FilmCraft

1. What is FilmCraft?

FilmCraft is a free video editor for your computer (Windows, macOS, Linux) that copies the layout, panels and shortcuts of Adobe Premiere Pro: clip bins, Source and Program monitors, a multi-track timeline, cuts, transitions, Lumetri-style colour grading, audio mixing, captions and MP4 export. The project calls itself an open-source, clean-room rebuild of Premiere Pro written from scratch in Rust, licensed MIT or Apache-2.0 (your choice). It runs on your own computer with no sign-in.

A good fit if:

• You edit videos (TikTok, YouTube, family clips, tutorials) and want a Premiere-style editor without a monthly subscription.
• You already know Premiere and want a free alternative with a similar layout.
• You enjoy trying new software and can tolerate rough edges.

Not a good fit if:

• You need finished, dependable software for important deadlines. The project itself is blunt: about 87% of Premiere's feature checklist exists, but its own estimate of "ready for real work" is only 50-60%, and it calls itself "young and moving fast".
• You need many export formats. Right now the only delivery codec is H.264 (MP4); there is no HEVC or AV1 export yet, per the README.
• You rely on third-party plug-ins (VST3, Audio Units, OpenFX). They are not supported.
• You edit large footage on a weak computer. The project lists speed on big footage as a current weakness, and says Windows and Linux get far less testing than macOS.
• You want a Vietnamese interface. The documentation does not mention interface languages; assume English.

2. What do you need?

• A Windows PC (64-bit x64 for most machines, or 32-bit), a Mac (one build covers Apple chips and Intel) or Linux (x86_64 and ARM). Release 0.2.1 does not include a Windows ARM installer.
• A reasonably modern graphics card (GPU). The app draws through DirectX 12, Metal or Vulkan. Minimum specs are not documented.
• Disk space: the Windows .msi is about 24 MB and the macOS .dmg about 36 MB (measured 8 Oct 2026). Space needed after installation is not documented. Leave room for your own videos.
• Internet only to download the installer.
• No account, no API key, no cost.
• You do not need Git, Rust or developer tools if you use the ready-made installers below. The cargo run commands in the README are for developers building from source.
• A few short clips to try. The project says its decoders are exact on standard test streams but camera and phone files from the real world are less tested.

3. Step-by-step install

The easiest route is the prebuilt installer from the official releases page: https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/releases. The latest version at the time of writing is 0.2.1 (published 6 Oct 2026). File names include the version, for example filmcraft-0.2.1-windows-x64.msi.

Note: Always download from the storytold/filmcraft repository above. Look-alike sites that repackage popular software are a common way to spread malware.

On Windows

Step 1: Download the installer

Open the releases page and scroll to Assets under the newest version. For a normal Windows PC (Intel or AMD) choose the file ending in windows-x64.msi. For an old 32-bit machine choose windows-x86.msi. If unsure, use x64.

If you would rather not install anything, there is a portable build (windows-x64-portable.zip): unzip and run.

Step 2: Run the installer

Double-click the .msi and follow the screens. Windows may ask for administrator permission; click Yes. If a blue "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen) screen appears, click More info, then Run anyway, only for a file downloaded from the releases page.

Step 3: Open FilmCraft

Find FilmCraft in the Start menu and open it. Seeing the editor with its video monitors and timeline means it worked.

On macOS

Step 1: Download the disk image

Pick macos-universal.dmg. It runs on both Apple-chip Macs (M1, M2, M3…) and Intel Macs.

Step 2: Drag it to Applications

Double-click the .dmg and drag FilmCraft into Applications. According to the project's release documentation the app is signed and notarized by Apple, so it normally opens without fuss. If macOS still blocks it, open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway for FilmCraft.

On Linux

The project ships .AppImage, .deb, .rpm and .tar.gz files for x86_64 and ARM. The simplest is the AppImage, which runs without installing:

1. Download filmcraft-0.2.1-linux-x86_64.AppImage (about 29 MB) from the releases page.
2. Make it executable, then run it:

chmod +x filmcraft-*.AppImage
./filmcraft-0.2.1-linux-x86_64.AppImage

On Linux the project says there is no hardware video decoding yet, so large videos are heavier.

