Cross-dissolve contains deleted clip!

[JimmyC]

Hello. I'm just returning to Premiere Elements 7 after a bad experience with FCE, so I need to re-learn a few things.

One problem I'm having is that, when I cut out an unwanted clip, then click "delete and close gap", and then apply a cross-dissolve transition between the remaining clips, I briefly see part of the deleted clip "inside" the transition...

I've zoomed in and I can see no remnant of the deleted clip between the two remaining clips. I've even cut a few frames from the end of the first clip and the start of the second one, then applied cross-dissolve, but the same thing happens again - I still see a bit of the previously deleted clip "dissolving" with the dissolve, (hope that's clear).

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Thank you.

Jim.

[Dave McElderry]

Hi Jim, and welcome to Muvipix!

The cross dissolve uses 15 frames (.5 seconds) on each side of the cut, so you'll need to take that many additional frames from the clip that's providing the frames that you don't want to see. You can do this by placing the marker at the cut, pressing the left or right arrow key as appropriate 15 times, then making a second cut and removing those 15 frames. It's just a quirk that you need to get used to. Whether you will or won't need to do this at any particular cut will depend on what's on each side and whether or not it contains material that you don't want to see during the dissolve.

[JimmyC]

Thanks for the welcome, Dave.

I've been trying all kinds of stunts to get the problem fixed and just now I found a solution. When I drag the transition down from its window, I tried NOT putting it directly on the cut join. Instead, I put it right at the beginning of the second clip. When I released the mouse button the transition remained at that point, (I expected that it would snap to the cut, but it didn't).

So, that seems to work okay. If something goes wrong next time, I'll do what you suggested.

Thanks for the tip.

[Dave McElderry]

The solution you outline can result in an odd-looking dissolve that really doesn't work properly. If you step through the dissolve one frame at a time you'll see what I mean. Ultimately though it's whatever produces a result that you're happy with.

[JimmyC]

I'm not sure if that dissolve was odd-looking, Dave, but I do know I can't replicate it.

I just made a cut in another clip, and without deleting anything, tried to apply a dissolve at that cut. Didn't work this time. The transition seems to have been applied, (it's shown on the timeline), but the first clip just cuts right to the second clip, like a straight cut. I tried deleting fifteen frames from the first clip, then applied a dissolve, but it still didn't work.

Must be doing something wrong, but I don't know what.

[Dave McElderry]

If you make a cut in a clip but don't delete anything and then apply a dissolve transition you won't see anything because there's nothing to see. You haven't removed any material to dissolve from or to. The clip will play right through the cut and dissolve without disruption. Deleting 15 frames may not be enough to notice. If there's not much change that takes place in those 15 frames you can dissolve right through them without even seeing the difference.

[Chuck Engels]

Jimmy,
Be sure to check out the free tutorials here at Muvipix, they will help you a lot with things like this.
If you simply cut a clip and want to put in a transition then you really need to use something other than a cross dissolve, like a dip to black or some type of slide maybe. If there is almost no difference in the frame you are transitioning from and the frame you are transitioning to, the cross dissolve actually does what it is supposed to do but you can't see anything.

Here is a little tutorial on how transitions work in Premiere Elements
http://www.chuckengels.com/articles/transition2.wmv

And here is a link to the free tutorials
http://muvipix.com/products.php?subcat_id=44

Here are a couple of really good tutorials on transitions, minimum of two month $20 subscription required for viewing.
http://muvipix.com/products.php?searchp ... =0&btn.y=0



Welcome to Muvipix

[JimmyC]

If you make a cut in a clip but don't delete anything and then apply a dissolve transition you won't see anything because there's nothing to see. You haven't removed any material to dissolve from or to.

When I say I made a cut in the clip, what I mean is, I cut out the last, oh, 4 seconds of jerky footage from the first clip, then closed the gap between that and the second clip, (which was different from the first).

I did then cut a further 15 frames from the first clip, and applied the cross-dissolve. But it looked odd. So finally I did exactly what you said and cut fifteen seconds from both clips before applying the dissolve, and it worked.

I guess it's hard to cut perfectly good footage out, just to make a transition. Intuition keeps trying to tell me that you'd need the spare footage for the transition. But, it is what it is.

Thanks for your help.

[JimmyC]

Thanks for the welcome, Chuck.

I have noticed that "fade" transitions work fine. I just couldn't get my head around the need to actually cut away footage in order to apply a transition, which I assumed would need all the existing frames so that there would be enough to overlap without necessarily spoiling the shot.

But anyway, I do now.

I'll go check out the free tutorials. Thanks.

[Dave McElderry]

I guess it's hard to cut perfectly good footage out, just to make a transition. Intuition keeps trying to tell me that you'd need the spare footage for the transition. But, it is what it is.

I fully understand. It does seem a bit counter-intuitive. But you're not really cutting it out because it's still there, being used for the transition. And remember, you're only talking about a half second out of each clip that's actually involved in the dissolve. Glad you got it working properly.

[Bob]

Maybe it would help to think of it this way:

A cross dissolve is basically an overlap of the two clips with the second clip fading in over the length of the transition. If you were doing this manually instead of using the transition, you would place the first clip on track 1 and the second clip on track 2 overlapping the track 1 clip by the length of the transition. You would then fade in the track 2 clip from 0 opacity at the start of the transition to 100% at the end of the transition.

When you trimmed the first clip and closed the gap, you made a standard jump cut from the last frame of the first clip to the first frame of second clip. Then you applied the cross dissolve transition. There has to be an overlap to make the transition, but the two clips are butted against each other on the same track. There is no overlap. So, where do the overlap frames come from? The answer is that the transition will take them from the trimmed off footage if there is any. Note that both the first and the second clip will need to have trimmed frames available. If there isn't any trimmed off footage, it will duplicate the last frame of the first clip or the first frame of the second clip depending on which clip needs the frames. It will duplicate it enough to fill out the transition length.

Duplicating frames won't make a difference if you are cross dissolving still images, but, if there is motion, it will look odd because the image will appear to freeze for the clip duplicating the frame. The key thing to remember is that you need to trim both the end of the first clip and the beginning of the second clip.

Or, you could just put the two clips on separate tracks and do it the old fashioned manual way...

[JimmyC]

Yep, got it, Bob. Thanks.

Thanks for all the fast replies, guys.

[Jayell]

Maybe it would help to think of it this way:

Nice, clear explanation, Bob. I often forget this when I'm in a hurry and that silly little transition just won't 'work right.'