Apple delivers Universal Shake 4.1 for $499
Apple on Tuesday announced that it is making the first Universal version of its Shake compositing software available for $499 — an 80 percent price reduction from previous versions of the software.
Shake has been the tool of choice for major motion-picture studios and leading effects houses to create award-winning visual effects including this year's Oscar winner, ââ¬ÅKing Kong.ââ¬Â
ââ¬ÅShake has become an essential tool at ILM for visual effects compositing, playing a central part in our pipeline on blockbuster movies such as ââ¬ËMission Impossible 3,ââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËPoseidonââ¬â¢ and the upcoming ââ¬ËPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Manââ¬â¢s Chest,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬Â said Cliff Plumer, chief technology officer of Industrial Light and Magic. ââ¬ÅBy pricing Shake at less than $500, Apple has opened up the doors for the next generation of artists to master their craft.ââ¬Â
The new version complements Final Cut Studio by providing a full range of operations from simple re-touching to complex 3D compositing. Launched directly from the Final Cut Pro timeline, Shake uses state-of-the-art optical flow image analysis to re-time, track and stabilize shots with precision.
Particle effects from Motion 2 — Apple's real-time motion graphics software — can be dropped directly into the Shake process tree to add elements such as smoke, sparkles and fire to sophisticated multi-plane 3D composites. High resolution work can flow from Motion to Shake by rendering with the shared OpenEXR format for pristine film quality reproduction.
Shake 4.1 also delivers significant performance gains on the new Intel-based Macs, according to Apple. The company said users will be able to enjoy a desktop level experience on its new MacBook Pro notebook computer.
Performance tests on a 17-inch MacBook Pro have shown that common tasks such as color correction, warping and the application of filters are processed up to 3.5 times faster than on a PowerBook G4. That means artists and editors can start compositing with HD, 2K and even 4K shots directly on location, making Shake 4.1 on a MacBook Pro an ideal tool for continuity, Apple said.
Pricing & Availability
Shake 4.1 is available now through the Apple Store, Appleââ¬â¢s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499. Owners of Shake 4 can take advantage of a crossgrade to Shake 4.1 for just $49 US. Full details are available at www.apple.com/shake.
Apple will no longer sell the Apple Maintenance Program for Shake. Current Shake Apple Maintenance customers can contact [email protected] for more information.
71 Comments
Very nice! Shake now in the realm of affordability for many people. Low cost HD is sparking a little mini revolution here.
It's not up and the Edu store yet on Apple but I'm sure it will be. I'm thinking now that Apple may have two versions of Final Cut Studio. One version that is an evolutionary product to what we have now and one "Extreme" version with Shake added and perhaps another app (media management?) or two.
However some ugly rumors of Shake being cancelled in 2008 are surfacing. However that's a ways away. I'd love to learn Shake.
Yeah wow. This sits right inbetween AfterEffects and Premier on the lower end and Discreet Flame and stuff on the higher end. (I probably don't know what I'm talking about here)
Anyway the core users though will be TV and motiongraphics and indie-HD peoples.
I wish I was working in motion graphics or film effects. And putting it all together in 4K via Final Cut Studio with Motion and Shake.
Motion graphics, 3D graphics, compositing, lighting, artistic direction, visualising, pre-visualising, rendering, advertising, film, TV.
Cool.... An entire gamut of industries and tools I would probably never get to learn, play with, or actively produce with It's okay, another lifetime maybe
Got close with the web designing though... Flash is the motion graphics for the Internet!!!! Though its horrible abuse across the Web brings down Flash's status........
Boy I'm really rambling here. Slap me.
What's the story in the HUGE price drop?
...
Boy I'm really rambling here. Slap me.
*removes white glove and and slaps sunilraman with it*
Pardon the Pun, but way to "Shake" things up Apple!
...Someone had to say it. I bought Cinema tools at $1000 when it came out. I was glad to see it incorporated into Final cut for free later. Now dropping the price of Shake to $500 is great. It was previously $5000, then dropped to $2500, and now is $500. Awesome!