A highly versatile optical shutter for industrial and scientific applications is disclosed. The has a aperture which defines a light path through the shutter, and a shutter vane or blade that is moved into and out of the light path using a precision, microprocessor controlled motor, such as a stepping motor. Preferably, the motor is mounted on the shutter housing using a shock absorbing material. A control unit associated with the shutter comprises the microprocessor, a motor driver, preferably one which is capable of microstepping the motor, and a non-volatile memory device, such as EEPROM, which stores a plurality of shutter control programs defining different trajectories of the shutter vane. Different programs may be used, for example, to maximize shutter speed or frequency, or to minimize vibrations.