Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 5

A transition is an effect applied to the edit point between two clips in a sequence. Instead of cutting from one clip to the next and making an immediate change, a transition effect creates a gradual change over time from the outgoing clip to the incoming clip.

Several types of transitions can be applied in Final Cut Pro. One type of transition used frequently is a cross dissolve. A cross dissolve is a video transition that gradually mixes from the outgoing clip to the incoming clip at the edit point. As one clip fades out, the other clip fades in. This mixing process utilizes the handles of one or both clips that make up the transition. Handles are the additional source material that exists on the media file. In audio, this process is called a cross fade. The end of one audio clip fades out while the beginning of the next one fades in.