How to Add Transitions in Edits

A hard cut is the default, and often the best choice. Most reels are made of straight cuts because they are fast and invisible. A transition earns its place when it does a job:

• Hide a jump between two similar shots, such as a jump in a talking clip.
• Signal a change of place, time or topic, so viewers don't feel lost.
• Add energy on a beat, for a travel, fashion or product reel.
• Soften a mood, using a slow blend for calm or emotional moments.

If a transition does none of these, leave the cut alone. First get the clips right with the trim, split and reorder tutorial, because a transition can't fix a clip that runs too long.

In Edits, transitions sit at the cut points between clips on the timeline. You need at least two clips next to each other.

1. Put your clips in order on the timeline and trim each one.
2. Find the junction where one clip ends and the next begins. Zoom the timeline in if the clips are short.
3. Tap the cut point (or the transition control between the clips) to open the transition options.
4. Pick a style and play the section to preview it.
5. Adjust it or swap it, then repeat at any other cut where one is needed.

Menu names and icons change between app versions, so follow what your own screen shows. If you can't see the option, check that you have two clips and that the playhead is near the junction.

Edits offers 35 transitions as of an update reported in June 2025, including styles such as Zoom Ripple and Vertical Stretch. Coverage elsewhere also mentions familiar fades and slides. The list may have grown since, so browse the gallery in your version.

Style type	Feels like	Good for
Fade or dissolve	Calm, soft	Time passing, emotional or slow scenes
Slide or push	Clean, directional	Lists, steps, before and after
Zoom or ripple	Energetic, punchy	Travel, product, fashion, beat-led edits
Stretch or glitch	Playful, loud	Comedy, gaming, trends

Pick one or two styles and reuse them through the whole video, so it feels designed rather than random. For other looks, see effects and cinematic filters.

A transition overlaps the end of one clip and the start of the next, so its length decides its mood. Look for a duration control after you choose a style. If your version offers one, these are general guidelines, not Edits settings:

• Short (about a quarter to half a second) suits fast, beat-driven edits.
• Long (a second or more) suits slow, atmospheric footage.
• Keep clips long enough. A transition eats into both clips, so very short clips plus a long transition leaves almost nothing to see.

Play it back at normal speed, not just frame by frame. Cutting on the beat of your track makes it feel intentional, so see the music and audio tutorial.

The best transitions hide in motion. If the last second of clip A moves in a direction, start clip B moving the same way, and the eye follows through the cut without noticing it.

• End on movement (a hand reaching, a step, a pan) and start on movement.
• Match direction. A slide right pairs well with a subject moving right.
• Match brightness. Cutting from a dark scene to a bright one reads as a flash; blend them or add a short fade.
• Trim to the action. Cut the quiet frames at the end of A and the start of B first.

When no built-in style fits, you can make your own with keyframes. A common method: overlap two clips on separate layers, then animate the opacity of the top clip from 100% to 0% across the overlap. The same idea works with position or scale for a custom slide or zoom. There is a creator tutorial on this in the video section below.

1. Place the second clip on a layer above the first so they overlap.
2. Add a keyframe at the start of the overlap with the top clip fully visible, or fully hidden if it should fade in.
3. Add a second keyframe at the end of the overlap with the opposite value.
4. Play it and nudge the keyframes to shorten or lengthen the blend.

The full keyframe workflow is in the keyframes tutorial.

One standout transition beats ten. When every cut has an effect, none of them stand out and the video feels busy and slow. A reliable pattern is:

• Use plain cuts for most edits.
• Save a transition for the moments that matter: a scene change, the reveal, the beat drop.
• Reuse one style so the video feels consistent.
• Watch the finished reel on your phone with sound off, then on, and remove any that distract.

Pair them with clear titles and captions so viewers always know where they are. Format ideas: travel reels, mini vlogs, food reels.

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Can't find the transition option	Only one clip, or the playhead is far from the cut	Check two clips sit side by side and zoom in on the junction
Transition barely visible	Clips too short or the effect too brief	Lengthen the clips or the transition, or choose a bolder style
Part of a clip disappears	The overlap hides the end or start	Leave a little extra footage at the cut
Looks jumpy or random	Too many different styles	Use one or two styles and plain cuts elsewhere
Audio jumps at the cut	Different volume or music between clips	Match levels, or lay one music track across both
Export looks different	Preview was lower quality	Re-check after export and see export settings

If an export fails or looks soft, see export failed and blurry export.