Tattalou

Where ink meets algorithm.

Tattalou is a mobile-first platform built for tattoo and body modification culture — a social network where artists showcase flash art, collectors share their ink, and AI helps bridge the gap between imagination and skin. It's part discovery feed, part design studio, part marketplace, all wrapped in the aesthetic of a neon-lit tattoo bar alley.

The name is pronounced tat-LOO.

Like a tattoo itself, it's meant to feel personal, slightly edgy, memorable. The platform lives at the intersection of creative expression and cutting-edge technology, where traditional tattoo culture meets generative AI without losing the authenticity that makes the community matter.

This is not another generic social media clone with tattoos slapped on top.

Every feature is designed specifically for this culture. The infinite scroll feed doesn't just show photos — it surfaces AR preview videos where people visualize designs on their actual body before committing to ink. Flash drop announcements from artists with limited-time designs. Before-and-after healing journeys. Style exploration threads where traditional meets neo-traditional meets watercolor meets geometric blackwork.

The AI Studio is where imagination becomes tangible design.

Users describe their vision in plain language, or upload rough sketches drawn on napkins at 2 AM, and the system generates multiple stylistic interpretations. Not generic clipart — actual tattoo-appropriate designs with proper line weight, composition, and flow. The AI understands how designs wrap around body contours, how negative space functions in tattoo work, which styles complement specific placements.

It's powered by fine-tuned models trained specifically on tattoo aesthetics.

Generic image generators don't understand that wrist tattoos need different composition than back pieces. That blackwork requires specific line weight consistency. That watercolor tattoos need careful color bleeding to look intentional rather than sloppy. Tattalou's AI has been trained on thousands of professional tattoo designs across every major style, learning the visual grammar that separates good tattoo art from images that merely look cool on a screen but won't translate to skin.

The AR preview system lets you see the design on your actual body.

Not on a generic 3D model — on your skin, in your lighting, from your camera angle. The system tracks body movement in real-time, so you can rotate your arm, bend your elbow, see how the design flows with your natural motion. Take photos. Record short videos. Share them with friends or artists to get feedback before the needle ever touches skin.

For artists, Tattalou is portfolio meets promotion meets passive income.

Upload flash art to the marketplace. Set licensing terms — personal use only, or allow others to put your design on merchandise. Every time someone uses your design, you earn royalties automatically through Stripe. The platform handles all payment processing, tax documentation, and international transfers. Artists focus on creating. The system handles commerce.

The marketplace extends beyond tattoo designs into apparel.

Through Printful integration, any design can become an all-over-print hoodie, joggers, phone case, or wall tapestry. Users browsing the feed see "Wear It Instead" buttons on designs they love. Click once, the design wraps onto product mockups. Click again, it's ordered and shipped without the platform holding inventory or managing fulfillment. The artist earns their royalty percentage. The platform takes a small transaction fee. Everyone wins.

Community features keep the platform from feeling transactional.

Private groups for specific interests — Japanese traditional enthusiasts, cover-up work specialists, people navigating tattoo regret, collectors documenting their full-body suits. Direct messaging for artist communication. Comment threads where experienced collectors advise newcomers on artist selection, pain management, aftercare best practices. The platform facilitates connection around shared passion.

Monetization happens through three subscription tiers plus one-time credit purchases.

Free users get 10 AI generation credits on signup, full access to the social feed, can browse designs, use AR preview with watermarks, and purchase merchandise. Once those 10 credits are used, they can buy more or upgrade to a subscription for better value. The free tier includes 1GB of gallery storage for saved designs.

Premium subscribers at $14.99 monthly unlock 50 AI generation credits that renew every month, 10GB of gallery storage, can save unlimited designs to personal collections, export high-resolution files without watermarks, and get full AR preview access without restrictions. Premium offers the best value for regular creators — 50 credits monthly for less than the cost of buying them individually.

Artist tier at $59.99 monthly is designed for professional creators who need serious capacity. It includes 200 AI generation credits monthly, 50GB of gallery storage, enhanced portfolio features with priority placement, advanced analytics showing design performance and engagement metrics, revenue sharing on merchandise sales through the marketplace, and priority support. Artists can upload flash art, set their own licensing terms, and earn passive income every time someone uses their designs.

