Video Transitions will only "transition" one side of my clip why?!!

"Sometimes it will let me add a one-sided fade-out

or fade-in to each of the individual clips, which
seems to have the desired effect. In some cases, it
won't let me use a fade-in or fade-out dissolve at
all"

Not so...

If it is imperative that you dissolve to black, then
from black back up to video and you have no handles
available, just do this...(NOTE: you will need at
least on frame seperating the two clips...this is
likely why you've not been able to do this
consistently)

This makes sense, and probably explains what I've seen. If the clips are abutted perfectly (no frame between the two clips) then it treats one-sided transitions as if they could become two-sided (thus requiring the handles). If there is an intervening frame, then it sees the clips are isolated and does not have to insist on handles.

I believe this cleared up my question nicely - thanks!
- Dean

As Kevan pointed out - there is one other way to do the FI/FO without handles.

Move your two clips apart - they can not be touching - a few frames will work.

Drop a Cross Dissolve on each end then use the "close gap" command to bring them back together.

You will have a FI/FO cut with each side individually controllable.

good luck.
x

If it is imperative that you dissolve to black,

then

from black back up to video and you have no

handles

available, just do this...(NOTE: you will need at
least on[e] frame seperating the two clips...this is
likely why you've not been able to do this
consistently)

I also discovered that I could stagger the clips on different tracks in the timeline, without a gap between clips. This lets me add one-sided transitions without having to slide the clips around and deal with gaps.

I'm new to final cut express and am having the problem with transitions that has been discussed here.
I'm still a bit confused however because I seem to have plenty of handles (as I understand them) at both ends of my clips and the fi/fo transition will only apply to the front of my clips and not the back.
When I double click a clip to load it in the viewer, it shows the in and out points as a very small area of the total scrub bar with the majorety of the footage being outside of the i/o points. This does mean that I have plenty of handles doesn't it?
I can successfully use the trick of applying the fade in and fade out transitions seperatly to two clips but I'm just confused as to why it isn't letting me drop an i/o dissolve on the edit point as my understanding of handles dictates that it should.

This does mean that I have plenty of handles doesn't it?

Yes, that is what handles refer to. You shouldn't need more handle than the duration of the transition, so .5 sec handles on both the outgoing and incoming clips would allow for up to a 1 sec transition.

I can successfully use the trick of applying the fade
in and fade out transitions seperatly to two clips
but I'm just confused as to why it isn't letting me
drop an i/o dissolve on the edit point as my
understanding of handles dictates that it should.

That is pretty weird - are you sure there isn't a gap between your two clips?
If both clips are (1) on the same line, (2) have sufficient handles, and (3) aren't seperated by a gap, then it should allow you to drop a transition on them.

- Dean



Quad-core G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7) Final Cut Studio 5.1

Thanks for the fast reply!

If both clips are (1) on the same line, (2) have sufficient handles, and (3) aren't seperated by a gap, then it should allow you to drop a transition on them.

I went down your checklist and I meet all three items and the problem still exists.
I have discovered something though. The problem only exists when applying the transition between my video footage and an imported "Livetype" clip. It allows the transition to go on the Livetype clip but not on my footage. (This is true where the footage proceeds the Livetype clip. Where the Livetype clip proceeds the footage it works fine)
If it is two of my footage clips that the transition is going between, it nestles just fine on the edit point or wherever I want it to.

Any thoughts on this behavior?

Thanks,
-John

Your livetype clip obviously doesn't have any handles. So you can only start the dissolve from the beginning of this clip.

Knowing this you should plan accordingly. If you want the dissolve to start sooner, extend the length of the livetype clip.

Shane

You'r right.

I'm not sure why I didn't see it before. Perhaps because the Livetype clips were accepting the transition and the footage wasn't I at first assumed the problem lay with the footage. Later I was having trouble understanding why it should work on one end of the Livetype clip and not the other.

I'm not sure that I yet fully understand all that's invonlved here but you guys have got me going in the right direction and things are working.

Thanks
-John