A system for creating media-based projects includes a server, the server having access to a processor and a data repository, the server including a non-transitory physical medium, and software running from the non-transitory physical medium, the software providing a method comprising steps of receiving a plurality of images from a user-operated computing appliance to add to the media-project; performing image analysis on the images added to the media-project to identify a plurality of distinguishable features in the images; and selecting a subset of the plurality of distinguishable features in the images for presentation in a mosaic pattern in the media-project, wherein the mosaic pattern comprises the plurality of distinguishable features displayed in a tile pattern comprising a plurality of tiles, and wherein an overlaid die-cut pattern has a plurality of die-cuts corresponding to the plurality of tiles through which the mosaic pattern comprising the distinguishable features is visible.