
Show HN: A tool to reproduce images using ironing beads - beadifier
https://www.beadifier.com
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fractallyte
This is excellent!

In the past, I used Grafx2
([https://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2](https://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2))
for 'beadifying' an image. It can reduce color palettes to powers of 2 (2, 4,
8, ...), then provides a count of each color in the image. This way, I knew
precisely how many beads I'd need (useful when certain colors were in limited
supply, and as a checksum).

I'd match these colors as closely as possible to my beads, count them out, and
start laying - using the on-screen image as a guide.

Your tool is better, of course ;-)

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beadifier
Thank you so much : ) I'm glad to hear that. The premium version of Beadifier
([https://www.beadifier.pro](https://www.beadifier.pro)) provides a similar
count of each bead color to what you are describing.

------
beadifier
I made this tool on my free time late last year. It has gained some traction,
but is still far from being the preferred tool among users for this particular
job (although, I argue, it has the best feature set). I have faced challenges
getting it to market in a quantifiably successful manner, but I try and spread
the word as best I can. I love making hobbies like this easier and more
accessible for people. That's what this tool represents. I value usability and
attention to detail. Seeing the reactions so far has been extremely
gratifying.

~~~
ericlewis
very cool!

~~~
beadifier
Thanks : )

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jakobegger
Do enough people work with ironing beads regularly so that they would pay a
monthly subscription?

My kids love those beads, and I've made some small things with them as well. I
could see myself buying maybe buying an app for €5 to 10€, but there's no way
I'd buy a subscription.

Also, this absolutely needs to be an iPhone app. Snap a picture of something
and convert it into a bead pattern.

~~~
beadifier
There are a lot of ironing bead enthusiasts out there creating sophisticated
artwork. So, I'll say there is a market. The feature set in the premium
version more than justifies the monthly price. iPhone app is not in
development at the moment, but the mobile site is somewhat usable.

~~~
jakobegger
I'm not saying that your app isn't worth $4 a month. If someone uses Beadifier
to create art for sale, and it's an important part of their workflow, you
could probably charge a lot more.

However, the question is, are there a 1000 people out there who sell
photorealistic ironing bead pictures on a regular basis, who absolutely need
your tool?

And you are targeting only people who are really into ironing beads. If
someone (like myself) only uses beads occasionally, they wont buy a
subscription. But I might buy something that costs a one time price, just like
I bought a few of those bead matrices (not sure what those things are called).

Which market you target is up to you, but I'm pretty sure that there are 1000x
more occasional ironing bead users than hard core enthusiasts.

(BTW: I tried the mobile website on the iPhone, and it kinda works, but feels
broken. A proper iPhone app would probably have a live preview, so I could see
the pattern in real time as I frame the picture, and I could just point a
camera at my beads to load the palette... but that's just wishful thinking)

