Comic Crafter AI

Create a full comic strip from a single idea using Google Gemini. The app guides you through ideation, storyboard creation, image generation, and exporting to PDF/PNG.

View the live AI Studio app: https://ai.studio/apps/drive/1CyieRiFV8bC75PRDk4r_sXfcYU19T6Sc

Quick start

Prerequisites: Node.js 18+ and a Google Gemini API key (access to gemini-2.5-flash and imagen-4.0-generate-001).

1. Install dependencies

npm install

2. Add your key to .env.local

GEMINI_API_KEY=your-key-here

3. Run the app

npm run dev

How it works

1. API Key – enter your Gemini key. It is stored in the browser’s localStorage under comic-crafter-api-key and never sent elsewhere. Use “Change API Key” in the footer to clear it.
2. Ideation – provide a story idea, pick or describe an art style, and optionally add character descriptions. “Suggest …” buttons ask Gemini to add twists, sidekicks, villains, etc.
3. Storyboard – Gemini returns a title, cover prompts, and six panels (prompt + dialogue/narration). Review and continue.
4. Generation – each prompt is sent to the image model. You can regenerate individual panels and download the finished comic as:
   • PDF page (high or ultra quality)
   • PNG comic strip

Scripts

• npm run dev – start Vite dev server
• npm run build – production build
• npm run preview – preview production build

Troubleshooting

• Invalid or missing images: regenerate the specific panel and confirm your key has model access.
• Low-quality export: choose Ultra quality before downloading PDF/PNG.
• API/auth errors: update the key in .env.local, reload, and use “Change API Key.”

Documentation

For a detailed walkthrough, tips, and privacy notes, see docs/USER_GUIDE.md.