The user is building a mobile app feature that generates slightly edited variations of a user's selfie and stitches them into a short video. They are looking for the most cost-effective way to do face-consistent image generation.
Hey devs, I'm working on a mobile app feature and could use some guidance from folks who've implemented AI image/video generation. **What I'm trying to build:** 1. User uploads a selfie 2. AI generates 5 slightly edited variations (same person, different expressions/lighting/styles) 3. Stitch those images into a short video (like a slideshow/morph effect) **Tech stack:** React Native (Expo), Node.js backend, planning to use Claude Code for implementation. **Questions:** * What's the most cost-effective way to do face-consistent image generation? I've looked at OpenAI's DALL-E, Stability AI, and some face-swap APIs, but the pricing gets confusing fast. * For the "5 variations" part—should I generate these on-device with a model or hit an API? App size is a concern if I bundle a model. * Any recommendations for turning static images into a video? I could just use `ffmpeg` on the backend, but wondering if there's a smarter AI-powered way that actually animates between the images instead of just a slideshow. * Are there any services that do steps 2+3 in one go, or is it better to keep them separate? Would love to hear what worked (or didn't work) for your projects. Budget is tight since it's a side project, so looking for pragmatic solutions over enterprise-grade APIs. Thanks!