Ad Creator

Development biography · earlier archive

Development profile compiled from project source and retained records in October 2026. Dates and test results describe those records; they do not imply a new build, live acceptance test or public release.

From photographs to a consistent advert

Ad Creator grew from a practical studio task: describe and photograph a used musical instrument, give it a clear visual presentation, and prepare the same item for more than one sales channel. Rewriting the details separately for each destination creates opportunities for inconsistent specifications, missing condition notes and outdated links. The toolkit keeps those details in one structured record and uses them to render each output.

The first demonstration is an advert for a Nord Stage 88. Its visual design uses a dark background, restrained red accents and a responsive gallery of real photographs. Captions reveal the instrument’s physical details, while a dedicated condition section keeps declared faults visible. The page is a retained example of the publishing workflow; this portfolio does not represent the instrument’s current price or availability.

One record, several outputs

The stock model carries the item’s identity, brand and model, condition, explicit condition notes, specifications, price fields, images, captions, channel links and sale status. TypeScript types and Zod validation give the author feedback when a record is incomplete or malformed. A shared renderer produces the advert so repeated builds use the same presentation logic.

A photo-processing command accepts a folder of source images and prepares web-sized JPEGs, with optional WebP output. It then scaffolds an item record and generates the static advert. The existing photo workflow uses macOS image tooling. It is useful for studio equipment and other photographed goods, while the underlying record is not tied to one instrument manufacturer.

The channel layer contains adapters for Reverb, eBay and Shopify. These use the shared item data to construct the different payloads each destination expects. Condition notes are carried into descriptions rather than silently upgraded to a more favourable label. The adapters start with a dry run that displays the proposed payload. Real publishing requires configured credentials, category and policy identifiers, and an operator’s decision.

A practical workflow

• Photograph the item and collect the images in a folder.
• Generate the advert scaffold and edit the specifications, captions and condition notes.
• Review the static page at desktop and mobile sizes.
• Host the approved page and its product images.
• Preview each marketplace payload before configuring or using a publishing integration.
• Record confirmed listing links and update the item status when its availability changes.

The toolkit also includes a PostgreSQL schema and an importer that maps stock records to product and channel-listing rows. This provides a route from a single advert to a larger catalogue. Its upsert design supports repeatable imports, while the sales workflow still depends on accurate status updates. It should not be read as a verified automatic inventory synchronisation service.

The demonstration page

The Nord advert uses twelve photographs in a grid that adapts across four, three, two and one columns. JPEG fallbacks accompany WebP images, and link-preview metadata gives the page a useful appearance when shared. A condition card and configurable calls to action sit alongside the gallery. Payment and marketplace links require actual destinations before they can become usable purchase paths.

The project agent reports that the static output was deployed and visually checked, and that dry runs exercised the three adapters and database importer on 17 October 2026. Those records establish a working page and payload preparation. They do not establish successful live transactions or a complete production integration with each marketplace.

Next steps and limits

The recorded roadmap includes OAuth refresh support, richer image upload integration, simpler hosting, duplicate-photo detection, multi-item catalogues and bulk editing. These are planned capabilities, not delivered claims. The current image-processing step depends on macOS, and hosted image URLs are needed by external channels.

For a single item, manual publication remains a reasonable workflow. The toolkit becomes more useful when an author needs consistent descriptions and images across several outputs. The project’s contribution is a clear, inspectable publishing process with real photography and explicit item condition.