WindowFX
by Stardock Systems

  WindowFX allows Windows 2003/XP users to add a host of special effects and enhancements to their windows. WindowFX features include: true shadows under windows, transition effects for minimizing, maximizing, closing, and opening windows. Transparency effects, the ability to have large icons on the desktop while having normal sized icons elsewhere, desktop icon special effects and label effects, maximize to a set resolution, and much more.

Version 3.0 adds additional animations and transitions, popup task switching, taskbar previews, graphical task switcher, easy set-up wizard, updated easy-to-use interface, and updated 64-bit support.
You can download it right now for free and see for yourself. The full version of WindowFX is $19.95 or can be purchased with Stardock's Object Desktop which is $49.95 and includes WindowBlinds, IconPackager, WindowFX, DesktopX, RightClick, SkinStudio, IconDeveloper and much more.

Related software:
shadows, effects, transitions, transparency, stardock, themes, desktop, ...