Generate Cartoon Avatars with Make.com & Replicate

Overview

This tutorial explores how to use Make.com and Replicate platform to build an automated workflow for generating American-style cartoon avatars.

This solution precisely captures facial features to rapidly produce high-quality personalized avatars at extremely low cost:

1. Upload Image - Upload original portrait to Notion
2. API Call - Make.com calls Replicate model
3. Wait Generation - Sleep module waits for model completion
4. Save Result - Download and upload to image hosting for permanent storage

Transformation from original photo to American-style cartoon avatar with precise facial feature capture

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Core Decision Factors

When choosing AI avatar generation solutions, focus on:

• Generation Precision - Can it precisely capture facial features with high similarity
• Cost-effectiveness - Single generation cost vs market price comparison
• Style Diversity - Can it generate different styles, poses, or clothing
• Image Persistence - Can generated images be stored long-term effectively

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Technical Specifications

Specification	Value	Notes
Generated Images Count	2 images	Black background + white background
Generated Image Resolution	1024x1024 pixels	Square ratio
Market Reference Price	$10-20	Social media platforms
Replicate Single Cost	~$0.02-0.03	Extremely low cost
Potential Profit Margin	10x+	Huge monetization potential
Model Actual Run Time	20-60 seconds	Varies based on load
Make.com Wait Time	120-240 seconds	Recommend 240 seconds
Image Link Validity	1-2 hours	Need to upload to image hosting
Make.com Basic Plan	$9.9/month	10,000 operations

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Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Make.com account (free registration)
• Replicate API key (replicate.com)
• Notion account and avatar database
• Image hosting account (like ImgBB, for permanent image storage)

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Market Monetization Potential

Social media platform avatar customization service, reference price $10-20

This workflow’s business value lies in huge cost differential:

• Market Price: $10-20/avatar (hand-drawn avatar customization)
• Generation Cost: $0.02-0.03/avatar
• Profit Margin: 10x+

Combined with automated workflow, can achieve batch generation, dramatically improving efficiency.

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Replicate Platform Introduction

Replicate provides rich AI model resources

Replicate is an AI model hosting platform providing:

• Hundreds of Models - Image generation, voice, video, etc.
• Pay-as-you-go - Pay for what you use
• API Calls - Easy integration into automation workflows
• face-to-sticker Model - This tutorial’s core model

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Workflow Architecture

Four main steps: Notion fetch → API call → Wait generation → Save result

Core Modules

1. Notion Search - Fetch pending original images
2. HTTP Request - Call Replicate API
3. Sleep - Wait for model generation completion (240 seconds)
4. HTTP Request - Get generation results
5. ImgBB Upload - Upload to image hosting for permanent storage

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Step 1: Configure Notion Database

Create avatar database in Notion with these fields:

• Original Image (Files & Media) - Upload portrait photo
• Status (Select) - Pending/Processing/Completed
• Generated Result (Files & Media) - Save generated avatar
• Image Link (URL) - Permanent image hosting link

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Step 2: Configure Replicate API Call

HTTP module configuration for API Key and JSON request body

Add HTTP module in Make to call Replicate API:

Request Configuration:

• URL: https://api.replicate.com/v1/predictions
• Method: POST
• Headers:
  • Authorization: Token {{your_api_token}}
  • Content-Type: application/json

Request Body:

{
  "version": "face_to_sticker_model_version",
  "input": {
    "image": "{{notion_image_url}}",
    "steps": 20,
    "width": 1024,
    "height": 1024
  }
}

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Step 3: Configure Wait Module

Since image generation takes time, must add Sleep module:

Configuration:

• Wait Time: 240 seconds (recommended)

Note: Setting 120 seconds may cause some requests to timeout with errors; recommend 240 seconds to ensure stability.

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Step 4: Get Generation Results

Call HTTP module again to get generation results:

Request Configuration:

• URL: https://api.replicate.com/v1/predictions/{{prediction_id}}
• Method: GET

Returned JSON contains generated image URLs (black background and white background, two images).

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Step 5: Upload to Image Hosting

Since Replicate image links expire after 1-2 hours, need to upload to image hosting:

1. Add HTTP module to download image
2. Add ImgBB Upload module to upload
3. Get permanent link and save to Notion

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Gotchas

During setup, note:

1. Non-real-time Generation - Need to wait 120-240 seconds; cannot provide instant feedback

2. Image Link Expiration - Replicate links expire in 1-2 hours; must configure image hosting

3. Results Need Manual Optimization - AI generation may not be perfect; needs secondary filtering or editing

4. Debugging Requires Patience - Make.com data input/output prone to errors; needs patient debugging

5. Non-real-time Trigger - Current workflow is scheduled or on-demand trigger, not instant status change trigger

6. Complex Webhook Configuration - If need real-time notification, need to build separate workflow to receive signals

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Use Cases

Recommended Users

• Avatar Customization Entrepreneurs - Low-cost high-efficiency monetization solution
• Digital Content Creators - Batch generate style-consistent cartoon characters
• AI Automation Enthusiasts - Learn Make.com and API integration techniques
• Users Seeking Personalized Images - Obtain unique American-style cartoon avatars

May Not Suit

• Scenarios requiring instant real-time generation
• Regular users unfamiliar with APIs and automation tools
• Users pursuing extreme artistic effects
• Users whose time cost exceeds configuration cost

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FAQ

How much does it cost to generate one avatar?

Replicate single generation costs only pennies (~$0.02-0.03), while market price can reach $10-20, providing 10x+ profit margin.

How long does generation take?

Actual generation time 20-60 seconds, but need to set 120-240 second wait time in Make.com workflow to ensure stable operation.

Will generated image links expire?

Yes, Replicate-generated image links expire after 1-2 hours. Need to upload to third-party image hosting (like ImgBB) for long-term storage.

Can I generate different style avatars?

Can generate different clothing styles through multiple runs while facial features remain consistent. Can also explore other Replicate models.

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Next Steps

After mastering the basic workflow, you can try:

• Exploring other Replicate style models
• Adding batch processing functionality
• Integrating auto-publishing to social media
• Adding customer order management system

Questions? Feel free to leave comments!