I vibe-coded a new app this week – it takes any photo and turns it into a pixelated visual akin to those from the 1980s games of my youth. If you upload a photo of a person, it adds a Flower Power background. You can also control the “coarseness” of the pixels.
What’s different about this app from my previous vibe-coding experiments?
🔷 I used Google AI Studio instead of Google Gemini to create it, so it creates more advanced code.
🔷 The app is published automatically as an actual website that loads quickly.
🔷 The app is not free to use: Whenever you use the app, it calls the Gemini API to tap on the latest Google imaging model (nicknamed “nano banana”) – every prompt output will cost money and I have to foot the AI bill. I can choose cheaper imaging models to reduce the cost.
🔷 As such, to use AI Studio’s full capabilities, you need to enable billing on your account. However, the cost is usually very low (in cents) and is worth the investment for improving your AI literacy.
🔷 I will now include Google AI Studio coaching in my Advanced Gen AI masterclasses with The Straits Times. See link in comments for workshop details.
The app is not perfect – sometimes it doesn’t pixelate the photo enough. However, when it works, it really outputs the late 1980s vibe!
Let me know if you want to try it and I’ll message you the link.