FilmCraft

FilmCraft is a free, open source video editor from the ArtCraft team, built to work like Adobe Premiere Pro. It has the Source and Program monitors, bins and multi-track timeline that editors know, plus colour grading, effects, titles and audio mixing. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, and in a web browser.

What it can do

• A timeline you already know. Source and Program monitors, bins, a multi-track timeline, three-point editing, trimming, multicam and the familiar workspaces for editing, colour, effects and audio.
• Colour grading built in. A Lumetri-style panel with basic correction, creative looks, curves and colour wheels, in the order a colourist works.
• Effects and transitions. Premiere's full video effects bin of 93 effects, around 30 transitions, keyframed motion and 26 blend modes.
• Audio done properly. Loudness meters to broadcast standards, EQ, compressors, reverb, noise and hum removal, all keyframable.
• Titles and captions. A real text engine with Type, Shape and Pen tools on the video, plus captions.
• Its own codecs. No FFmpeg inside: FilmCraft reads and writes common formats with its own code, and exports H.264 MP4, ProRes, MXF, GIF and more.
• Swap projects with other editors. Import and export Final Cut Pro 7 XML, the format Premiere and DaVinci Resolve exchange.
• Works with AI assistants. Over 650 commands that a script or an AI assistant can run through the command line or MCP.

Part of the Crafting Apps

FilmCraft is one of the Crafting Apps, a family of free, open source creative and office apps from ArtCraft, each a clean-room rebuild of a well-known paid app written from scratch in Rust. The best known is PhotoCraft, a Photoshop-style photo editor. They share the same approach: familiar menus and shortcuts, fast native apps on every major system, a version that runs in your browser, and commands an AI assistant can drive.

FilmCraft, Kdenlive, DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro?

All four can edit video. The difference is how familiar they feel, how mature they are, and what they cost.

FilmCraftThis page

Best forPremiere users who want a free, familiar alternative to try

Copies Premiere's panels, timeline and effects, with its own codecs and colour tools. Ambitious, but only weeks old.

How mature

Alpha (2026)

Open source

Yes (MIT or Apache 2.0)

Cost

Free

KKdenlive

Best forA free, proven editor for everyday video

A mature open source editor with a big community. Capable for most projects, though its layout differs from Premiere's.

How mature

Very mature

Open source

Yes (GPL 3.0)

Cost

Free

DDaVinci Resolve

Best forColour grading and pro editing at no cost

A professional editor and grading suite with a generous free version. Not open source, and some features need the paid Studio edition.

How mature

Industry standard

Open source

No

Cost

Free; paid Studio version

Premiere Pro

Best forProfessional editors today

Adobe's industry standard, tightly linked with After Effects and Photoshop. Polished, but closed source and paid monthly.

How mature

Industry standard

Open source

No

Cost

Monthly subscription

A quick way to choose: need a dependable free editor today? Use Kdenlive. Want pro-level colour without paying? Try DaVinci Resolve. Paid for by your job? Premiere is the safe choice. Know Premiere and want a free, open source alternative that feels the same? Try FilmCraft.

How to get it

• Easiest: download it from the FilmCraft page on getartcraft.com, or from the latest release on GitHub.
• Every system: installers for Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows (including ARM), Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, .deb, .rpm) and FreeBSD.
• In a browser: a web version runs the whole app in a modern browser, and you can host it yourself.
• For scripts and AI assistants: the filmcraft-cli tool runs the same commands without opening the app and includes an MCP server.

Good to know

• Alpha. FilmCraft is in alpha. Its team estimates it's about 56% of the way to replacing Premiere Pro on real projects. These are the team's own estimates; nobody has tested them independently yet.
• Changing very fast. New versions arrive every few days, so expect bugs and update often.
• Built with AI help. The ArtCraft team uses AI coding agents heavily, which is how so much appeared so quickly. Test it on your own files before you rely on it.
• No Adobe code. It's a clean-room rebuild, written from public file specifications and by observing how Premiere Pro behaves, not from Adobe's code.
• Licence: MIT or Apache 2.0, your choice. Free to use, including at work. The ArtCraft and FilmCraft names and logos have their own, stricter terms.