• Blogs
• Forums
• Tradeshows
• Partners
• White Papers
• Events

Edit Review: Apple Shake 4.1

Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Reviewer: Franklin McMahon

High-end compositor connects schematic nodes for an immersive 3D experience.

 Web Exclusive

When a piece of software drops in price from $2,999 to $499, it’s big news. What’s the catch? Apple has not officially confirmed anything, but there is considerable and credible speculation that Apple has stopped development on what we currently know as Shake while developing its next-generation compositing program.

In the meantime, Apple Shake is still a good professional image compositing program for Macs. It works completely differently than other compositing programs, such as Adobe After Effects or Apple Motion. Instead of stacking layers and applying effects on a timeline, Shake moves that concept into a visual map. You connect nodes across a schematic of your project. If you think of After Effects using the metaphor of altering stacks of paper, then Shake would take those papers and spread them all across a floor and connect them in different ways to apply different effects. Other programs offer this tree view, such as Autodesk Discreet Combustion, but Shake immerses you in it—it’s the main way the program operates.

Shake 4.1 is the first universal version, which means it’s compatible with Intel-based Macs. The software focuses on several main functions: compositing, keying, and image processing. All of this happens on a 3D multi-plane stage via OpenGL processing that makes compositing smooth and creative—as long as you have a decent video card. Actually, you don’t even need such a high-powered card—the minimum requirements are 32MB of video memory. However, the resolution mode requirements specify at least 1280x1024 or 1440x900. For processor power, a 1GHz or faster G5 or Intel processor will do the trick. Obviously the more RAM you have for the program, the better (and you need at least 512MB).

The program excels at painting and rotoscoping; often you will use Shake to mix live- action footage with digital additions. In fact you can even import 3D tracking data from various applications including 2d3 Boujou, Pixel Farm, and Autodesk Maya. All of the processing can happen in any bit mode you choose, including 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit. Perhaps the most powerful feature is the ability to output in any of these modes, as well as work in them on the fly. Typically in other compositing programs, you have to set up the bit depth for a project ahead of time. In Shake, you can mix elements at all different depths, performing some 32-bit operations and then some 8-bit ones. I find rotoscoping incredibly time-consuming if there are lots of objects, but Shake 4.1 makes it relatively easy. I work with Z channels via Shake’s ZCompose node.

I have been working with Shake’s keying and effect layering, but I wanted to use the program to create part of a title animation sequence I have been working on. Rather than track using a multi-plane camera, I created a grayscale channel for the Z information—essentially an alpha channel in which the grayscale elements designate different depth levels based on their brightness and darkness. I manually created the channel image in Adobe Photoshop. (You can have this data rendered automatically if you are importing imagery from a program that supports Z channels, such as Maya.)

The title sequence will eventually be used for a podcast shot in HD, so I wanted to be able to separate title and image elements cleanly. More importantly, though, I wanted to adjust them on the fly using nodes such as DepthKey, Fade, Defocus, and IRBlur. The nice thing about Shake is that once the elements are in place, and the depth cues are tracked via the Z information, you can really experiment with different nodes for hours and produce tons of creative variations. In addition, the program contains a built-in paint system, so I have been tweaking the Z channel information with only a few brushstrokes. That process is certainly more laborious if you’re using a compositing program that doesn’t have paint built in, as you have to continually import/export or jump between programs.

While most compositing programs offer a keying solution, Shake actually offers two: Primatte and Keylight. I have used Primatte for years, and, more recently, I’ve been using the excellent Keylight via After Effects. Both are powerful, and it’s great to have them in the program. Shake also offers its own built-in color management system, Truelight, which comes in handy if you will eventually output to film. The color system can accurately previsualize what your footage will look like as a final film master. Part of the creative dynamic of Shake is mixing and mashing up the various image operators in the program. There is a host of filters for transforming, warping, coloring, and mixing nodes. Basically any filter that is standard for a compositing program is here in one form or another. Because of the handy node interface, toggling effects or swapping the order of how these effects are applied is always just a few clicks away.

One element that is lacking is the integration of Shake with other Apple Final Cut Studio programs such as Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro. There is no real support to move projects between the programs and Shake. You can import movie clips and audio exported from the Studio programs, but it would be nice to move items in and out on a project basis.

About the only additional import function you’ll notice is an “Import Photoshop File” function on the File menu. In almost every way, Shake is completely different from the other Final Cut Studio professional programs, in terms of usability and layout. So, at this point, it is somewhat of an island, although a very powerful one.

You can also do extensive shape-based vector morphing. If you can make a spline do it, you can make your images or footage do it as well. An auto-align feature stitches together a series of images, such as sweeping landscape vistas. The tracking tools are top-notch for smoothing out bumpy footage, but one of the coolest features is the optical flow-based retiming. You can slow footage down to an incredible degree—an example that springs to mind is the Charlie’s Angels films, in which dramatic slow-mos follow quick action to fantastic effect. Shake 4.1 expertly re-times the clips pixel by pixel and creates new frames for some of the coolest slow-motion effects you will ever see.

A big part of Shake (and the reason it has proven so popular) is that it is highly customizable, via its C-like scripting language. And it’s not hidden; Shake wears its code mode like a badge of honor, with a scripting console tab right on the main interface. I am not a heavy coder; however, I have been looking at the scripts, and even though I use these compositing programs so I don’t have to script by hand, I can see the power in jumping in and tweaking a parameter here and there. It’s almost…alluring. Many users won’t ever dive into the code, but if you are the type of artist that likes to tweak parameters on a micro level, Shake will bring out your inner control freak in no time.

All this power for such an amazing price. What’s the catch? There is one, actually. Apple is stopping development on this particular product while it develops its next-generation compositing program. From what I can deduce, Shake finally got to a point where it was time for a ground-up rewrite. In addition, the program’s interface is decidedly non-Mac-like; it shares nothing at all with other pro apps such as Final Cut Pro.

As far as what is coming is anyone’s guess. Perhaps the program will eventually morph into something that resembles a pro version of Motion, with particle and other effects to go along with compositing. Apple is keeping mum, but it is a safe bet that a new version of this program is way down the road, and when it does come out it will most likely not be the Shake we all know and love. I am a big fan of updates and new features. It seems by the time I finally master a program, a new version comes out with even more cool stuff, and I love that. Since that probably won’t be happening with Shake, it’s worth pondering this angle for new users who want to dive in.

The feature set is frozen at this point, and this program in particular has a relatively steep learning curve. It’s not a typical Mac program where you can dive in, mess around, and come up with some cool stuff. The node concept will take some learning if you have not used programs like this before; it’s actually similar to very high-end compositing systems that once were not desktop software. At the current price point it could be a no-brainer, but basing a production shop around Shake needs to be tempered with the fact that this is the final version.

The main thing to remember is this program is a high-end 3D compositor with fantastic keying, painting, and digital effects. The $499 price point is an absolute bargain, and if you already have a suite of power tools at your disposal, adding Shake can be a pretty smart move.

---

bottomline

Company: Apple
www.apple.com

Product: Shake 4.1

Assets: First Universal version, ability to mix and output different bit modes, built-in paint system.

Caveats: Steep learning curve, non-Mac-like interface.

Demographic: Anyone needing a professional image compositing program.

PRICE: $495

---

To comment on this article, email the Digital Content Producer staff at dcpfeedback@prismb2b.com.

© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.