Descriptions:
Riley Brown walks through a complete vibe-coding session using Claude Code in the browser to build a custom image generation interface powered by Google’s Imagen Pro API — replicating the core functionality of Crea, an AI image platform valued at over a billion dollars, at a fraction of the cost. The motivation is practical: Brown’s team exhausts Crea’s compute credits too quickly, so building a tailored internal tool on direct API access solves the cost problem while allowing full UI customization.
The build follows an iterative cycle of natural-language prompts submitted to Claude Code, starting with core features — prompt input, aspect ratio selection, element management for saving reusable image references, and a generated image gallery — and progressively refining through follow-up requests. Specific prompt examples include enabling parallel image generation so multiple images load simultaneously, adding drag-to-reference functionality, adjusting color schemes from black to dark charcoal with graph-paper texture, and renaming the app to Riley Studio. The entire session runs approximately 34 minutes.
Brown shares the finished project as a free clone template and frames the broader point that nearly any expensive AI SaaS tool can be vibe-coded into a cheaper custom version using Claude Code. The video is particularly useful for non-developers interested in practical prompting strategies, iterative UI refinement patterns, and how to structure Claude Code sessions for multi-feature builds.
📺 Source: Riley Brown · Published January 04, 2026
🏷️ Format: Hands On Build
