Video transitions
Last updated 2026-10-20
Video transitions are the effects that join one clip to the next, such as a dissolve, a wipe, a slide, or a fade to black or white. In short-form video, a plain cut is the best default, with a transition only when the scene, place or topic changes. Keep it short, usually under half a second, and pair it with a quiet sound.
Common types and when each fits
Each type says something different about the change between two clips.
- Cut. No effect: one clip ends and the next starts. Use it for most joins, especially inside one scene.
- Dissolve. The first clip fades into the next while both are partly visible. Use it for passing time or a gentle shift in mood.
- Fade to black or white. The picture fades to a solid color, then the next scene appears. Black reads as an ending. White reads as a bright flash or a memory.
- Wipe. A line moves across the frame and reveals the next clip. It feels graphic and quick, so it suits moving between items in a list.
- Slide. The next clip pushes the old one out of frame. It suits steps in a sequence.
- Zoom or whip. A fast zoom or blur covers the join. Use it when movement in one shot leads into the next.
- Glitch. Digital distortion. It fits tech topics, in small doses.
Why plain cuts should be your default
Every transition costs attention. Six 0.3-second transitions in a 30-second video is almost two seconds of effect. A transition earns its place when something changes: time, place, topic or a beat in the music. If you cannot say what changed, use a cut.
The common mistake is a different transition at every join. Pick one or two and repeat them, so the video feels designed rather than decorated.
A seamless transition hides the join by matching something across it. A movement, shape or color at the end of one clip repeats at the start of the next. The match comes from the footage, so film or choose clips that line up first, then add a zoom or blur on top.
Sound for transitions
A whoosh under a slide, wipe or zoom makes the move feel physical. Use one short sound and put its loudest point at the middle of the transition, where the picture changes most. Skip sounds on plain cuts.
Woven's whoosh transition is visual only and makes no sound. Add the sound yourself from Add, then Sound Effects. The 35 bundled sounds include deep-whoosh, fast-whoosh and swish-whoosh-large.
The transitions built into Woven
Woven has 13 transitions plus None. The dropdown shows them as lowercase ids, exactly as written below. Woven's fade blends the two clips, like a dissolve. Preview each on your own footage, because the names only hint at the look.
There is no transition named fade to white. The closest name is flash. Add, then Video Effects also has a Flash effect, 0.25 seconds by default.
Transitions work only between overlapping clips on the same row. Woven overlaps the next clip by the transition length. A cutaway on a higher lane plays over the main clip with no transition.
| Group | In the dropdown |
|---|---|
| Soft blend | fade |
| Directional | slide-left, slide-right, slide-up, wipe |
| Motion | zoom-blur, pull-in, pull-out, dynamic-smear, whoosh |
| Impact and glitch | flash, glitch, tv-glitch |
Add a transition in Woven
Ask in chat or add one by hand. In chat, the transition is set on the incoming clip. The default length is 0.30 seconds. By hand, you can set anything from 0.05 to 2 seconds.
Ask in chat
- Add a wipe between the first two clips.
- Use fade at each scene change and plain cuts everywhere else.
- Make the transition after the intro 0.5 seconds.
- Put a whoosh sound under the slide-left.
Or do it by hand
- 1Line up two clips. Place them end to end on the same row.
- 2Click the marker. Click the marker between them. Its tooltip reads Add transition.
- 3Pick a type. Choose one from the dropdown, such as wipe. Choose None to remove it.
- 4Set the length. Use the minus and plus buttons, which move in 0.05-second steps.
- 5Add the sound. Choose Add, then Sound Effects, place a whoosh at the cut, and slide it until its peak lands on the transition.
Common questions
Transitions are the effects that carry the picture from one clip to the next, such as a dissolve, wipe or slide. A plain cut is the simplest transition.
A seamless transition hides the join by matching a movement, shape or color across it. It depends on the footage lining up, more than on the effect.
A dissolve blends one clip into the next. A fade goes to or from a solid color, usually black or white. Woven's transition named fade works like a dissolve.
A wipe moves a line across the frame and reveals the next clip behind it. Woven has one called wipe, plus slide-left, slide-right and slide-up.
The picture brightens to solid white, then the next scene appears. Woven has no transition by that name. Try flash, and preview it first.
A short whoosh is the usual choice for slides, wipes and zooms. Put its peak at the middle of the transition. Woven's whoosh transition has no sound, so add one from Sound Effects.
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