Since video technology has advanced to the point that almost all computers have some sort of basic editing software, there are now whole collections of video transition effects that are at your disposal. Why just cut to the next scene when you can turn the picture into a ball and bounce it off the screen? Why just dissolve to the next scene when you could make a 3D cube and spin it into the next shot with maybe a fireball whooshing by?

Bottom line: It looks cool right now, but it won’t have long lasting quality. The majority of viewers have been programmed to accept two transitions without complaint since the motion picture was invented. Cuts and Dissolves.

A “cut” transition is when the video (obviously) cuts to another picture. A “dissolve” is when the visual slowly fades to the next shot. Dissolves are traditionally used to convey a passage of time. For example a person looking up a clock on the wall… then the clock slowly dissolves to show a much later time.

These are the traditional methods to transition from one visual to the next.  When one first stumbles upon the list of available visuals it is easy to get caught up exploring the possibilities. Remember cuts and dissolves will stand the test of time.

It is a simple rule that will enhance your final product. Just because you can do a fire/laser beam wipe to the next shot, doesn’t mean you should.