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Creative Asset Time Machine: Version History Explorer for Design Files

Creatives lose hours recreating "that version from two weeks ago" because traditional creative tools lack granular version control. Unlike code, design files are opaque binaries with no Git-like timeline, forcing designers to manually save duplicates or lose work forever.

App Concept

  • Automatic background versioning of all creative files (PSD, Figma, video projects, audio sessions) with AI-powered semantic snapshots
  • Interactive timeline slider showing visual previews of every saved state (inspired by Jupyter Collaboration's history slider from HN)
  • AI-generated commit messages describing what changed: "Added blue gradient to hero section", "Adjusted kerning in headline"
  • One-click restoration to any previous state without losing current work
  • Cross-tool compatibility: works with Adobe CC, Figma, Sketch, DaVinci Resolve, Logic Pro

Core Mechanism

  • Runs as background service monitoring creative app autosave folders
  • AI vision models analyze visual diffs between versions to detect meaningful changes
  • Creates lightweight snapshots using delta compression (only stores changes)
  • Natural language search: "Find the version where the logo was red"
  • Branching timelines for exploring alternative directions without commitment
  • Slack/Discord integration showing team members' version histories for collaboration

Monetization Strategy

  • Freemium: 30 days of version history, 5GB storage
  • Pro tier ($19/month): Unlimited history, 100GB storage, AI search
  • Team tier ($49/user/month): Shared version pools, approval workflows, admin controls
  • Enterprise: Custom retention policies, SSO, audit logs
  • Revenue from cloud storage for version archives (S3/Cloudflare R2)

Viral Growth Angle

  • "Save my ass" moments: Users share screenshots of recovering critical lost work
  • Before/after timeline videos showing design evolution go viral on Twitter/LinkedIn
  • Free tier is generous enough for freelancers to become evangelists
  • Integration with portfolio sites: "See how this design evolved" interactive timelines
  • Creative TikToks showing 50 iterations condensed into 10-second videos

Existing projects

  • Abstract - Version control for Sketch (acquired by Adobe, sunset in 2022)
  • Figma Version History - Built-in but limited to Figma files only
  • Dropbox Rewind - File-level versioning without AI semantics
  • Git LFS - Technical solution requiring developer knowledge
  • Brandfolder - Asset management without granular version control

Evaluation Criteria

  • Emotional Trigger: Limit risk (never lose work again), evoke magic (time travel for creativity)
  • Idea Quality: Rank: 8/10 - Solves acute pain point with proven tech (Jupyter slider validation)
  • Need Category: Stability & Opportunity Needs (protecting intellectual property, predictable workflow)
  • Market Size: 50M+ creative professionals globally, $5B creative software market
  • Build Complexity: Medium - Requires file system monitoring, AI vision models, efficient storage architecture
  • Time to MVP: 3-4 months with AI coding agents (file watcher + basic UI + OpenAI Vision API)
  • Key Differentiator: First version control system with AI-powered semantic understanding across all creative tools, not just one