Skip to main content

One post tagged with "ai-image-editor"

View All Tags

MS Paint Mockup to Working SaaS App in 5 Minutes (AI Image Editor Tutorial)

· 7 min read

(Watch the video above to see me turn terrible MS Paint sketches into a working image editor – yes, really)

Sign Up For Aidolons Now

You're staring at MS Paint, drawing stick figures and rectangles like it's 1995.

Five minutes later, you have a working SaaS app that edits images with text prompts.

This isn't a coding bootcamp success story. This is what happened when I decided to test if AI could actually understand my terrible drawings and build something useful from them.

Spoiler: It worked. And the app now edits YouTube thumbnails for real money.

The "No Way This Works" Experiment​

Here's what I did in the video above. I opened MS Paint – yes, that MS Paint – and drew the world's worst app mockup. Crooked rectangles for image panels. A squiggly line for a text box. Buttons that looked like a toddler's first shapes.

Then I fed these masterpieces to GPT-5 with one instruction: "Build this."

The AI looked at my kindergarten-level art and built a fully functional image editor.

Not a prototype. Not a wireframe. A working app that:

  • Generates images from text prompts
  • Edits existing images with natural language
  • Has before/after panels for comparison
  • Includes accept/reject functionality
  • Actually processes real business assets

How Text-Based Image Editing Changes Everything​

Forget Photoshop tutorials. Forget learning layers and masks.

Type what you want. Get what you typed.

In the demo, I took an actual YouTube thumbnail and typed: "Change the text to 'Build SaaS Apps with GPT-5'". The AI understood the context, found the text in the image, and replaced it perfectly.

Then I got creative: "Make the guy on the left look even more stressed."

The AI delivered. No selection tools. No manual editing. Just described the change and watched it happen.

The Business Case Nobody's Talking About​

While everyone's arguing about AI replacing designers, smart entrepreneurs are building something different.

YouTube Thumbnail Testing at Scale​

Content creators spend hours tweaking thumbnails. Now imagine:

  • Upload your base thumbnail
  • Type 20 different variations in plain English
  • A/B test them all without opening Photoshop
  • Bill creators $47/month for unlimited edits

One creator. One subscription. Recurring revenue.

E-commerce Product Variations​

Online stores need product images in different contexts. Traditional solution: Expensive photoshoots.

AI solution:

  • "Put this coffee mug on a kitchen counter"
  • "Show it in an office setting"
  • "Add steam coming from the coffee"
  • "Make it a holiday version with snow"

Same product. Infinite contexts. Zero photoshoots.

Social Media Content Factories​

Agencies managing multiple clients need content variations fast.

Old way: Designer creates 10 versions over 2 hours.

New way:

  • Account manager types 10 descriptions
  • AI generates all versions in minutes
  • Designer reviews and approves
  • Client gets variations in record time

The designer isn't replaced. They're promoted to creative director.

The MS Paint Method: Why It Actually Works​

Here's the counterintuitive truth: Simple sketches communicate better than detailed specs.

When I drew those terrible rectangles in Paint, I was showing the AI:

  • Spatial relationships (what goes where)
  • User flow (what happens when)
  • Visual hierarchy (what's important)

No jargon. No technical requirements. Just visual communication at its most basic level.

Quick Win: Next time you're explaining an app idea, grab any drawing tool and sketch it out. Even stick figures communicate layout better than paragraphs of text. The AI understands visual context better than you think.

Building Your Own AI Image Editor (The Smart Way)​

You don't need to be technical. Here's the exact process:

Step 1: Sketch Your Vision​

Open any drawing tool. Draw boxes where things go. Label them simply. Don't overthink it.

Step 2: Describe the Flow​

Write what happens in plain English:

  • "User uploads image here"
  • "They type what they want changed"
  • "New version appears on the right"
  • "They can accept or try again"

Step 3: Be Specific About Behavior​

The AI needs rules:

  • "Only generate new images if no image is uploaded"
  • "Show 'generating' text in the right panel"
  • "Move accepted edits to the left panel"

Step 4: Test and Iterate​

The first version won't be perfect. Mine wasn't. But here's the key: You can fix it with words.

"The panels should be side by side, not stacked." "Put the buttons in the bottom right." "Make everything fit in one screen."

Each instruction makes it better. No code required.

The Hidden Goldmine: Specialized Image Editors​

Everyone's building generic tools. The money is in specialization.

Real Estate Photo Editor​

  • "Remove the car from the driveway"
  • "Make the lawn greener"
  • "Add blue sky"
  • "Stage the empty room with furniture"

Real estate agents pay $200-500 per listing for photo editing. Your app could do it for $97/month unlimited.

Restaurant Menu Designer​

  • "Make the burger look juicier"
  • "Add steam to the soup"
  • "Brighten the salad colors"
  • "Create a breakfast version of this plate"

Restaurants update menus constantly. Subscription model writes itself.

Personal Brand Enhancer​

  • "Make my LinkedIn photo more professional"
  • "Remove the background"
  • "Fix the lighting"
  • "Make me look more approachable"

Every professional needs headshots. Most hate the process. Solve that.

What This Actually Means for Creators​

The tools aren't replacing creativity. They're removing the technical barriers.

That YouTube thumbnail I edited in the demo? Previously, you'd need:

  • Photoshop subscription ($20/month)
  • Design knowledge (weeks to learn)
  • Time to execute (30 minutes per variation)

Now you need:

  • A text box
  • An idea
  • 30 seconds

The creativity is still yours. The execution is automated.

The Uncomfortable Truth About AI Apps​

Most people building AI apps are doing it wrong.

They're creating "ChatGPT wrappers" – generic tools that do everything poorly. They're competing with OpenAI directly. They're going to lose.

The winners are building specific solutions for specific problems.

Not "AI writing tool." But "Real estate listing description generator."

Not "AI assistant." But "E-commerce product photo variations."

Specificity is your moat.

Your Next Move​

The barrier to entry has collapsed.

You don't need venture capital. You don't need a technical co-founder. You don't even need to draw well (clearly).

You need:

  1. A specific problem to solve
  2. The ability to describe it clearly
  3. The courage to charge for the solution

The image editor I built in MS Paint? It's not revolutionary technology. But for a YouTuber spending hours on thumbnails, it's worth $47/month easily.

Find your version of that.

Ready to Build Your Own AI App?​

You've seen me turn MS Paint scribbles into a working SaaS app. No coding bootcamp. No technical background. Just terrible drawings and clear instructions.

Your idea doesn't need to be perfect. Your sketches can be terrible. But if you can describe what you want, you can build it.

Yes, I want to build my app »

P.S. With Aidolons' 14-day money-back guarantee, you can test this yourself risk-free. Draw your worst mockup. Build your app. If it doesn't work, you pay nothing. But when it does work (and it will), you'll have a real SaaS product ready to sell.