Which Adobe files open in the Craft apps, as of 3 Nov 2026
Before you install anything, this is the question that matters: will my existing files open? The table below is compiled from each project's docs/file-format-parity.md and README (read 3 Nov 2026). Short version: PSD files open cleanly, but a PSD saved by PhotoCraft is not yet reliably reopened in Photoshop. PdfCraft handles PDF well (963 of 983 test files by the project's count); PhotoCraft cannot open PDF at all. Illustrator .ai opens, but layer structure comes out wrong in real files. Premiere .prproj and After Effects .aep do not open at all.
Last checked 3 Nov 2026. Independent site; not affiliated with ArtCraft or Adobe.
The one-screen answer
| Your file | App | Opens? | Saves back? | What you lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSD / PSB (Photoshop) | PhotoCraft | Yes | Yes | The project reports 307 of 309 test files render identically after a round trip, but says Photoshop does not yet reliably accept PSDs PhotoCraft writes |
| PSD as a still | FilmCraft, EffectCraft, VectorCraft, LightCraft | Flattened only (EffectCraft keeps layers) | FilmCraft no; EffectCraft "Save Frame As Photoshop Layers"; VectorCraft layered; LightCraft flat | Layers, except in EffectCraft |
| AI (Illustrator) | VectorCraft | Yes | PDF-compatible or legacy v7 only | Illustrator's private editing data; layer structure is wrong in real files (the project reports one file opening with 109 layers instead of 14) |
| AI / EPS | EffectCraft | Partial | No | JPX and JBIG2 images, procset EPS |
| EPS | VectorCraft | Yes | Yes | No gaps listed. EffectCraft's partial EPS support above is a separate implementation, not the same code |
| PdfCraft | Yes; the project reports 963 of 983 pdf.js test files | Yes; 958 round-trip by the same count | Certificate-encrypted PDFs, linearized output | |
| VectorCraft | Yes | Yes, PDF/X-1a, 3 and 4 | – | |
| PhotoCraft | No | One flattened page | Vectors, text, multiple pages | |
| PRPROJ (Premiere Pro) | FilmCraft | No | No | Everything; bring sequences over as FCP7 XML, FCPXML, AAF or OTIO instead |
| AEP / AEPX (After Effects) | EffectCraft | No | No | Everything; templates, .mogrt and .ffx presets are also unsupported |
| MOGRT | FilmCraft | Refused by design | Own .fcgt format | – |
| LRCAT (Lightroom Classic catalog) | LightCraft | Partial import: ratings, flags, labels, keywords, collections, virtual copies, supported develop settings | No, one-way by design | Anything not in that list; cloud .lrlibrary not at all |
| XMP sidecars | LightCraft | Yes | Yes, auto-write | – |
| DNG | LightCraft, PhotoCraft | Yes | LightCraft yes | – |
| Raw (CR2, NEF, ARW, RAF, RW2, PEF) | LightCraft, PhotoCraft | Yes | – | CR3: LightCraft lossless CRX and C-RAW only, PhotoCraft "detected, unsupported"; compressed ORF/SRW and Nikon HE NEF not started |
| SVG | VectorCraft, PhotoCraft, EffectCraft | Yes | VectorCraft yes (its "strongest format"); PhotoCraft no | – |
| Affinity (.afdesign, .afphoto, .afpub) | VectorCraft, PhotoCraft | Yes | No | – |
| Office (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) to PDF | PdfCraft | No | – | PdfCraft exports basic .docx and .pptx, no .xlsx |
What this means by job
- Photoshop users: the best-covered path. Open PSDs in PhotoCraft, keep Photoshop for files that come back wrong, and know that files saved by PhotoCraft are not byte-identical and may not open cleanly in Photoshop yet.
- Illustrator users: VectorCraft opens .ai, but check layers on every real file. Save as SVG or PDF for anything you need to exchange.
- Premiere and After Effects users: wait. Neither .prproj nor .aep opens. The projects list .prproj import as "the beta blocker" (60 to 120 hours of work) and .aep import as waiting on a clean-room decision.
- Lightroom Classic users: LightCraft migrates a catalog one way and reads XMP sidecars, so edits stored in sidecars survive. It will not write back to the catalog.
- Acrobat users: PdfCraft reads and writes nearly every PDF it has been tested on; what is missing is office-to-PDF conversion and certificate encryption.
How we compiled this
Every Craft repository has a docs/file-format-parity.md that grades each format against the Adobe app. We took the open, save and lose columns from those documents and the READMEs on 3 Nov 2026 and did not run our own files through the apps. Where the README and the parity document disagree (LightCraft PSD write), we say so.
Project-reported overall "ready for real work" figures, same measure for all six: PhotoCraft 45%, LightCraft 61%, FilmCraft 56%, EffectCraft 45%, VectorCraft 62%, PdfCraft 50%. File-format coverage is a different measure and only PhotoCraft publishes a headline number for it: 13 of 31 formats full, plus 4 partial counted as half each, which is 48% on the project's own weighting (formats 48% · overall 45%). Source for every row: the docs/file-format-parity.md in each repository, read 3 Nov 2026.
Questions
Can PhotoCraft open PSD files?
Yes, including PSB, 16 and 32-bit, CMYK and Lab. The project says smart objects and 53 mapped smart filters survive. Saving back for Photoshop to reopen is the weak side.
Does VectorCraft open .ai files?
Yes, both PDF-form and old PostScript-form (versions 3 to 8). Layer structure can come out wrong on real files, and it never writes Illustrator's private editing data.
Can FilmCraft open Premiere Pro projects?
No. Export your sequence from Premiere as FCP7 XML, FCPXML, AAF or OTIO and open that.
Can EffectCraft open After Effects projects?
No. .aep, .aepx, templates, .mogrt and .ffx presets are all unsupported.
Does LightCraft import a Lightroom catalog?
Partly: ratings, flags, labels, keywords, collections, virtual copies and the develop settings it supports. It does not write back, and it does not read cloud Lightroom libraries.
Does PdfCraft open password-protected PDFs?
Yes, all standard encryption revisions. Certificate-encrypted PDFs do not open.