CutMatch AI

Try the look before the cut.

Inspiration

Choosing a new hairstyle can be difficult when you cannot picture how it will look on you. People often rely on reference photos or imagination when deciding what hairstyle to get. CutMatch AI was created to make that decision easier before someone commits to a new look.

What it does

CutMatch AI is a web app that lets people explore hairstyle options and preview a selected look on their own photo before visiting a barbershop or salon.

Users can:

Browse a gallery of hairstyle options. Upload a personal photo. Choose a hairstyle to try. Generate a personalised hairstyle preview using Perfect Corp's YouCam Hair Transfer API v2.1. View and download the generated result to use as a reference.

Judge access — demo code

The live demo is protected by an access-code screen. Judges can use the following code to enter the app:

CutMatch-2026-Demo-Access-7X!

How to access and test CutMatch AI

Open the live app: https://cutmatch-ai.vercel.app/ Enter the demo access code shown above. Browse the hairstyle gallery and select a style you want to try. Upload a photo of yourself. Start the hairstyle preview generation. Wait for the result to appear, then review it. Download the generated preview if you want to keep it or use it as a reference.

No source-code setup is needed to try the live demo. You can also inspect the implementation in the public GitHub repository linked below.

How it was built

The application was built as a web app with Next.js and TypeScript. It integrates Perfect Corp's YouCam Hair Transfer API v2.1 for the hairstyle transformation experience. The workflow connects photo upload, hairstyle selection, API processing, result display, and download in one place.

Challenges

A key challenge was connecting the user's photo and selected hairstyle to the API while keeping the experience simple and understandable. We focused on making the journey from uploading a photo to viewing the generated preview straightforward.

Consumer value

CutMatch AI helps customers communicate the look they want more clearly before a haircut or salon appointment. It can also give barbers and stylists a visual starting point for discussing a customer's preferred style. The preview is intended as a guide, not a guarantee of the exact result after a real haircut.

What's next

Future improvements could include side-by-side comparisons, a wider hairstyle catalogue, and more options for refining and sharing previews.

Project links

Live app: https://cutmatch-ai.vercel.app/ Source code: https://github.com/Kingpeerless/cutmatch-ai Demo video: https://youtu.be/1NZo9tzTv90