Editing > Soft Effects >

# Creating Blend Soft Effects

Use Blend soft effects to adjust the transparency between layers on the timeline. Blend soft effects are similar to dissolve transitions except that the Blend soft effect occurs vertically across layers.

With Blend soft effects, intermediate clips are created. If you add a dissolve to a clip that has a Blend soft effect, the result of the blend is used as the incoming source.

For more control of the Blend soft effect, use the Blend Editor. You can modify the shape of the blend curve for complex results.

To create a Blend soft effect:

1. Select the element you want to use as the incoming shot of the vertical blend.
2. Set the focus layer by moving the focus point over the layer you want to use as the top of the vertical edit.
3. Click the Blend soft effect button (or press Alt+6 from the EditDesk record timeline).
4. Select a Blend mode from the Blend quick menu.

   Select: | To:
   --- | ---
   Fade In | Create a mix curve that starts at 100% at the first frame and ends at 0% at the end of the clip.
   Constant | Create a constant mix value of 50% for the length of the blend.
   Fade In/Out | Fade in to the incoming clip for the first 0.5 seconds and fade out for the last 0.5 seconds. Clips shorter than 1 second fade in for the first 25% of the clip, and fade out for the last 25% of the clip.
   Fade Out | Create a mix curve that starts at 0% at the first frame and ends at 100% at the end of the clip.

5. Set the rendering and mix options.
6. To access the Blend Editor, double-click the element or click E beside the Blend soft effect button. Modify the animation channel for the Mix value until you get the desired result. See Creating Dissolves.