The tools I needed. Built because they didn't exist.
Shortcut Studio Promo Video
The Idea
I started .nook to build the After Effects tools I wanted but couldn't find. Focused utilities. One workflow problem each, solved without bloat.
The starting point is always my own pipeline. If I'm losing time to it, others are too.
Over 10,000 downloads across aescripts, Plugin Play, Adobe Marketplace and Gumroad with repeat users on every product.
How It Works
- Each tool is scoped to a single problem: flip footage, generate variations, fit to frame, replace text across a project. One problem, one solution, clear documentation.
- Distributed through Aescripts, Plugin Play and Gumroad. Every release goes through the full cycle: problem definition, design, development, documentation, community support and updates. Thousands of downloads and a growing catalogue.
- The dotnook.io site is its own piece of work; built in Astro with SvelteKit components and a Supabase backend. It's the most considered personal design project I've completed outside of client work: clean navigation, deliberate typography, product-first layout.
What I Learned
Shipping indie tools teaches you things a client brief rarely does. How to scope small enough to actually finish.
How to write documentation that makes the tool self-evident. When a feature request is a real need and when it's noise. How to build something flexible enough to maintain without it becoming a burden.
Most of the tools came from my own pipeline first. That's probably why they work.
