Every row below repeats what the PhotoCraft developers have written: the install notes in the README, the web hosting notes and the "Check here first: known issues" post, updated October 22, 2026 for v0.12.0. We have not reproduced these problems ourselves. Status is as of October 22, 2026.
First, a safety rule: if Windows or macOS warns you about a file, check its SHA-256 with the checker before anything else. Only continue with a file that matches the official value.
Windows
| Problem | Status and what to do |
|---|---|
| "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen) before PhotoCraft starts | Since 0.12.0, not fixed yet. The publisher Windows shows, Learning Machines, is the company behind PhotoCraft. The developers' workaround is More info › Run anyway. Use it only for a file whose SHA-256 matched. · known issues, #8338 |
"windows.data.pdf.dll was not found" (or prntvpt.dll) at start | Fixed in 0.12.0 for windows.data.pdf.dll: update to 0.12.0. A missing prntvpt.dll is not fixed yet. · known issues |
Crash at start with Intel graphics, in the Intel Vulkan driver (igvk64.dll) | Fixed in 0.12.0. · known issues |
| The window frame is black on some Intel graphics (OpenGL), or turns black after minimizing | Fix waiting to merge. Until then: Edit › Preferences › Interface › System title bar. · known issues |
| The screen flickers with G-SYNC, FreeSync or an OLED monitor | Fix waiting to merge. Until then: NVIDIA Control Panel › Monitor Technology › Fixed Refresh. · known issues |
| Very slow on older Intel graphics (HD 4000, HD 4400); it shows "Microsoft Basic Render Driver" | Not fixed yet. On these chips PhotoCraft runs on the CPU. · known issues |
| No pen pressure (Wacom, Gaomon, XP-Pen and others) | Fix waiting to merge (a WinTab pen reader). · known issues |
macOS
| Problem | Status and what to do |
|---|---|
Crash at start on an older Intel Mac or a Mac running OpenCore Legacy Patcher ("Compiler encountered an internal error" or invalid value 'metal3.2') | The internal compiler error was partly fixed in 0.8.2; the metal3.2 fix is waiting to merge. · known issues |
| The command-line tool needs the internet the first time you run it | Expected. A bare binary can't carry a stapled notarization ticket, so macOS checks the notarization online on first run. To confirm it yourself: spctl --assess --type install -vv photocraft-cli-<version>-macos-universal/photocraft-cli should print accepted, source=Notarized Developer ID. · README |
| A Gatekeeper warning when opening the .dmg | Not foundNeither the README nor the known-issues list mentions one, and we have not run the .dmg ourselves. The README says the app is signed and notarized. · README, known issues |
Linux
| Problem | Status and what to do |
|---|---|
| The Flatpak asks for a runtime | Expected. The bundle needs the freedesktop runtime from Flathub, which flatpak offers to install with it: flatpak install --user photocraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.flatpak, then flatpak run ai.storyteller.photocraft. · README |
| The AppImage added a menu entry and icon | Expected: the first run registers them in ~/.local/share so the dock shows the icon on Wayland. Set PHOTOCRAFT_NO_DESKTOP_INTEGRATION=1 to skip it; docs/releasing.md › Linux explains how to undo it. · README |
| Files dropped on the window don't open (Wayland) | Known limit of the windowing library (#386). Use File › Open, or copy the image in your file manager and paste it with Ctrl+V. To drag and drop, start PhotoCraft under XWayland: WAYLAND_DISPLAY= photocraft, or for the Flatpak flatpak run --nosocket=wayland --socket=x11 ai.storyteller.photocraft. Preferences › Performance › Linux display server = X11 does the same on every launch. · README |
| The interface looks blurry at 125%, 150% or 175% scaling | This happens under XWayland: the window is drawn at a lower resolution and enlarged. Native Wayland stays sharp (#1072), so it is a trade-off with the drag-and-drop workaround above. · README |
| The pen moves the cursor but doesn't draw (Wayland) | Partly fixed in 0.6.0 through XWayland; GNOME and the Flatpak still fail. · known issues |
| PhotoCraft uses the Intel graphics instead of the other card | Fixed in 0.12.0 on Linux (not yet on Windows). · known issues |
| The RISC-V build won't run | It is built against Ubuntu 24.04 and needs glibc 2.39 or newer. · README |
FreeBSD and the web build
| Problem | Status and what to do |
|---|---|
| FreeBSD: missing libraries | Install the runtime libraries first: pkg install libxkbcommon wayland libX11 libXcursor libXrandr libXi libxcb mesa-libs vulkan-loader gtk3 fontconfig freetype2 alsa-lib, then tar -xzf photocraft-<version>-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz --strip-components 1 -C /usr/local. · README |
| The web build doesn't start on some servers | This affected 0.10.0 and is fixed in 0.12.0. · known issues |
The web version (in your browser)
These apply to any copy of the official web build, including ours at /online.
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| It stays on "Loading PhotoCraft…", then says it is taking longer than usual | The app's files failed to download or come from a different version of the page. Reload; the browser console lists what failed. On our copy, the files are checked against the official zip (see how to verify). · web hosting notes |
| It is slow or draws wrongly on your graphics card | PhotoCraft uses WebGPU when the browser has it and falls back to WebGL2 by itself. Add ?webgl to the address to force WebGL2, or ?cpu for the slowest, most compatible path. On our copy: /online/editor/?webgl. · web hosting notes |
| It says the browser isn't supported | A browser with neither WebGPU nor WebGL2 gets a message instead of the app. Use a current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. · web hosting notes |
| It starts slowly in an older Safari or Firefox | Before Safari 16.4 and Firefox 113, the browser can't unpack the app's download itself, so the page does it in its own code, which is a little slower. · web hosting notes |
| Your work was lost after a reload | The web version has no autosave or crash recovery. Save or Export (both download a file) before you close or reload the page. · web hosting notes |
| Only two fonts in the font menu | The web app ships two fonts of its own, Inter and JetBrains Mono, because a browser offers no system fonts. The desktop app uses the fonts on your computer. · web hosting notes |
| Copy and paste, or WebGPU, don't work | Both need a secure page: https:// or http://localhost. Over plain HTTP the app falls back to WebGL2. · web hosting notes |
Still stuck? Read the full known-issues list (it also covers pen tablets, shortcuts and menus). If your problem is not there, file an issue with your OS, document size, layer count and a screenshot (Help › System Info helps), or ask on the ArtCraft Discord.
Questions
Is it safe to click "Run anyway" on the SmartScreen warning?
Only for a file whose SHA-256 matches the official value. Since 0.12.0 Windows shows the "Windows protected your PC" warning; the developers' workaround is More info › Run anyway. Check the file first with the checker.
PhotoCraft crashes at start on an older Intel Mac. What can I do?
Look at the macOS table above: the developers list the crash on older Intel Macs and on Macs running OpenCore Legacy Patcher, with its current status, in their known-issues post.
PhotoCraft in the browser won't load. What should I try?
Reload first, then try
?webgl at the end of the address, and make sure the page is on https://. The web version needs WebGPU or WebGL2.More from this guide: PhotoCraft overview · Release files and checksums · Use PhotoCraft online · Troubleshooting · PSD and file formats
Last checked October 22, 2026. Facts come from the official PhotoCraft repository at the v0.12.0 tag unless a line says otherwise.