Vibecode Adobe Express
track this build5 steps, step by step0%KINDA · weekend project
You can build a quick image editor and template exporter, but Adobe's stock/licensing, PDF/media tooling, brand assets, and Creative Cloud tie-ins are the product.
the project pack4 files · fastest path to a working personal build
You are building a lean indie version of Adobe Express. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Adobe Express indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Adobe Express workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a small template editor for images/videos with text overlays, background removal via API, and export. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Adobe Stock/assets - PDF/video tooling - brand kits - Creative Cloud integration - mobile apps - licensing coverage If those capabilities are essential, use GrapesJS instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build me a social graphics generator to replace Adobe Express. Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express, templates are plain HTML/CSS files in templates/, rendered to PNG by a headless Playwright screenshot at exact pixel sizes. No frontend framework. - Ship 5 starter templates: Instagram square 1080x1080, story 1080x1920, X post 1600x900, YouTube thumbnail 1280x720, and a quote card. - The page shows a template picker, one input per text field, an image drop zone, and an accent color picker, with a live preview iframe rendering the same template HTML. - Background removal for uploaded photos via rembg running locally, no paid key needed. - Brand lives in brand.json: two font files in fonts/, 4 hex colors, a logo path; every template reads from it. - Exports save to ~/Graphics/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.png plus a JSON sidecar of the field values so any graphic can be re-rendered later. - Localhost only, no accounts, no telemetry, my photos never leave the machine. - Out of scope: video, PDFs, and stock assets. Adobe's licensed library is the product, I bring my own images. - README: setup, installing rembg, and how to add a new template. ## Required capabilities - canvas/video editor - media processing - image AI API - template assets - storage ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of Adobe Express. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Adobe Express indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Adobe Express workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a small template editor for images/videos with text overlays, background removal via API, and export. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Adobe Stock/assets - PDF/video tooling - brand kits - Creative Cloud integration - mobile apps - licensing coverage If those capabilities are essential, use GrapesJS instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build me a social graphics generator to replace Adobe Express. Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express, templates are plain HTML/CSS files in templates/, rendered to PNG by a headless Playwright screenshot at exact pixel sizes. No frontend framework. - Ship 5 starter templates: Instagram square 1080x1080, story 1080x1920, X post 1600x900, YouTube thumbnail 1280x720, and a quote card. - The page shows a template picker, one input per text field, an image drop zone, and an accent color picker, with a live preview iframe rendering the same template HTML. - Background removal for uploaded photos via rembg running locally, no paid key needed. - Brand lives in brand.json: two font files in fonts/, 4 hex colors, a logo path; every template reads from it. - Exports save to ~/Graphics/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.png plus a JSON sidecar of the field values so any graphic can be re-rendered later. - Localhost only, no accounts, no telemetry, my photos never leave the machine. - Out of scope: video, PDFs, and stock assets. Adobe's licensed library is the product, I bring my own images. - README: setup, installing rembg, and how to add a new template. ## Required capabilities - canvas/video editor - media processing - image AI API - template assets - storage ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of Adobe Express. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # Adobe Express product brief ## Problem You can build a quick image editor and template exporter, but Adobe's stock/licensing, PDF/media tooling, brand assets, and Creative Cloud tie-ins are the product. ## Product outcome Build a small template editor for images/videos with text overlays, background removal via API, and export. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - canvas/video editor - media processing - image AI API - template assets - storage ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - Adobe Stock/assets - PDF/video tooling - brand kits - Creative Cloud integration - mobile apps - licensing coverage ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build me a social graphics generator to replace Adobe Express. Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express, templates are plain HTML/CSS files in templates/, rendered to PNG by a headless Playwright screenshot at exact pixel sizes. No frontend framework. - Ship 5 starter templates: Instagram square 1080x1080, story 1080x1920, X post 1600x900, YouTube thumbnail 1280x720, and a quote card. - The page shows a template picker, one input per text field, an image drop zone, and an accent color picker, with a live preview iframe rendering the same template HTML. - Background removal for uploaded photos via rembg running locally, no paid key needed. - Brand lives in brand.json: two font files in fonts/, 4 hex colors, a logo path; every template reads from it. - Exports save to ~/Graphics/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.png plus a JSON sidecar of the field values so any graphic can be re-rendered later. - Localhost only, no accounts, no telemetry, my photos never leave the machine. - Out of scope: video, PDFs, and stock assets. Adobe's licensed library is the product, I bring my own images. - README: setup, installing rembg, and how to add a new template. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Adobe Express capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
README.md
