for managing larger collections.

• Native applications for major desktop operating systems.

• Browser-based build for experimentation without a traditional desktop installation.

• Command-line and MCP support for automation.

• Local-first workflow without a mandatory cloud account or subscription.

Cons

• Still under active development, so feature completeness and reliability may vary.

• Compatibility with existing Lightroom catalogs and established workflows needs verification.

• RAW format support may not cover every camera model or file variation.

• Users accustomed to Lightroom may encounter differences in editing behavior and output.

• Advanced automation and browser workflows may require additional setup.

• Published minimum hardware requirements are limited.

How to Install

The simplest option is to download a suitable package from the project's GitHub Releases page. Linux users can choose the available AppImage, DEB, or RPM package, while macOS and Windows packages are also provided.

For users who prefer to build from source, install Rust and the required development tools, then run:

git clone https://github.com/storytold/lightcraft
cd lightcraft
cargo run --release -p lightcraft

To open a specific photo folder, pass its path when launching the application:

cargo run --release -p lightcraft -- ~/Pictures/trip

To try the browser-based build, follow the project's WebAssembly setup instructions and run:

cargo xtask web --serve

The project also provides a command-line renderer for scripted workflows. Consult the official documentation for supported formats, available adjustment parameters, and platform-specific installation details.

Final Verdict

LightCraft is a promising open-source alternative for photographers who want a local photo library and RAW editing workflow without relying on a commercial subscription. Its combination of non-destructive editing, color grading, masking, presets, and catalog management makes it more ambitious than a basic image editor.

Its strongest differentiators are its Rust-based architecture, local-first design, and automation support. These features may appeal to technical users and photographers interested in building repeatable editing workflows.

The main reservation is maturity. Before switching from Lightroom, users should test their own camera RAW files, compare exported images, and confirm that the library features they depend on are available and reliable. LightCraft is worth trying, but photographers with demanding production workflows should evaluate it alongside their existing tools rather than assume full feature parity.

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Software Informations:
Developer:
ArtCraft
Operating System:
Windows / macOS / Linux / BSD
Date Added:
2026-10-13T05:04:12.433Z
Categories:

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