How to add video transitions to your film.

The art of the transition.

A video transition is a creative way to move from scene to scene. Filmmakers use transitions in a variety of ways; they can signify a shift in storyline, show the passage of time, or simply move the audience to the next scene in a smoother fashion. Transitions are added to video clips during the post-production process using video editing software.

Whether you’re making a feature film, a music video, or a video collage or slideshow, adding smooth transitions to your content is one of the easiest yet most effective video editing skills you can learn.

Which transition is right for you?

Fade in, fade out, and cross dissolve transitions are all common transitions for videos, likely because they are light on motion graphics and don’t draw too much attention to themselves. But flashier, more complex transitions can be a defining creative choice that adds to your video if you let them. For example, the Star Wars saga is well known in the film community for its many unique wipe transitions.

How to use transitions in Adobe Premiere Pro.

1. Open the Effects panel under the Window tab.

2. Open the Video Transitions folder and select which transition you want to apply.

3. Drag and drop the transition in between the two clips where you want it to appear.

4. Customize the duration and alignment of your transition using the Effect Controls panel.

For a visual step-by-step of this process, check out this guided video tutorial.

Apply a default transition.

The quickest way to add a transition is to right-click in between the two clips where you want to add a transition and select Apply Default Transition. This will add a cross dissolve effect, and it works for both video clips and audio tracks. 

Get a handle on it.

One thing to keep in mind as you edit your video is that your two frames need to overlap to create a transition. The extra footage on each end of the clip is called a handle. Handles will appear only if you have more footage than you are using in the timeline. To create handles, drag the ends of your clip to extend them and create a buffer for your transition.

If there is no extra footage, Premiere Pro will repeat the last and first frames of the selected clips to make the transition. To avoid cutting your clips short, keep your camera rolling for a few extra seconds before and after every shot. This will also give you more flexibility when you cut your footage.