ArtCraft is a set of 13 free, open-source creative apps that do the jobs of Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, Lightroom, InDesign, Acrobat, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. For an independent artist that means cover art, music videos, posters and a press kit without a subscription for every app. They run on macOS, Windows and Linux, and one launcher installs and updates them all.

This guide covers what each app does for an artist, where your files go once you've made them, and which jobs you can skip because Aden already does them with your music attached.

The apps at a glance

ArtCraft doesn't sell any of them as a copy of another product. The comparisons above are about the job each one does.

Why they suit independent artists

• Free to use. No monthly plan per app, so the budget goes to the release.
• Open source. The code is public on GitHub, so anyone can check how an app works or build it themselves.
• One launcher. The Craft Launcher installs every app and keeps them up to date.
• Mac, Windows and Linux. Every app runs on all three. All but FilmCraft also come as a web build.
• Familiar layouts. PhotoCraft calls itself "the image editor you already know how to use". If you've used the paid tools, you'll find your way around.

They are young apps, labelled alpha or in development, and they improve quickly. Keep your original files, and try them on real work like a single's cover or a gig poster before you move everything over.

What you can skip, because Aden does it

Some of these apps do jobs Aden already handles, with the music attached:

• A spreadsheet for your money. Log income and expenses on a track, an album or the team in Aden's Financials, split by the percentages already on the track, and send invoices from the same place. See GridCraft.
• Documents to sign. Contracts & signatures sends a contract, collects e-signatures and files the signed PDF with the track, album, show or tour it belongs to. See PdfCraft.
• A deck to pitch your music. A label pitch in Aden goes out from your own Gmail or Outlook with a share link per label, so you see who opened it and who listened. See DeckCraft.
• A press kit. Your Brand & Press Kit page (aden.space/@yourname/epk) holds your logos, pictures, brand colors and links, and stays up to date on its own.
• A website. Your Aden profile is one already: your brand colors, your layout and your own domain. See FigCraft.
• A quick promo clip. The free Snippet video maker turns a song and its cover into a 10-second vertical video in your browser.

Keep everything you make in Aden

Whatever you make belongs next to the song it's for. In Aden, every track has its own Covers, Banners, Media, Music videos and Inspiration, and every team has Files with folders for everything else.

• Review before it goes out. Every media gallery is a review room: comments pinned to a moment in a video, and an approved or changes-requested status on each file.
• Edit in your own app. On the Aden desktop app, move a file into a team and keep opening it where you edit it. Every save syncs with the team.
• On your phone too. Team files open in the Aden app, and you can save them for offline.
• Link what lives elsewhere. Add a Google Doc, a Dropbox folder or a Notion page to a track as a link.

Create your Aden account to keep your music and everything around it in one place.

How to install ArtCraft

1. Go to getartcraft.com/apps.
2. Download the Craft Launcher for your computer.
3. Install the apps you need from the launcher. It keeps them up to date.

Each app's page on getartcraft.com also has its own installers for macOS, Windows and Linux.

FAQ

Is ArtCraft free?

Yes. The Craft apps are open source and free to use on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Which ArtCraft app should a musician install first?

PhotoCraft, for cover art and promo images. Add FilmCraft or EffectCraft when you make videos. Most artists can skip GridCraft and DeckCraft, because Aden tracks your money and sends your pitches.

Do the ArtCraft apps work in the browser?

All of them except FilmCraft come as a web build you can host yourself. For most people the desktop launcher is the easiest way in.

Are the ArtCraft apps ready to replace Adobe and Office?

They are early versions that improve quickly. Use them for real work, keep your original files, and switch app by app as each one covers what you need.

Where should I keep my cover art, videos and documents?

Next to the song they belong to. In Aden, covers, banners, media and music videos sit on the track, and contracts, budgets and everything else in your team's Files.

Related: how to make a music snippet video and Notion alternatives for planning music releases.