For users who don't want subscriptions, one-time credit packs are available at various price points. Packs range from 50 credits at $19.99 up to 5,000 credits at $999.99, with per-credit costs dropping as pack size increases. Large packs offer better value than subscriptions for users who need bulk generation capacity without monthly commitments. These credits never expire and work for both free and subscribed users.

The technical foundation is Cloudflare Pages with edge computing.

Every request runs at the network edge closest to the user, ensuring sub-100ms response times globally. Images and videos store in R2 buckets. User data lives in Supabase PostgreSQL. Vector embeddings for AI recommendation algorithms use Cloudflare Vectorize. Payment processing through Stripe. Media generation via Replicate's SDXL models fine-tuned on tattoo datasets. The entire stack is designed for scale — supporting 1,000 users costs nearly the same as supporting 100,000.

The recommendation algorithm considers tattoo-specific signals.

Not just generic engagement metrics, but semantic understanding of style preferences, placement interest, artist following patterns, and cultural context. Someone who engages with Japanese traditional work shouldn't get flooded with minimalist line art unless their behavior suggests cross-style curiosity. The system learns individual taste while maintaining enough diversity to enable discovery.

User safety and content moderation operate at multiple levels.

Age verification prevents minors from accessing the platform. AI-powered content flagging catches prohibited material automatically. Human moderators handle edge cases and appeals. Clear community guidelines establish expectations around body positivity, cultural appropriation discussions, and respectful critique. The goal is maintaining a space where people can be authentic without the toxicity that plagues other social platforms.

Privacy controls give users agency over their visibility.

Public profiles for artists seeking exposure. Private accounts for collectors who want to document their journey without random strangers commenting. Granular control over what appears in the discovery feed versus what stays personal. Geographic location sharing is always opt-in, never default. The platform doesn't sell user data or use it for advertising targeting — revenue comes from subscriptions and transaction fees, not surveillance capitalism.

The roadmap includes features that extend beyond launch.

Artist booking systems where verified professionals can accept commission requests through the platform. Healing journey documentation tools with progress photo timelines and care reminders. Augmented reality try-on for piercings and other body modifications. Integration with appointment scheduling systems at tattoo studios. Potentially even blockchain-based provenance tracking for design attribution and licensing verification.

But first, the core experience needs to be excellent.

The feed needs to feel endlessly engaging. The AI generation needs to produce designs people actually want to get tattooed. The AR preview needs to work reliably across devices and lighting conditions. The marketplace needs to convert browsers into buyers. The artist tools need to feel professional enough that established creators choose the platform over Instagram or their own websites.

Development happens in phases rather than attempting everything simultaneously.

Phase one: social feed, user profiles, basic content posting. Phase two: AI design generation and AR preview. Phase three: marketplace and merchandise integration. Phase four: payment processing and artist royalties. Phase five: community features and advanced personalization. Each phase builds on the previous, creating sustainable progress rather than overwhelming scope.

The competitive landscape includes Instagram, Pinterest, and niche tattoo apps.

Instagram dominates artist promotion but isn't designed for tattoo-specific needs. Pinterest works for inspiration but lacks social connection. Existing tattoo apps focus narrowly on appointment booking or design catalogs without the social layer or AI capabilities. Tattalou's advantage is holistic integration — combining what works from multiple platforms while adding features impossible elsewhere.

Success metrics extend beyond user count.

Does the platform actually help people discover artists they love? Are designs generated by the AI getting used for real tattoos? Do artists find value in the marketplace? Is the community self-sustaining with organic content creation? Does the business model support continued development without compromising user experience? These qualitative measures matter as much as quantitative growth metrics.

The vision is building a platform that serves the tattoo community authentically.

Not extracting value from creators while giving them nothing in return. Not optimizing solely for engagement metrics at the expense of content quality. Not imposing arbitrary restrictions that demonstrate misunderstanding of the culture. Tattalou exists to empower artists, support collectors, and facilitate the connections that make this community thrive — with technology that enhances rather than replaces the human elements that matter most.

Currently in active development with a target launch for public beta in early 2026.