Whenever you look at a movie on TV, or even a well made You Tube video, you may notice 'fancy' changes between each scene.
These fancy changes are in fact, transitions.
Strictly speaking, a transition or change can be as simple as a cut from one scene to another.
To explain this in more detail, I will 'paint' a video scene picture for you.
Imagine a video starts with a black background, and then, a fade in occurs, where the colour black slowly becomes brighter, and the new scene comes on screen.
This is known as a fade in transition.
Now, imagine the scene started with black, and then, almost immediately, there was the full colour of the new scene, with no fade in.
This would be an abrupt scene change, most likely a cut, where one source is quickly changed for another.
This could be via an edit, or a switch between two cameras.
With a little thought and consideration foe what is actually happening, you will no doubt be able to see the subtle possibilities to video editing here.
The gradual change is an example of a scene transition.
Another example of a transition might be a horizontal wipe, where one scene is on the screen, and then, like a slate was being wiped clean, imagine the new picture starting from the top, and then 'sliding' downward, to overlap, and cover the original picture.
This would be an example of another scene transition, called a wipe, in this case.
This is the creative aspect of video making, and whilst you may think this involves very expensive equipment, most of the above examples of transitions can be made on free or bundled software with many computers.
An example would be the Microsoft Windows Movie Maker program.
This comes on most computers running Windows these days.
Naturally, the difference between the cheap, or free programs, and the expensive, high end programs, are the types and number of effects, including transitions, as well as the degree of control that you have in each effect.
However, if you are just starting out, or even a seasoned amateur, learning to go professional, you will find that you can create excellent quality video productions using the free programs.
The transition options in both the Windows, and Mac version (iView), are quite comprehensive indeed.
You will find that when you look at any video critically, that the interest is maintained by the little details, like the transitions, and the effort in the effects.
I am going to be writing about more effects in future articles, but if you use these ideas for your first few videos, you will notice a dramatic improvement in the overall interest factor and quality of your videos.
It is these little details that make a video more interesting to the viewer.
The way to use transitions is to select two scenes on your video time line, and at the point where the two scenes meet, insert a transition effect from your 'transition bin'.
Whilst each program will be a little different, there will be a window for transition effects, and simply choose the one you want.
If you are so inclined, make a video, and edit one with the transition effects, and the other with 'cut effects', and see the difference for yourself.
I think you will find the more interesting video to watch is the one with the fancier effects, but do not go over board.
In the same way when stereo recordings were first introduced, sound engineers really made sure you knew it was there, rather than record a natural recording.
The same applies to your videos.
Blend it in, and be discreet.
Less can be better.