SketchMaker - Self-Hosted Digital Creative Management Platform

Project Showcase
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Six months ago, I was drowning in AI tool subscriptions. ChatGPT for ideas, Midjourney for images, Canva for designs, plus random thumbnail generators, photo restoration apps, and who knows what else. I was managing digital assets multiple platforms. The monthly bills were killing me.

So I built Sketchmaker. Now all my digital creative work happens in one place.

What I Actually Use Sketchmaker For

Here’s my honest, day-to-day usage:

  • Social media images for my finance blog, creating brand advertisements and various projects

  • LinkedIn headshots using Flux LoRA trained on my photos

  • Blog banners that used to take 30 minutes in Canva

  • YouTube thumbnails for my youtube channel

  • Photo restoration using Magix/Nano Studio (restored old family photos)

  • Creative playground for my kids to make sketches and art

  • Helping friends with their social media and marketing materials

All from one tool, on my own server, running on just a 2GB RAM VPS.

The Real Magic: How It Actually Works

LinkedIn Headshots Without a Photographer

I trained a Flux LoRA model on 5 photos of myself. Now when I need a professional headshot for a conference or LinkedIn, I generate one in seconds. Same person (me!), different backgrounds, perfect lighting.

Blog Banners in 30 Seconds

I run a finance blog. Every article needs a banner. Used to spend 30 minutes in Canva. Now? Type a description, pick a style, done.

YouTube Thumbnails That Work

I create YouTube thumbnails for my channel. Consistent style, quick generation, no more hours in design tools.

Restoring Family Memories

This one’s personal. some of the old family photos - torn, faded, some from the 1980s. The Magix Nano Studio’s restoration mode brought them back to life.

Social Media for Friends and Small Businesses

I help friends and local businesses with their social media images. When someone needs a quick banner or social post, I provide access to my friends to access sketchmaker. No design skills needed, just describe what you want.

My Kids’ Digital Art Playground

My kids love using this to create sketches and play with AI art. They make characters, birthday cards, fun images for their friends. It’s become their creative playground - and since it’s self-hosted, I don’t worry about monthly costs or what they might see online.

What Sketchmaker Really Is

It’s every AI image tool you need, running on YOUR server (even a tiny 2GB RAM VPS!), with YOUR data, under YOUR control. This ONE tool replaced my entire creative stack:

  • Image Generation: Flux Pro, Ideogram v3, Google Imagen 4, Recraft V3

  • Custom Training: Upload your photos/products, train a LoRA, generate infinite variations (no more stock photos)

  • Smart Editing: The Magix Nano Studio powered by Google Nano Banana understands physics - add reflections, change weather, restore old photos , Remove objects, Change background elements and various other things are possible with Google Nano Banana

  • Banner Generator: AI-powered banner creation with multiple styles

  • Gallery System: Every image ever generated, organized, yours forever

  • Prompt Enhancement: AI-powered prompt generation

Privacy: Why This Matters More Than You Think

When you’re working on ideas or client projects, privacy matters. With Sketchmaker, everything stays on your server. No one else sees your prompts, your images, or your creative process.

Your images NEVER leave your control:

  • Stored on YOUR server (I run it on a 2GB RAM VPS - yes, just 2GB!)

  • Direct API calls to AI providers (no middlemen)

  • Encrypted API keys (only admins see them. centralized control for small businesses and teams)

  • When deleted, actually deleted (not “marked for deletion”)

  • Zero tracking, zero telemetry (I don’t even know you exist)

The Setup (5 Minutes, Seriously)


# Clone it

git clone https://github.com/marketcalls/sketchmaker.git

cd sketchmaker

# Install

python -m venv venv

source venv/bin/activate # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

pip install -r requirements.txt

# Initialize

python setup_subscriptions.py

# Run

python app.py

Visit http://127.0.0.1:5000 - You’re generating images.

First user becomes superadmin. Add your FAL API key and LLM API Key of your choice. Start creating. That’s it.

Who Can Use This?

Digital Agencies

Perfect for agencies who want to reduce their $500+/month AI tool subscriptions to a single $50/month VPS. Generate unlimited images weekly, maintain consistency, and keep all client work secure on your own servers.

E-commerce Teams

Ideal for product photography and marketing. Upload product photos → Generate lifestyle shots → Test on social → Scale what works. Test 10x more creative variations without worrying about credit limits.

Content Creators

YouTubers, bloggers, and social media creators can generate consistent thumbnails and graphics. A/B test variations easily, and eliminate monthly subscriptions that eat into your revenue.

Startups

Early-stage teams can use this as their entire creative department. Create marketing materials, pitch deck visuals, and social media content with consistent branding, even without a dedicated designer.

The Features That Actually Matter

Multi-Model Access Through FAL

  • Flux Pro v1.1 Ultra: Magazine-quality images

  • Ideogram v3: Perfect text rendering

  • Google Imagen 4: Google’s latest and greatest

  • Recraft V3: Artistic control

  • Custom LoRA: Train on YOUR images

Nano Studio (The Secret Weapon)

Seven modes that understand physics and context:

  1. Director Mode: Chain edits with visual timeline

  2. 3D Vision: Generate multiple angles from one image

  3. Story Mode: Create comic strips automatically

  4. Style Transfer: Any artistic style imaginable

  5. Restoration: Fix old/damaged photos

  6. Professional: YouTube thumbnails, backgrounds

  7. Physics Mode: Realistic effects (rain, fire, reflections)

Smart Image Optimization (NEW - v1.0.0.1)

Upload a 5-6MB photo from mobile? No problem. Our new modular image optimization service automatically:

  • Compresses images intelligently while preserving quality

  • Resizes to optimal dimensions for each AI model

  • Fixes EXIF orientation issues from phone cameras

  • Converts formats for best compatibility

  • Reduces upload times by 3-5x

Smart Systems

  • Credit Tracking: Simple, transparent, fair

  • Gallery Search: Find that image from 6 months ago

  • Team Management: Everyone gets their own space

Join us:

No fancy GPU. No expensive server. Just a basic VPS that anyone can afford.

Why I Share This

I built Sketchmaker for my own needs - managing all my digital creative work in one place. My friends started using it. Small businesses asked about it. I realized others have the same problem I had.

Before Sketchmaker: Multiple SaaS subscriptions, digital assets scattered everywhere.

After Sketchmaker: ONE tool, you control the cost, everything in one place, running on a tiny 2GB server.

That’s why I built this.

That’s why it’s free.

That’s why it matters.

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