# Adobe Express indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Adobe Express workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a small template editor for images/videos with text overlays, background removal via API, and export. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Adobe Stock/assets - PDF/video tooling - brand kits - Creative Cloud integration - mobile apps - licensing coverage If those capabilities are essential, use GrapesJS instead of pretending the gap is solved.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build me a social graphics generator to replace Adobe Express. Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express, templates are plain HTML/CSS files in templates/, rendered to PNG by a headless Playwright screenshot at exact pixel sizes. No frontend framework. - Ship 5 starter templates: Instagram square 1080x1080, story 1080x1920, X post 1600x900, YouTube thumbnail 1280x720, and a quote card. - The page shows a template picker, one input per text field, an image drop zone, and an accent color picker, with a live preview iframe rendering the same template HTML. - Background removal for uploaded photos via rembg running locally, no paid key needed. - Brand lives in brand.json: two font files in fonts/, 4 hex colors, a logo path; every template reads from it. - Exports save to ~/Graphics/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.png plus a JSON sidecar of the field values so any graphic can be re-rendered later. - Localhost only, no accounts, no telemetry, my photos never leave the machine. - Out of scope: video, PDFs, and stock assets. Adobe's licensed library is the product, I bring my own images. - README: setup, installing rembg, and how to add a new template. ## Required capabilities - canvas/video editor - media processing - image AI API - template assets - storage ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
PRODUCT.md
# Adobe Express product brief ## Problem You can build a quick image editor and template exporter, but Adobe's stock/licensing, PDF/media tooling, brand assets, and Creative Cloud tie-ins are the product. ## Product outcome Build a small template editor for images/videos with text overlays, background removal via API, and export. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - canvas/video editor - media processing - image AI API - template assets - storage ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - Adobe Stock/assets - PDF/video tooling - brand kits - Creative Cloud integration - mobile apps - licensing coverage ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build me a social graphics generator to replace Adobe Express. Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express, templates are plain HTML/CSS files in templates/, rendered to PNG by a headless Playwright screenshot at exact pixel sizes. No frontend framework. - Ship 5 starter templates: Instagram square 1080x1080, story 1080x1920, X post 1600x900, YouTube thumbnail 1280x720, and a quote card. - The page shows a template picker, one input per text field, an image drop zone, and an accent color picker, with a live preview iframe rendering the same template HTML. - Background removal for uploaded photos via rembg running locally, no paid key needed. - Brand lives in brand.json: two font files in fonts/, 4 hex colors, a logo path; every template reads from it. - Exports save to ~/Graphics/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.png plus a JSON sidecar of the field values so any graphic can be re-rendered later. - Localhost only, no accounts, no telemetry, my photos never leave the machine. - Out of scope: video, PDFs, and stock assets. Adobe's licensed library is the product, I bring my own images. - README: setup, installing rembg, and how to add a new template. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
OPERATIONS.md
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Adobe Express capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
They pay because the content and export ecosystem is already there.
xAdobe Stock/assets
xPDF/video tooling
xbrand kits
xCreative Cloud integration
xmobile apps
xlicensing coverage
share on X ↗"I just replaced Adobe Express ($9.99/mo) with one prompt"
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
Adobe Express FreeThe zero-dollar plan still makes and exports social posts, short videos, and PDFs; bulk resize and proper brand kits remain rent.free↗
Canva FreeThe bigger template pantry for graphics, clips, docs, and decks, minus Magic Resize and the grown-up brand controls.free↗
Desygner FreeTemplates, basic photo work, PDFs, scheduling, and simple brand assets for three people without a countdown clock.free↗all 4 free alternatives to Adobe Express →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Adobe Express pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/user | $0/user | 5 GB storage; 1 social account per network; 10-day version history; video up to 30 minutes; 10 PDF quick actions/month; 5 lifetime presentation generations; 2 lifetime 5-second video generations. |
| premium | $9.99/user | — | 250 generative credits/month; 3 social accounts per network; 30-day history; video up to 2 hours. |
| teams | $4.99/user | $4.17/user | 250 generative credits/user/month and 1 TB storage/user; minimum 2 seats. |
| enterprise | custom | — | Custom seats, storage, security and support; public price is not listed. |
free tier5 GB storage, 1 social account per network, 10-day history, 10 PDF quick actions/month, 5 lifetime presentation generations and 2 lifetime 5-second video generations.
billingPremium is sold monthly; Teams is sold monthly and annually, with a 2-seat minimum
hidden costsTeams requires at least 2 paid seats. Generative-credit limits apply, premium stock/assets can require a paid entitlement, and taxes may be added. Firefly Pro at $19.99/month is a separate bundle that includes Express Premium.
verified 2026-08-14 · source ↗
Vibecode Adobe Express
Kinda. The core of Adobe Express is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: Adobe Stock/assets, PDF/video tooling. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Adobe Express cost?
Adobe Express costs about $9.99/month (Premium, checked 2026-07-30), which is $119.88 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Adobe Express?
Honestly: Adobe Stock/assets; PDF/video tooling; brand kits; Creative Cloud integration; mobile apps; licensing coverage. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Adobe Express?
Yes: Adobe Express Free (The zero-dollar plan still makes and exports social posts, short videos, and PDFs; bulk resize and proper brand kits remain rent.) Canva Free (The bigger template pantry for graphics, clips, docs, and decks, minus Magic Resize and the grown-up brand controls.) Desygner Free (Templates, basic photo work, PDFs, scheduling, and simple brand assets for three people without a countdown clock.) All 4 curated free alternatives are at vibecodeit.com/adobe-express/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.