Big Enough for Amazon, Small Enough for Startups — Here’s Why “Stripe” Checks Out.

The checkout line at Meijer is long again. You told yourself you’d never use self-checkout. After all, you don’t work here. But look at those lines, look at those overflowing carts, and with only a few items of your own, you find yourself turning the cart toward the rows of automated cashiers so you can simply get in, get out, and be on your way.

It’s okay. It’s not a crime to crave speed and convenience. Ten years ago, many of us never thought self-checkout would really catch on. But today, some stores have done away with human cashiers altogether!

Why? Because in this internet age, everyone craves that feeling of speed and convenience. It’s not just a luxury anymore — it’s expected. And the expectation of convenience is even higher for online shopping. About 1.5x more expected, according to an online study of shopping habits conducted by PYMNTS.

If you’re a Michigan business owner selling products, offering services, or selling memberships, you need a simple checkout method to keep customers engaged through the end of the sale. That’s why so many businesses turn to Stripe Checkout.

If you’ve ever bought from Amazon, paid for a Lyft, or used Shopify or Substack, you’ve used Stripe. Not only can this checkout system create a sense of familiarity among your customers, but it has many benefits you probably don’t know about that can help you grow and expand your reach.

Let’s look together at what Stripe Checkout is, its affordability, and why it might be the smartest way to handle your payments.

What is Stripe Checkout?

Stripe Checkout is a ready-made, secure online payment page that makes it easy for your customers to pay you. It’s built and hosted by Stripe, one of the most trusted payment platforms in the world. (Did I mention Amazon uses it?)

Think of it like this:

Instead of building your own checkout form from scratch (and worrying about security, credit card regulations, or mobile responsiveness), Stripe gives you a polished checkout page that just works, right from the start.

Not only is it secure — it’s fast. Really fast.

At checkout, the average customer spends less than two-minutes filling out their information to make a purchase. Stripe supports multiple payment options, autofill, real-time validation, and card scanning on mobile, making you look high-tech with a smoother and smarter experience than most custom-built forms.

Once a purchase is made, Stripe can even send professional, branded receipts automatically, saving you time and giving your customers peace of mind.

What Can You Do with Stripe?

Stripe Checkout can be plugged right into your site or app to start collecting payments for a myriad of payment options: one-time purchases, subscriptions and memberships, donations or event registrations, digital products and downloads.

It’s all baked into this humble, yet hefty pie.

Stripe supports credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even buy-now-pay-later options — all optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Trying to connect with overseas customers? Stripe can do that too, with 30+ languages and the ability to accept more than 125 different currencies.

Don’t Want to Look “Cookie-Cutter?” No Problem.

While its functionality might maintain the same standard across the board, not all Stripe Checkouts are made to look equal. Stripe offers multiple customization options to give your checkout a unique appearance that looks like it belongs to your business.

Customization options include the ability to add your:

• Logo
• Business name
• Brand colors
• Product details
• Confirmation page (where customers land after payment)

Why Do Business Owners Love It?

Here’s what makes Stripe Checkout such a smart choice for small and mid-size businesses in Michigan and beyond:

#1. Security is handled for you. You can stop worrying about PCI compliance or protecting your customers from hackers. Stripe is an API model (a communication software) that allows your site to handle payments without ever needing to collect or store credit card/personal data yourself.

#2. It’s mobile optimized. 60% of online shoppers complete purchases using their phone. As for the other 40%? Stripe easily translates to fit any screen, whether that’s a tablet, laptop, desktop, or even a smart refrigerator. (It was hard to imagine that ten years ago too.)

#3. It’s conversion focused. Stripe is built to reduce cart abandonment and help people complete their purchase. The easier it is to pay, the more likely a customer will.

#4. Stripe is global-ready. Not only can Stripe speak to customers in 30+ languages, but it will automatically adjust based on the region in which someone is visiting your site. Currencies are automatically corrected too!

#5 It’s subscription friendly. If you want to help your customers automatically re-order the things they’ll need again and again, you can establish recurring payments for easier business that you can plan for.

