Shoot is now free to download! 🤑 Squares TV Newsletter Sent on 11 July 2022 by Michael Forrest

1. Shoot is now free to download

Now anybody can give it a try, risk-free.

How is this possible?

I added a watermark that requires an in-app purchase to unlock.

Why was this scary?

Firstly it’s very scary because Shoot is my only real source of income at the moment so I was very nervous about rocking the boat. (I’m very open about my revenue on Twitter if you’re interested.)

Secondly, it’s scary because it’s tricky to convert a paid app to a “freemium” app because you have to be very careful not to make existing users pay again.

And guess what?

I made, as we say in London, a right old mess of it.

Some of this was because I made incorrect assumptions about how Apple frameworks work, but the worst problem was caused, ironically, by the code I’d added to test and validate that my changes would definitely work properly!

I wrote a Twitter thread if you want more details on this, and I also talked about it on Discord.

All I can say is that if you have been affected by a stubborn watermark, I can’t apologise enough! But as of version 3.1.11 there are no more problems (please tell me if you do have a problem though!).

Why was it the right thing to do?

From beginners to seasoned pros, everybody has their own unique streaming rig. It might not be immediately clear how Shoot fits in, or if it would even be a good fit, without trying it out.

The only way to try it out until now was to shell out some cash, usually based on a recommendation from somebody like Adrian Salisbury. But now, I’m thrilled that anybody in the world can try out Shoot, 100% risk free.

2. New telestrator guide

Here’s a video and post about how to use the Telestrator.

There are some hidden features you might not have noticed

• Double-tap to clear
• Undo feature
• Pick different colours
• Darken your background
• Pause video

Read more →

3. Beat Sheet + Stream Deck

Beat Sheet, my Mac app that helps you plan and run better videos and live streams, now has a Stream Deck plugin!

Here’s a video showing how to set it up.

Learn more about Beat Sheet →

Ok that’s everything for today!

All the best

Michael Forrest