Orbyte
An AI-powered media management platform - built and shipped in 10 weeks.
The Problem
Everyone has the same problem with their photos and videos: too many files, not enough organization, and no good way to find anything. Cloud photo libraries have gotten bigger but not smarter. Search still means scrolling. Organization still means manual tagging.
Orbyte set out to fix that with AI at its core - not as a buzzword, but as the engine that actually does the tedious work of sorting, tagging, and surfacing your media. OurThinkTank partnered with the Orbyte team to take the product from early concept to a fully launched platform in roughly 10 weeks.
What Orbyte Does
Orbyte is a media management platform built for individuals and families who want their photo and video libraries to be searchable, organized, and shareable - without the manual effort. You upload your files and the platform takes it from there.
Behind the scenes, every asset goes through a multi-step AI processing pipeline. Images and videos are analyzed for content, faces are detected and clustered into recognizable groups, duplicates are flagged, and each file is classified - separating screenshots and receipts from actual photos. All of this feeds into a semantic search system powered by vector embeddings, so users can search by meaning rather than just filenames or dates. The search system also learns from user feedback, getting sharper over time.
Users organize media into Capsules - smart albums that automatically stay current based on saved search criteria. Create a Capsule for "beach photos from last summer" and it keeps itself up to date as new matching uploads arrive. A group system with role-based access lets families and small teams share libraries without stepping on each other.
The Technical Build
The stack was chosen for speed of development, scalability, and a tight dev-to-prod parity.
Frontend
Next.js with React 19, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. A thoughtful design system carries a space theme throughout - from the branded 404 rocket to gradient-accented plan badges and an animated starfield user menu.
Backend & Data
PostgreSQL with Prisma as the ORM and pgvector for high-dimensional vector search. Deployed on Vercel with serverless API routes handling media processing, search queries, and billing webhooks.
AI Pipeline
Multi-step media processing: content classification, face detection and clustering with user-assignable labels, duplicate detection, and vector embedding generation feeding a semantic search engine with user feedback loops.
Media Storage
AWS S3 connected through a chunked multipart upload pipeline that supports pause and resume - critical for large video files and spotty mobile connections. A QR-code handoff system lets users beam files from their phone to their library on any device.
Auth & Billing
BetterAuth with a full password-reset flow and branded transactional emails via Resend. Stripe billing across five subscription tiers - from a free plan through individual and family options at standard and pro levels.
Location & Context
Reverse geocoding with a caching layer enriches media with location context automatically. Combined with the AI classification system, media is surfaced by place, subject, face, and event - not just date.
What We Shipped
Every feature below was designed, built, tested, and deployed by the OurThinkTank team - no outsourcing, no shortcuts.
Upload & Storage
- Chunked multipart upload pipeline with pause and resume
- Cross-device QR code handoff for mobile uploads
- AWS S3 integration with storage tier management
- Color-escalating storage progress indicators
AI Processing
- Multi-step media classification pipeline
- Face detection, clustering, and user-assignable labels and aliases
- Duplicate detection and flagging
- Vector embedding generation for semantic search
- User feedback loops to sharpen search results over time
Organization
- Capsules - smart albums with live-updating saved search criteria
- Semantic search by content, subject, face, and location
- Reverse geocoding with caching layer
- Stowaway detection (receipts, screenshots, junk) with one-click handling
Groups & Sharing
- Group system with owner and member roles
- Invite flow with email delivery and QR-link sharing
- Group Capsules scoped to shared library context
- Real-time cross-account group sync
Accounts & Billing
- BetterAuth authentication with email verification
- Full password-reset flow with branded transactional email via Resend
- Stripe billing across five subscription tiers
- Admin panel for user and system management
Polish & Reliability
- Comprehensive UI/UX consistency pass for launch readiness
- Full error boundary system with custom 404 and error pages
- Space-theme design language throughout the product
- Smart contextual banner system for upsell without intrusion
UI/UX and Polish
A product like Orbyte lives or dies on how it feels to use. We invested significant time in a comprehensive UI/UX consistency pass - standardizing search inputs, compacting navigation, and building out a smart banner system that surfaces contextual upsell opportunities without being intrusive.
The design language carries a subtle space theme throughout. From the branded error pages (a little rocket lost in space for 404s) to gradient-accented plan badges and a starfield user menu, the aesthetic reinforces that Orbyte is exploring new territory with your memories - not filing them in a cabinet.
Storage indicators use color-escalating progress bars that shift tone as usage climbs. Plan comparison cards are aligned and responsive. The sidebar navigation is compact and consistent across every section. These are the details that separate a "works fine" MVP from something people actually enjoy using.
Early beta tester feedback called the build "wildly awesome" and the processing speed "wildly fast" - multiple unsolicited callouts across multiple sessions.
"The build is super impressive. Very excited about it!"
Andy - Beta Tester, after several hours of soak testing
Concept to Launch in 10 Weeks
Weeks 1-2: Architecture & Foundation
Stack selection, database schema design, Docker environment setup, authentication scaffold, and core data models for media assets, capsules, and groups.
Weeks 3-4: Upload Pipeline & Storage
Chunked multipart upload with pause and resume, AWS S3 integration, cross-device QR handoff system, and initial media processing queue.
Weeks 5-6: AI Processing Core
Multi-step classification pipeline, face detection and clustering, duplicate detection, vector embedding generation, and semantic search with pgvector.
Weeks 7-8: Capsules, Groups & Billing
Smart album system with live-updating saved search criteria, group sharing with role-based access, Stripe billing across five tiers, and admin panel.
Weeks 9-10: Polish, QA & Launch
Comprehensive UI/UX consistency pass, soak testing with beta users, bug triage and fixes, error boundary system, DKIM/email deliverability, and marketing site deployment.
A Fully Launched, Subscription-Ready Product
Orbyte launched April 2026 as a complete, production-ready platform. It handles the full lifecycle - from upload through AI processing to search and sharing - with a polished interface that makes the complexity invisible to the end user.
The 10-week timeline from concept to launch reflects the kind of focused, full-stack execution OurThinkTank brings to product builds. No outsourcing. No hand-offs. One team that owns the outcome end to end.