AURA
AI-Powered Image Transformer
A lightweight, fully serverless, single-file image transformation web tool. Upload a photo, choose an artistic or photographic style, and generate a restyled image instantly — powered by Google’s Gemini image generation model.
No backend server, no deployment pipeline, no installation. Just open the HTML file and go.
🌐 Live Demo → https://aurashift.github.io/AURA/image-transformer.html
📸 Screenshots
| Workspace Interface | Transformation Result |
|---|---|
⚡ Architecture Highlights
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deployment | Single .html file — zero server required |
| AI Model | Google Gemini image generation (auto-discovered) |
| SDK | @google/genai v2.5.0 bundled inline (no CDN) |
| Transport | Google GenAI SDK — CORS-compatible, works from file:// |
| API Key | Runtime input only — never hardcoded or stored |
| Timeout | 90 seconds hard cutoff per request |
| Model Discovery | Dynamic ListModels call — always uses best available model |
🔑 API Key & Billing
Getting Your API Key
- Go to https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
- Create or select a project
- Copy your API key
- Paste it into the AURA key field at runtime — it is stored only in your browser session
Free Tier vs Paid Tier
| Tier | Images/Day | Images/Min | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ~50 (resets midnight PT) | 2 RPM | $0 |
| Paid | Unlimited | 15 RPM | ~$0.04/image (~₹3.30) |
Note: As of December 2025, the free tier has
limit: 0for image generation by default. You must enable billing to use the API reliably.
Enabling Paid Tier (India)
- Go to https://aistudio.google.com/projects
- Click Set up billing next to your project
- Add a payment method and complete setup
- Your existing API key immediately gains paid-tier quota
India-specific: If you see error
OR_BACR2_44, your card type may be unsupported. Use a Visa/Mastercard international credit card, or a virtual card from Wise as a reliable workaround. Indian debit cards and some domestic credit cards are blocked by Google’s billing system.
🤖 Model
AURA uses dynamic model discovery — on first generate, it calls ListModels with your API key and automatically selects the best available image generation model.
Priority Order
1. gemini-2.5-flash-image ← fastest, preferred (~5–15s)
2. gemini-3.1-flash-image ← fallback
3. gemini-2.0-flash-exp-image-generation ← legacy fallback
If none of the preferred models are available, AURA picks any model whose name contains "image" and supports generateContent. The resolved model name is logged to the browser console as [AURA] Using model: ....
Model names change frequently as Google releases and deprecates versions. Dynamic discovery ensures the app never breaks due to a renamed model.
🔒 Security
API Key Handling
- Your key is entered at runtime into a password-masked input field
- It is stored only as a JavaScript variable in the current browser session
- It is never embedded in the HTML file, written to disk, or sent to any third-party server
- Closing the browser tab destroys the key — it must be re-entered each session
Browser-to-API Architecture
Your Browser → Google Gemini API (direct)
The request goes directly from your browser to Google’s servers. No intermediate server touches your image or key.
⚠️ Public Hosting Warning
If you host AURA on a public website, do not hardcode your API key in the HTML. Anyone can view page source and steal it. For public deployments, implement a backend proxy:
Your Browser → Your Server (holds API key securely) → Google Gemini API
Example proxy stack: Node.js + Express, Python + FastAPI, or Next.js API routes.
⏱️ Timeout & Performance
| Scenario | Expected Time |
|---|---|
| Normal (paid tier, gemini-2.5-flash-image) | 5–20 seconds |
| Busy server | 20–60 seconds |
| Timeout cutoff | 90 seconds |
AURA enforces a 90-second hard timeout using AbortController. If the API doesn’t respond within 90 seconds, the request is cancelled and a clear error is shown. This prevents the UI from hanging indefinitely.
The loading screen shows:
- A live elapsed timer (e.g.
23s) - An animated progress bar calibrated to expected response time
- Contextual status messages that update as time progresses
Newly upgraded accounts (free → paid) may experience 60–150s response times for the first few hours due to a known Google quota propagation delay. This resolves itself automatically.
✨ Transformation Styles
🔍 Depth & Lighting
| Style | Description | |—|—| | Soft Focus | Gently blurs the background while keeping the subject pin-sharp with backlighting. Pristine clarity, no grain. | | Dark Stage | Places the subject against a solid black studio wall with intense flash and sharp, well-defined shadows. | | Studio Dark | Deep muted gradient backdrop with powerful flash and a glowing rim light around the subject. |
🌀 Aura & Glow Effects
| Style | Description | |—|—| | Outline Glow | Adds a subtle white-stroke digital glow radiating off the subject’s outline. Background stays photorealistic. | | Sparkle Aura | Traces the subject’s silhouette with sparkling glitter and light particles. Background stays photorealistic. |
🎞️ Vintage & Analog
| Style | Description | |—|—| | Lofi Dusk | Night-flash aesthetic with a deep grainy background, rim light, and warm peachy skin tones. | | Dreamy Film | Soft nostalgic focus with golden-hour warmth, film grain, and an earthy organic palette. | | Red Glow | 35mm tungsten film look with split-tone cyan/amber, organic grain, and red-orange halation blooms. | | 90s Summer | Classic editorial with warm analog film grading and high contrast between peachy skin and cool blue tones. |
🎨 Creative Frameworks
| Style | Description | |—|—| | Seasonal Grid | 4-panel edge-to-edge grid of the same image with hand-drawn crayon seasonal overlays: ❄️ Winter · 🌸 Spring · 🔥 Summer · 🍂 Autumn |
🚀 How to Run
Option 1 — Open directly (local use)
git clone https://github.com/aurashift/AURA.git
cd AURA
open image-transformer.html # macOS
# or double-click the file in Windows/Linux
The bundled SDK handles all networking — no local server needed.
Option 2 — GitHub Pages (already live)
The repo is configured to serve via GitHub Pages. Any push to main automatically updates the live site.
Option 3 — Any static host
Drop image-transformer.html onto Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, or any static host. No build step required.
🛠️ Error Reference
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
429 Quota exceeded |
Daily or per-minute limit hit | Wait for reset, or create a new API key |
OR_BACR2_44 |
Indian billing account blocked | Use a Wise virtual Visa card |
Failed to fetch |
Opening file from file:// with old version |
Use current version — SDK is bundled inline |
No image model found |
Key has no image model access | Enable billing on your Google Cloud project |
Request timed out after 90s |
Server overloaded or slow | Retry in 30s; check status.cloud.google.com |
No image returned |
Model blocked the prompt | Try a different style |
📦 Dependencies
| Dependency | Version | How included |
|---|---|---|
@google/genai |
2.5.0 | Bundled inline via esbuild IIFE — no CDN required |
| Google Fonts (Syne, DM Mono) | — | Loaded from CDN (requires internet) |
No npm install, no node_modules, no build step.
📄 License
MIT — free to use, modify, and distribute.