Shake 3.5 Tutorial?

I am new to 3D graphics and was wondering the first few steps I should take to get acclumated to Shake v3.5?
Thanks in advance,
TC

Open shake, and click on the Help menu. There you'll find the whole reference guide, which is really an excellent document. To get your feet wet however, just open the Tutorials from that menu. Work through those and you'll be on the right track.
Also, this list is for Qmaster, the distributed renderer. If you have any further Shake questions, post them at the Shake forum on www.highend2d.com where the actual Shake community is.

Similar Messages

Learning Shake. Video tutorial advice from a new user...

I am brand new to Shake and compositing. I've used Final Cut Pro for a few years and done simple compositing after doing FCP tutorials. Shake is tougher to learn thank FCP, so I've purchased some videos from Gnomon workshop and cmiVFX. I wouldn't consider this a formal review, but some beginning advice for newbies like me...
1. First, do the tutorials in the manual that come with Shake. They start off simple, and one could probably learn almost everything you need for general use of Shake (from a newbie, don't forget).
2. This excellent book... Apple Pro Training Series : Shake 4 (2nd Edition) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321256093/103-0705051-1275827?colid=1T8L28XGM0 5IS&coliid=I3MUD718LP9EP9&n=283155) will get you started as well. It comes with a DVD full of material to work with as well. Good money invested here.
When you're ready to start spending more money....
3. cmiVFX.com has a number of free tutorials http://www.cmivfx.com/tutorials.asp, some of them for Shake, some for other compositing programs. Check them out for inspiration and for technique examples. I purchased the Shake Training Series 1 Kit (http://www.cmivfx.com/productshakekit.asp) which was quite good. They lead you through a series of examples, showing how some of the major functions operate and how to start working with all those nodes. I had previously purchased Combustion 4, and cmiVFX's video for Sky Replacement for combustion was excellent. They also make one for Shake, and I wish I would have purchase that one instead, although I've never seen it. The downside on this video series is that it runs as a regular DVD, and you need DVD Player, or a typical DVD player to view them. So, these are low-res videos (TV resolution), and not Quicktime files on disc.
4. The Gnomon Workshop (http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/index.html) has some excellent video tutorials. They're pretty technical, and not a good place to start unless you've got a background in visual effects or other compositing software. I think they're great, but I think the new user of Shake/compositing software should work on numbers 1-3 above. Don't get me wrong, this is a great resource, which would be in keeping with the image Gnomon Workshop gives of being an in-depth resource for serious computer graphics artists. I suspect the level of teaching in these videos would satisfy the higher level and more advanced users. These videos are Quicktime format, high resolution and very well done. Visual Effects Compositing Fundamentals (http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/dvds/gja01.html) is US$49 for 4 hours of instruction. Great value for money. I've also found Shake: Color Correction and Layers US$59 (3 hours) (http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/dvds/mli02.html) very good, as was Shake: Effective Keying Techniques US$59 (3 hours) (http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/dvds/mli03.html).
Personally, I'd like to see some more video tutorials of some experienced users showing how they get things done. Maybe now's the time???
G4 Laptop Mac OS X (10.4.7) FCP 5, Shake 4.1, Lightwave 8.5, Trying to get it to work v. 0.1

Personally, I'd like to see some more video tutorials of some experienced users showing how they get things done. Maybe now's the time???
I asked a couple of the Shake users I know (like Capt Mench), if they would be able to for the site http://www.proapptips.com
they are working on them but they are a little on the busy side at the moment.
I will post when they are up
DAVE

Shake and Dual monitor

Hi, I'm new to Shake, and learning tutorial at this moment.
I have dual 23" HD cinema monitor from apple, and I have been using Shake just one side of the monitor and the other side for emails and other stuff..
This morning, I thought... I want to use full screen (both screen) for shake to do my tutorial, and I dragged out the window to the other side of edge.
The problem I'm having is... it doesn't seem like Shake like the idea to expand the window... or it's just mine?
I thought use right side of monitor for nodes view and the other side for viewer.
Everytime when I expand/resize the window, Shake has to think for a long time... and kind of freeze up.
I wonder shake is not meant to use dual screen??

