Shake (software)
Encyclopedia
Shake is a discontinued image compositing
package used in the post-production industry. Shake was widely used in visual effects
and digital compositing
for film, HD
and commercials. Shake exposes its node graph architecture
graphically. It enables complex image processing sequences to be designed through the connection of effects "nodes" in a graphical workflow interface. This type of compositing interface allows 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
, eyeon Fusion
, Nuke
and Cineon
, also use a similar node-based approach.
Shake was available for Mac OS X
and Linux
. Support for Microsoft Windows
and IRIX
was discontinued in previous versions.
On July 30, 2009, Apple discontinued Shake. No direct product replacement has been announced, but some features are now available in Final Cut Studio
and Motion, such as the SmoothCam filter.
, Louis Cetorelli, and Dan Candela. In 1996, Arnaud Hervas, along with Allen Edwards founded Nothing Real
, and released Shake as its flagship product in 1997. Version 2 was released in 1999 for Windows NT
and IRIX
, costing $9900 US per license, or $3900 for a render-only license.
In 2002, Apple Computer
acquired Nothing Real. A few months later, they released version 2.5, which introduced Mac OS X
compatibility. To strengthen the Mac's position in production studios, the Mac version held a price of $4950 US, 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, 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 Computer 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 stabilisation), 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 20 June 2006 and was rebranded as a companion for Final Cut Studio
; 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 also announced that they would end support for Shake. Rumor web sites claimed that Apple is working on a next-generation compositing application codenamed Phenomenon. Existing maintenance program subscribers had the option to license the Shake source code for $50,000 USD.
On July 30, 2009, Apple removed Shake from its online store and website. Shake had been officially EOL 3 years ago but was still being sold in the Apple Store for $499 until that time. The Shake website now redirects to Apple's Final Cut Studio website.
's The Lord of the Rings
and King Kong
, as well as Harry Potter
movies and Cloverfield
. It was also 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 is also 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
, Fantastic Four
, Mission Impossible 3, Poseidon
, The Incredibles
, Hulk
, Doctor Who
, The Dark Knight
and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
.
Shake is also used for video post-production, but in this field Autodesk's Flint, Flame and Inferno
systems are usually used in conjunction with Shake for a fast turnaround of projects. Shake's historical strength has been the ability to work better with very high resolution formats such as 2K, 4K and IMAX
used in the motion picture industry.
Compositing
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called "chroma key", "blue screen", "green screen" and other names. Today,...
package used in the post-production industry. Shake was widely used in visual effects
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
and digital compositing
Digital compositing
Digital compositing is the process of digitally assembling multiple images to make a final image, typically for print, motion pictures or screen display...
for film, HD
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
and commercials. Shake exposes its node graph architecture
Node graph architecture
Node graph architecture is a type of software design which builds around modular node components which can be connected together to form a graph. Often the software's underlying node graph architecture is also exposed to the end user as a 2 dimensional visualization of the node graph...
graphically. It enables complex image processing sequences to be designed through the connection of effects "nodes" in a graphical workflow interface. This type of compositing interface allows 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
Blender (software)
Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. The current release version is 2.60, and was released on October 19, 2011...
, eyeon Fusion
Eyeon Fusion
Fusion is an image compositing software program created by eyeon Software Inc. It is typically used to create visual effects and digital compositing for film, HD and commercials...
, Nuke
Nuke (software)
Nuke is a node-based compositor produced by The Foundry, and used for film and television post-production. Nuke is cross-platform, and is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux...
and Cineon
Cineon
Cineon System was a computer based system, integrating a film scanner and recorder hardware, digital software for compositing and effects, image restoration, color management and the development of a proprietary file format designed by Kodak. These components were created to support the work flow...
, also use a similar node-based approach.
Shake was available for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. Support for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and IRIX
IRIX
IRIX is a computer operating system developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc. to run natively on their 32- and 64-bit MIPS architecture workstations and servers. It was based on UNIX System V with BSD extensions. IRIX was the first operating system to include the XFS file system.The last major version...
was discontinued in previous versions.
On July 30, 2009, Apple discontinued Shake. No direct product replacement has been announced, but some features are now available in Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc., and a direct competitor to Avid Media Composer in the high-end movie production industry...
and Motion, such as the SmoothCam filter.
