Whether you’re recording team intros for your website or creating skits for your TikTok, a big element of making your videos look polished and well-made is the transitions.
If you’re reading this, there’s a chance you’re not entirely sure what a video transition is, and that’s fine. We personally don’t know what a pancreaticoduodenectomy is. We all have our skills, and for the skills we don’t have, there is always help available. That’s our goal here: to teach anyone looking to learn about video transitions, especially in relation to content creation.
If you’re a small business or brand hoping to learn about what video transitions are and how they can help with reputation and growth, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk video transitions, the different types used in content creation, and how they can be a benefit to your business.
What is a video transition?
Straight from the Ginger Pickle content creator’s mouth/keyboard, Emma tells us in her own words what a video transition is:
“Think of a video transition as the glue that holds a story together. It’s simply the way you move from one shot to the next, whether you’re switching camera angles or jumping to a totally different scene. Most of the time, you’d use a simple cut transition, which is just an instant switch between shots, but you can also use transitions like dissolves or fades to change the vibe or rhythm of the edit. The goal is to make sure the transition feels intentional. When you do it right, it keeps the story flowing so the viewer doesn’t feel jarred, making sure the final result feels like one continuous sequence.”
Most common types of video transitions
Did you know that most transitions we see on our social apps and in the cinema can be boiled down to just a handful of major transition styles? I didn’t, until Emma told me. Good thing I’m the words girl and not the one using the video editing software, is all I’ll say.
Here are the most commonly used video transitions you’ll see these days, with some examples to help you picture them:
- Cut. The most basic yet most varied, a cut transition comes in many shapes.
- Hard cut: Plain and simple, one shot cuts straight to another without fanfare. Example: A shot of a man by his fence talking to someone cuts to another man in his garden, talking back.
- Jump cut: Used to show a jump in time within the same shot. Example: A shot of people running through a battlefield cuts to the same people running in the same battlefield, but 10 seconds further ahead.
- Match cut: Two shots that match up either in composition, colour, action, or sound. Examples: A shot of a desk covered in pens changes to the exact same composition except the pens are tidied in a pot, all at the click of someone’s fingers. A shot of a woman lifting her arms cuts to the same woman still lifting her arms, but continued from a different angle without halting the action.
- Dissolve. This transition features a shot fading, or dissolving, while another shot gradually reappears in its place. Example: A shot of a train speeding through the countryside fades into an interior shot of the carriage.
- Fade: Ever heard the phrase ‘fade to black’? That’s what a fade transition is. A shot either fades out to a solid colour or fades in from a solid colour. Example: A shot of a man finding out his husband is cheating on him slowly fades to black on his expression.
- Iris: A fun, old movie-centric transition using a shape mask, commonly a circle, contracting or expanding to reveal the scene. Example: A shot of a detective finding a hidden key shrinks until the screen is black except for a circle focusing on just the key.
When it comes to social platforms, the transitions you’re going to see the most are the cuts. There are some incredible things you can do with a cut, from swipes to kicks to camera flips, all from your phone.
Why use transitions in your videos?
Yes, a transition can be drilled down to simply changing from one shot to another, but it can be so much more than that when used correctly and creatively! Here are quite a few brilliant reasons to give some thought to the transitions in your video content:
- Transitions make your content look professional. A well-executed transition not only makes your videos look smooth and professionally created, but it also shows skill. We’re not sure about you, but we’re always impressed by video content that looks well-produced – it makes us appreciate the brand, business, or creator more. Basically, better quality video content is more enjoyable to consume, so quality transitions can help build brand reputation. This doesn’t mean you need to start producing film-level content to appear professional – you can still use appropriate and seamless transitions in content filmed on your phone. It’s the skill of knowing when and how to use transitions, not the quality of the camera, that matters for most small businesses and creators.
- Transitions help with brand storytelling. Cutting away at the right moment and choosing your transition style wisely are great tools for creating the right vibe. This is essential for good storytelling, a key element of successful marketing, which means it’s essential for brands utilising video content. Choose your transitions to dictate the content’s tension, mood, and pace. For example, simple cuts and soft fades are a subtle way to keep the pace and mood steady, while bold transitions are great for building energy and tension.
- Transitions engage your viewers further. Fast-paced transitions are a great hook for keeping viewers watching your video, making them ideal for short-form video content. People will be less likely to scroll past if you catch them with intentional editing first. Hook ’em in, and you may convert those fishies into followers.
- Transitions guide the content’s flow. Regardless of what you’re using a transition for, from indicating time jumps to transforming a setting, a seamless transition helps the content flow nice and smooth for a better watching experience. Take viewers along your intended journey.
Our top tips for filming video transitions
If you’re having a go at using transitions yourself in your video content, here are some of our top tips for ensuring the video looks good, flows well, and works for the content.
- Don’t overuse transitions. Fill the video up with them, and it’ll become crowded and take away focus from the actual content.
- Choose a style and stick with it for that piece of media. Again, using multiple transition types can take away focus from the video’s purpose.
- Always film extra. Hold positions or continue action – whatever needs to be done to leave you with extra footage to work with. Not having enough can lead to transitions gobbling up important footage. If you stop filming a person as soon as they stop talking, then use a dissolve transition, the person and their words are going to fade away too soon and get cut off.
- Play around with what works for the piece of content you’re working on. With lots of practice and looking through what does and doesn’t engage your audience, you’ll learn which transitions work with what.
- Practice! We did, and still do, practice with old content and new transitions, just to see how we can make them look.
Need some help using video transitions in your content?
We get it: not everyone has the time to think about transitions. Fortunately, we do! As a Norwich marketing agency with a speciality in content creation, we’re more than happy to capture your content and edit it with seamless transitions. We know how to strategise, so each video we produce will have an intended purpose, from how it can benefit your business to exactly which transitions should be used and why.
When you’re ready to chat, get in touch. Whether you need someone to bring the cameras and capture content, or a team to manage your social channels and campaign strategies, we’re up to the job.
And hey, if you’d like to have a go yourself, head over to our step-by-step guide for how to film a transition video.