Source and licenses
Open source Photoshop alternatives: source, licenses and use
An “open source Photoshop” search usually means an alternative whose source code and license you can inspect. GIMP, Krita and PhotoCraft are different projects with that evidence. A free trial, a public download and an open-source license describe different permissions.
What open source means in this Photoshop comparison
Photoshop is Adobe’s product; the projects below are independently developed alternatives. For this page, the inclusion test is an official source location and an identifiable software license. A zero-price sign-up or a familiar editing interface alone does not pass that test.
Source access lets a developer inspect and, under the applicable license, change the program. It does not automatically make a workflow easy, supply a supported installer for your computer or preserve a Photoshop document perfectly. Readers who only want to avoid a recurring charge should use the free editing and trial guide as well.
This is a documentation comparison checked on 2026-10-14. We have not audited every dependency or built each application from source. The links let you inspect the project behind an app; they are not an assurance that every download using its name was produced by the maintainers.
Official repositories and license evidence
| Project | Source route | License evidence | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIMP | GNOME GIMP repository | Official license FAQ · License file in the GNOME mirror | The FAQ identifies GPL version 3 or later for GIMP. The license file explains exceptions for particular components. |
| Krita | KDE Invent repository | Krita license page | The project identifies GNU GPL version 3 and describes third-party components separately. |
| PhotoCraft | storytold/photocraft | MIT license · Apache-2.0 license | The repository supplies both license files. Consult its notices and the revision you distribute. |
Follow the source link from the project’s own website or repository documentation. For GIMP, the developer build guide points to its GNOME development repository; the GNOME GitHub location linked above is a license mirror, rather than a different image editor. Krita’s download page links its KDE Invent repository. The PhotoCraft GitHub guide explains its release and source routes.
Keep a record of the release tag or commit if license provenance matters to your work. A link to a moving default branch is convenient for browsing, but it is not a permanent record of the exact code shipped with an older installer.
Official sources: GIMP official source and build route · Krita source links.
Making artwork and redistributing an app are separate activities
Using the editor for your own work
GIMP’s FAQ allows use for any purpose. Krita’s license page explicitly permits commercial artwork and says that your art belongs to you. You still need appropriate rights to photographs, fonts, brushes or other material you bring into a project. The editor’s software license does not grant rights to someone else’s source artwork.
Sharing a changed program
If you modify or redistribute the application, read its actual license and notices before shipping. GIMP’s FAQ and Krita’s license page describe source-sharing obligations when distributing modified builds. A company preparing its own build needs to review those terms and its dependencies; changing the logo is not a substitute for that review.
For PhotoCraft, use the license and notice files supplied with the chosen revision. Avoid copying a license conclusion from another ArtCraft application just because the product names share a suffix. The ArtCraft repository map helps identify the specific project.
Official sources: GIMP use and redistribution FAQ · Krita artwork and distribution terms.
Choose an installer before attempting a source build
You do not need to compile an open-source editor merely to edit a photograph. GIMP and Krita both provide ready-made desktop downloads. Choose the package for your operating system and processor, and compare it with the project’s stated requirements.
Compilation is useful when you want to develop the application, inspect a reproducible revision or make a change that is not in a release. It also means maintaining build tools, libraries and platform requirements. Follow the selected project’s build guide; a PhotoCraft Rust command is not a GIMP or Krita installation instruction.
| You need | Practical starting action | Keep a record of |
|---|---|---|
| An editor for ordinary work today | GIMP downloads or Krita downloads | The application version and package architecture. |
| A small PhotoCraft experiment | PhotoCraft release and platform guidance | The exact release used and the original sample file. |
| To change GIMP code | GIMP developer build instructions | The source revision, build dependencies and changes you made. |
| To inspect PhotoCraft source setup | PhotoCraft source-build guide — Documentation checklist | The toolchain and revision, rather than only the branch name. |
A downloaded source archive is an input to a build, rather than a desktop application you can launch. If a download page offers both, read the package description before spending time troubleshooting the wrong file.
Official sources: GIMP binaries and source packages · Krita desktop downloads and source.
Local use and working-file limits still matter
Krita’s license page says ordinary installed use needs no registration or internet connection; store updates and enabled news are separate internet activities. Treat third-party plugins and connected services as additional components with their own behavior. Installing a plugin does not make its remote processing local.
For ongoing artwork, keep the application’s working document as well as exported images. GIMP’s XCF saves its project information; other exported formats retain a different subset. Krita’s manual distinguishes KRA working files from exchange and delivery formats and documents PSD import and export separately.
An open-source license does not change what an exported file can represent. If a client specifically requires editable Photoshop text, smart objects or effects, use the task and file selection guide to define the handoff. Keep the original PSD while you test the required edit and reopening step.
PhotoCraft has a different maturity question: its README still calls the application early alpha. Our published PSD sample record — Desktop walkthrough describes the work performed here and its exclusions. Source availability and a test on a limited sample are useful evidence, but they address different decisions.
Official sources: Krita local use and privacy · GIMP saved project and exports · Krita working and exchange formats · PhotoCraft maturity.
Which open-source route should you investigate first?
For photo retouching and composition, start by examining GIMP’s actual tools and one representative photograph. For painting and illustration, start with Krita’s brushes, tablet setup and a short drawing. For an experiment centered on ArtCraft’s layered editor, follow our PhotoCraft first edit — Desktop walkthrough with its provided material.
Keep the choice narrow enough to finish a result. A repository with a permissive license is not necessarily the best painting tool for your tablet, and a long-established project cannot automatically preserve the one PSD effect your customer uses. Choose the relevant task first, then inspect the source and maintenance conditions that matter to you.
If none of these must be open source for your use case, the broader Photoshop alternative guide also considers browser editing. This page excludes a product merely being free as evidence of open-source licensing; it does not evaluate the quality of every closed-source service.
Official sources: GIMP editing purpose · Krita painting features.