It’s time for another update, for those of you who are curious about what I’m working on and what’s coming next.
I’ve got some pretty big plans. I know, that’s what everyone says about every product. But this time it’s actually based on something. Lumen Tool is catching on. I’m getting a decent number of visitors, people are signing up, and so far they seem happy with it. So naturally I want to keep going, and I’m starting to realize that what began as a small free tool is turning into a full package.
That idea of a package is something I want to do a lot more with.
Version 2, or 1.1, or whatever we call it
Behind the scenes, I’m working on what you could call version 2. Or maybe version 1.1, since we only just launched. Either way, the number doesn’t really matter.
What it comes down to is a completely new design for the landing page, with clear information about each individual studio. Because the biggest challenge I’m running into right now is: who am I actually talking to, and why does someone end up on my site?
Most people still come for the original Lumen Tool, which is now the Lighting Simulator. I still see that as the main studio of the seven we currently have, and I definitely don’t want to lose sight of that. At the same time, it’s done. It works perfectly for what it is, and it’s not going to change much anymore.
But as someone who builds software, I want to reach more people and offer more. I could leave it here, but that would be way too easy. So I want to really present Lumen Tool as a package and set up the site that way. That means a full overhaul of both the front page and the member area, and actually marketing the individual studios.
Socials, videos and a lot more hours
At the same time, I’m setting up socials: Facebook, Instagram and a YouTube channel. That’s a lot of work, because I want to post videos and tutorials there. And since it’s just me, nobody else is going to make them. So next to working on the site, I’ll be putting a lot of time into that too.
That also means this is going from a part-time project to full-time, at least for a while, and probably more than full-time. It’s a huge job.
The goal is to eventually offer it as a complete software package, maybe somewhere around the start of the new year.
About the price
I get that most people don’t care much about what happens behind the scenes. You just want a product that works well. Fair enough. But there’s one thing that does affect you as a customer, so I want to be upfront about it.
Once I’m working on the new version, it’ll be impossible to keep offering Lumen Tool at the current price of €9 (or $9). With the time I’m putting in, server costs, buying 3D assets and paying taxes, there’s nothing left. Actually, I’m in the minus. So that €9 really is an introductory price, just like it says on the site. It’s not sustainable.
As much as I’d love to keep it low, it’s pretty simple: either I keep working on it, expand the site and raise the price, or I leave it as it is and never touch it again. Because right now it doesn’t come close to covering the costs or the time I put in.
You could say it’s my own time, but every hour I spend on this is an hour I’m not spending on something else. So I have to see it as an hourly rate. And that’s fine, because money matters, but making a fantastic product that people actually get something out of and are happy with matters a lot more to me. That gives me way more satisfaction than making a lot of money.
So, if I’m going to keep going, the price will go up with the next version. It’ll be somewhere around $15 to $20 per month. I don’t expect to go above $20. That’s not the plan, and it won’t be necessary.
The puzzle I’m still trying to solve
Here’s where I’m struggling a bit. I had the same thing with another site I’m working on, which is parked for now, and kept getting bigger and bigger.
I hate how big companies do marketing. I hate that feeling where you pay for something, it only half works, and then there are three more offers, which always comes down to paying more just to get what you expected in the first place. I don’t want that, in any way. I’ve said several times that Lumen Tool will always be one price, no matter how much I build. I still stand behind that 100%.
But here’s my problem with raising the price: not everyone needs all the studios. At $15, I think it’s still easy to justify, even if you only use one. But at some point someone might think: why am I paying for nine, ten, eleven studios when I only use one?
I’d say: that’s exactly the point. You get all of those studios for one price, which is a great deal. But if you don’t use them, you won’t see it as a deal.
The only solution I keep coming back to is offering individual studios at the current price of €9, with access to just that one studio, and the option to upgrade to the full package for an extra $5 or $10. But then I’d be breaking my original promise of everything for one price. Then again, offering everything for one price, just a higher one, is also kind of a change.
So it’s a tricky one. And for me it’s not about how to squeeze as much money out of people as possible. It’s about how to meet customers halfway as much as I can, without basically giving the product away. Because again, €9 a month is close to free compared to what goes into it.
I’ll figure it out, no doubt. It just might take a bit of head scratching.
If you’re already subscribed: your price stays
One thing I want to make very clear. If you sign up before the new version (and that’ll still be a while), you don’t need to worry about a price increase. Whether you pay yearly or monthly, you’ll keep your original price for as long as you keep your subscription.
I’m not even sure that’s technically possible or legal, but I would never just tell someone: you’re paying €9 now, next month it’s €15. That’s not happening.
If you cancel and sign up again a month later, you’ll be on the new price. But as long as you keep your subscription, you keep what you signed up for. So if you’re reading this as a member: no worries.
What to expect in the meantime
Big plans, a lot of work. That also means that until the new version, updates will mostly be small bug fixes and improvements, not necessarily big studio updates. If there are bigger changes, they’ll happen behind the scenes and end up in the new version.
And that new version will, with about 90% certainty, include Studio 8 and Studio 9. Both are already pretty far along.
Studio 8: Reflection Studio. This one is for product photographers, people shooting commercials, or anyone who wants to study reflections in detail on glossy products like bottles, jars and different materials. It’s going to be pretty specialist and also fairly complicated to use. Right now I’m mostly working on making it simpler, because I think I’m at 249 options by now. So that’s another puzzle, haha.
Studio 9: Lens & Perspective. A much simpler studio. I’m definitely not reinventing the wheel here, but I do think it belongs in a collection of studios built around light and photography. You place a human model in a room and see how the lens and perspective affect them, changing things like distance and lens type. There are other tools out there for this, but I’m going to make sure mine is better, so you don’t need to go to another site for it ;)
And that’s how it’ll keep going. I’ll keep expanding Lumen Tool, and this is what I have in mind for now. Let’s see how it all turns out!
Franck