Gallery Vault
AI-powered photo editing and media management platform
Overview
What this is
Gallery Vault is a photo editing and media management platform with camera capture and AI-powered editing built in.
Problem
Why it needed building
Most simple photo apps handle storage or editing, rarely both well — and AI editing features like background removal or generative fill usually require a separate specialized tool.
Solution
How it works
Integrated Cloudinary with next-cloudinary for real-time image processing — generative fill, background removal, enhancement, effects — plus secure storage and media management features like likes, favorites, albums, and deletion workflows.
Architecture
How it's put together
- →Cloudinary + next-cloudinary integration for real-time AI image processing and secure media storage
- →In-app camera capture, not just file upload
- →Media organization: albums, favorites, likes, and deletion workflows
Challenges
The hard part
Keeping AI-processed image operations, like generative fill and background removal, feeling instant despite running through Cloudinary's processing pipeline rather than client-side.
Trade-offs
What I gave up on purpose
Relying on Cloudinary for AI processing meant faster shipping than building custom ML models, at the cost of depending on their processing API and pricing.
Performance
What changed, measurably
Supports real-time generative fill, background removal, enhancement, and effects directly in the browser workflow.
Next
What I'd build next
Add shareable album links so a user can send a curated set of photos to someone without giving them full account access.