Shake (software)

{{short description|Discontinued image compositing package}}

{{ infobox software

| name = Shake

| logo = frameless

| screenshot = frameless

| caption = Shake box art

| developer = Apple Inc.

| latest_release_version = 4.1.1

| latest_release_date = November 21, 2008

| operating_system = Mac OS X and Linux

| genre = Compositing

| license = Proprietary

| discontinued = yes

| website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122073447/http://www.apple.com/shake |date=January 22, 2008 |title=Apple — Shake }}

}}

Shake is a discontinued image compositing package used in the post-production industry developed by Nothing Real for Windows and later acquired by Apple Inc. Shake was widely used in visual effects and digital compositing for film, video and commercials. Shake exposed its node graph architecture graphically. It enabled complex image processing sequences to be designed through the connection of effects "nodes" in a graphical workflow interface. This type of compositing interface allowed great flexibility, including the ability to modify the parameters of an earlier image processing step "in context" (while viewing the final composite). Many other compositing packages, such as Blender, Blackmagic Fusion, Nuke and Cineon, also used a similar node-based approach.

Shake 4 was available for Mac OS X and Linux. Support for Microsoft Windows and IRIX was discontinued in previous versions.{{cite web | title=vfxtalk | date=April 10, 2006 | author=dax3d | url=http://www.vfxtalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24004&postcount=2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505073303/http://www.vfxtalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24004&postcount=2 | archive-date=May 5, 2006 | access-date=September 7, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=16920|title=Piranha vs. Shake Irix - Nekochan Net|access-date=September 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723220023/http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=16920|archive-date=July 23, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

On July 30, 2009, Apple discontinued Shake.{{cite web|url=http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/30/apple-finally-discontinues-shake|title=Apple Finally Discontinues Shake? (Updated)|author=Eric Slivka|date=July 30, 2009 }} No direct product replacement was announced by Apple, but some features are now available in Final Cut Studio and Motion, such as the SmoothCam filter.{{cite web |url=https://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/effects-transitions.html |title=Apple - Final Cut Studio - Final Cut Pro 7 - Effects and Transitions |access-date=2017-09-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608123524/http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/effects-transitions.html |archive-date=June 8, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}

History

In 1996, Arnaud Hervas and Allen Edwards founded Nothing Real, and released Shake 1.0 as a command-line tool for image processing to high-end visual effects facilities in early 1997.

Emmanuel Mogenet joined the R&D as a senior developer in the summer of 1997 as Shake 2.0 was being rewritten with a full user interface. In the fall of 1997, Dan Candela (R&D), Louis Cetorelli (head of support) and Peter Warner (designer/expert user) were added to the team. After initially working as a consultant in early 1998, Ron Brinkmann also joined in early 1998 as a product manager. This core group was all among the original Sony Imageworks employees.

Shake 2.0 was first shown at the 1998 NAB conference as an alpha demo with a minimal set of nodes, a node view and the player. A more complete beta version of Shake was shown at the 1998 SIGGRAPH conference.

Version 2 was released in early 1999 for Windows NT and IRIX, costing $9900 US per license, or $3900 for a render-only license. Over the next few years, Shake rapidly became the standard compositing software in the visual effects industry for feature films.

In 2002, Apple Computer acquired Nothing Real.[http://www.macworld.com/news/2002/02/07/nothingreal Macworld | Apple buys Nothing Real] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930203330/http://www.macworld.com/news/2002/02/07/nothingreal/ |date=September 30, 2007 }} A few months later, version 2.5 was released,{{cite press release | publisher =Apple Computer | date =July 22, 2002 | url =https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/jul/22shake.html | title =Apple Announces Shake 2.5 for Mac OS X | access-date =August 21, 2006 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060726000505/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/jul/22shake.html | archive-date =July 26, 2006 | df =mdy-all }} introducing Mac OS X compatibility. To strengthen the Mac's position in production studios, the Mac version held a price of {{US$|4950|2002}}, and users of the non-Mac operating systems were given the offer of doubling the number of licenses at no extra cost by migrating to Mac OS X. In 2003, version 3 of Shake was announced,{{cite press release | publisher=Apple Computer | date=April 6, 2003 | url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/apr/06shake3.html | title=Apple Announced Shake 3 | access-date=August 21, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060726000321/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/apr/06shake3.html | archive-date=July 26, 2006 | df=mdy-all }} which introduced the Qmaster software, discontinued support for Microsoft Windows, and allowed unlimited network render clients at no additional cost. A year later, the release of Shake 3.5 at the National Association of Broadcasters show saw the price drop to $2999 for Mac OS X and $4999 for Linux and IRIX.

