Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2: Visual Quickstart Guide

Using Fade-In and Fade-Out Effects

A fade-in effect begins with a solid color (Movie Maker supports both black and white) and then fades into your video. A fade-out effect begins with the video and then fades into the solid color, again either black or white.

Fade-ins and fade-outs are among the most common effects used by video producers, because they're so effective at signaling the end of one scene and the start of another. Fortunately, they're also very easy to implement in Movie Maker. The only downside is that all Movie Maker fades last less than a second, a setting that you can't adjust. If this isn't long enough for you, or to fade into or out of a different color, check “Using Transitions to Create Customized Fades” in Chapter 10, which ...