Wondering if you guys had any advice for transitioning between clips. I'm having a hard time getting a good system to use for transitions.
I am partial to the typical cross-dissolve between clips, but it seems redundant to just use it for every single transition.
Lately I've just been plugging in random transition effects, watching the whole video, and changing any that draw my attention to them. They're generally over in half a second anyway, so as long as it doesn't scream for attention, I just leave it in. Of course people like Xeno and several others have complained or noted the totally random transitions(which they are).
I actually don't pay attention to transitions at all when watching videos, so I'm not sure what other people actually look for.
Any input would be helpful!
Transitions between clips
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Thongboy Bebop
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I don't use any plug-ins if I can help it. That's why I'm so much about themes and whatnot for videos, then I can make natural segueways (albeit slowly) at logical and expected points.
As long as there's a comfortable "digestion" space between clips I think it's fine to just hotswap 'em. Or if you're SUPER AWESOME do something like this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kVnbZYvBuh8
Which I think is frickin' ridiculous hot. I would learn AE just to make something like that.
N
As long as there's a comfortable "digestion" space between clips I think it's fine to just hotswap 'em. Or if you're SUPER AWESOME do something like this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kVnbZYvBuh8
Which I think is frickin' ridiculous hot. I would learn AE just to make something like that.
N
"If you lose any more weight I'm sending you to rehab." -- My Mother
yeah, I've never used pre-set transitions in any of my vids. I'm either hitting the edits in time with the music (which calls for simple switching between the clips) or coming up with stupid ideas that I have to painstakingly do by hand, lol.
I wouldn't get to hung up on them if I was you. If they start sticking out at you though, then maybe you should change them up. Maybe even simplify them. If you post up examples I'm sure peeps would give fair opinions.
I wouldn't get to hung up on them if I was you. If they start sticking out at you though, then maybe you should change them up. Maybe even simplify them. If you post up examples I'm sure peeps would give fair opinions.
My editing sucks, but if you were going to straight up cut to another clip, I always used at least a 5-8 frame cross fade, because it makes the transitions look cleaner.
Outside of that, I have no advice at all since I pretty much did the same thing you did: Pick random ones, although in/out for the same clip I tried to make related (same effect backward or whatnot) but keep the duration short.
Mike Z
Outside of that, I have no advice at all since I pretty much did the same thing you did: Pick random ones, although in/out for the same clip I tried to make related (same effect backward or whatnot) but keep the duration short.
Mike Z
Wow that video's editing is absolutely nutrageous, although a little over the top in some places since it does interfere with seeing the combo. It definitely gives me something to shoot for though.
For tutorial videos, I do like cutting straight to another clip because it makes it feel more segmented. For combo videos though, I like to keep some feeling of continuity throughout the video, so I like to have at least some sort of transition.
Guess I'll primarily stick to cross fade for now. Thanks for the advice.
For examples,
Combo Video:
MBR Vol 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jED_gS_3jrw
MBR Vol 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HonJntnCQeM
These were made like 2 years ago though, but are generally good examples of my style of editing(also my two favorites of the bunch)
Tutorial:
Ciel Basics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbqaak52pjc
Working on revising these for the new version coming out. No real transition work here, but the text on the screen feels too noisy to me. It took me forever to find a good place for them, but it's still too much noise on screen. I'm aiming for the new versions to have a smaller game screen, and use the rest of the space for the text. This may not work very well on youtube's forced 320x240 format though.
For tutorial videos, I do like cutting straight to another clip because it makes it feel more segmented. For combo videos though, I like to keep some feeling of continuity throughout the video, so I like to have at least some sort of transition.
Guess I'll primarily stick to cross fade for now. Thanks for the advice.
For examples,
Combo Video:
MBR Vol 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jED_gS_3jrw
MBR Vol 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HonJntnCQeM
These were made like 2 years ago though, but are generally good examples of my style of editing(also my two favorites of the bunch)
Tutorial:
Ciel Basics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbqaak52pjc
Working on revising these for the new version coming out. No real transition work here, but the text on the screen feels too noisy to me. It took me forever to find a good place for them, but it's still too much noise on screen. I'm aiming for the new versions to have a smaller game screen, and use the rest of the space for the text. This may not work very well on youtube's forced 320x240 format though.
Here's some suggestions for the text:
- Add a margin to the bottom of the screen and place the text there, like subtitles. Have the text marquee slowly so that it can be read from beginning to end in sync with the combo. Or do like movie subtitles and have them just skip to the next line.
- Have the text nice and big on the screen first for just a little bit, then quickly move it to the bottom margin. If people want to read the whole text on the screen they can pause it and read it before it shifts to the margin.
- Have the text fade away after it's done. A fade away would make it seem like the text is being "wiped" off the board, thus clearing the clutter and giving a moment of relief to the eye.
Just some thoughts. That video is really nice looking though, I hadn't seen it before.
Love Vol.6. <3
Love Vol.4 too.
Any interest in another collaboration after PC-MB:AC is released?
[Edit] PS. I forgot how great Warakia's Last Arc was. Greatest thing ever, next to Zappa + Rao combination.
