Apple today released version 4.1 of its professional movie effects software "Shake" and cut its price by more than 80%. Instead of $3000, the application now sells for $500 and brings effects that were previously only available to movie studios and well-funded enthusiasts also in reach for hobby users.

"At just $499, Shake is now priced as low as a plug-in for Final Cut Studio," said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of Applications Product Marketing. "Now Final Cut Studio customers can retouch their shots with Shake's optical flow technology or add photo realistic visual effects to their productions, even on a shoestring budget."

Shoestring budget may be a bit euphemistic for most users who consider video cutting as their hobby, but we can't argue that the software elevates the possibilities of creating a movies with a professional look. According to Apple, Shake 4.1 opens the door from simple re-touching to bvuilding complex 3D effects. Users can take advantage of optical flow image analysis to re-time, track and stabilize shots and can drop particle effects from Motion into the Shake process tree to add elements ranging from smoke, sparkles and fire to sophisticated multi-plane 3D composites.

As recent software releases, Apple promises that Shake will benefit from newer Intel-based Apple computers as well. "Performance tests on a 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 on a MacBook Pro than on a PowerBook G4," Apple said.