A transition is an editing technique used to move from one shot or scene to the next, ranging from the instantaneous hard cut to elaborate visual effects that bridge the two pieces of footage. Transitions shape how the viewer experiences the relationship between adjacent shots - whether the change feels abrupt or smooth, whether it implies a passage of time, and whether it carries stylistic or narrative meaning of its own.

The most common transition is the cut, which places two shots directly adjacent with no intervening effect, relying on content and continuity to create a coherent flow. The dissolve overlaps two shots by fading one out while the other fades in, traditionally implying a passage of time or a softer, more emotional connection between scenes. The fade to black and fade from black mark clear beginnings and endings, often used at act breaks or the start and close of a film. The wipe moves a boundary across the frame to reveal the incoming shot, associated with a more graphic, stylized aesthetic. Match cuts and jump cuts are types of hard cuts defined by the relationship between the shots rather than a visual effect between them. In contemporary editing, transitions are chosen for their narrative and emotional function rather than their novelty, with invisible cuts and matched action being generally preferred over elaborate effects in most contexts.

Planning transitions in AI video workflows involves both generating clips with endings and beginnings that will connect effectively and making deliberate choices in the edit about how each scene boundary should feel. Assembling clips in Compose on Morphic with attention to how each cut or transition reads allows creators to shape the rhythm and emotional tone of the assembled sequence, not just the content of individual clips.