This demo shows how to use a directed fade transition in place of common fade. These transitions use Pixelan SpiceMaster sold separately from Adobe Premiere. SpiceMaster is available for a wide variety of editing packages.See the final result in Quicktime or RealVideo.

I this example I have a standard cross dissolve that I will be replacing with a directed fade. In the first picture I have the two clips already defined on video track 1 and have the cross dissolve transition.

To replace the cross dissolve, simply select the SpiceMaster transition and drag-n-drop it onto the existing transition.

The dialog box below appears to allow you to set the SpiceMaster settings for the new transition. The first thing to do is select a Spice file the will determine the general character of the transition. You do this by clicking on the "Choose Spice File" button.

Once the spice file is chosen, the dialog box will look like below. You next need to adjust the direction and center controls to fine-turn the appearance of the transition.

The only remaining setting to adjust is the Softness control. Although many effects are possible, for directed fades all you want to do is set the Softness to a very high value.

Now the settings are complete. Choose the "check" button to close the dialog.

Back in Premiere we now have a SpiceMaster transition. Make sure the direction arrow is correct since it Premiere is likely to set it wrong.

Unlike most any special effect transition, you can use these freely in place of standard fades since they are so subtle. They are time consuming to add so you will still want to limit your use, but in the right situation they can be a great improvement.