History
Shake was originally developed by programmers and supervisors from Sony Imageworks including Arnaud Hervas, Emmanuel Mogenet, Ron BrinkmannRon Brinkmann
Ron Brinkmann , a visual effects supervisor and a founding employee of Sony Imageworks. While there he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects for his work on the movie Speed. He later co-founded Nothing Real, a software company that produced the digital compositing...
, Louis Cetorelli, and Dan Candela. In 1996, Arnaud Hervas, along with Allen Edwards founded Nothing Real
Nothing Real
Nothing Real L.L.C, founded in October 1996 by Allen Edwards and Arnaud Hervas, developed high-end digital effects software for the feature film, broadcast and interactive gaming industries. Apple Inc...
, and released Shake as its flagship product in 1997. Version 2 was released in 1999 for Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
and IRIX
IRIX
IRIX is a computer operating system developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc. to run natively on their 32- and 64-bit MIPS architecture workstations and servers. It was based on UNIX System V with BSD extensions. IRIX was the first operating system to include the XFS file system.The last major version...
, costing $9900 US per license, or $3900 for a render-only license.
In 2002, Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
acquired Nothing Real. A few months later, they released version 2.5, which introduced Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
compatibility. To strengthen the Mac's position in production studios, the Mac version held a price of $4950 US, 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, 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
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
show saw the price drop to $2999 for Mac OS X and $4999 for Linux and IRIX.
In April 2005 Apple Computer announced Shake 4 at a pre-NAB
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
event. New features included 3D multi-plane compositing, 32-bit Keylight and Primatte keying, Optical Flow image processing (time-remapping and image stabilisation), Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
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
Universal binary
A universal binary is, in Apple parlance, an executable file or application bundle that runs natively on either PowerPC or Intel-manufactured IA-32 or Intel 64-based Macintosh computers; it is an implementation of the concept more generally known as a fat binary.With the release of Mac OS X Snow...
version and would ship in May that year. It was actually released on 20 June 2006 and was rebranded as a companion for Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc., and a direct competitor to Avid Media Composer in the high-end movie production industry...
; 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 also announced that they would end support for Shake. Rumor web sites claimed that Apple is working on a next-generation compositing application codenamed Phenomenon. Existing maintenance program subscribers had the option to license the Shake source code for $50,000 USD.
On July 30, 2009, Apple removed Shake from its online store and website. Shake had been officially EOL 3 years ago but was still being sold in the Apple Store for $499 until that time. The Shake website now redirects to Apple's Final Cut Studio website.
Use
Shake has been used in such films as Peter JacksonPeter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
and King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
, as well as Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
movies and Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
. It was also used by The Embassy
The Embassy Visual Effects
The Embassy is a visual effects studio located in Vancouver, Canada. The Embassy is known for its photo-realistic visual effects work on commercials and more recently, features....
to create a television advertisement for Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
with a dancing car. Shake was used by Broadway Video
Broadway Video
Broadway Video is a media production and distribution company located within the Brill Building on Broadway, New York, United States. Founded in 1979 as a production house tasked with post-production work on Saturday Night Live, Broadway Video has since become one of the largest independent...
for restoring the release of “Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
: The Complete First Season” DVD box set. It is also in use by CBS Digital
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for creating new visual effects for Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
Remastered.
Other major productions using Shake include the 2005 adaptation of War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds (2005 film)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and...
, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
, Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four (film)
Fantastic Four is a 2005 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. It is the second live-action Fantastic Four film to be filmed. The previous attempt, a B-movie produced by Roger Corman only for the...
, Mission Impossible 3, Poseidon
Poseidon (film)
Poseidon is a 2006 disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the third film adaptation of the novel The Poseidon Adventure written by Paul Gallico, and a loose remake of the 1972 film of the same name. It stars Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss. It was directed by Wolfgang Petersen...
, The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
, Hulk
Hulk (film)
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by...
.
Shake is also used for video post-production, but in this field Autodesk's Flint, Flame and Inferno
IFF (software)
Inferno, Flame and Flint is a series of compositing and visual effects applications made by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. They share the same software base, but differ mainly in hardware configuration. Traditionally Inferno ran on the SGI Onyx series, while Flame and Flint ran on the SGI...
systems are usually used in conjunction with Shake for a fast turnaround of projects. Shake's historical strength has been the ability to work better with very high resolution formats such as 2K, 4K and IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
used in the motion picture industry.