I use two monitors with shake. 23" and 20". I haven't found away of detaching tabs, I don't think you can. Shake fills the 23". I use a 20" alongside to browse for images and squences, but also to watch for emails etc. The point is I am able to expand shake to the full size of the 23". I think your problem might be graphics card related.

Applying Warp Stabilizer transitions?

I have some experience with warp stabilizer in After Effects.
After having watched the Warp Stabilizer tutorials for After Effects (thank you to community for links)
After Effects Help | Tracking and stabilizing motion
REMOVING TIMELAPSE CAMERA SHAKE: ADOBE PREMIERE TUTORIAL - YouTube
and having played with them in Premier Pro, I find it does a great job of stabilizing the time lapse footage. However, I still notice a slight jerk during the transition from one daily video to the next because each video/day is stabilized independently of the next. The video does not move much from one day to the next so this would only be a few pixels, but it is still noticeable. Is there a way to create a "stabilizing transition" from one day to the next so that in the last 2-3 seconds of the video, the warp stabilizer shifts the image to align the last frame of day one with the first frame of day two? Can I have to trick Premier Pro into doing this by placing the first picture of the second day into the folder of pictures from the first day or is this more painful than necessary? Is there a way to drag and drop a Warp Stabilizer effect across multiple videos in the timeline at once so that the cropping and rotating is done while considering all of the video files? I realize this could result in significantly more cropping than if each video was stabilized individually..
I would prefer to not have to place all of the images in one folder as I would have to rename them for the Import Sequence function to work properly and because there are about 5 months worth of daily folders.
Schwizer

There is no KBSC for adding an effect to a clip.
If you want to add the warp stabilizer (or any effect) to all clips in the timeline: select all the clips and double click on the effect.

Panasonic HVX clips squished?

When I import 1080i HD clips taken with my Panasonic HVX200 into Shake 4.1, the clips appear "squished" horizontally, in node view and in the viewer. They definitely don't load as 16:9 clips, which they are, and show up as in FCP 6 and Motion 3. Anyone know why they do this and how to correct it? The 16:9 clips included with the Shake Peach Pit tutorial book show up correctly...I'm confused. I even selected the correct setting in the Parameter Format pop-up window...DVCPRO HD 1080i60...no luck.

Shake stretches anamorphic footage horizontally instead of vertically to avoid mixing up field information.
To fix it, go to the Globals tab, then click defaultViewerAspectRatio and change it to the aspect ratio of the footage. I've got a little tool for calculating aspect ratios here:
http://www.digitalrebellion.com/aspect_calc.htm

Shake video tutorial

hi all,
any help would appreciate,
i am looking for this video tutorial i saw on shake, i thought it was on the mac website,pretty sure its a web streaming quicktime,
i looked at it a few weeks ago but my history in safari only lasts a week.
i would love to see it now i am about to start using shake
does anyone know which 1 am am talking about, be a great help to me......
cheers
simon

Hi Cap't Mench,
As much as I love shake (perhaps the software engineer in me), the manual that comes with Shake is good in some areas, but really bad in others. It's VERY dis-jointed. It will go from the really basic (key strokes) to the extreme details in a single paragraph.
I've ordered some Shake 4 manuals in hope they are better than what comes with the product. Creative Cow has been my primary resource for getting stuff done -- some of the video tutorials I've found are very helpful.
I think what the manuals miss completely, is exactly why a particular node or function/parameter exists in the first place. Usually features are added due to a need, this need is only sometimes explained.
For example the manual talks about Cineon plates, I have no ideas what that is and it isn't explained either. Sure I do a google search and I find out what a Cineon plate is, but for the manual to jump from hit Command-F to working with Cineon plates is pretty assuming leap.
And then they toss out sub-pixels as if we it is expected to know what a sub-pixel is -- sure a quick google search and I now know what a sub-pixel is. But it is this toss out a complex term follow by long details on very simple terms which leads to a loss on continuity in the shake manuals.
Don't get me wrong, I love shake and everything about it, if I had the time I'd get the Shake 4 SDK, but most of my learning has happened outside of the manual provided with Shake.
Rob.

