Add Fading for Video Clips
A smooth fade-in at the start and fade-out at the end is one of the most common effects in video editing. In the Bolide Movie Creator video editor, for example, this is the default for transitions and for start/end effects on a visual block. Fades let you ease into a movie, out of it, and between clips with a gradual change from nothing into something — and back again.
- To add a fade-in or fade-out, right-click the block on the timeline and choose Start/End Effects. The submenu has three items: Set Start/End Effect (both ends at once), Start Effect and End Effect. For each you pick a duration: None, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 s (None removes the effect). If you are unsure which duration to use, pick any — you can change it later. If several blocks are selected (Ctrl+click), the chosen item is applied to all of them at once.
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Another way is to click the Operations on visual blocks button on the timeline toolbar and choose Start/End Effects from the menu.
- You can also drag any transition from the Transitions tab onto the beginning or the end of a block: if there is no overlapping neighbor on that side, a start or end effect of that type is set with the default transition duration (1.0 second, adjustable in Options > Quick Preferences > Default transition duration...).
- The effect area on the block is hatched (and outlined with a dashed line). To change the duration, drag the inner edge of that area with the left mouse button.
- To remove an effect, select it with the left mouse button and press Del on the keyboard, or use the red cross button on the toolbar.
- Right-click the effect area to open a menu where you can change the fade-in/fade-out animation (smooth fade is only the default) under Select the effect type: — most transitions from the Transitions tab can also be used as start and end effects — or remove the effect with Delete transition. This menu changes only the effect you clicked, on one block.
- The Automate button on the timeline toolbar has the Make Fading for all the fragments in item with times from 0.5 to 2.0 seconds. It sets start and end effects for all visual blocks on the track of the selected block (select any block on the track first, otherwise nothing happens). The effects are added only to block edges that do not overlap with neighbors, so existing transitions stay as they are. The None item removes such effects from the track.
- When two visual blocks on the same track overlap, the editor automatically adds a crossfade transition.
- The sound can fade too. In the right-click menu of a video or audio block, choose Audio Fade in or Audio Fade out and a duration: None, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 or 5 s. If several blocks with sound are selected, the fade is applied to all of them. More about sound is in Adjusting audio.
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