9 Best Video Transitions For Your Next Video

From high-budget Hollywood productions to a simple TikTok video, videos are often created in multiple takes. Different shots are edited together to create a masterpiece.

Now the question is, how are these different shots pieced together?

How do you glue them together to make the entire video seem seamless?

How do you make the transition from one shot to the next appear as smooth as possible?

By using video transitions.

Even before the days of fancy editing tools to edit videos, a basic concept of video transitions still existed. Some of us may remember using PowerPoint for school presentations and feeling awfully proud when our title pages would fade in and then fade out.

So what exactly are video transitions?

Video transitions are used in post-production to seamlessly glue multiple shots together.

Whether you want to show a particular mood, jump between different scenes, or simply guide your audience from one scene to another, video transitions make it super easy.

And they’re not just for high budget Hollywood movies: they work equally well for your internal business videos, short marketing videos, animated videos, video tutorials, and so on.

So they’re basically used whenever you want to add a little oomph to your videos, give them a professional touch, and ensure that you’re giving viewers a storytelling experience through your videos.

Why use video transitions?

You know video transitions can make your video look cool, but are they absolutely necessary?

In today's video-first world, where over 400 hours of video are uploaded every minute on YouTube, absolutely.

An excellent way to show emotions in your video

As Dr Karen Nelson-Field aptly says in Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing, “Videos that are affiliated with strong emotions have double the chances to be shared than the ones with a weak emotional appeal.”

b) Fade to white

This is when your video scene fades to white or from white. This transition goes really well with videos that have lighter and softer colour palettes, and when you’re trying to set a calmer, more relaxing mood.

c) Fade to another colour or the next scene

Several times you’ll see the scene fading to neither black or white, but the scene that comes next or another background/brand colour.

The next most commonly used video transition is zoom.

2) Zoom In and Zoom Out

The next most commonly used video transition is zoom.

Example: (from 0:6 to 0:20)

Whether you’re trying to add some motion to your static images (works excellent when you’d like to add a little life to your boring business videos), or need a clean, smooth transition, Zoom works great.

Zoom works especially well when you’re trying to create a product video, a product introduction video or a tutorial, as it allows you to zoom in on a particular part of the product you want to emphasize.

This restaurant promo video makes great use of Zoom In and Zoom Out transition at the beginning.

(0:01 to 0:12)

3) Slide Up, Slide Down, Slide Left and Slide Right

The slide transition is another great way to join two scenes together, especially ones that are in sync with each other.

It’s similar to a slideshow and starts or ends a scene by sliding up, sliding down, sliding left, or sliding right. Like here.

(0:02 to 0:06)

4) Swipe

Ever swiped pictures on Instagram?

This transition works similar to that and swipes the screen to display the next one. If you’re creating a video listicle, or a product video displaying multiple benefits or features of your video, this transition works great.

5) Wipes

Similar to slide and swipe transitions, wipes is often used to replace one shot with the next by travelling from one side to another.

However, unlike the other two transitions, instead of signifying that the scene has ended, it usually shows that there’s more to follow.

(0:01 to 0:08)

7) Blur

Blurring transition is used, like its name suggests, when one scene blurs into the next. It creates a calming, relaxing mood.

8) Iris In and Iris Out

Iris transition uses a circular motion, starting from the centre of the video and expanding out to either reveal or hide the entire screen. It’s akin to pointing a spotlight at the centre of the screen and then coming closer till the light shines in all directions and envelops the screen.

It’s usually used in video listicles, to end one point and start the next.

9) Paint Brush effect

If you're looking for a fun and creative way to add transitions to your videos (and you don’t want to use the same-old ones), paint brush transition is your best bet.

It transitions one screen into the next via a few thick brush strokes.

It works especially well when you’re trying to transition into a completely different scene.

Fool-proof tips and tricks for using video transitions successfully

The best videos (with great use of video transitions) require a bit more work than just merging two video clips and adding a transition. It requires prior planning, excellent editing, and lots of experimenting with different types of transitions.

If you’ve just started working with video transitions, these tips and tricks will help you ace your videos.

Write a script and storyboard first

While a script and storyboard may seem like too much work initially (especially if you’re creating a short and snappy social media video), it goes a long way in ensuring that your final video is perfect. 

It’s crucial to know where each of your screens will end, where you'll need to add transitions, how your video will begin and how it’ll end.

When starting out, aim for simplicity

When starting with video transitions, it’s very easy to go overboard and try to use multiple video transitions, complex motions, and fancy effects in one short video.

Don’t make this mistake.

Your number 1 goal should be to create a professional video that flows seamlessly.

Watch how this marketing video by Advidi sprinkles in just a few video transition effects throughout the video to make a bigger impact.

So for professional-looking videos, make sure you keep your transitions simple and effective - no need to go into complicated motion design to make an impact.

One wrong transition, and it can make your video seem amateur and chaotic.

Don’t stick with just one transition

Using a single video transition throughout your entire video can easily make it seem boring and monotonous. There needs to be a little something extra to elevate your video.

Experiment with multiple video transitions to create a storytelling experience, especially if you’re creating teasers or recap videos.

However, if there’s a purpose behind using one type of transition, then go ahead. It’s all about experimentation at the end of the day, and what works for your brand!

But, don’t go overboard and add all video transitions to a short video

While using just one video transition can make your video boring, using all of them can easily make it chaotic.

While it works for some people, if you’re new to video editing and you don’t do it right, it can make your video seem unprofessional.

So choose two to three types of transitions, and stick to them throughout the video editing process.

And if you’re creating a series of videos, try to use similar video transitions in all of them to give a cohesive feel to your videos.

Choosing the right video editor to create transitions

Your final video quality depends on how good your editing skills are and how awesome your editor is. Shoot a great video, but do a mediocre job at editing it, and it’ll ruin all your hard work.

So the need to choose the right online video editor (that’s also easy to use!) for your brand videos is essential.

Here’s how you can easily add video transitions via PlayPlay!

Wrapping up

This is where PlayPlay comes in like a knight in shining armour.

PlayPlay is an intuitive video creation platform, and the best solution if you’re looking to avoid the headache (and steep learning curve) of software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final-cut Pro, or Windows Movie Maker.

With PlayPlay, not only are video effects easy to add to your videos, but you can apply the best video formats for social media to your content in a click!

Start using PlayPlay’s free trial right away and make your videos awesome!