SmartFrame Founder and CPO Patrick Krupa talks about the process of developing image-streaming technology from an idea into the new standard for digital images
How long have you been in tech?
I’ve been in tech since the internet started. I have a graphic design background, but since I’ve always been technically minded, I transitioned pretty quickly. Many graphic designers learned to make websites because the demand was huge, so I learned new technologies as they emerged, always staying ahead of the game.
What inspired you to create SmartFrame?
At the time I was running a digital agency in Shoreditch, London. I created a web app for a neighbor who was running a modeling agency. The website was so successful that it paid for itself in three months, so I decided to look for ideas for an internet startup myself.
I’ve always had an interest in photography, and it was through an experienced photojournalist contact and many other photographer colleagues that I came to understand one of the main challenges the industry faces: image theft and lack of attribution.
I learned a lot about broken workflows and dysfunctional business models, but most importantly, I met these photographers in person and heard their stories.
I heard about waiting for hours in the rain with no food or restrooms, dealing with hostile attitudes, and being mugged for equipment, but more importantly, stories of journalists who died, became disabled, or were captured by the enemy in war zones, all for the sake of framing that decisive moment.
Hearing about these experiences firsthand is what really makes you respect the photography process, recognize the true value of images, and, in turn, understand the importance of ensuring they are protected.
How did SmartFrame begin?
There was an obvious gaping hole there. You could no longer download movies or music for free, and font licensing was being introduced, but nobody was speaking about the most common internet asset – photography. It was obvious that SmartFrame’s technology could fix this.
After the ‘eureka’ moment, the actual SmartFrame image format was the fruit of laborious research. The challenge was to protect images with existing tech, without forcing users to install any plugins.
At this point, SmartFrame CTO Artur Wiśniewski came up with an idea to try this ‘new thing’ – HTML Canvas. It took a lot of experimentation and polishing, but we had it: the first web-only app that could prevent screenshot attempts.
How has the SmartFrame product evolved and developed over the years?
Hugely. The image viewer was very clunky in the beginning, but nowadays, its performance is flawless. Despite all the functionality, it can provide a faster and better user experience than traditional images, full stop.
We have also built a very advanced infrastructure that includes pretty much the whole digital asset management (DAM) and content delivery network (CDN) for SmartFrame images with API connectivity. Furthermore, we shifted entirely from B2C to B2B.
While the principle remains the same, we started with an idea – an experiment – and developed it into a fully functional, highly advanced, and robust web application. It was a long journey, but I’m glad to say we’re in a very good place today.
How important has user feedback been to this evolution and development?
We have gone through several verticals in our history. We started with photographers, then moved on to image libraries, agencies, and national heritage institutions. We touched on e-commerce and other markets too, but now our main focus is publishers and website owners.
Every client and every integration brings new challenges and learnings, and a major part of my job is to encourage and gather this feedback. It saves a lot of time, money, and frustration.
For example, before we had clients or the budget for good research, we had no choice but to design and build such an innovative product using only our experience, intuition, and a pinch of ego. After a lot of hard work, we had the product at a point where we felt it was ready for launch, but when the users came and began giving us feedback, we ended up rebuilding half of it!
How big a part has internal communication played?
I don’t always get to meet clients and users and indeed the average UX or product designer may never have communications with them. Instead, we rely on first-hand reports from integration and support engineers who deal with users directly.
With that in mind, it’s absolutely essential for the whole team to share information, comments, and feedback internally to ensure we are providing the best possible experience for our clients and users.
Has your overall vision changed? Or does it remain the same?
It is similar but broader. I used to think about the details a lot, but now I’m looking at the big picture and it is vast; the applications and opportunities for SmartFrame are endless.
Basically, it is the image format of the future.
Where would you like to take SmartFrame in the future?
I would like it to become the standard for images on the web, in the same way that PDF is for documents, or Flash was before it disappeared. However, I also realize this may be the end of SmartFrame as we know it.
Once the internet embraces it, it may become open source and be embedded into the browser. That could result in me having to let it go completely one day, but if it means that we created something bigger than us and the whole internet community benefits, it’s a win.
If you could go back in time and speak to your younger self at the beginning of your SmartFrame journey, what advice would you give?
It will take much longer, cost much more, and be much harder than you think. But that means the project will also be much bigger than you think, so always think big and it will become even greater than you ever planned.
Also, if you’re doing the right thing, money is not the issue – time is the most precious thing.
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