shotref.com

What It Is

Shotref is a desktop art direction tool built for AI creative workflows. It lets users drag reference images onto a canvas, then generate creative briefs, color palettes, reference anchors, rule constraints, and copyable prompts based on those images. It is not tied to any single generation platform; the prompts it produces can be used with any AI tool. Its positioning is more of a middle layer that turns aesthetic references into actionable prompts.

Core Features and Workflow

Shotref’s core is not a proprietary generation model, but third-party model access via BYOK. The article mentions that users can paste an API Key from OpenRouter or Google AI Studio, and the app connects directly to the provider. In the example, Google gemini-3-pro-preview is used to analyze 24 images and produce outputs such as brand film direction, color palettes, and shot rules. It supports structured deliverables including brand films, product demos, Launch Films, social short videos, landing pages, brand identity, and decks, making it suitable for turning scattered reference images into a more unified visual language.

Pricing and Privacy

The Shotref app itself is free forever, with no paid tiers, and it does not require login to access local projects. AI usage costs are paid by the user directly to third-party platforms such as OpenRouter and Google AI Studio according to their pricing. Privacy is one of its highlights: images and canvases are stored locally in the app-data folder, for example ~/.config/Shotref on Linux, including SQLite metadata and original image files. The app states that it does not upload, store, or process user content, does not see API Keys or requests, and includes no telemetry.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are being local-first, free, and workflow-agnostic, making it a good fit for creative users who care about control over their assets and cross-model usage. The generated brief structure is also closer to commercial creative deliverables rather than just simple prompts. The downsides are that the generation step still requires an internet connection, and users must provide their own API Key, which creates some friction for non-technical users. Output quality depends heavily on the quality of the reference images and the capabilities of the selected model. The article does not specify whether there is a Chinese interface, a Windows version, or a concrete support SLA. In addition, the FAQ says it is not yet open source, while the Terms of Service say the source code is published on GitHub, so there is an inconsistency in the information.

Who It’s For and Access from China

Shotref is suitable for AI artists, brand designers, advertising creatives, film directors, and product marketing teams who want to quickly turn reference boards into actionable art direction. The article does not state the access situation from China. Even if the website is reachable, model services such as OpenRouter and Google AI Studio may involve additional network and payment limitations. If stable access is not available, alternatives include Midjourney, Krea, Runway, Adobe Firefly, or using Gemini/ChatGPT visual analysis together with manually written prompts as a substitute workflow.