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Sitra Cressman
Sitra Cressman

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From Side Project to Product: Building an AI Creative Tool

#startup #indiehacker #ai #buildinpublic

I have been building PopcornAI - an AI video and image generation tool. Here are some honest lessons from the journey.

Starting with a Real Problem

I was creating content and kept running into friction: generating quality visuals was either expensive or time-consuming. The first version was a wrapper around open-source models with a basic UI.

The Technical Stack

  • Backend: Python + FastAPI
  • Model serving: Custom pipeline using diffusers library
  • Frontend: Next.js with a focus on simplicity
  • Infrastructure: GPU instances with auto-scaling

The biggest challenge was latency. The solution was progressive preview, queue management, and caching.

What I Got Wrong

  1. Over-engineering early - should have shipped the MVP faster
  2. Feature creep - had to cut scope repeatedly
  3. Underestimating marketing - building is 40% of the work

What Worked

  1. Building in public on Twitter and Dev.to
  2. Focusing on one use case: short-form video for social media
  3. Fast iteration: ship weekly, get feedback, repeat

PopcornAI is live and growing, handling AI-powered video and image generation with a focus on creative quality.

If you are thinking about building an AI product: start with your own pain point and ship fast.

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