Author created 'Freepacks'

ok, here's another idea for consideration in all this. this idea is just an extension of what FF has done recently with the promotional 'Freepacks'. what if authors could make those, too?

for anyone that hasnt tried any of these, there are currently two put out by FF, inc. these are stand-alone filters that work without the main FF product. they simply work as plugins for psp and ps and as stand-alones. they are not .8bf type filters. they use the existing program but simply disable certain features to keep one from making additional changes to existing filters or to being able to create new filters.

now, what if authors could make these filters this way, too? these would be VERY sell-able. i'd guess a price for these at around $14.95 to $19.95 would be reasonable for a single-filter filter (the free-packs are multiple filter, filters). and where they are not .8bf type filters, they ACT like .8bf type filters in almost every regard. you can even add presets.

i dont know how feasible this would be for FF to make available to authors, but i think it might be a solution to the whole sales, copyright, eula, re-seller thing. authors could make these individual FF filters and sell them, each by themselves. the eula would be whatever the author wanted it to be. FF could, if it wanted to, act as a sales point for these, if the author desired and if FF desired by agreement and users and resellers would have a means for making textures and selling those and would be bound, not by what an FF eula said, but by what the author set up in his/her eula to the end user. authors could set up their own stores for filter sales and/or texture sales.

this idea is actually what i originally thought FF was waaaay back in the early beta. i kept wondering, back then, where the resulting .8bf file was for filters well, now we have two examples of this, the freepacks! these are sellable!

the trick, of course, is if this is possible to pass along to FF authors such that authors could make a filter in this mode whereby it is not dependent on the main, full-blown version of FF and i really have no idea if that is very feasible. but, the idea of it, the concept is sound.

FF would no longer be entangled in eula difficulties, makes money by selling all their existing products and, if they wanted, could re-sell the author 'freepack' type filters, with the agreement of the author, of course. authors could set up their own stores for these as well and sell these 'freepack' types. users not interested in authoring could buy these and use them however the eula for THAT filter was stated and re-sellers could cut deals with FF and/or authors to re-sell these 'freepacks' and/or the resulting textures, depending on the deals set up between author and re-seller. everyone wins! the existing FF products continue just as they are, or mostly so, depending on vlad's proposed eula changes, and you essentially have the 'dual library' that fred proposed, except now the 2nd part of the library is sort of 'free floating', depending on what the authors did with the 'freepacks' they sell.

and, because one has an actual filter, as opposed to just the rendered textures, this might even be somewhat a cure for the current mess with the existing eula and the filter library... somewhat.

filter authors shld love this. they make filters. they sell filters. they make their own eulas and sell filters and set their own prices for these. no fussing with textures if they dont want and they are protected by their own eulas however they want those to read. it takes all that fuss off FF's plate and puts it squarely on the authors themselves. the filters themselves are copyrighted to the authors directly (which, actually, they are in the main FF program as well) and all copyright disputes and hassles now reside with the authors, not FF.

frankly, i think this would be the best of all worlds here, if it can be done.

hmmm, interesting. i'd have thought you'd like this idea. all of your unreleased texture filters could be released as single, free-standing filters, each of which could be sold separately, with whatever eula you wanted to put on them. you could set your own price on each or give them away, if you wanted. seems like an ideal solution, to me, and was what i was hoping FF was when i first got here.

before coming to FF in the early beta, i was making a few filters with Filter Meister and had the idea then to possibly do this for sales. back then i was still learning and just putting a few up for retouching and restoration of images and maybe one or two focused on photo art. but the intention was that it might be possible to make and sell .8bf filters, if i could learn the program well enough. then along came FF and bye bye Filter Meister

but, FF turned out to not be an .8bf maker. now, it seems it could be, what with the freepack releases. seems like a natural road to follow. folks know and understand .8bf filters in the photoshop graphics arena. this is an established, highly recognizable and desirable format for filters. i would think photoshop/graphic artists would love something like this. they could buy a single filter for, say, $14.95, and not have to shell out $300 for the main program. they'd get a nice plugin that worked with PS or PSP and be happy as clams rendering out the effects with their new, slick filter. it fits the mold almost perfectly.

FF is unencumbered by individual eulas, authors arent dependent on FF eulas and resellers could get what they want as well and even cut deals with authors for filter sales and textures. seems like the perfect format to me.

hehe, well, there's no reason BOTH couldnt be done, ya know and, you could still do texture packs with what i'm proposing

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Kraellin wrote: they could buy a single filter for, say, $14.95, and not have to shell out $300 for the main program.

----Did you read that and just keep typing ? You just sunk your own ship with one sentence, end of thread ha-ha, obviously FF will never do that for exactly the reason you've stated.

jffe

As far as I'm concerned.....it can be this idea, texture packs, or dancing girls .....I don't care.....just so long as they do something to give author incentives a "hot beef injection".....

Regarding the "freepack" and "desperation" -- IIRC we were going to create freepacks even before we opened this site (i.e. before the closed beta).

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Carl wrote: Great idea but your right there is no chance FF would go for it, they'd be cutting there own throats, no one would need to buy the program while texture packs could enhance sales by encouraging people to access the whole library of free textures as well as the paid ones - as far as I can see FF isn't interested in this, so flogging that poor horse seem pointless we need to to find another avenue

actually, carl, jffe's reasoning applies the same way to texture packs as it does to my idea of single filter sales. why buy the cow when you get the milk so cheaply? in other words, why buy FF when you can get the textures without FF. see, the logic works both ways there

but rather than explain all that again, just read my post above this one

steve, that last quote you used is a bit out of context. i was making the point that texture sales are no different than single filter sales regarding the point jffe was trying to make in saying that no one would buy FF. they would. and they would with texture sales as well. i'm saying do BOTH. absolutely do both! ok?

selling texture packs is good. selling single filters is good. both help authors and both help FF and the public at large can pick and choose what they want, textures, filters or the current FF offerings. everyone wins.

so, i'm not trying to sway anyone away from selling texture packs or having FF offer them or set up stores; quite the contrary, i'm trying to get them to offer ALL these things!

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StevieJ wrote: Let there be no doubt that I am an FF/author loyalist!!!

amen!

all of this actually lines up very well for FF. with the three units they now have, plus texture packs and single filters and with the mac version and pc 2.0 coming, i'd say FF has a VERY bright future.

you do realize we shld both be working for FF, right, steve? then again, for the pay we're getting now and for what we do, i doubt vlad could afford to hire us

i dont know, jffe; steve's made some very good pitches to vlad about this and vlad has listened. so, i guess it remains to be seen.

i do agree that their mainstay is FF main and not the byproducts and you're right, that isnt going to change. but, there's always ways to boost sales and increase use. FF has already shown some leanings in that direction with the discounts and freepacks. someone had to put those freepacks together, so there are personnel available that arent just working on code, at least at times. and, if sales are decent to good already, then extra staff may well be hired.

but all that is speculation. we'll just have to see where vlad is going to take all this.

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Kraellin wrote: but all that is speculation. we'll just have to see where vlad is going to take all this.

----That about sums it up properly. I'm definitely interested in making money with FF somehow, I'm just not gonna count on FF to do it for me, and renderosity sells low quality renders to hobbyists, so no real money there unless yer willing to rip everyone off and undersell the next guy who comes along and does the same thing, which is a losing battle with a short lifespan.

jffe

which reminds me, steve... no one has made a money texture yet

Oh yeah, I can see it now.....busted for making a forgery filter..... LOL.....

Let's get Carl......he'll do it!!! .....

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Carl wrote: cheque

For the love of God, English man.....it's a "Check"!!! LMAO.....