Does Shake 4.1 educational version come with the Tutorial manual?

I've been told that the retail 4.1 contains 3 manuals. I bought my edu version open-box and it came with User Manual Volume I & II but no Tutorial volume. I called Apple support and I was able to register it but they were not able to tell me if a "sealed" Educational box would have all 3 manuals like the retail vesion. Does anybody here have 4.1 Educational version who can clarify this? Also is it worth for me and is it legal to print out the pdf Tutorial Volume file?
Thanks
G5 Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Each Apple educational software is identical to the relevant full version.
So, your educational Shake 4.1 should contain all manuals.
Mihalis.

Best Tutorial Video on Shake?

Could someone recommend the best and most thorough video tutorials for purchase on Shake 4.1?
Thanks so much!
L.

Hello,
The first one that was recommended to me I think is a good one:
http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourseN.aspx?lpk2=408
because he explains the workings of Shake well compared to others I've seen so far. I ordered this one and there are examples on the site, little excerpts so that you can see what you think.

Shake - What Does it Do?

Sorry folks, really basic nubie question. I use FCP, Motion, etc. for business presentations (w/Keynote) and for editing home SD DV movies (usual holiday stuff etc.).
The price drop of Shake makes it very attractive, but in spite of reading as much as I can on Apple's site, I'm still not sure what this might allow me to do on top of what FCP and (in particular) Motion gives me.
Could someone give me a simple list (in words I might understand) of what Shake can enable which is outside of the current aps. I have?
Many thanks for answering what is probably a daft question.
David

BTW -- I meant siplified answer... not SIMPLE answer.
But --
I'm no shake historian, but I think it's fair to say Apple bought this compositing software from programmers and software engineers at Sony Imageworks... or thru Nothing Real the company who developed it.
It MIGHT be unfair of me to say, but the price point might have been way up there for a few reasons... Apple realized at the time, Shake would be a fairly small market (dominant in the marked it needed to be in, but still small) when compared to FCP or iMovie. So, with the inclusion of maintenance and support packages for this program and the small marked lock apple's price point made this a very successful program for Apple.
Now, since they don't have to maintain a development team for THIS version of Shake I think Apple did a brilliant move by putting it at a reachable pricepoint for people like you who would like it maybe for these "other" things it can do.
Listen, Shake is STILL not a dumb program. It is still as powerful as it was at $3000. Smooth Cam, as good as it is is not a end all cure all one button thing.
As Patrick says, Shake gives you Apple at it's core... from the file system to the terminal line command structure, Shake can be very scary. But now it is at least affordable to buy it even if you are only going to use it for just 4 things.
When you get home, check out my smooth cam tutorial. You'll see a difference alright.
CaptM

Online tutorial not working?

Does anyone else get the "?" over the Quicktime icon when they try to watch the Final Cut Tutorial with Shake?
I'm dying to see this tutorial!
Here's the link...
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/quicktours/

I get the same question mark. Seems like the link to the media file is wrong.
I think you can watch the same video here though:
http://www.apple.com/shake/quicktours/
Enjoy!

How can I uninstall Shake 4.1 and reinstall?

How can I unistall Shake 4.1 and reinstall...The tutorial is not responding as it is supposed to. Screens are different than in book and items just aren't there; for instance "little_guys" in tutorial 2 shows a black rectangle above 'mitosis'node and the city landscape node. I checked under 'pixels' and found that they were all "0" (black). No matter what I try there is no picture associated with the nodes in tutorial 2. I want to erase all traces of Shake in my computer and reinstall. I believe the problem occured when I installed Shake Documentation on my desktop instead of $Home/nreal/ This was because I could find no way to get the tutorial folder into the nreal folder. I have been frustrated for days. Even when I get the node tree to appear, it contains no pictures to practice with.HELP?

