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LightCraft

A fast photo library and non-destructive raw developer, written from scratch in pure Rust.

  • Media Applications
  • Tools & Utilities
A fast photo library and non-destructive raw developer, written from scratch in pure Rust. No account, no cloud, no telemetry, no subscription. LightCraft is a complete darkroom in a single native app. Every adjustment is non-destructive, so your originals are never touched. Every slider renders through a scene-referred, wide-gamut, 32-bit float pipeline: highlights roll off like film, shadows open up without halos, and colour stays clean from capture to export. Split-tone shadows, midtones and highlights independently with drag-anywhere colour wheels.

Platform availability

Available on 0 of 6 install platforms

  • Unraid (not listed)
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)

Desktop and other devices

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

76/100 Good

Maintained
75last commit 0 days ago
Popular
799,388 GitHub stars
Easy to install
554 install platforms, install notes
Light to run
No data
Security check
94no serious findings, 1 minor, CI, tests

Based on 4 of 5 factors.

GitHub stars
9,388
Open issues
400
Last commit
2026-10-11
Latest release
v0.6.0
License
Apache-2.0
Activity
rising

Checked today - source: GitHub (storytold/lightcraft)

Resources & Compatibility

Requirements not published yet.

First-install notes

  • Find and keep your LightCraft library When you first start LightCraft, it uses ~/Pictures/LightCraft Library as your library and creates it with demo photos if needed; you can then import folders of photos into it. Keep that folder safe because your LightCraft edits and settings depend on it. source
  • Install SAM 3 if you want AI masks To use AI masks, put your Hugging Face token in the HF_TOKEN environment variable (the place the installer script looks for your account key) and run the install script for your OS. This downloads and checks the SAM 3 model; without it, mask features won’t have the model they need. source
  • Open port 7980 for automation If you want agents or other tools to control LightCraft, start the app with the control channel on port 7980. If that port is blocked, the app works normally but those tools can’t connect. source

Fetched today - each note links to its source

Alternatives (1)

  • Adobe Lightroom - Powerful photo editing and organizing with cloud backup, available on multiple devices including mobile, web, and desktop.

Checked today - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Where does LightCraft store my library and edits?

It uses ~/Pictures/LightCraft Library when first started and may create it with demo photos. Keep that folder safe or backed up because your edits and settings depend on it.

Do I need to open a port for LightCraft to work?

No, the app works normally if port 7980 is blocked. Open port 7980 only if agents or other tools need to control LightCraft through the control channel.

How do I enable AI masks?

Set your Hugging Face token in the HF_TOKEN environment variable and run the install script for your OS. The script downloads and checks the SAM 3 model, which is required for mask features.

How do I keep LightCraft updated?

The ArtCraft Launcher can install LightCraft, pick the right build for your computer, and keep it up to date. Once installed, updates can be applied from the Launcher.

Answers sourced from getartcraft.com, github.com, github.com

Community

Collected today - public community threads