How Much Does It Cost?

With all its features, you might be worried it costs a fortune. You’re trying to generate subscriptions, not pay for another one. The good news is, it doesn’t cost a dime to install or keep on your website.

I’ll say that again. It’s free to keep on your site.

Stripe’s business model is built on your success — not draining your resources.

When you make money, it makes money. Stripe charges a percentage and a small fee per successful transaction. If a cart is abandoned or a payment fails, you won’t be charged at all.

Of course, it’s up to you whether the fees are fair, so let’s break down the numbers:

·     One-time payments: 2.9% + 30¢

·     Subscriptions: Same rate per recurring payment

·     International cards: Add 1%

·     Currency conversion / tax tools: Add 0.5%–0.8%

Here’s how that shakes out:

Say you have a customer in the U.S. who makes a one-time purchase of $100. Stripe would charge $3.20, leaving you with $96.80 from the sale. That’s the same as most standard card processing fees.

If that same customer comes back and decides to subscribe to recurring orders every three months, Stripe only charges the same amount, and offers support with billing tools, such as:

·     automatic invoicing

·     the ability to create coupons

·     offer trial periods

How To Get Started.

If you work with a web developer like Queue Development, it’s quick to integrate. They can set it up using Stripe’s simple tools and documentation — or even through plugins if you're already using something like WordPress or Shopify.

Once integrated, your developer can tailor the checkout to match your site’s design — building trust and making the checkout experience so easy, customers are less likely to click away.

Perhaps best of all, you can finally put the ibuprofen away. No more headaches from managing code, updating payment forms, or chasing down compliance issues. Stripe handles it.

Stripe Checkout is a simple, secure, and flexible way to start collecting payments online without having to reinvent the wheel. If you want to focus on running your business (and not becoming a coding or payment expert), this might be one of the easiest decisions you can make.

Is it Honestly AI? Probably Not.

Anyone with a pulse and a computer or TV for at least the last year has been witness to a new digital revolution — the “rise of artificial intelligence.”

Companies across the globe are pushing out “AI-powered” products and services ranging from chatbots to coffee makers, and even a so-called “AI-based smart waste management system” (trash can) that sorts your trash and recycling for you. No, really. It’s a thing.

“AI” is undoubtably under development, and some models do exist — however, as a term, “AI-powered” can be largely regarded as the buzzword of the moment. It’s hot, mysterious, and definitely makes things sound smarter. But the truth is that a lot of what companies are calling “AI” is just better automation in new packaging.

Now, you may be catching the notion that I’m writing this article as a drag on those companies and their “AI-powered” products.

Au contraire.

There’s another truth to reveal in this “coffee-powered” post you’re reading, and it’s that catching on to the AI craze is an enormous opportunity for small- to mid-sized Michigan businesses — but there’s an honest way to do it and do it effectively.

You don’t need to invent the next ChatGPT to offer a smart, helpful user experience. Most of the “AI” tools on the market today are actually just solid software, most of which have been around for some time, but are now being delivered more efficiently than before. What’s more, with the help of a developer, you can add these programs to your site with relative ease and how you talk about it may have a big impact on how customers perceive your business.

Let’s cut through the buzzwords, get a better grasp on the tools companies are really using, and how to frame them in customer-facing language that’s modern, clear, and most importantly, honest.

Demystifying the Hype.

Before we can talk strategy, we need to talk about what’s happening in most cases when a company claims to be using “AI.”

When companies say “AI,” they might mean:

• A chatbot that answers basic questions using a script
• A form that recommends products based on previous inputs
• An algorithm that schedules emails based on customer behavior
• A grammar tool that rewrites a few lines of text

Technically, these features might involve machine learning. But generally, they’re built on rules, predictions, and automation, which makes it “smart automation” or “predictive logic” not actual intelligence.

Imagine it this way: putting a full-blown AI into a bank’s automated customer support chat feature would be like using a firehose to water your lawn instead of using a sprinkler.

