User Guide

Using transitions 161
Tips for using transitions
Here are some points to remember when working with transitions:
• To play a sound while a transition occurs, place the sound in the frame immediately before
the transition.
• The Dissolve Pixels, Dissolve Pixels Fast, or Dissolve Patterns transitions might look different
on Windows and Macintosh systems. Test to ensure satisfactory results.
• If you export a movie that contains transitions as a digital video or PICS file, the transitions
might not be preserved.
• A transition that occurs while a sound or digital video is decompressing might require more
system resources than are available on less powerful systems. This might cause the sound to
stop playing. If you notice this behavior while testing on low-end systems, try making the
transition shorter, and avoid complex transitions such as Dissolve.
• Avoid looping on a frame that contains a transition. Playing a transition continuously might
cause performance issues.
• Options become available only when transition Xtra extensions are available.
Using transition Xtra extensions
You can add custom transitions that are available as transition Xtra extensions. Transition Xtra
extensions appear in the Frame Properties: Transitions dialog box. Transition Xtra extensions are
often more complex than the transitions that are provided with Director and might include an
additional dialog box for specialized settings.
To install a transition Xtra:
• Place the transition Xtra in the Xtras folder in the Director application folder. The transition
Xtra must be present when the movie runs.
Controlling transitions with Lingo or JavaScript syntax
To set a transition with script, you use the
puppetTransition() method. This method gives you
the flexibility to select a transition that is appropriate for current movie conditions or to apply a
transition to sprites before the playhead exits the current frame.
For example, use the
puppetTransition() method to specify one of several transitions,
depending on which sprites are on the Stage when the playhead enters a new frame, or apply a
transition to a new sprite when it appears but the playhead doesn’t exit the frame.
The
puppetTransition() method applies only to the frame in which you issue the method.
You do not need to explicitly return control of the transition channel to the Score after the
transition occurs.
The
puppetTransition() method’s parameters perform the same functions as the options in the
Frame Properties: Transition dialog box.
For more information about
puppetTransition(), see the Scripting Reference topics in the
Director Help Panel.