Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Qwen-Image-2.0: Professional infographics, exquisite photorealism

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Three dominant themes in the discussion

Theme Key points Representative quotes
1. The “uncanny” realism problem Users note that AI‑generated photos feel off—too crisp, wrong depth‑of‑field, lighting glitches, and subtle artifacts that trigger nausea or a sense of the uncanny valley. “The text rendering is quite impressive, but is it just me or do all these generated ‘realistic’ images have a distinctly uncanny feel to it.” – Deukhoofd
“The lighting is wrong, that's what's telling to me. They look too crisp.” – elorant
“I had to stop. I don’t feel good staring at it now.” – finnjohnsen2
2. Prompting & model differences Users compare models (Nano Banana Pro, Qwen‑Image‑2.0, Flux, Z‑Image) and discuss how specific prompts (e.g., “shallow depth of field, bokeh, DSLR”) can produce more realistic or artistic results, and how depth‑of‑field handling varies. “I had no problems getting images with blurry background with the appropriate prompts.” – Mashimo
“The blur isn’t correct though. The depth of field is really wrong even if it conforms to ‘subject crisp, background blurred’.” – afro88
“The complex prompt following ability and editing is seriously impressive here.” – cubefox
3. Open‑source vs closed‑model hype The conversation touches on the trend of companies releasing polished demos, then locking weights or keeping models proprietary, and the frustration with “coming‑soon” open‑source claims. “Another closed model dressed up as ‘coming soon’ open source.” – singularfutur
“Unfortunately no open weights it seems.” – dsrtslnd23
“They have image and video models that are nowhere near SOTA on prompt adherence or image editing but pretty good on the artistic side.” – wongarsu

These three themes capture the main concerns and observations shared by the participants.


🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

DepthCorrector: AI-Driven Depth‑of‑Field Adjustment for Generated Images

Summary

  • Provides an automated post‑processing pipeline that analyzes AI‑generated images and applies realistic depth‑of‑field (DoF) blur based on estimated depth maps.
  • Solves the common frustration of “everything crystal clear” and “wrong blur amount” that makes images feel uncanny.
  • Core value: turns any raw AI image into a more natural, camera‑like photograph with minimal user effort.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience AI artists, content creators, designers using text‑to‑image models.
Core Feature Depth estimation → selective blur → adjustable blur strength & focal plane.
Tech Stack Python, PyTorch, OpenCV, MiDaS depth model, FastAPI for web UI, Electron for desktop app.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: $9/month for premium features (batch processing, higher resolution).

Notes

  • HN commenters complain: “Everything is crystal clear like it’s composited” and “blur isn’t correct… wrong distance, zoom amount.” DepthCorrector directly addresses these pain points.
  • Practical utility: can be integrated into existing pipelines (e.g., Midjourney, Qwen‑Image) as a lightweight CLI or plugin.
  • Discussion potential: debate on best depth models, trade‑offs between speed and quality, and how DoF affects perceived realism.

LMStudio‑Image: Linux‑Friendly Local Image Generation Extension

Summary

  • Extends LMStudio to support local image generation models (e.g., Qwen‑Image‑2.0, Flux, Z‑Image) on Linux with a unified UI.
  • Addresses the frustration of “LMStudio only supports text gen” and the lack of Linux tools for image models.
  • Core value: gives Linux users a single, easy‑to‑install environment for both text and image generation locally.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Linux developers, researchers, hobbyists wanting local image generation.
Core Feature One‑click installation of model weights, GPU‑accelerated inference, integrated prompt editor, preview pane.
Tech Stack Rust for backend, Tauri for cross‑platform UI, ONNX Runtime, CUDA/cuBLAS, Docker for reproducibility.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby (open source) with optional paid support packages.

Notes

  • Users like “inanothertime” and “ilaksh” expressed the need for Linux‑friendly tools; this fills that gap.
  • Practical utility: eliminates the need to juggle multiple CLI tools, streamlines workflow for daily image generation.
  • Discussion potential: open‑source vs. closed‑weights, model licensing, and community contributions.

Realistic Lighting Enhancer: Post‑Processing Module for AI Images

Summary

  • A plug‑in that analyzes AI‑generated images for lighting inconsistencies (missing shadows, wrong light direction) and applies physically‑based shading corrections.
  • Tackles the “lighting is wrong, too crisp” and “no proper shadows” complaints that contribute to the uncanny valley.
  • Core value: boosts perceived realism without requiring retraining of the generation model.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Graphic designers, marketing teams, AI image generators.
Core Feature Light source detection → shadow mapping → color‑grading → optional depth‑aware shading.
Tech Stack C++/CUDA for performance, OpenGL for real‑time preview, Python bindings, integration with GIMP/Photoshop via plugin.
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: $19 one‑time license for desktop, $49/month for cloud API.

Notes

  • HN users note “everything looks too crisp” and “no proper shadows”; this tool directly addresses those visual cues.
  • Practical utility: can be used as a standalone editor or as a post‑processing step in generation pipelines.
  • Discussion potential: balancing artistic control vs. automated realism, handling of complex scenes, and integration with existing AI workflows.

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