A full AI-powered large language model provides a flood of capability… but with sometimes unpredictable results. It may help a customer find useful information about getting a new home loan, or it may, for lack of a better term, hallucinate, a policy that doesn’t exist.

A rule-based automation is more like the sprinkler. Something controlled and targeted for results:

“Press 1 for account balance. Press 2 for fraud alerts. Etc.”

Calling these tools “AI” makes them all feel like something out of science fiction, but these labels are often misleading and might distract from what’s actually happening — and you don’t need true artificial intelligence to provide a better experience.

With so many smart automation tools already at your disposal, what matters is which tools you choose and how clearly you explain their value.

Smarter Tools, Not Smarter Robots.

We might not be printing steak dinners out of a Jetsons-style microwave just yet, but today’s smart automation tools can still make your site feel futuristic, without going full sci-fi.

Furthermore, you don’t need to fake the helpful tech-connected aspects of your site to attract customers. While the “AI” label might impress some users, most customers simply want a smooth, simple and easy-to-use interface that helps them find or do the thing they came to your site for.

Here are some smart tools to help you do just that:

• Chatbots: Whether they’re fully AI-driven or rule-based, chatbots help users find information quickly and free up your team’s time, but remember, full AI can offer a massive amount of additional capability, which can sometimes manifest in unpredictable ways.
• Email flows: Services like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign allow you to send personalized messages based on user behavior. These messages are automated but provide a personal touch.
• Product recommendations: Shopify plugins and e-commerce tools now offer “You might also like” features that feel predictive, even if they're just using good data logic.
• Smart search: Tools that auto-complete search queries or surface relevant results make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. These are often powered by simple keyword analysis and UX design, not HAL 9000.
• Appointment scheduling: using tools with built-in logic, like Calendly, TidyCal, or a custom solution, can help Michigan businesses show availability, qualify leads, and even adjust for time zones before booking.
• Abandoned cart recovery: Shopify, WooCommerce extensions, and Klaviyo can also send your customers automatic emails or push notifications to remind customers about the items they’ve left in their cart, calling them back to have another look and possibly complete the sale.

None of the tools listed above need to “learn” to feel smart to the user, but they can offer a responsive, efficient, and connected experience which often feels like intelligence to the customer, which is really what matters.

Messaging that Matches Reality.

If you’re using modern automation tools, you’re allowed to sound modern. I’m not here to discredit or demonize those who use it, but there is a difference between good marketing and a misleading spin.



Unless you’re using an actual artificial intelligence model in your product or site, you might consider explaining the smart automation service to your customers.

Here are some thoughts on how to appropriately toe that line:

• Instead of: “Revolutionary AI support!”
• Think: “Fast, intelligent support powered by smart automation”
• Instead of: “AI that knows what you want”
• Try: “Personalized recommendations that get better with use”
• Instead of: “Built with cutting-edge artificial intelligence”
• Try: “Designed to save you time using smart tools and data insights”
• 
  

Where to use this language:

• Home page: Let users know they’ll get an easy, intelligent experience.
• Service pages: Highlight features that offer efficiency or personalization.
• About or FAQ pages: Explain your approach to automation in plain terms.
• Sales pitches or proposals: Position your tools as modern and effective, without overpromising.

This kind of language shows that you understand the tech and know how to use it to benefit your customers without pretending you built a robot army.

Why Messaging Matters.

When you call something “AI,” you set an expectation. And if the experience doesn’t match that expectation, users lose trust. Not to mention, it muddies the waters of what is and is not AI.

So why use the label at all? Because when done honestly, it helps you build credibility as a forward-thinking business, improve engagement by making features feel helpful and modern, and highlights efficiency and personalization — two things users value.

That said, don’t chase the word “AI” just because it’s trendy. Instead, describe the effect it has on your users:

• “You’ll get quick answers anytime, thanks to our automated support tools.”
• “Our recommendations learn from your preferences to help you find the right fit faster.”
• “We use smart systems to keep things personal, even at scale.”

