iMovie '09 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

Transitions: The iMovie Catalog

Here, for your reference, is an explanation of each transition, and what editing circumstances might call for it.

Circle Open, Circle Close

This effect, called iris close (iris open) or iris in (iris out) in professional editing programs, is a holdover from the silent film days, when, in the days before zoom lenses, directors used the effect to highlight a detail in a scene.

It creates an ever-growing (or opening) porthole, with the first clip inside and the second clip outside. It's useful at the beginning or end of the movie, when the second clip is solid black and the subject of the first clip is centered in the frame. In that setup, the movie begins or ends with a picture that grows or shrinks away to a little dot. (If the subject in the center waves goodbye just before being blinked out of view, this trick is especially effective.)

Figure 5-10. Circle Opening

Cross Blur

Like an autofocus gone awry, the first clip gets blurry, only to have the focus return with the second clip now on the screen.

Cross Dissolve

The crossfade, or dissolve, is the world's most popular and effective transition. The first clip gradually disappears, superimposed on the beginning of the second clip, which fades in. If you must use a tarnsition at all, you can't go wrong with this one.

Tip

You can use a very short cross dissolve to create what editors call a "soft cut." When the ...