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Adjusting transitions

Last updated on Oct 1, 2024

Learn to add transitions to connect two video or audio clips in Premiere Elements.

What are Transitions?

A transition is a visual effect used to smoothly connect two video clips or sequences. In Premiere Elements, you can select from a variety of transitions, ranging from subtle crossfades to more stylized effects, to enhance the overall flow of your video.

Transition Control panel

The new Transition Control panel opens when you apply a transition between clips or double-click the transition in the Sceneline or the Advanced view timeline. It helps customize a transition as required. You can change the transition duration by entering any duration in the Duration field. You can also set the start and end points of the transition using the Start and End input fields.

The Alignment of the transitions can be changed using the alignment dropdown. The Show Actual Sources option displays the real clip thumbnail rather than placeholders A and B, which are used to denote the two clips. You can also preview the clip by clicking on the play button.

You can reverse the transition by clicking the Reverse checkbox. Some transitions have a custom dialog to customize them; you can access it by clicking on the Custom button from the transition control panel.

Adjusting transition properties

All transitions have properties that you can adjust in the Transitions contextual control. Common properties are the location of the center point, the start and end values, the border, and the anti-aliasing quality setting. (For some transitions, you can also change the orientation.) The following list describes the most common controls and options you can use to adjust transition properties.

To open the Transitions Controls, double-click the transition in the Sceneline or the Advanced view timeline.

Duration

Sets the duration of the transition. The default duration is one second.

Alignment

Controls how the transition is aligned between clips. By default, transitions are centered between clips.

Start/End Points

Set the percentage of the transition that is complete at the start and end of the transition.

Show Actual Sources

Displays the thumbnail of the clips.

Border Width

Allows you to adjust the thickness of the border surrounding the transition effect.

Border Color

Allows you to choose the color of the border that appears around the transition.

Reverse

Plays the transition backward. For example, the Clock Wipe transition plays counterclockwise.

Anti-Aliasing Quality

Adjusts the smoothness of the transition’s edges.

Custom

Changes settings specific to the transition. Most transitions don’t have custom settings.

Adjust transition alignment

You can change the alignment of a transition placed between two clips in the Sceneline or the Advanced view timeline using the Transition Controls. A transition need not be centered or strictly aligned with a cut. You can drag the transition to reposition it over a cut as desired. The Transition Controls also contains options to specify alignment.

Whether clips have trimmed frames determines how you can align a transition between them.

Determine alignment options

In the Sceneline or the Advanced view, position the pointer over the cut in a transition and note how the pointer changes:
- Between clips: This is the default option. The transition is evenly distributed between the two clips, starting halfway through the first and ending halfway through the second, creating a balanced blend.
- Start at Cut (Right clip): The transition begins at the point where the two clips meet (the cut). The transition occurs during the second clip, starting at the cut and extending into the second clip. This is useful if you want the transition to begin exactly when the second clip starts.
- End at Cut (Left clip): The transition ends at the cut, meaning it begins in the first clip and finishes right where the second clip starts. The transition occurs during the first clip, and the second clip begins cleanly afterward.
- Custom start: In some cases, you can manually adjust the transition’s placement using handles, allowing you to fine-tune its start and end points relative to the clips.

Adjust alignment for a transition

In the Sceneline or the Advanced view timeline, select the transition and do any of the following:
- Position the current‑time indicator over the transition, and then zoom in so that you can clearly see the transition. Drag the transition over the cut to reposition it.
- Double-click the transition and reposition it using the options in the Transition contextual control.

Adjust transition duration

You can edit a transition’s duration by dragging the end of the transition in either the Sceneline or the Advanced view timeline. You can also use the Transition contextual control to edit the duration of a transition.

Select the transition in the Sceneline or the Advance view timeline and do one of the following:
- Position the pointer over the end of the transition until the Trim‑In or Trim‑Out icon appears. Drag the Trim‑In or Trim‑Out icon to the left or right to adjust the duration.
- Double-click the transition and readjust the duration using the Transition contextual control.
Note:

Lengthening a transition’s duration requires that one or both clips have enough trimmed frames to accommodate a longer transition.

Set a default duration for transitions

The default duration for transitions is initially set to 30 frames for video and 1 second for audio. You can change the default duration to a value that better suits your movies. Although the new setting has no effect on transitions already placed in the movie, all transitions you subsequently place will default to this value.

Choose Adobe Premiere Elements > Preferences > Timeline.
Change the value for the Video Transition Default Duration or Audio Transition Default Duration and click OK.

Note:

Video transitions are pasted to video tracks and audio transitions are pasted to audio tracks.

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