When the experience matches the message, customers are more likely to stick around and even recommend you to others.

Keep It Smart, Keep It Honest.

Artificial intelligence isn’t going away — but neither is good old-fashioned marketing. And in today’s landscape, the businesses that win are the ones that can leverage real functionality while communicating it clearly.

Strategies to maintain integrity while still winning customers:

• Know what your tools actually do.
• Don’t oversell, but don’t undersell, either.
• Use “AI” language if it helps explain the benefit, not if it just sounds impressive.
• Stay customer-focused, not buzzword-focused.

You don’t need to invent the next breakthrough to sound like a business of the future. You just need to show your customers you’re thinking ahead and utilizing tools that make their lives a little easier.

Ready to Implement Smart Automation that Actually Works?

Queue Development helps Michigan businesses build smarter websites using practical, modern tools — not just buzzwords. Whether it’s intelligent contact forms, user-friendly chatbots, or real AI features, we focus on what delivers value to your customers.

Let’s talk about how your site can work harder for you. Email us today at [email protected].

Spooked by API? Don't be. It's the Easiest Way to Boost Your Bottom Line.

Business moves fast — today, faster than ever before. If you’re not online, you’re not reaching your full sales potential. Even Michigan businesses that are online may still be wasting time and money by not using the tools already at their fingertips.

Let’s not waste time.

You can improve efficiency, cut costs, and grow smarter by connecting the apps and software your business already uses through safe, secure technology to automate tasks and streamline operations. The process is known as “Application Programming Interface” or API integration, and while it might sound technical, it’s less intimidating than it seems. Chances are, you’ve used it without even realizing.

API is a simple process that allows different software systems to talk to each other, helping your business run smoother and scale up more easily. Whether you want to accept payments online, manage customer relationships, or communicate better with your team, learning how to implement these digital tools can make an enormous difference for your bottom line.

What is an API?

An API is essentially a “messenger” or “bridge” that helps different software systems to share specific information or functions securely. If you’ve ever visited a site that allowed you to “use Google to sign in,” bought something online with Paypal, or pulled photos for social media directly from a social media account connected to your phone’s photo app, you’ve used an API.

See? Not so scary. In fact, using an API to automate those processes and others is not only faster and removes the risk of human error, but is often more secure than manually inputting your information into a new website, or in the case of a small business owner, storing all of your customer’s sensitive data.

So how does it work? To put it in a metaphor, it’s like visiting a Big John’s in Flint. You walk up to the counter and tell the cashier what you want, then minutes later, the steak and onion sandwich you wanted is brought out to you. Placing your order was like a software requesting a function, the cashier acting as an API, told the kitchen (the secondary software) about your request and the action was fulfilled. You didn’t have to make the sandwich or wrap it, but now you have it ready to go.

APIs work much the same way by making complex processes simpler for you and your customer. Software with specific functions like Paypal and Venmo, or that users tend to trust more, such as Google or Facebook, allow for easier functionality across platforms.

How Can API Save My Business Money?

The #1 way integrating API into your business’ software can save money is by removing repetitive tasks. You could spend your entire day inputting information from web forms into customer emails to verify details of an order, or you can let a software designed with that purpose do the work for you.

The purpose of API is to automate (and thus remove) repetitive tasks. By streamlining that which can be delegated to a program, you can free up yourself and your team to focus on other matters of business.

The same goes for your customers. Customers who forget their password for your site are more likely to abandon ship than try and try again. They’re also more likely to abandon their cart than fill out an entire shipping and payment form when other sites allow them to pay with a simple and trusted source like Paypal or Venmo.

API integration can also help you boost your visibility by automatically connecting to social media apps or other customer relationship management software.

By connecting to popular tools, you’re building your business on top of an existing service without re-inventing the wheel. Not only does this make your business look more reputable, but you create a more streamlined and enjoyable experience for yourself and the customer.

