DepCut transition groups explained, from Fade to Glitch

The Transitions tab lists every style in one scrolling grid, under a heading for each group. Knowing what each family does makes it faster to pick the right style for a cut.

The eight groups

• Fade has Cross fade, Dip to black, Dip to white and Blur. Cross fade blends one shot into the next. The two dips pass through a solid color. Blur defocuses through the cut.
• Zoom has Cross zoom, Zoom blur and Delay zoom. Cross zoom adds a push-in to a blend. Zoom blur punches in through a white flash with a radial blur. Delay zoom waits a beat, then punches in with a color-fringed blur.
• Push has Push left, Push right, Push up, Push down and Mirror right. The new frame shoves the old one out of view. Mirror right slides the picture across while folding it into its own mirror image, then unfolds the next shot.
• Whip has Whip left, Whip right, Whip up and Whip down. These are pushes with a motion smear along the direction of travel, heaviest in the middle of the move.
• Wipe has Wipe left, Wipe right, Wipe up and Wipe down. A hard edge travels across the frame and reveals the next shot behind it.
• Shape has Circle open, Circle close, Split open and Split close. The next shot appears through a circle or through a vertical band that opens from the middle of the frame.
• Flash has Streak, Warm light, Cool light and Rose light. Streak smears each picture sideways through a white flash. The three lights dip through a soft tinted glow.
• Glitch has RGB split and Negative. RGB split pulls the color channels apart in the middle of the handover. Negative inverts the picture through the middle.

Mirror right and Delay zoom switch from one shot to the next at the midpoint of the handover. The fold and the blur hide the switch.

Reading the direction names

Direction names describe the motion on screen. Push left moves the frame leftward. The edge of Wipe left travels leftward. Whip right smears toward the right. If a subject is moving in a direction in the shot, a style that travels the same way carries the eye along with it.

Pick a group by mood

• Calm or documentary. Stay in Fade. Use Cross fade for a soft link and Dip to black for a clear break.
• Energetic or sporty. Look at Whip, Zoom blur and Streak. They suit short transitions on fast cuts.
• Warm, nostalgic or dreamy. Try Warm light, Rose light or Blur.
• Techy or glitchy. Use RGB split or Negative, and keep them for one or two moments in the video.
• A tidy, graphic look. Wipe, Push and Shape feel like slides and suit explainers and lists.

Check it on your footage

Each tile previews the handover on the two shots either side of the cut nearest your playhead. Put the playhead beside the cut you are working on, hover over a tile, and watch your own pictures move. With a transition selected on the timeline, clicking a tile swaps the style and the editor plays the join for you.

Open the editor

Open a project in DepCut, pick one group, and try three styles from it on the same cut.