Dissolve in video editing refers to a transition that help film editors to move a scene from a video to another one. You must keep in mind that some transitions are not visual, and they are integrated in the content through sounds or music. However, the dissolve transition is one of the most used types of transition. It allows you to make one shot fade into black or white, or to blend two scenes together. On the other hand, the cross dissolve transition will immediately have the first scene blended into the next, assuring a fade effect between the sequences.

For sure! Among the many meanings that a dissolve transition can have, the passage of time is often visually illustrated in this way. However, the editor must keep in mind that other elements are equally important. For example, the images involved at the beginning and at the end of the dissolve transition, and the length of the dissolve. By adding this to your video content, you can provide a hint to the audience that some time has passed by and now you are moving to another part of the film.

There are several ways to use the dissolve transition in editing! Most of the time, this represents a simple visual choice of the editor for transmitting some subtle emotions to the audience. A short dissolve transition can emphasize a shock or a fast-forward perspective, while a longer transition brings more tension to the action of the video, making the viewer intrigued and impatient to find out what is about to happen in the next scene. For example, a powerful cross dissolve transition can be used when moving from one character’s face to another. In this way, the audience is allowed to see the change of context and all the emotions happening there.