In April 2005 Apple announced Shake 4 at a pre-NAB event. New features included 3D multi-plane compositing, 32-bit Keylight and Primatte keying, optical flow image processing (time-remapping and image stabilization), Final Cut Pro 5 integration and extensions to their open, extensible scripting language and SDK. Shake 4 had no IRIX version.

At the NAB event in April 2006, Apple announced that Shake 4.1 would be a Universal Binary version and would ship in May that year. It was actually released on June 20, 2006 and was rebranded as a companion for Final Cut Studio;{{cite press release | publisher =Apple Computer | date =June 20, 2006 | url =https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/jun/20shake.html | title =Apple Releases Shake 4.1 | access-date =August 21, 2006 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060813223331/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/jun/20shake.html | archive-date =August 13, 2006 | df =mdy-all }} as such, its price was dropped from $2999 to $499 for Mac OS X but remained the same for Linux. At the same time, Apple announced that they would end support for Shake. Rumor web sites claimed that Apple was working on a next-generation compositing application codenamed Phenomenon.{{cite web|url=http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/06/20060621173738.shtml|title=Mac Rumors: End of Shake, Phenomenon in 2008?|author=Arnold Kim|date=June 21, 2006 }} Existing maintenance program subscribers had the option to license the Shake source code for {{US$|50000|2006}}.

Shake's final release, version 4.1.1, was issued in 2008 to make it compatible with revised Apple 16-bit QuickTime codecs that used a different byte order (Endianness) than they had previously.

On July 30, 2009, Apple removed Shake from its online store and website. Shake had been officially been declared end of life status 3 years prior but continued being sold in the Apple Store for $499 until that time.{{cite web|url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/07/30/apple_removes_shake_software_extension_from_online_store.html|title=Apple removes Shake software extension from online store|author=Katie Marsal|date=July 30, 2009 }} The Shake website now redirects to Apple's Final Cut Pro X website.

Uses

Shake was used in such films as Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Peter |title=Apple: Oscar-winning Return of the King used Shake |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1029715/shake.html |website=Macworld |publisher=IDG |access-date=5 November 2018}} and King Kong,{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Cameron |title=King Kong (2005) |url=https://www.behance.net/gallery/3180320/King-Kong-%282005%29-Lead-Compositor |website=BeHance |publisher=Adobe |access-date=5 November 2018}} as well as Harry Potter{{cite web |last1=Seymore |first1=Mike |title=Harry Potter: The Magic of Double Negative |url=https://www.fxguide.com/featured/harry_potter_the_magic_of_double_negative/ |website=fxGuide |date=August 2007 |publisher=EFX Guide.com LLC |access-date=5 November 2018}} films and Cloverfield.{{cite book |last1=Lanier |first1=Lee |title=Professional Digital Compositing: Essential Tools and Techniques |date=9 December 2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |page=390 |isbn=9780470594520 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KfhHfsyQjHsC&q=shake%2C+compositing%2C+use+in+Cloverfield&pg=PA390 |access-date=5 November 2018}} It was used by The Embassy to create a television advertisement for Citroën with a dancing car. Shake was used by Broadway Video for restoring the release of Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season DVD box set. It was in use by CBS Digital for creating new visual effects for Star Trek Remastered.

Other major productions using Shake include the 2005 adaptation of War of the Worlds, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Rick |title=The Focal Easy Guide to Final Cut Pro 6 |date=12 November 2012 |publisher=CRC Press |page=199 |isbn=9781136060144 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65zcAwAAQBAJ&q=shake%2C+compositing%2C+use+in+Star+Wars%3A+Episode+3&pg=PA199 |access-date=6 November 2018}} Fantastic Four, Mission: Impossible III, Poseidon, The Incredibles, Hulk, Doctor Who, The Dark Knight{{cite web |last1=Bielik |first1=Alain |title='The Dark Knight': Grounding Batman -- Part 2 |url=https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/dark-knight-grounding-batman-part-2 |website=Animation World Network.com |access-date=6 November 2018}} and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,{{cite web |last1=Staff |first1=SVG |title=Apple shakes up market with $499 Shake compositing software |url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2006/06/20/apple-shakes-up-market-with-499-shake-compositing-software/ |website=Sports Video Group |date=June 20, 2006 |access-date=6 November 2018}} and for the restoration of South Pacific.{{cite web|url=http://www.in70mm.com/news/2006/south_pacific/index.htm|title=FotoKem Restores "South Pacific"}}

Shake was used for video post-production, but in this field Autodesk's Flint, Flame, and Inferno systems were usually used in conjunction with Shake for a fast turnaround of projects. Shake's historical strength had been the ability to work better with very high resolution formats such as 2K, 4K, and IMAX used in the motion picture industry.

References

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