Put shake folder in trash.
In the Library/Receipts folder drag the Shake.pkg file to trash. Empty trash.
Process does not remove nreal folders.

Render out in Shake

Hi,
I'm currently checking out my new copy of shake and attempting to get my head around a very new way of working! Just running through the tutorials and have run into something which is confusing me...any help would be great!
Basically, I'm using the render out node as per the tutorial but cannot seem to render anything other than a series of single frame files, whether they be quicktime format or not. I may be doing something wrong or not understanding the output module correctly but I was under the impression that rendered files would work in a similar way as they do from AE, producing a quicktime file which you can then view or incorporate into your other apps, not just provide a series of files that are re-openable by Shake.
Any help would be appreciated!!
Thanks in advance
Alex
G5 Dual 2.7 Ghz

Glad you're getting it. It's a whole new world. I like it!
New Discussions ResponsesThe new system for discussions asks that after you mark your question as Answered, you take the time to mark any posts that have aided you by pressing the button over those posts and pressing the button over the post that provided your answer. This not only gives points to the posters, but points anyone searching for answers to similar problems to the proper posts.
If we use the forums properly they will work well...
Patrick

Can Motion 2 do this or do I need Shake?

I need to have a subject's arms stretch like Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic Four. The person will grab objects off of a bill board and resize them with his hands. Can I do something like this in Motion? If not, does shake give me the contols to pull this off? If the answer is yes to either porgram.. pleae give me a brief synopsis of which controls I would use to do this.
Thanks!

I hate to say this, wizard, because it sounds so elitist, but f you know enough about the programs to be able to do what needs to be done, you wouldn't be asking that question.
There is no "Mr. Fantastic effect" (or node in Shake). You could probably do something like you are describing, but it would require using Shake or Motion at a high level. Probably a warp in Shake. In Motion, you might get by with rotoing the arms, then using 4 corner to stretch. Maybe with some distort to bend... it's a puzzler.
Sorry, I know of no tutorial that would teach that effect - but I can bet you that they probably spent more on the CG effects in that movie than on Jessica Alba...
Patrick

Shake 4.1 Tutorials - Is there a place to download the tutorials for the .pdf included?

I was able to purchase Shake 4.1 online from our local city classified... however the tutorial cd that is suppose to follow the .pdf was not included or lost for whatever reason... Is there a location somewhere on the web I can download these?
I have been looking through the apple site with no luck!
Thanks

It's always fun answering your own question!
A great companion to the included tutorials is the Apple Pro Training book by Marco Paoli.
http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0321256093
The two combined will get you ready to do it all.

Problem doing Tracking and Stabilization tutorial

I'm new to Shake and am working through the tutorial documentation. I'm doing the Tracking and Stabilization tutorial, where you match a jpg sign to the side of a moving bus. I'm at page 216 of the the tutorial documentation. When I the applyTransform button to activate the transform, the sign should more or less match the four tracking points I've created. However, it doesn't. What I get is this:
http://homepage.mac.com/fergus.hammond/PhotoAlbum9.html
The new sign jpeg seems to be scaled to about 50% of it's correct height. Page 217 says that the four corner markers should be located on the four corners of the image but in my case they are not; they are way above.
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
thanks,
fh

I dont think the matchmove is gonna resize and scale your photo for you - It is just matching the movement of the bus.
You can alter the sizing of the photo outside this node by adding node between the input of the matchmove and photo.
Try cornerpinning the image to pull it out to the correct dimensions
I think that is how you would do it - I may be wrong - I dont normally use matchmove- normally I track myself using stabilize - then I am free to use the tracking info as I need on othere elements.

Shake 3.5 Tutorial?

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