User Guide

Chapter 5: Transitions 81
The basic transitions discussed below – fades, dissolves,
wipes, slides and pushes – are all among the first group
of transitions (the Standard Transitions) in the Album.
A set of more elaborate transitions is found in the
Alpha Magic group, which is the second entry in the
drop-down list of transition groups in the Album.
The many other groups on the list all belong to the
Hollywood FX, a large set of complex transitions
featuring three-dimensional graphics. The Hollywood
FX transitions are discussed at the end of this section
(page 82).
Cut: A cut is the absence of a transition – an
instantaneous shift from one scene to the next. A cut is
appropriate when there is a strong inherent connection
between one clip and the next; for instance, when the
camera changes position or angle within a scene.
Fade: This transition fades into the beginning of
a video clip from a black screen, or from the end
of a clip to a black screen. A fade dropped
between two clips creates a cross fade, where the first
clip fades down before the second fades up. The fade
transition is the first transition icon in the Album.
A fade is usually used at the beginning and end of a
movie, or when there is a large break in continuity, as
when a new section begins. For example, a movie of a
play might benefit from cross-fading between acts.
Dissolve: A dissolve is similar to a cross fade,
except that the new scene begins to fade up even
while the old one is fading down. The visual overlap
this produces is less dramatic than a cross fade, but less
abrupt than a cut. A short dissolve can take the edge off
a cut, while a long dissolve is useful to suggest the
passage of time.