Open-source thumbnail studio · Mac / Windows / Linux

Backstage is the pro-grade desktop studio for YouTube creators. Real layers, AI generation on your own Gemini key, frame-perfect video stills — all running 100% on your machine.

Get lifetime access · $29

🔥 $29 until May 25 — then $35

Backstage editor with a layered thumbnail open
Real layersNo subscriptionBYO Gemini key100% localOpen sourceFrame-perfect stills$29 onceWASM background removal
Photoshop is $262/yrYou are not a renterCancel nothingOwn your toolsWorks offlineYours foreverAGPL-3.0No AI credits
What it does
01

Pull the frame

Drop in any MP4 or MOV. Scrub frame by frame with arrow keys and extract stills at full source resolution — no screenshot workarounds, no quality loss.

Scrubbing a video for the perfect frame
CAPTURED
00:02:14:08 · 3840×2160
02

Stack the layers

A real layer engine: toggle, lock, group, reorder. Background removal runs on-device in WebAssembly, so your subject pops in one click — even on a plane.

Layers5
Title text
Watch button
Headshot — cutoutWASM CUTOUT
Glow
Background
03

Summon the shot

Describe the backdrop you wish you'd shot. Gemini paints it in 16:9 on your own API key — four variants for about sixteen cents, no credits, no quota.

Prompt

A retro CRT television glowing on a dark workshop bench, dramatic rim light, 16:9

gemini-2.5-flash-image · 4 imgs · ~$0.16✦ Generate
v1
v2
v3
v4
Annual cost of looking professional

Everyone else re-bills you every month for the same pixels. Backstage charges once, and your AI spend goes straight to Google at API rates — most creators pay under $2 a month.

Photoshop
/yr
Figma
/yr
Canva Pro
/yr
Backstage
once
Real math: 30 Gemini thumbnail variations a month ≈ $1.20. After 2 months, Backstage plus your Gemini spend is still cheaper than one month of Canva Pro.
Local-first by default

Backstage is a native desktop app, not a web wrapper with your files on someone else's server. Your projects, your source files, your API keys.

Never phones home

Background removal runs in WebAssembly on-device. Video frames never leave your disk. Your unfinished thumbnails don't exist on anybody else's hard drive.

Plain folders, your disk

Projects live on your filesystem as plain folders. Move them, sync them in Dropbox, version-control them in git. No proprietary cloud lock-in.

Keys in your keychain

Your Gemini key lives in the native OS secure store: macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, libsecret. Never plaintext on disk. Never seen by us.

The honest comparison
Backstage
Photoshop
Canva Pro
Figma
Yearly cost
$29 once
$262
$120
$144
Built for YouTube thumbnails
Sole purpose
General editor
Template-based
UI / design tool
Offline AI background removal
WebAssembly
Cloud feature
Cloud only
Plugin needed
AI image generation
Your Gemini key
Firefly credits
Limited monthly
Plugin needed
Video frame extraction
Built-in scrubber
Manual via PR
No
No
Works offline
Yes
Yes
No
No
Source code open
AGPL-3.0
Proprietary
Proprietary
Proprietary
Stops working if you cancel
Never. Yours.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Open source

Every line of Backstage is on GitHub: the desktop app, the layer engine, the AI integrations. The one-time purchase is for the prebuilt, signed, auto-updating binaries — including 1 year of updates. Rather compile it yourself? That's free.

Star on GitHubRead the build docs →
~/backstage
$ git clone github.com/amajorai/backstage
Source: github.com/amajorai/backstage
License: AGPL-3.0 (BRIA model is non-commercial)
Stack: Tauri, Rust, React, TypeScript
Issues: public, triaged weekly
PRs: welcome — every feature here started as code
$
One-time payment

Early bird pricing locks in your rate forever. The price goes up every 100 customers — next stop $35 on May 25.

EARLY BIRDPrice goes up every 100 users

Backstage Lifetime

One payment. Every feature. Every platform. Yours forever, with 1 year of updates included.

  • Layer editor, AI tools, video extractor, carousel
  • Mac, Windows, and Linux signed binaries
  • 1 year of updates (template library, A/B analyzer, more)
  • Priority email support, direct from the dev
  • Use on every device you own
384/1000 sold
expires May 25
Pay once
$59

USD, tax included. Billed once via Polar. No auto-renewal. No card on file.

Buy Backstage Lifetime

Secure checkout via Polar. Instant license delivery.
30-day no-questions refunds.

FAQ

You hire Backstage once for $29 and it works on your machine forever — no subscription, no expiry, no "AI credit" meter. Your purchase includes 1 year of updates from the day you buy. After that year, your app keeps running exactly as it was; you just won't receive new versions unless you renew. If we shut down tomorrow, your designer keeps working because it lives on your machine, not ours.

Last call

Pay $29 once. No monthly salary, no creative briefs, no Slack DMs.

Get lifetime access · $29
View source on GitHub

30-day refunds · No card on file · Yours forever