Another way: in the browser

Each release also contains filmcraft-web-0.2.1.zip, a build that runs in a web page. Using it means hosting files on a web server, so beginners should pick one of the installers above.

Note: Each release includes a SHA256SUMS.txt file (checksums that prove your download was not altered). If you want to be sure, compare the checksum of your file with the one listed.

4. Your first run

Menu and button names may differ slightly between versions because the project changes fast. The steps below follow the Premiere-style layout the project describes:

1. Open FilmCraft and start a new project from the File menu (the documentation does not describe the very first screen in detail, so labels may vary).
2. Import video. Bring a few video files into the Project/Bin area. Thumbnails of your clips appear.
3. Mark the part you want. The Premiere way is to open a clip in the Source monitor and set an In point and an Out point. According to the project, the shortcuts to insert onto the timeline are comma (,) and to overwrite are period (.).
4. Assemble on the timeline. Place the pieces on the video track below; they line up as connected bars. Transitions live in the Effects browser (for example the Dissolve styles).
5. Optionally grade colour or audio. There are Color workspaces (Lumetri-style tools with waveform and vectorscope) and Audio workspaces (loudness meters).
6. Export. Switch to Export, choose Media File, format H.264 (MP4) and start. It runs in the background with a progress bar so you can keep editing. Open the exported MP4 in your normal video player to check it.

Tip: save often. The project has auto-save and a crash-recovery journal, but this is still young software.

5. Common problems and fixes

What you see	Why	Fix
Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen	SmartScreen warns about new or less common files	Click More info then Run anyway, only for a file from the official releases page
macOS says the app cannot be opened because the developer is unidentified	macOS protection for downloaded apps	Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, click Open Anyway for FilmCraft, then open it again
Linux: double-clicking the AppImage does nothing	The file is not marked executable	Run chmod +x filmcraft-*.AppImage, then open it again
Playback stutters or export is slow	Speed on big footage is a known weak spot: many effects, colour work and export still run on the CPU, and Linux has no hardware decoding	Use lower-resolution clips (for example 1080p), close other apps, update your graphics driver
A phone or camera clip will not import, or looks or sounds wrong	The project says real-world camera and phone files are less tested, and camera RAW is not supported	Convert to a common H.264 MP4; if it still fails, report it with the file details
You cannot export HEVC or AV1	Not supported: H.264 is the only delivery codec (H.265 is hardware-only on some machines)	Export H.264 MP4, which suits TikTok, YouTube and Facebook
The app closes suddenly	Young software with bugs	Reopen it to use the project's recovery of unsaved changes
Any other odd error	Fast-moving development	Report it at https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/issues with your OS and, if possible, a clip that triggers it

6. Uninstall and update

Update: the docs do not mention a built-in updater. The reliable way is to download the newest installer from https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/releases and install over the old one. Releases come often, so it is worth updating regularly.

Uninstall:

• Windows (.msi): open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find FilmCraft and uninstall. For the portable build, delete the unzipped folder.
• macOS: drag FilmCraft from Applications to the Trash.
• Linux: delete the AppImage file; for .deb or .rpm use your package manager.

Your source videos and project files stay where you saved them. Keep your originals somewhere safe when using young software like this.

7. Frequently asked questions

Is FilmCraft really free, and does it add a watermark? According to the repository it is open source under MIT or Apache-2.0; the documentation mentions no paid tier or watermark. The ArtCraft name and logos are trademarks of the team.

Can it replace Premiere Pro? Not fully. The project estimates roughly 50-60% ready for real work, and lacks plug-ins, HEVC/AV1 export and tuning for large footage. It suits trying it out and simple edits.

Is my footage sent anywhere? The project describes an app that runs on your computer, and speech-to-text is optional and off by default. The documentation does not mention uploading your video.

Is it an Adobe product? No. The project states it is independent, not affiliated with Adobe, and contains no Adobe code or assets.

Will it run on a weak computer? Minimum specs are not documented. A GPU that supports DirectX 12, Metal or Vulkan helps; try a short, low-resolution clip first.