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Chapter 21 Adding Transitions 383
III
Example: Transitioning To or From Black
A fade to black is really just a cross dissolve from a clip to black. In Final Cut Pro, you
can add black to the Timeline by adding a slug, which is a built-in Final Cut Pro video
generator. It’s often better to have an actual black clip to trim or adjust as needed.
However, you can create a cross dissolve from a clip to a gap for a similar effect.
Important: Fading to black by creating a cross dissolve from a clip to a gap works only
if there are no other video tracks with clips beneath the gap.
To fade to or from black:
m Add a cross dissolve transition to one of the following:
 The beginning of the first clip in your sequence
 The end of the last clip in your sequence
 The beginning or end of any clip with a gap on one or both sides
For more information, see “Adding Transitions to Clips in Your Sequence” on page 381.
If the transition starts at the
beginning of the sequence,
you’ll see a fade from black.
If the transition is placed
at the end of the last clip,
you’ll see a fade to black.