Add new Transitions in ProX4

[MPH711]

I have some transitions that I would like to add to my transitions list in VideoStudio. The transitions are in the Quicktime animation ".mov" format. Is there a way to add them in?

[Ken Berry]

Not as far as I am aware. They could only be added as video files, though you could still try slotting them between main clips as a transition. Only they would be in the video library, not the transition library. However, the effect would probably look different from a normal transition. You could, however, overlap the .mov clip with a little of the preceding and following video clip and this will create a cross-fade effect which might be closer to what you want.

And note that for some users at least, .mov files cause difficulties if they update Quicktime from the version which came with VS. I am finding that X4 does not present this problem, and I have QT 7.7 working fine with X4 still playing .mov files. Other users are not so lucky, however. So it could be that you would need to convert them to some other video format, and preferably close to the format used by the main video.

Quality could be another issue. .Mov is just a wrapper format, and the actual format calling itself .mov could be either high quality or low. If it is the latter, then you could end up with say high quality HD video punctuated by obviously low-quality pseudo transitions.

[MPH711]

Thanks much Ken. That's a shame...but I will try working with them as you suggested.

[Ken Berry]

The problem with your idea is that it apparently misconceives the idea of transitions. They are not just a bridge between two scenes, but a way of blending them. A crossfade is simplest: as you know, the last bit of the preceding clip fades out as the first bit of the new clip fades in over it. Similarly with all the others: a bit of the preceding clip is used and smoothly transitions to the new clip, be it through wipes, or revolving or sliding doors or whatever. Apart from the crossfade idea I suggested above, you would have one clip moving directly to another -- albeit brief -- .mov clip, moving to yet another clip -- all three quite separate rather than blended...