Dip-to-black transition always too fast in Premiere Elements -- any solutions?

[d_koh]

In Premiere Elements 10 (for Mac), I'm using the dip-to-black transition to end a short music video.  No matter how long I make the last clip or how long I set for the duration of the transition itself, it dips to black within 15 - 30 frames.  I need a slow, linear-looking fade to black -- on the order of 3 to 4 seconds -- and this seems to be impossible with Premiere Elements.  Even if I make the final clip 5 seconds and make the dip-to-black transition cover the last four seconds of the clip, for example, the screen is invariably completely black well before it even reaches the halfway point of the transition in the timeline.  I've never seen anything like this with other programs.  I see no way to adjust the linearity of the effect -- only the duration and starting and ending percentages. 

Has anyone else encountered this and is there a solution...?

[Steve Grisetti]

Try stretching it wider on the timeline.

As I show you in my book, the longer the transition (or title, for that matter) the slower the animation.

[d_koh]

That's not what I'm seeing; as I said, I can make the transition 60 frames (for example) but the actual fade takes place very quickly and non-linearly -- maybe over only the middle 15 frames.  I know how to change the duration of the transition by either changing the default or by stretching it in the timeline, but that's immaterial.  That  changes the length of the whole transition but seems to have no bearing upon the rate -- I just end up with more light frames at the beginning and more black frames at the end.  This is a bug.  Does anyone actually do three-second fade-outs in Premiere Elements...?

[the_wine_snob]

OK, then tell us about the Handles on the two Clips - the Frames before the In Point of the following Clip, and after the Out Point of the leading Clip.

Good luck,

Hunt

[d_koh]

Thanks, Bill.  The handles for the transition are a red "C" at the beginning with double-headed arrow in the middle (open toward the fade) and a red backwards "C" at the end of the transition (open toward the fade).  The transition is placed at the end of the final clip; there's no clip after the intended fade-to-black. There is a separate set of identical handles for the ends of the clip itself.  I hope this is what you were asking for...

[d_koh]

Sorry, Bill -- didn't know the terminology.  It doesn't matter if there are seconds worth of hidden frames on either end.  These are stills imported as three- to five-second clips; they then have pan-and-zoom applied so they are like video clips.  But it doesn't matter if I shorten them (to leave ample frames) or if I lengthen them -- the fade-to-black still does not work as it should.

[the_wine_snob]

Got you, and thanks for the clarification.

If adjusting the Dip-to-Black Transition is not working correctly for you, I was about to recommend Ed's suggestion, but he posted that, before I could think of it.

Keyframing the Opacity will do the same thing, and can be infinitely adjusted for the pace of darkening, to the degree of darkening.

Also, can you post a screen-cap of your Timeline, with those Still Image Clips showing. There might be something that others will see to help you.

Good luck,

Hunt

[d_koh]

Thanks, Bill and Ed -- that's a good idea about the opacity.  I assume that the black then shows through. I'm attaching a screen grab, as you suggested; it has the last few clips and only one of the audio tracks. The playhead (or whatever it's called in Premiere -- the vertical red line) is in the final clip and that's where the issue is.  The clip starts with a brief dip-to-white (8 frames; looks like a flash) to sync with the beat, is then "normal" for < second, and then has slow (several-second) fade to black.  The playhead is roughly in the middle of the dip-to-black (fade-to-black) transition -- yet at this point the clip is already completely black!  (You can't tell that, of course, from the grab but I positioned the playhead there just to point that out).  But I'll experiment with opacity...  Thanks!

[the_wine_snob]

The "playhead" is called the CTI (Current Time Indicator) and is the little blue 5-sided polygon. The red line is the Edit Line, and is attached to the CTI. [Note: That is how it has been deliniated for many versions of both PrE and PrPro, however, as of PrPro CS 6, Adobe decided to change the name to: Playhead. That renaming might transfer to the next version of PrE, in the Help file?]

It appears that your CTI (we'll use the existing nomenclature, at least for now) is in about the middle of your Transition, which I assume is a Dip-to-Black. It also appears that your Opacity rubberband is showing 100% Opacity. Is that correct?

I would do a test. Do a Save_As, and increment your Project's file name, so you do not overwrite what you have, and so that the new Project stays Open. Delete your Dip-to-Black Transition. Select your Clip, click on the Effects Tab, and then Edit Effects. If you do not see the Effects Control Panel, WITH its little Timeline, look at the upper-right of the Effects Control Panel, and click on the little "clock" to Show Keyframes.

Then, just like you did with your Audio, with its Keyframes, add Opacity Keyframes. You will want to twirl open Opacity, to see the slider. Add the first Keyframe with the little clock next to Opacity, where you want the Clip to have the last of its 100% Opacity, then navigate to the point that you want it to have 0% Opacity (black). Render that part of your Timeline by setting the WAB (Work Area Bar) over just that part of the Timeline and hit Enter. Play that Clip, watching the change in Opacity. Does that get you what you want?

Note: the Keyframes, that you initially apply, will be Linear in their operation. You can alter their Interpolation, by Rt-clicking on them. You might find that Linear is just fine, or that you like, say Ease Out for the first, and then Ease In for the last. For Opacity, I normally like Linear best, but for Title Fades, might go with Bezier, or just Ease Out/Ease In. That choice is up to you, and the look that you are seeking.

Good luck, and let us know how the Opacity Keyframes look.

Hunt

[Creasonr-B8rJYJ]

I am having the exact issue.  I used premiere on my PC at home and when I got a Macbook at work, this issue arrised.  I set the transition to start or end at 50%, but it'll always start at 0% or end at 100%.  I've used this correctly on my PC, so I'm not sure what the issue is.  I have been changing the opacity to allow for dips, but it would be nice if the transition worked as intended to save me some time/layers/hassle.

[aiza1994w67648641]

Hi, i really need to know that how to make the black screen stay  for a long time in premiere pro when use use dip to black transition. The scene fades into another just too quickly, i want the black part to stay there for a more than 2 sec. How do i do this?

[Ann Bens]

Actually Dip to Black is more suited as double side transition then a single sided transition.

Keyframe opacity.

[the_wine_snob]

If you find that the Transitions are too short, you can set the default in Edit>Preferences, to be longer, or shorter.

Good luck,

Hunt

[Steve Grisetti]

I'm not sure why making the transition longer isn't working for you. It certainly should. (It does on my computer.)

But you can also try double-clicking on the transition and manually changing its duration in the Transition Properties panel.

Lengthening the transition will most certainly slow down the dip in and out of black. But if you're concerned that it's not staying black long enough, that's another problem -- and not one you can fix without creating the transition manually.

[Ed.Macke]

I know it's not directly answering the Dip To Black transition issue, but couldn't the OP just use the clip opacity and adjust the keyframe to be the length desired?

I think with the keyframes, you can also change the keyframing from linear to Bezier (or other?) if the default linear fade isn't exactly what was needed (although I forget how to do that).

[mrkozlow]

I know this was originally asked in 2012 but if anyone is still looking for a way to do this, this is what I do.

Place a black video at the beginning of your sequence and change the opacity like this. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Ann Bens]

You posted in the Premiere ELEMENTS forum....

Elements is somewhat different from PrPro.