filmcraft/docs/getting-started-fades.md

Getting started: video fades and audio volume keyframes

Use a Cross Dissolve transition to fade a picture in or out. Use Volume keyframes to make a clip's sound gradually louder or quieter.

These instructions follow FilmCraft's current main branch, checked on 24 October 2026 (source revision). An older installed release may differ. The planned fade handles are separate from the operations available now.

What you'll learn

• Fade a video clip in and out, and dissolve between two shots.
• Draw an audio fade using the Volume line on the clip.
• Change fade length, adjust levels, remove keyframes and undo a mistake.

A video transition changes the picture; it does not fade the clip's sound. An audio Volume keyframe changes sound; it does not change the picture. A crossfade joins two clips, while a fade at a free edge brings one clip in or takes it out.

Before you start

1. Open FilmCraft and choose File ▸ Import…. Pick a video with sound, at least four seconds long, and confirm.
2. In the Project panel, right-click the imported clip and choose New Sequence From Clip. Its picture appears on a video track such as V1, and its sound on an audio track such as A1.
3. Open Window ▸ Effects and Window ▸ Effect Controls. These are different panels: Effects is the library; Effect Controls edits the selected clip or transition.
4. Keep the track unlocked. For the first exercise, use a video clip with empty space at both ends on its track and no other picture underneath it. This makes the fades appear against black.
5. Choose File ▸ Save As… to save your practice project.

Use the Selection Tool for selecting clips and transitions. Its default shortcut is V; the Pen Tool is P. Shortcuts below assume FilmCraft Default or Premiere Pro Compatible. If you have changed presets, check Edit ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts… or use the Tools panel.

To undo an edit, choose Edit ▸ Undo (Ctrl+Z on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Z on macOS). Finish typing in a value field and click outside it before undoing a timeline edit.

Fade a video clip in

1. In Effects, open Video Transitions ▸ Dissolve and find Cross Dissolve. You can also type its name in Search effects.
2. Drag Cross Dissolve onto the video clip near its left edge, inside the clip. Wait for the highlighted preview labelled In, then release.
3. With the Selection Tool, double-click the new transition block in the Timeline. In Set Transition Duration, edit Duration: and click OK. A whole number such as 12 means 12 frames; a larger number makes a slower fade.
4. Click the Timeline ruler at the clip's start and press Space to play. Press Space again to stop. The picture should gradually appear.

You can also click the transition once and change Duration in Effect Controls. Undo the duration change or the transition application with Edit ▸ Undo, one edit at a time.

If a clip touches another clip at that edge, FilmCraft makes a transition between the two instead of a fade from empty space. On an upper video track, a fade can reveal the picture underneath rather than black.

Fade a video clip out

1. Drag Cross Dissolve from Effects ▸ Video Transitions ▸ Dissolve onto the video clip near its right edge, inside the clip. Release when the preview says Out.
2. Double-click the transition block, set its duration in frames and click OK. Start with 12 frames, then lengthen it if the ending feels abrupt.
3. Click the Timeline ruler before the transition and press Space to preview the ending. With no picture underneath, the clip fades to black.

To resize an existing fade by eye, use the Selection Tool and drag an end of the transition block, rather than the clip's trim edge. The fade stays anchored to the clip's start or end. Use Edit ▸ Undo if you resize the wrong item.

Crossfade between two video clips

1. Import a second video with File ▸ Import…. Drag it from the Project panel onto the same video track as the first clip, directly after it with no gap. If you already added a fade at their shared edge, select that transition block and choose Edit ▸ Clear before continuing.
2. Drag Cross Dissolve onto the shared cut, just inside the end of the first clip or the beginning of the second. Check that the highlighted preview spans the cut, then release.
3. Click the transition block and open Effect Controls. Set Alignment to Center at Cut for a dissolve balanced around the edit.
4. Double-click the block to set its duration, or edit Duration in Effect Controls. Click the Timeline ruler just before the cut and press Space to preview it. Shorten or lengthen the transition to taste.

This blends the outgoing picture into the incoming picture. It leaves their audio unchanged. To remove it, select only the transition block and choose Edit ▸ Clear. Use Edit ▸ Undo to restore it or undo its last adjustment.

Shortcut option: Sequence ▸ Apply Video Transition is Ctrl+D on Windows/Linux or Cmd+D on macOS. With a video clip selected, it applies the default video transition to both available edges, including shared cuts, wherever the playhead is. With only edit points selected, it applies to those points. It uses your default transition, which may have been changed from Cross Dissolve. Use the drag steps above when you want one specific edge and effect.

Fade audio in and out with Volume keyframes

Each audio clip already has a Volume effect; you do not need to add another effect. Its Level is measured in decibels (dB). 0 dB keeps the original level; negative values reduce it. 0 dB does not mean silence.

These are clip volume keyframes: they belong to this clip. Track automation belongs to the audio track and can affect other clips on it. You do not need to record a mixer automation pass or change the Audio Track Mixer's automation mode for this exercise.