API integration is also an effective means of improving communication within your team. By connecting apps used across different departments, you can create a smoother flow of information. For instance, your sales team can access customer data updated in real-time by the support team. This means fewer errors and quicker decision-making, allowing your team to work more efficiently.

Can APIs be Trusted with My Customers’ Information?

APIs are often safer than obtaining and storing a customer’s data yourself, not to mention cheaper too. In every case, before an API is allowed to access your customer’s information, they’re asked permission to create the connection. APIs also use encryption to make sure data transfers are secure and only access the data necessary to complete an action quickly.

Say you integrate with Google, your customer will be asked to give your site permission to contact Google and verify their identity. Your site would then essentially contact Google to see if they say who they claim to be, and if the person verifies their identity through email and Google says “yes,” they’re allowed in. This creates a simple two-factor authentication that’s even safer than a regular username and password. Furthermore, your site only receives certain, limited information, such as a name, email address and in some cases, a profile picture with additional permissions requested.

Payment software allows a customer to transfer money from their bank account or debit card without ever sharing their sensitive information directly to your site, limiting liability.

How Are APIs Created? (In simple terms)

APIs are created by a developer who establishes a set of “rules” for how the software should communicate. These pathways are created intentionally so other apps can connect and “talk” to one another, allowing each to do the job they were created to do.

How Can Your Business Get Started?

I’ve thrown a lot at you, and there’s a lot to consider when thinking of integrating new tools to improve your business. The good news is that you don’t need to completely overhaul your operation to get started.

Start with a small, simple integration. Identify one repetitive task that could be automated, like sending order confirmations or syncing calendars. Once you see the benefits, you’ll be ready to scale up to other processes.

Next, you’ll want to find existing APIs that match your business’s needs. Web developers like Queue Development can help your business find the right solution, then integrate it with your website or systems to ensure smooth operation.

APIs are a powerful tool for businesses of any size, yet many don’t know what they are or how to use them. APIs can help you iron out the kinks in your website, open up new opportunities, and stop wasting time, effort, and money. Get in touch with Queue Development today to start the conversation about how your business could benefit from API integration, and how the process can be painless and effective in scaling your business faster.

If you run an e-commerce site in Michigan, there’s an ugly truth that not many of us are ready to face. How exciting your product is, is less important than how your customer feels buying it.

There. I said it.

When it comes to sales, there’s a reason certain salesmen and women excel while others don’t. Some know how to sell the experience. Buying a car wouldn’t be nearly as enticing without a test drive. Fine dining restaurants serve quality food, sure, but they’re also selling atmosphere and emotion. We love our coney islands here in Michigan, but I’d never buy a $150 steak at one, even if the waitress promised it was Wagyu. The same principle applies to online checkouts — your customer’s experience sets the tone for their visit. It may determine how much they spend, if they spend, and whether they’ll be back.

Maybe you can think of a time when you searched through a website, you found exactly what you wanted, but you didn’t trust the site – or maybe they added steps to the process that made buying more of a hassle than a joy. There’s a saying that comes to mind, “don’t make it hard for me to pay you.”

In the age of the internet and online shopping, the worst thing you can be is out of date. A clunky website can be a source of frustration, make you look out of touch, raise questions whether your site is safe, and worst of all, it can make them leave a full cart sitting at your virtual register.

Your customer’s experience on your website matters from the moment they find your link to the moment they submit their payment. But according to data from the Baymard Institute, a whopping 70% of online sales in 2024 ended with customers abandoning their cart. According to the institute’s 14-year study, there are several common pitfalls that end online sales that could have otherwise been money in your bank account.

Here are some of the worst offenders:

Customers were required to make an account to proceed to checkout (26% abandonment)

The website didn’t seem trustworthy (25% abandonment)

The checkout process was too cumbersome to finish (22% abandonment)

Even something as simple as requiring a phone number but not explaining why or how it will be used can influence a customer’s decision to leave a site and was studied to cost businesses up to 5% of sales.