- Add a margin to the bottom of the screen and place the text there, like subtitles. Have the text marquee slowly so that it can be read from beginning to end in sync with the combo. Or do like movie subtitles and have them just skip to the next line.
- Have the text nice and big on the screen first for just a little bit, then quickly move it to the bottom margin. If people want to read the whole text on the screen they can pause it and read it before it shifts to the margin.
- Have the text fade away after it's done. A fade away would make it seem like the text is being "wiped" off the board, thus clearing the clutter and giving a moment of relief to the eye.
Just some thoughts. That video is really nice looking though, I hadn't seen it before.
Love Vol.6. <3
Love Vol.4 too.
Any interest in another collaboration after PC-MB:AC is released?
[Edit] PS. I forgot how great Warakia's Last Arc was. Greatest thing ever, next to Zappa + Rao combination.
Looks like Jolly Ranchers & Baskin's Sherbet.
My general belief is that transitions should always be conditional. But it should never be random. In fact, and I'm not trying to be critical, but I really don't like it when a video uses many different transitions in a row with no rhyme or reason. I always try to stick to one transition per video (if the video is short) or at least one transition for a good chunk at a time before moving on.
But above all else, I always try to use a transition appropriate to the video and the current action. The video I am by far most proud of, transition-wise, that I've made is the CFE Video (I've always been tempted to create a huge write-up on the editing for that video, 'cause I really am proud of how it turned out and there is a lot of subtle things going on in there... but I know that will come off as a very pretentious, so I've never done it). Most of the times, there is no transition at all in that video. But that's the main thing: many times, transitions, even something as simple as a cross-fade, are not warranted. Every clip transition in that video (well, 95% of them anyhow) are determined by the background music. I am a huge glutton for making transitions match the music... the music is almost always the main determining factor.
It's also very dependent on what feel you are trying to create for your video and what your goals for the video are. Are you trying to make a frenetic video? Then just use instant cuts. If you are trying to make a video that flows well, use cross-fades. If the content of the video is important to you, make sure you use very basic and non-distracting transitions only. If the editing is as important or more important than the content, go for some fancy transitions.
If the game is one that people are not familiar with, I almost 100% advise to not use any fancy editing at all. When you aren't familiar with a game, creative transitions usually really hurt one's understanding of a game (too many confusing things going on at once). But by the time the 100th MvC2 Combo Video has been released, feel free to go for some crazy-ass wacky editing, because players won't be spending so much time interpretting the game anymore and can concentrate more faculties on interpreting the fancy transitions.
Those are some of the things I think about, anyhow, when I make Combo Videos in terms of transitions. Hope it makes sense.
- James
But above all else, I always try to use a transition appropriate to the video and the current action. The video I am by far most proud of, transition-wise, that I've made is the CFE Video (I've always been tempted to create a huge write-up on the editing for that video, 'cause I really am proud of how it turned out and there is a lot of subtle things going on in there... but I know that will come off as a very pretentious, so I've never done it). Most of the times, there is no transition at all in that video. But that's the main thing: many times, transitions, even something as simple as a cross-fade, are not warranted. Every clip transition in that video (well, 95% of them anyhow) are determined by the background music. I am a huge glutton for making transitions match the music... the music is almost always the main determining factor.
It's also very dependent on what feel you are trying to create for your video and what your goals for the video are. Are you trying to make a frenetic video? Then just use instant cuts. If you are trying to make a video that flows well, use cross-fades. If the content of the video is important to you, make sure you use very basic and non-distracting transitions only. If the editing is as important or more important than the content, go for some fancy transitions.
If the game is one that people are not familiar with, I almost 100% advise to not use any fancy editing at all. When you aren't familiar with a game, creative transitions usually really hurt one's understanding of a game (too many confusing things going on at once). But by the time the 100th MvC2 Combo Video has been released, feel free to go for some crazy-ass wacky editing, because players won't be spending so much time interpretting the game anymore and can concentrate more faculties on interpreting the fancy transitions.
Those are some of the things I think about, anyhow, when I make Combo Videos in terms of transitions. Hope it makes sense.
- James
Last edited by jchensor on Sun May 20, 2007 9:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
That is a super-well edited video, and doing that is super easy in After Effects. So START LEARNING IT, MR. BEBOP!!!Thongboy Bebop wrote:As long as there's a comfortable "digestion" space between clips I think it's fine to just hotswap 'em. Or if you're SUPER AWESOME do something like this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kVnbZYvBuh8
Which I think is frickin' ridiculous hot. I would learn AE just to make something like that.
N
- James
(P.S. The editing of that video is actually not easy, I'm just trying to convince TBBB to finally learn AE.)
Having random transitions is a nice bandaid when doing a group combo video since some people don't always provide buffer space before and after videos since you can usually hide things like the "Fight" text on the screen, or the training mode option screen popping up. But I guess the moral of the story is:
Hot swaps or cross fades until you know what you are doing. (maybe should go in the basic etiquette as tip #19)
Hot swaps or cross fades until you know what you are doing. (maybe should go in the basic etiquette as tip #19)