1. Find the audio clip on A1. Enlarge the track by dragging the bottom edge of its header downward, so you can see the white Volume line below the clip's name.
2. Click the diamond button in the audio track header (Show Keyframes) and choose Clip Keyframes. This shows the clip's Volume line instead of a track automation lane.
3. Choose the Pen Tool (P). Click directly on the Volume line at four positions, in order: just after the clip starts, about one second later, about one second before it ends, and just before it ends. Keep the outer clicks a little inside the clip, away from its trim edges. Four keyframe diamonds appear. Add all four before changing their levels.
4. Choose the Selection Tool (V). Drag the first diamond to the clip's start and down to the bottom of the Volume band. Watch the tooltip: -∞ dB means silence.
5. Drag the last diamond to the clip's last frame and down to -∞ dB too. Leave the two middle diamonds at the original level. The line now rises from silence, stays at the listening level, and falls back to silence.
6. Click the Timeline ruler at the clip's start and press Space to listen. Move the second diamond later for a longer fade-in, or the third earlier for a longer fade-out.
7. Choose File ▸ Save when you are happy with the result. Use Edit ▸ Undo to reverse a keyframe addition or a completed drag.

With the Selection Tool, you can also Ctrl-click the line on Windows/Linux or Cmd-click it on macOS to add a keyframe. Click an empty part of the line: adding at an existing keyframe's time can remove that keyframe. A plain click selects the clip; dragging the line changes its level. Dragging the line between two keyframes adjusts both surrounding points, so grab an individual diamond when shaping one end of a fade.

Adjust and remove keyframes

Change a fade's timing or level

1. With the Selection Tool, drag a Volume diamond left or right to change its time, or up or down to change its level. Keyframes stay inside the clip and cannot pass their neighbours. Use the Timeline's bottom zoom bar to spread short fades out on screen.
2. For a precise level, select the audio clip, open Window ▸ Effect Controls and expand Volume using the small arrow beside its name. Scroll down if linked video effects are shown above the audio effects.
3. In the keyframe area to the right of Level, click the diamond you want to edit. This moves the playhead to that keyframe. Click the blue Level number, type a value such as 0 or -96, and click the Level label to commit it. FilmCraft treats -96 dB or lower as silence.
4. Preview again with Space. Use Edit ▸ Undo to restore the previous value or position.

The arrows beside the Level keyframe button move to the previous or next keyframe. When animation is enabled, editing Level at a different playhead position adds a keyframe there. The Toggle animation stopwatch turns animation on or off; do not click it for every new point. Turning it off removes the parameter's keyframes and keeps its value at the playhead.

Remove an unwanted point

1. In the Timeline, right-click the Volume keyframe diamond, then choose Delete. Right-clicking the line or clip body opens a different menu.
2. In Effect Controls, the equivalent operation is to right-click the Level diamond in the keyframe area and choose Clear.
3. Listen again: the remaining points determine the fade. Choose Edit ▸ Undo to restore the deleted point.

What's coming: timeline fade handles

Planned / pending, not available on current main: PR #1635 is open and has not been merged as of 24 October 2026. It proposes small handles in eligible clips' top corners: click to apply the default video or audio transition, or drag to preview and set its length. The result would be an ordinary transition that can be resized or removed. These handles would not replace Volume keyframes for detailed audio shaping. The proposal may change before release.

For now, use the transition library or the Volume-keyframe steps above. Do not look for the proposed corner handles in your current installation.

Common problems and solutions

Problem	What to check
The video fades, but its sound cuts abruptly.	A video transition affects the picture only. Add Volume keyframes to the audio clip separately.
I get a dissolve to another shot instead of black.	That edge touches another video clip, or another video track is visible underneath. Practise at a free edge on V1.
I cannot see the audio Volume line.	Enlarge the audio track, then choose Show Keyframes ▸ Clip Keyframes from its header's diamond button.
I am changing every clip on A1.	You may be editing Track Keyframes ▸ Volume or the Audio Track Mixer. Switch to Clip Keyframes and edit the line inside the intended clip.
The whole audio line moves.	Without keyframes, a line drag changes the whole clip's level. Add the points first, then drag individual diamonds.
Clicking near an end trims the clip instead of adding a point.	Click farther inside the clip on its Volume line, then drag the new diamond to the desired end.
My fade jumps instead of changing gradually.	In Effect Controls, right-click the earlier Level keyframe and choose Linear rather than Hold.
Volume keyframes move but I hear no change.	In Effect Controls, make sure Volume is enabled with its fx switch and Bypass is unchecked. Also check that the track is not muted.
The edit will not move or resize.	Unlock its track using the lock button in the track header. Try a shorter transition duration if it would extend outside the clips.
Ctrl/Cmd+D affects both ends.	That is the selected-clip workflow. Drag Cross Dissolve onto one edge to apply just that fade.

Quick reference

To do this	Use this
Fade a picture in / out	Drag Cross Dissolve to a free left / right video edge.
Dissolve between shots	Drag Cross Dissolve to their shared cut on one video track.
Set a transition's length	Double-click its block → Set Transition Duration, or edit Duration in Effect Controls.
Add a clip Volume keyframe	Pen Tool click, or Ctrl-click (Windows/Linux) / Cmd-click (macOS), on the Volume line.
Change an audio fade's length / level	Drag its Volume diamond horizontally / vertically.
Remove a Volume keyframe	Right-click its Timeline diamond → Delete.
Undo the last edit	Edit ▸ Undo: Ctrl+Z (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Z (macOS).

For customised keys, see Keyboard shortcuts.