A simple and easy checkout experience, with the option to pay as a guest, with a payment method they prefer, is how the most successful online retailers boost their business. The trouble is, keeping it simple, isn’t always as simple, or intuitive as it may sound.

If you want to get more customers to check out, we can recommend several quick ways to improve your customer’s experience based on Baymard’s findings.

1.  Allow Guest Checkout

Make it clear that customers are allowed to “continue as guest” at checkout. Don’t hide the fact that a customer is able to use your site without completely registering. In a perfect world for a business, we’d love everyone to enthusiastically sign up for emails, promotions, and the promise of return business, but the harsh reality is, not every customer wants to. A customer having a comfortable experience on their terms means they’re more likely to follow through at checkout and may still generate repeat business.

2.  Simplify Password Requirements

You may think you’re looking out for your customers by setting an array of requirements for their password — but the more stringent your requirements are, the more likely a customer will turn elsewhere to shop in the future if they forget their password. Nearly 19% of would-be repeat customers abandon their cart instead of resetting a forgotten password.

Most people set their own strategies for password protection. They’ve created a system to commit passwords to memory while feeling secure and are less likely to recall an outlying password with requirements they were forced to meet. To offer better recallability, while still providing protection, sites can take several actions.

a. Allow six- or eight-character minimum passwords without additional requirements regarding special or case-sensitive characters.

b. Create password attempt limitations or obstacles and incorporate human-friendly CAPTCHAs, and/or

c. Implement two-factor authentication using a customer’s pre-registered phone number or email address, and

d. Require re-input of payment details for orders going to a new address.

3.  Provide Multiple Payment Options

Customers like what they like. This is true from the item in their cart to the way they choose to pay. E-commerce sites can easily increase sales by offering multiple payment options beyond standard debit/credit card transactions. PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay capture the lion’s share of online market transactions — about 85%. Sites without these payment options are at high risk of losing the final sale to another site which doesn’t require a customer to fish out their card to find the numbers.

4.  Be Clear About Delivery

Customers visit sites to shop, not to do math. If they’ve gone so far as to place your item in their cart, they want to know when they can have it, not how long it will take to ship. While these may seem like one-in-the-same to the business owner, to a customer, “typically ships between 2-3 business days” and “arrives by Thursday” may as well be two different languages. The same goes for “orders placed by 3 p.m. EST” versus “order in the next two hours.”

The former in both examples above are how businesses speak to other businesses, but customers are more likely to enjoy the latter. The people who want to buy your products want to know when they should expect their package and when they need to place the order to get it on time. Offering order cut offs and latest expected delivery dates are a way you can improve the user experience by simply speaking their language.

5.  Clarify Required Fields

Be clear about what’s required and what is not, and avoid input masks for restricted inputs. You need to know what to put on the shipping label and you need a method to contact the customer should there be a change with their delivery. However, customers can become confused if it’s not clear which information you’re asking for is optional or mandatory. It’s best to denote both instances clearly on the checkout page, either by directly stating what is “required” or “optional,” or by utilizing asterisks for mandatory fields.

Customers can also become frustrated if the information they provide is flagged as being “invalid.” If your site requires dashes in phone numbers, or if spacing doesn’t matter, it’s best practice to provide an example for the expected formatting to reduce confusion and customer fatigue.

6.  Clearly Explain Formatting Errors

Another cart-abandoning point of contention for many customers is frustration from unclear error messages. Some users will try again, but persistent error messages without clear instructions on how to correct the issue will lead many customers to lose patience. They may even begin to believe the issue is with your site, not with themselves. You only get so many attempts before a customer loses hope and leaves their cart and your site behind — potentially forever.

If a credit card has been input incorrectly or the customer has incorrectly filled another field, don’t just send them back to the top of the page, provide clear messaging that explains exactly what is wrong and how to fix it.

Implementing these solutions can provide immediate benefits to your business, whether your sales are primarily in Michigan, or you’re searching for customers around the globe. Keeping customers engaged, happy and undisturbed throughout the entire sale means fewer abandoned carts and more money coming in.

