How to Create Crossfade Transitions Between Events

Last updated 15 June 2026

How to Create Crossfade Transitions Between Events

Crossfade transitions blend two overlapping events on the same channel in the Sequencer. Drag one event's start over another event's end to create the overlap, then choose from 15 GPU-rendered transition effects.

Before you start

  • A Sequence with at least one Video or Audio Channel created
  • Two or more Assets (video or audio) imported into the project
  • Both Assets placed as Events on the same Channel

Steps

1. Create the overlap

In the Sequencer timeline, drag the second event to the left so its start (T0) overlaps with the first event's end (T1). The overlap region appears immediately as a diagonal hatch pattern on the channel. The crossfade duration equals the amount of overlap — a longer overlap produces a slower transition.

Backstage automatically sets the fade-in and fade-out durations to match the overlap amount. You do not set these manually — adjust the overlap length by repositioning the event.

2. Choose the transition effect

A transition pill appears on the overlap region showing the current effect name. For Video Channels, the pill displays two lines: V: for the video transition and A: for the audio transition. Click the pill to open a popup menu with all available effects.

Select a video transition effect from the Video Transition section. If the event has embedded audio, select an audio transition from the Audio Transition section below it.

3. Adjust the transition duration

To make the transition longer or shorter, drag the second event left or right. Moving it further left increases the overlap and slows the transition. Moving it right reduces the overlap and speeds it up. If you drag the second event's T0 past the first event's T1 so there is no overlap, the crossfade is removed entirely.

4. Preview the transition

Press Space to play the Sequence and preview the transition in real time. Use the JKL shuttle to scrub through the transition at variable speed: J plays in reverse, K pauses, L plays forward. Tap the same direction key repeatedly to ramp speed through 1×, 2×, 4×, and 8×. The shuttle is non-destructive — pressing K or Space restores the original playback speed.

Options explained

Video transition effects — select from the transition pill popup or the event inspector Video dropdown:

Effect

Description

Category

Cross Fade

Linear blend between outgoing and incoming. The default.

Dissolve

Fade Through Black

Outgoing fades to black, then incoming fades in from black.

Dissolve

Fade Through White

Outgoing fades to white, then incoming fades in from white.

Dissolve

Additive Dissolve

Brightens during the transition via additive blending.

Dissolve

Luminance Dissolve

Bright areas of the incoming content appear first.

Dissolve

Wipe Right

Incoming content enters from the left edge, wiping right.

Wipe

Wipe Left

Incoming content enters from the right edge, wiping left.

Wipe

Wipe Down

Incoming content enters from the top edge, wiping down.

Wipe

Wipe Up

Incoming content enters from the bottom edge, wiping up.

Wipe

Wipe Diagonal

Incoming content wipes in diagonally.

Wipe

Iris

Circular reveal expanding from the center of the frame.

Wipe

Push Left

Outgoing content slides left while incoming enters from the right.

Push

Push Right

Outgoing content slides right while incoming enters from the left.

Push

Push Up

Outgoing content slides up while incoming enters from the bottom.

Push

Push Down

Outgoing content slides down while incoming enters from the top.

Push

Audio transition types — available for Video Channels (embedded audio) and Audio Channels:

Effect

Description

Default

Cross Fade

Outgoing volume fades from 1 to 0 while incoming fades from 0 to 1.

Yes

None

No audio fade. The outgoing event plays at full volume to its end; the incoming event starts at full volume at its T0. Use this when audio should cut hard even though video crossfades.

No

Common Mistakes

  • No hatch pattern visible after dragging — the events are on different channels. Crossfade transitions only work between events on the same channel. Move both events to the same channel first.

  • Transition pill does not appear — the overlap region is too narrow at the current zoom level to fit the label. Zoom in on the timeline until the pill becomes visible, or increase the overlap duration by dragging the second event further left.

  • Audio crossfade has no effect — the audio transition is set to None. Click the transition pill and change the Audio Transition to Cross Fade.

  • Cannot place events at the same start time — Backstage enforces a minimum T0 separation between events on the same channel (at least one frame when FPS is set, or 1 ms otherwise). This prevents ambiguity about which event is outgoing and which is incoming.

Tips

  • You can also change the transition type from the event inspector. Select the incoming event in the Sequencer — the Video and Audio transition dropdowns appear in the event properties whenever the event overlaps with a neighbor.

  • For video channels with embedded audio, the video and audio transition types are independent. You can use a Wipe Right for video while keeping audio at Cross Fade, or set audio to None for a hard audio cut.

  • Use Shift-drag when moving events to ripple all subsequent events on the same channel, preserving gaps and overlaps.

  • The default transition for new events is Cross Fade (video) and Cross Fade (audio). Change the transition type before creating additional overlaps if you want a consistent effect throughout your Sequence.

  • Transitions are GPU-rendered and work with all output paths — projector, display, NDI, and recording outputs.

Sequencer — full Sequencer reference, including Channels, Events, and transport controls.

Video Channel — Video Channel settings including destination, frame blending, and layer.

Build a Multi-Step Show — how to build a multi-step show using Sequences and the Stepper node.

Set up a Playlist — how to set up a playlist for sequential media playback.