Transparent updates from the lab: product milestones, engine work, customer learnings, and the gritty details we uncover while building a no-cloud, no-subscription batch processor.
FlowBatch is now available on the Mac App Store! After launching on Windows earlier this month, we've brought the same powerful batch processing experience to macOS. The free version includes full batch processing with all nodes and formats. Pro upgrade available for $14.99 (launch price until April 23rd, 2026).
Added GIF quality settings to the Convert node. Users can now choose between High (256 colors), Medium (128 colors), and Low (64 colors) presets when converting videos to GIF. This uses FFmpeg palette optimization with different dithering methods for each preset to balance quality vs file size.
Finally launched the pro version on the Windows Store. I decided not to use my own license validation - I will use the Windows Store and later the Mac Store for the pro upgrade to keep things simple for now. I'm offering a discounted launch price of $14.99 until April 23rd 2026.
The free version of the application is now live on the Windows Store.
I need a break.
Submitted the application to the Windows store. Received an email a few hours later that the app did not run. I forgot to bundle ffmpeg in the msix - lel. Fixed and sent back (this time I ran the msix first to confirm).
Working through publishing the application to the Windows Store. Almost ready. I will start with Windows and focus on Mac later.
Spent hours testing each node, debugging minor issues, and making sure everything works. Fortunately, no major rework is required. Making sure Flowbatch handlers error gracefully, and properly validate inputs. Also worked extensively on polishing the user interface.
I was having issues converting HEIC to JPG. The library I used does not have good support for it. So I had to find a different library just for that type of conversion. Which is totally worth it, because I have thousands of HEICs to liberate.
I got my first sign-up for the waiting list! I hope to get another soon so I don't have to fix the pluralization error.
I started implementing the licensing model. It's working well. You can run the application for free, but you won't be able to save presets or use the watch feature. I might put a limit on the number of files to process - not sure about that yet.
I completed the first version of the landing page and deployed it. Starting to share the link on X and sent it to some family and friends. Got about 40 visits to the site. No sign-up yet
I spent four hours last night creating a wacky promo video. I have never done that type of work - it was A LOT of work, but I had a lot of fun. Started posting it on X to see what people think. Tomorrow I have to focus on wrapping up the landing page. Happy Thanksgiving!
I spent the entire drive home thinking about how to promote this app. I could record some demo videos and showcase it to friends. This is where I'm going to have to step out of my comfort zone and maybe post some videos on YouTube and TikTok to attract an audience. I definitely need some help with this!
I asked Claude to write a comprehensive testing plan, and I'm realizing this is going to be a lot of work. I need to test each preset and each node manually to put myself in the users' shoes and ensure everything works correctly and smoothly. I think it's a good time to step back from development and start focusing on marketing and distribution. Time to get that landing page ready!
I woke up so tired this morning. I could barely sleep; my mind is racing. I can't believe the app is functioning so well, and it's starting to look polished. Here's the first screen: say hello to FlowBatch! It's the batch processor that doesn't crash, doesn't spy, and doesn't charge monthly. Today, I'm going to focus on smoothing out some rough edges and testing.
I couldn't work last night, but I spent some time with Gemini 3 refining my marketing strategy and defining user personas. I'm almost ready to share what I have, but not yet. I need to tie up some critical loose ends to ensure this can genuinely become a real product.
Wow, I started with just one prompt this morning and spent the entire day developing a working prototype. I've run out of credits, and my hands hurt from typing! Tomorrow, I won't have much time, but I'll work as much as I can in the morning before our family reunion.
I finally collaborated with Gemini 3 to create some prompts for a minimum viable product (MVP). Built what seems like a solid plan for the backend as well as the UI. I have a lot of questions, but I'm going to focus on action instead of getting stuck. It's time to feed this plan to Claude.
I spent a few hours using Gemini to investigate pain points in the desktop utility space. I played around with some ideas and narrowed it down to a specific need for content creators, photographers, and media professionals. I'm going to let this idea simmer for a while.
I'm considering building a desktop app (I know, it's old school). I really enjoy a good utility app that costs between $30 and $50. The idea would be to let users download and install it for free, but with limitations. They would pay to unlock all features and pay more if they plan to use it for commercial purposes. Now, the question is: what can I build? I started researching pain points in this space.