How to use a clip with transparency as a transition over 2 other clips in Resolume Avenue or Arena?

[Lumenarius]

I agree this patch is super helpful!

With that hard switch I know what you mean. A fade would be nice. Perhaps that is possible to edit the patch though that would be for @Tijnisfijn as it is out of my depth.

I think the best fix is to have the alpha transitions be large enough to cover all the media behind.

You could also manually fade the underlying clip down to black and then back up if you put the clip or layer opacity on a fader. Maybe? Worth checking though.

[exelbonsai]

Yes, that would be one option, but when streaming I'm more focused on the music and tweaking the knobs and moving the faders on the mixer . I'd like to automate Avenue as much as possible.

Maybe there are effects that can be assigned to the clips (cams)?

[exelbonsai]

Soooooo, I did it! Yay! I'm so happy!

My perfectionism is satisfied. The transitions are all silky smooth now.
The solution to the puzzle? I added fade-in/fade-out to the transition videos.

It's also important that the transition videos are all the same length; somehow, I couldn't get them to be any longer (5 seconds) despite the setting at the bottom of the plugin.

It would be great if the plugin developer could come up with something regarding fade-in and fade-out.

[tijnisfijn]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the feedback and I wanted to clarify how this plugin is designed to work, and explain the new features I've added to give you more flexibility.

1. How a "Real" Bumper Works
Technically, a classic broadcast bumper follows a strict rule: Start Transparent -> Fully Cover Screen at 50% -> End Transparent.

Because the screen is fully covered at the halfway point, the system can perform a "hard cut" between your two background sources (Camera A to Camera B) right at that 50% mark. Nobody sees the switch because the bumper is hiding it. This is the default behavior of the plugin.

2. The "Rule Breakers" (New Update)
I saw this question from a @exelbonsai who is using the plugin differently:

"Now I have the following question.
I deliberately didn't extend the borders of some videos to the entire screen, some only to the top right, and one video, for example, moved from left to right.

Unfortunately, this also reveals the hard switch between clips (cameras) in the background.
Is there still a way to add a fade-out and fade-in between the cameras?"

Technically, if the clip doesn't cover the screen, it’s not really a "bumper" anymore—it's more of an overlay transition. But let's not get hung up on terminology; let's make it work for you!

I have updated the plugin to accommodate these creative uses:

Start Fade Slider:
- At 0.5 (Default): Keeps the classic bumper behavior (Hard switch at 50%).
- At 0.0 (Smooth Fade): The background layers will ignore the hard cut and instead perform a perfect 100% crossfade from the very start. This solves the issue for clips that don't cover the full screen.

Blend Modes: Since you might now be fading instead of switching, I added a picker so you can choose the Blend Mode (Add, Screen, Multiply, etc.) for that background fade.

3. Important Timing Tips
Just a reminder that the bumper movie always plays at the speed of your transition duration.

If you load a 10-second movie but set the transition to 1 second, the movie will speed up massively to fit that 1 second.

Pro Tip: If you load multiple bumpers, try to keep their original lengths similar so playback speed stays consistent.

4. Auto Mask
Finally, if your clips have a black or white background instead of alpha transparency, you don't need to re-render. Use the built-in Auto Mask function to key out the background automatically.

Have fun and use it however you see fit!

[exelbonsai]

Hi @Tijnisfijn
Sorry for the late reply. (Better late than never)

I'm blown away! The update has already had a positive effect on the old, edge-changing transitions, or as you call them, overlay transitions.
I've now created two transitions with 8-second half-frames, one with and one without alpha, and they're just as perfect.
The translation probably didn't work quite right again. With the 5-second rule, I just wanted to make it clear that all transition videos need a certain length, which wasn't obvious to me during the initial tests, and that this is what caused the fast playback and the resulting stuttering you described.

My users are all absolutely thrilled and are, of course, asking how I did it. This will definitely revolutionize Resolume's sales (LOL).

I'm very grateful to you and, in this day and age, I don't take it for granted that something is provided for free. I'm very happy to buy you a beer or an ice cream. Feel free to send me your PayPal address via private message, and I hope it delights your palate.

I'd also like to thank you again, @Lumenarius. Without your rendering tips, I'd still be in the dark.