Section 6.5. Downloading More Transition Choices


6.5. Downloading More Transition Choices

Simple cuts, cross dissolves , and fade-ins/fade-outs are all the transitions many professionals ever need. But if you're feeling hemmed in by the limited number of built-in transitions, you can download plenty more to expand the list. Here's a quick look at some of the leading contenders in the blossoming Commercial iMovie Plug-ins category:

  • GeeThree . At www.geethree.com, you can preview and buy plug-in collections that add over 200 new transitions to iMovie's list. They offer a huge number of different shapes that open up to reveal a new piece of footage: hearts, barn doors, checkerboards, zigzags, page turns, swirls, explosions, drips from the top of the screen, and so on. You can also find picture-in-picture, morphing, and even image-stabilizing plug-ins that take the shake out of unsteady footage.


    Note: Be sure to confirm that any iMovie plug-ins you install are compatible with version 6. Most previous plug-ins, unfortunately , won't work right.
  • Virtix . Check out www.virtix.com to view this impressive set of effects and transitions. Burn Through makes it look like the first piece of film is melting on the projector, revealing the second clip behind it. Dream should be familiar to David Letterman or "Wayne's World" fans: It creates a soft-focused, warpy, zig-zaggy strip down the center of the frame that melts into the second clip. Fog and Smoke reveal the second clip through a passing haze. If you've shot one clip of an empty space (using a tripod) and another containing a person, Materialize creates a convincing simulation of the Star Trek transporter beam. And so on.

  • cf/x . The transition effects at www.imovieplugins.com are very nicely done; some, like a soft-edged wipe, are even more useful than some of Apple's included transitions. What's especially nice is that you can buy these transitions individually (usually $3.50 or $4.50) instead of having to buy a whole package.


Tip: Most of these products come with installers that put the plug-in files where they belong: in your Home Library iMovie Plug-ins folder. Knowing where they live also makes it easy to remove themwhich may come in handy in times of troubleshooting.



iMovie 6 & iDVD
iMovie 6 & iDVD: The Missing Manual
ISBN: B003R4ZK42
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 203
Authors: David Pogue

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