Tip: Fade Through Black

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

Not long ago while doing a show there was a point in the show I just couldn't get to feel right. It was a transition between scenes--a sequence of dark shots at night followed by a sequence of bright, daytime shots. I kept feeling like I needed something to transition between the scenes but I didn't like any of the standard transitions.

It eventually dawned on me that what I needed was a transition through black. That's where one image fades out to black and the next immediately comes up through black. That's different from PSG's standard transitions because in those the next slide is coming on as the first transitions out and along the way both are visible--the very thing that was bothering me.

Now you might say, "PSG doesn't have a transition through black" and you'd be right, but it gives us all the tools needed to make one! And it's really, really simple. One of those obvious-once-you've-seen-it things. The trick is simply to insert a black (blank) slide between the two and set the blank slide's time to zero. Pick transitions on either side and use those times to control the transition timing.

This "how to" sequence shows the basic fade-through-black transition and a couple ideas for how you can alter it to create other effects--as usual, the limit is really only our imaginations and not what PSG can or cannot do.

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... 4394&alb=0

Hope this helps and sparks some of your creativity!
Dick

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Dick, I've been using something similar in Producer, but it never dawned on me that the black slide could be set to zero and still alter the transition effect. Good thinking on your part!

Barbara

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

Yeah, that's actually the "trick" here -- effectively you've joined two standard transitions but the "show thru" parts on both sides are the blank. Oh, and actually the blank slide doesn't have to be black of course, tho' I've not come up with any good reason (so far!) to set it to some other color.

Dick

[zweck]

Good idea Dick, I used black transition slides before but not with zero timing.

Marie

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

Dick, actually once upon a time, on Proshow Gold 2.6 I made the same discovery.
Since then, the keyframes of Producer have monopolized my brain cells so totally,
that I forgot about this trick.
Somehow Gold makes you think more of how to achieve certain effects.
Thank you for reminding me.

[reeselite]

Thanks for that. I was struggling with the same thing last night and just never thought to add a slide between the two portions of my show.

I will add this to my "notebook" now.

Reese

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

Thanks for reminding me of that also Dick -- I too had "found" that several years
ago when I had Gold and had fogotten it. Thanks for the reminder - as you say
subtle, but effective.

mikey

[Djanderson0817 Profile Private message]

Nice technique. I began using it when Layers became available. Having several images on one slide followed by a slide with a single image didn't look exactly right. Even a verticle to horizontal transistion often looks better with the "0" black insert.

[hardsoftware Profile Private message]

I remember using it a couple of times in "My Colorized Roots" show. Nice effect.

Ben

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

Now, there's actually nothing that requires this to be a fade through the color black -- that might be normally what you'd want but I can think of cases where it would be nice to use another color. And that's just as easy since all you need to do is make the blank slide's background some other color.

Drop a blank slide between the two slides; set the blank slide's time to zero; make that slide have a colored background; set the transitions on either side to what you want and that's it.

Don't forget that while the crossfades are typical for the transition settings on either side of the blank one, others work just as well but create very different effects. This can also be varied with the use of a gradient on the background and then use a transition that follows the gradient, say a diagonal gradient and diagonal transition for interesting effects -- useful? another question entirely!

Dick

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Dick,

I'll have to try this too! I've been using short slidetimes on my blank black slide. Reducing it to zero could give another, slight effect, that just might be the ticket for me (along with those other transition tricks)!

Dale

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

You can use a gradient on a layer that moves down over a sunset scene to get a nice effect too (and the reverse for playing with early morning shots if you want).

mikey

[Merlin_AZ Profile Private message]

Thanks for the idea Dick.

[chantal012]

I was struggling with this over the weekend... NOW i have the answer!! Seek and you shall find!

Thanks !!

[Ron Profile Private messageWebsite]

Dick & Chantel
Thanks for the tip that was lost in my memory somewhere