Transitions
A transition is a specialized animated effect for easing – or emphasizing – the passage from one clip to the next. Fades, wipes and dissolves are common types of transition. Others are more exotic, and many employ sophisticated 3D geometry to calculate the animated sequences.
Create a default transition by dragging to ‘folding back’ a clip’s upper corner.
Without a transition, a hard cut happens between clips.
Pinnacle Studio offers a wide variety of transitions for softening, dressing up or dramatizing the change from one clip to another.
By default, the transition between two clips is centered, so a 4 second transition starts 2 seconds before the end of the first clip, and the duration continues 2 seconds into the second clip.
You can edit the Duration, Alignment (position), and other transition settings. The settings available depend on the design of the transition. Some settings can be adjusted interactively in the Timeline (duration and position), while others can be adjusted in the Editor panel.
Double-clicking a transition in the Timeline opens the Transition settings in the Editor panel.
The visual display in the Editor panel lets you see duration, position, and in the case of transitions between videos, whether the transition consists of static end frames (pink) or head and tail frames from trimmed video (dark blue).
By default, the Transition Mode setting is Maintain Timeline Sync (recommended). This means that clip positions aren’t adjusted when you add a transition—the transition uses static end frames (freeze frame effect) or head and tail frames from trimmed video. If you choose the Overlap Clips option (a legacy mode), when you create a transition in the Timeline by dragging the fold-back to the left, the transition is created by overlapping one clip over the other, thus affecting any synchronization with other tracks in the project. Why choose this legacy option? In the case of video transitions, it means that you don’t need any head or tail frames to achieve a video transition if you have no synchronization concerns. When you change the Transition Mode, it applies to the next transition you add (does not affect existing transitions).
You can remove or replace transitions in the Timeline. You can also copy and paste transitions in the Timeline.
If you are trying to add the transition to a clip which is shorter than the length of the transition (default or copied transition), the transition will not be applied.
To apply a default dissolve transition• In the Timeline, click and drag the top corner of a clip (a fold-back icon appears), and drag to set the duration you want.
This creates a dissolve between two clips. If there is one clip, a fade-in or fade-out to black is created.
To apply a transition from the Library1 From the Edit tab, click the Navigation bar for the Library panel, and choose Transitions 
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.2 Navigate to the category you want, and in the library, click an transition thumbnail.
You can preview the transition in the Player panel.
3 Drag the transition that you want to the Timeline.
The transition is added using the default duration.
4 To adjust the transition, do any of the following:
• Duration: Drag either end of the transition to adjust the duration or type a duration value (if you are zoomed into the Timeline enough to expose the duration values on the transition).
• Position: Position your pointer over the transition (a hand cursor appears) and drag the transition right or left to move it off the default position (centered between the two clips).
• All transition settings: Double-click the transition to access its settings in the Editor panel. For plug-in transitions, in the Editor panel, click the Open button to access more settings. The settings available depend on the design of the transition.
You can also apply a transition by right-clicking a transition in the Library and choosing Send to Timeline to apply the transition to the clip on the default track at the cut nearest the playhead.
You can find where a timeline transition is located in the Library by right-clicking the transition on the Timeline, and choosing Transition > Find in Library.
You can also apply or edit a transition at the start or end of a clip by right-clicking a clip in the Timeline, choosing In Transition or Out Transition, and choosing the command you want.
To apply a fade in or fade out transition• Do one of the following:
• To apply a fade in or fade out at the end of a single clip (no adjacent clip), in the Timeline, click and drag the top corner of a clip (a fold-back icon appears), and drag to set the duration you want. The default transition dissolves to/from black.
• To apply a fade-to-black transition between two clips, click the Navigation bar for the Library panel, and choose Transitions > Standard > Realtime Transition FX > Fade in or out. Drag the transition to the position you want in the Timeline.
> Standard > Realtime Transition FX > Fade in or out. Drag the transition to the position you want in the Timeline.Tip: You can quickly find and apply the Fade in or out transition by adding a five star rating to it in the Library. You can then right-click a default transition (or any transition) on the Timeline, and choose Transition > Replace by, and select Fade in or out from the Transitions rated with 5 stars area.
Rating any of your favorite transitions with a five stars will add them to the Transition > Replace by context menu for easy access.
To apply multiple transitions1 Add the transition you want to any clip in the Timeline.
2 In the Timeline, select all the clips to which you want to apply the transition.
3 Right-click the transition, and choose Transition > Ripple.
The transition is added between the selected clips. Any existing transitions are not affected. The transition will not be added between any clips that cannot fit the duration of the transition.
To remove one or more transitions from the Timeline1 On the Timeline, do one of the following:
• To remove one transition, click the transition that you want to remove, right-click it, and choose Transition > Remove.
• To remove multiple transitions, select the clips you want, right-click a selected clip and choose Remove Transitions.
To replace a transition on the Timeline1 Do one of the following:
• From the Library, drag a transition over an existing transition in the Timeline and release the mouse button.
• In the Timeline, click a transition to select it, right-click it and choose Transition > Replace by, and choose a transition from a limited list of standard, recent, and five star rated transitions.
To copy and paste transitions1 In the Timeline, select the transition you want to copy.
2 Right-click the transition and choose Transition > Copy.
All transition attributes are copied, this includes attributes related to its position. It is therefore not possible to paste a fade-in as a fade-out or vice versa.
3 Select the clip where you want to paste the transition
4 Right-click the clip and choose Paste.
To change default transition settings1 In the Menu bar, click Control Panel, and in the list of categories, click Project Settings.
2 Modify any of the following:
• In the Default Durations area, set a new value in the Default Duration for Transitions box.
• In the Transition Mode area, choose a default option.