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thxapproved2
Inspiring
May 21, 2024
Open for Voting

Please add Shaped Linear (bezier) dissolve

  • May 21, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 275 views

In PPro, a blank timeline is transparent, not black video. There's a weird thing with how alpha channels are dissolved in and out in PPro that creates this weird problem that we have been suffering with for YEARS. Try this experiment:

- Blank timeline

- Add a piece of video

- Add one-second dissolves to heads and tails

- Notice how it fades in and out smoothly at the very head and very tail of the clip?

- Now add another shorter layer of video above the first, so that layer one fades in first and also continues past at the end.

- Now add a dissolve transition to the head and tail of the video on layer two (to essentially create a transition from layer one video to layer two)

- Notice how at the very head of video two, the second video layer appears to "pop" in, rather than gradually appears? (Same thing happens with title overlays)

- Now compare this... On layer two, rather than adding the one-second dissolve transitions, go back and do a one-second opacity curve, where at the head, you do an "ease out" to the 0% (transparent) keyframe, and do an "ease in" to the 100% (opaque) keyframe (making a bezier curve). (and do the direct opposite at the tail to dissolve out).

- Now, watch the transition. Notice how the video dissolve eases in at the very head, instead of that initial "pop" in, and at the end, it gently dissolves back to track one with no dumping at the very tail?

 

This same thing happens with titles.  If you place dissolves on a title layer on a blank timeline, the fades look great. However, when you add dissolve transitions to a title layer that is on top of video, the head appears to "pop" in and the very tail "dumps."

 

The question is: Can we finally get a shaped-linear (bezier) curved dissolve transition under the dissolve transition menu, that basically does that bezier opacity curve that I described above and have that as an alternative to the basic "linear" dissolve?

 

I will gladly share a video example. Can we post YouTube links to the video?

 

Thanks!

3 replies

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 9, 2025

Meanwhile, in 25.5 Adobe added Film Impact Effects and Transisitons

It has a dissolve which you can tweak

thxapproved2
Inspiring
October 9, 2025

Ann thanks for the reply. Sorry, never saw the email notification.

Yeah, I know I can do a workaround that way with bezier curves. Have been using that workaround for years since moving from AVID in 1999. I also discovered a different way.  As the timeline is not simply transparent and not "black," for purposes of keyed video (mattes) and such, there are some issues when "composite in linear color" is selected in the sequence prefs. Simply unchecking that makes dissolves/transitions on top of video much more realistic and pleasing. Thus far, I have not noticed any downside to this.

 

Thanks again 

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 21, 2024

Yes you can post YT links.

 

On a side note you can make your own bezier dissolve with opacity and save it as a preset