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Create special transitions

Create an Image Mask transition

You can use a black‑and‑white bitmap image as a transition mask. The first clip replaces the black area in the image, and the second clip replaces the white areas in the image. If you use a grayscale image for the mask, pixels containing 50% or more gray convert to black, and pixels containing less than 50% gray convert to white.

Apply an Image Mask transition

  1. In the Expert view, click Transitions on the Action bar. The Transitions panel appears.
  2. From the Transitions panel, select the Special Effect menu, and locate the Image Mask transition.
  3. Drag the Image Mask transition to a cut between clips in the Expert view timeline.
  4. In the Image Mask Settings dialog box, click Select Image.
  5. Locate and select the image file you want to use as a transition mask, and click Open. The image appears in the Image Mask Settings dialog box.
  6. Click OK. The Transitions contextual control appears. Adjust the properties of the transition, if necessary, and click Done.
    Image serves as mask to create transition

Change the image for an Image Mask transition

  1. Double-click the transition in the Expert view timeline. The Transitions contextual control appears.
  2. In the Transitions contextual control, click More and then click Custom. The Image Mask Settings dialog box appears.
  3. In the Image Mask Settings dialog box, click Select Image.
  4. Locate and select the image file you want to use, click Open, and then click OK.

Create a Gradient Wipe transition

Adobe Premiere Elements can use any importable grayscale image as a gradient wipe. In a gradient wipe, the second clip fills the black area of the grayscale image and then shows through each level of gray as the transition progresses until the white area becomes transparent. When you create a Gradient Wipe transition, you can specify the softness of the transition’s edges.

Gradient wipe source image (far left) and resulting transition

Apply a Gradient Wipe transition

  1. In the Expert view, click Transitions on the Action bar. The Transitions panel appears.
  2. From the Transitions panel, select the Wipe menu, and locate the Gradient Wipe transition.
  3. Drag the Gradient Wipe transition to a cut between clips in the Expert view timeline.
  4. In the Gradient Wipe Settings dialog box, click Select Image.
  5. Locate and select the image file you want to use in the transition, and click Open. The image appears in the Gradient Wipe Settings dialog box.
  6. Adjust the softness of the transition’s edges by dragging the Softness slider. As you drag the slider to the right, the first clip increasingly shows through the second clip. Click OK.
  7. Adjust the properties of the transition, if necessary, using the Transitions contextual control and click Done.

Change the image for a Gradient Wipe transition

  1. Double-click the transition in the Expert view timeline. The Transitions contextual control appears.
  2. In the Transitions contextual control, click More and then click Custom. The Gradient Wipe Settings dialog box appears.
  3. In the Gradient Wipe Settings dialog box, click Select Image.
  4. Locate and select the image file you want to use, click Open, and then click OK.

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