Good luck!

Want to Improve Your Art? Start with Light.

Few skills are more important to an artist than mastering the relationship between light and shadow. With proper lighting, a two-dimensional drawing can pop off the page and take on a vivid, three-dimensional feel. Whether you're painting a portrait, illustrating a still life, or sketching a cityscape, your understanding of lighting can make or break the realism and emotion in your work.

But while it's one of the most critical artistic tools, lighting is also one of the hardest to get right.

That’s why Light Reference was created. This free online app allows visual artists to build scenes, adjust lighting direction and strength, and use the result as a visual reference for studying how light and shadow affect form.

Whether you’re a painter, illustrator, or digital artist, Light Reference gives you an intuitive way to experiment with mood, depth, and form, all without the need to set up physical lighting in real life.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through what Light Reference is, how to use it, what features are coming soon, and why it’s a tool you’ll want to bookmark it to return again and again.

What Is Light Reference?

Light Reference is a free, easy-to-use web application created by Queue Development with beginners in mind. It helps 2D artists understand how light interacts with form in a variety of scenarios by using simple, adjustable shapes.

With Light Reference, you can:

- Add or remove multiple simple shapes (sphere, cube, cylinder)

- Adjust the direction and strength of a single light source

- Move and rotate objects along X, Y, and Z axes

- Change object colors

- Toggle a background grid on or off

- Save your configuration as a downloadable PNG for reference

How to Use Light Reference

Step 1: Choose Your Shape(s)

Add up to five spheres, cubes, or cylinders to your scene.

- Spheres are useful for studying how light behaves on rounded forms like heads, fruits, or balls.

- Cubes work well for boxes, buildings, or any scene with hard edges and flat planes.

- Cylinders help replicate arms, legs, cups, and architectural columns.

These three shapes provide the foundation for practicing realistic shading and understanding how light behaves across surfaces.

Step 2: Position and Color Your Shapes

Move each object freely along the X, Y, or Z axes to create a custom composition. You can also change each shape’s color. This is great for exploring how shadows fall between objects and how reflected light affects color and tone.

Step 3: Adjust the Lighting

Use the bottom slider panel to control:

- Azimuth — the horizontal direction of the light source

- Elevation — the vertical height of the light

- Intensity — how bright or dim the light appears

These settings let you explore how light behaves in different situations, from overhead light to early morning light, evening light, and everything in between.

Step 4: Toggle the Grid

The optional X-plane grid helps you keep track of perspective. Once your scene is set, you can toggle it off for a cleaner reference image.

Step 5: Download Your Scene

When you’re satisfied with the setup, click “Download PNG” to save the image to your device. You can then use it as a reference for sketching, shading practice, or building more complex scenes later.

How Is Light Reference Improving?

User feedback is helping shape the next version of Light Reference. New features currently in development include:

- More Shapes – cones, pyramids, and compound forms

- Material Options – shiny, metallic, or matte surfaces

- Colored Lighting – simulate warm, cool, or tinted light

- Multiple Light Sources – simulate complex lighting environments

- Rotation Controls – rotate objects to achieve alternate perspective views

- Scene Presets – save and reuse lighting configurations

- Dark Mode – a low-light UI for night sessions

- Mobile Optimization – better controls for tablets and phones

Have ideas for new features? We'd love to hear them! Contact us at [email protected]. Your input directly shapes the future of this tool.

Why Use Light Reference?

Mastering lighting and shading is one of the fastest ways to level up your art. Light Reference gives you a quick, visual way to build that skill, without needing physical lights, props, or ideal daylight conditions.

It’s perfect for:

- Studying the fundamentals of light and shadow

- Practicing tonal shading

- Creating lighting references for thumbnails or compositions

- Building consistent lighting in character and environment design

Just log on, build your scene, and start learning.

Try It Out!

Visit Light Reference today and see how fast you can build your lighting intuition. Whether you’re brand new or refining your style, this free tool is here to help you grow.

Happy sketching!