Transitions in edits (k+ for help)

A good transition is just about the filming as it is in the editing. For instance if you move the camera up at the sun and use a lens flare effect to transition into a new clip, that would look pretty nice. However if you used the lens flare transition randomly at the end of the clip, it will look clunky and out of place. Speeding up clips and fading them into another seem to be a popular choice, if done right.

less is often more when it comes to editing.


an edit with clean, well timed cuts between clips is usually more enjoyable to watch than edits where its obvious the filmmaker tried to force a transition between most shots. really, you probably need transitions a lot less than you think you do.

here's one that i sometimes use that i think is neat:

Slide with Black Bar Transition Tutorial from Will Start on Vimeo.

cannot stress this enough

as will and BMO mentioned, some people prefer a cleaner edit-- myself included. Look at DTF and even Eheath's edits, the transitions aren't all that hard, it's a combination of the filming, audio, and vibe that makes an edit.

4bi9's AJ (i think) editing is on a whole other level, to me it's sometimes too much for skiing. I personally think he could be putting out some real sick music videos. Everyone's different though

I've been thinking about this too. I'm in the process of throwing a short summer rail edit together with imovie. i used to use vegas pro, and i liked being able to fade out and in on the timeline. in imovie, the only thing i can find similar is the fade to black transition, and making it 02-0.4 seconds. the transitions i want to use are the two dissolves, the fade to black and fade to white. do you guys think it looks better to use one in-between every clip or just have some clips go straight into the next?

Be very sparse with transition effects. Odd transitions are an easy way to drag your viewer out of the film, and you never want your viewer to notice a transition. There are obviously exceptions, but with that in mind, here are my thoughts on transitions as coming from somebody who doesn't edit skiing.

Hard cuts: Good!
Crossfades/cross dissolves: Convey a sense of changing locations or passing time. Scenery shots and image sequences work well with crossfades. Exercise great caution when using cross dissolves.
Fades: Usually work best from black to white. Conveys a sense of "epic" content or heavy/serious material. Use almost as great caution when using fades as cross dissolves.
Wipes: Unless you've directed a Star Wars film or two, don't ever use.
Various animated effects: Too many to list, but ask yourself, do I really need this transition? Is it REALLY helping my film? Can I tell the same story or keep the same pace without it? There are a lot of cool animated transitions, but there are vastly more misused ones.

Thanks this is really helpful advise. I will definitely put more thought into the timing of my cuts and when I use transitions and if it is really necessary.