Smoke 2013 will cost $3,495 (around £2,205) when it ships in the autumn, down from $14,995. This isn't Autodesk's first price-cut for Smoke. It was initially a Linux-based finishing system that cost between $45,000 and $90,000 (thought those prices did include hardware).
The new Smoke is aimed at users of Apple's Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer who want high-end editing and finishing tools in the same package.
The new Smoke user interface combines track-based editing that Autodesk says uses industry-standard editing conventions. Alonside this is the ConnectFX node-based compositing system (below). This sits inside the timeline for high-end effects and advanced compositing without leaving the editorial environment.
High-end finishing tools include Action for true 3D compositing, the Colour Warper for professional grading and color matching, the Master Keyer for one-click chroma keying and stereoscopic 3D editing and effects.
The MediaHub (below) offers what Autodesk describes as a 'modern approach to working natively with the most common formats that facilitates managing all project media from ingest to edit to effects and archiving'.
Smoke 2012 runs on the most recent generation of Apple iMac and MacBook Pro systems using high-bandwidth Thunderbolt storage.