Editing a video is equally important as recording a video. A raw video footage is never appealing to the eyes because of sudden cuts, unnecessary parts, and lack of eye-catching effects. That is why video editing is crucial for turning an unappealing raw video into an attention-grabbing video. As a matter of fact, the way you edit your video makes your video stand out when you are posting on social media platforms.
One of the most important aspects of video editing is adding transitions to video clips. When you jump from one scene to another and make sudden cuts, you need to apply some video transitions so that the move from one scene to another becomes soothing to the eyes. Different video editors have different transition effects and Wondershare Filmora has the best collection of transitions. We will illustrate how to add transition in Filmora and how to improve your video with video transitions.
In this article
Part 1. What is a Video transition effect?
A video transition effect is the most commonly used graphical effect in video editing. A video transition effect is essential whereby you connect one shot to another, especially when you are making sudden cuts in the video. Therefore, a video transition effect sits in between two shots and connects them together smoothly so that it does not look odd to the eyes. Video editing with transitions is a common practice for short videos on social media, presentation videos, and even movies.
A video transition effect is effective when you are jumping from two moods and emotions in the video. It is equally useful while jumping between storylines, points of view, and timelines. Besides, you can spice up your narrative and make your video eye-catching as well as eye-soothing. There are different types of video transition effects such as fade in and out, zoom in and out, dissolve, wipe and pan.
Part 2. How to add transitions in video?
To add transitions to your video, you will need a video editor. You should choose a video editor that has a wide collection of transition effects so that you can apply them to your video as per your preference. If you are someone who regularly makes videos and edits them, a variety of transitions will make the videos look different. There are Movie Maker transitions for Windows users and iMovie transitions for Mac users. But we recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for adding transitions.
Step1 Download and install Filmora on your computer. Filmora is available for Windows and Mac users. Launch Filmora and click on New Project.
Step2 Drag and drop your video clips under Project Media folder. Thereafter, drag and drop them on Timeline.
If you have one raw video file, you can split it up into multiple video clips to add transitions in between them.
Step3 Go to Transitions tab located at the top bar. You will see all the categories of transitions on the left panel.
Step4 Once you select your desired transition effect, drag and drop it in between the video clips. You can add multiple transition effects for different video clips.
Play the video after you are done editing and adding transitions. Thereafter, click on Export button to save the video on your hard drive. You should follow the same steps on how to add transition effects in reels, status videos, and YouTube videos.
Part 3. Video transitions tips and tricks
If you want to make your video stand out by simply using video transition effects, you have to follow the following tips and tricks.
Consistency – Amateur video editors tend to use several extravagant transitions in one video that distract and even annoy the audience. You are using video transition effects not to distract but to smoothen the video content. Therefore, you need to be consistent with the video transition effect you use. You should use one or maximum of two transition effects throughout the video so that the audience does not get distracted.
Experiment – While it is true that you should not be using too many video transitions in one video, but you should definitely apply different video transition effects in different videos initially. This will help you to understand which transition is getting better traction, and thereafter, you can stick to it for the rest of your videos. This is particularly useful when you are making similar type of content for social media and video streaming sites.
Out of the Box – The reason you recommended Wondershare Filmora is that there is a huge collection of different types of transition effects. If you use the regular transitions such as fade, zoom, wipe, and dissolve, you cannot create an impression among your viewers. You have to use out of the box transitions so that your video can look and feel different even when you content is not. There are 3D effects, social media effects, and different genres of effects that can go well with your video content.
Judicious – There is a difference between transition effects and video effects. Transition effects should last only for a fraction of a second so that there is no aftereffect in mind. On the contrary, a video effect can last as long as required in the video. Therefore, do not stretch the duration of a transition effect and keep it as short as possible. Similarly, you should not use transition effects here and there unnecessarily. It should be used only when there is a proper scope such as scene cuts, mood changes, and subject changes.
Meaningful – Even transition effect has a meaning behind it and you should understand it and use wherever appropriate. For example, fade out effect signifies the fading of a scene or changing of mood. Similarly, a dissolve effect is appropriate when the subject is dissolved in certain thoughts or a scene is getting dissolved. That way the effect will look natural and more meaningful as well as impactful.
The Bottom Line
Video transition effects are essential in almost all types of videos. They enhance the video content and make the transition between scenes smoother. You should choose your video editor wisely so that you can avail different types of video transition effects. We recommend Wondershare Filmora for its better collection of video transition effects for all types of videos.
