Indie Dev Spotlight: Effects Studio's Claude Bezeaud
Indie Dev Spotlight is a new column where we feature independent iOS developers. We’re starting with the developer of Effects Studio, Claude Bezeaud.
Claude Bezeaud, 52, is an independent app developer in France. He’s used an iPhone for years, but when he tried Xcode a few years ago, he wanted to develop and create an iOS app. This was challenging because he already had a full-time job in retail. But he decided to become a developer on the side. He liked the idea of creating a photo effects app, so he could change a picture according to his needs and also be able to have fun with some processing.
He is self-taught, using sites like Github and Stack Overflow and Apple forums to overcome technical obstacles. He credits his wife and her unconditional support for giving him the time and space to devote himself entirely to both his regular job and his app development project.
His app, Effects Studio, has gotten over 50,000 downloads since its inception in December 2013. He is grateful to a number of tech journalists, including our own Christine Chan and Sandy Stachowiak for their articles (Effects Studio balances professional and fun photo editing in one app and Splash summer into photos with the updated Effects Studio) that helped his app stand out from the crowd. Apple has featured Effects Studio many times on the App Store. Claude says that without their assistance, and Apple’s, it would be very difficult to succeed in the iOS app field.
Claude describes Effects Studio: It is a non-destructive photo editor that combines easy-to-use basic image editing features with powerful effects. Whether you’re an occasional snapper or an enthusiast, perfect your shots with Effects studio and cater to almost everything you could want to do with your pictures. There’s plenty of fun to be had. Produce stunning effects, too. Manipulate and share pictures of your friends in weird and wonderful ways, and some that distort pictures so heavily that, frankly, they should never see the light of day.
Claude makes an effort to be attentive to user reviews and always try to establish a constructive dialogue where possible. He emphasizes that this is difficult if users just leave a bad review. Rather, he encourages dissatisfied users to contact him directly so he can create that useful dialogue, understand where the problem lies, and make changes to the app as needed.
I’m always curious about people’s home screens, favorite apps, and how these apps fit into daily life and workflow. Here is Claude’s home screen:
His home screen evolves according to the needs of the moment. But he feels that some apps are always essential for him, such as Reeder to follow the news. He uses Apple’s native mail app but also MailBox to stay on top of e-mail. TestFlight makes the beta versions of the app available to beta testers. He finds iTunes Connect essential for monitoring his app’s downloads.
You can follow Effects Studio and contact Claude via FaceBook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Effects Studio is currently available on the App Store for $1.99. Version 4.0 is currently being reviewed by Apple and should be released soon.
