Hi Bertie -

Quote: I also tried making a gap between clips

That will definitely not work! Transitions can only be applied if the clips/images are abutted. There can be NO SPACE.

When I drag the transition, I get the 'open hand' symbol. Is that correct?

That's correct. If it's a NO GO, the hand will disappear.

Here are some tutorials that might help you get started. They're made using PD8, but most of it applies to PD9 too.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PDtoots#p/u/10/jXG2jDTHyKw
http://www.youtube.com/user/PDtoots?feature=mhee#p/u/9/ccSNU_Z7BRc

You'll probably find some other things on our PDtoots channel that will help too!

Cheers - Tony


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Hi Tony

Thanks for the 'hand' response, at least I now know what should be showing. I tried the space between clips out of desperation!

Thanks also for the clips although they didn't help with the transitions. No matter what I do, the transitions just do not 'take'. Should they show up on the timeline if I expand it? If so, there is no sign of any. If they are meant to show, are they like a thumbnail or what? I'm getting so frustrated with this as I can't progress at all!

Does a clip need to be selected first before dragging a transition, although I have tried that with no success.

Thank you for your patience, it isn't easy when I'm getting on for 80!

Bertie -

I take my hat off to you, attacking video editing at your age! Don't get frustrated. There are plenty of people in the forum who can give you guidance.

Adding a transition should look like this...



In the second tutorial I linked - http://www.youtube.com/user/PDtoots#p/u/9/ccSNU_Z7BRc - at 6:55, it demonstrates adding a transition manually.

In the first tutorial I linked above - http://www.youtube.com/user/PDtoots#p/u/10/jXG2jDTHyKw - at about 6:30, it shows how to add a fade transition between ALL your clips at once.

Cheers - Tony
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Hi Tony

Well, its onwards and upwards while the old brain can still absorb a few things still, I seem to have a vertical learning curve!

So, success at last! Armed with the above snapshots, I could see what should be happening but wasn't. The manual said, but I may have missed the important part, that I should drag the transition onto the join of two clips (words to that effect) but I didn't see anything about expanding the timeline. So, all I was getting was the 'open hand', nothing else, but expanding the timeline 'enabled' the views you show above (or similar). So simple really, but if it didn't say that in the manual then maybe it should have! I'm quite happy to say that I may well have missed it so it would be nice to know if something about expanding the timeline before adding transitions was in the manual.

As I used to write technical manuals many years ago I was expecting to be told what to do in a 'noddy guide' way, because everyone learns at a different pace so the more explanation given, the easier it is for tyros like me!

Thanks again Tony, for your help. Sadly, it may not be the last time I need help though. ;(

Quote: Bertie - I take my hat off to you, attacking video editing at your age!

As do I to you, at your age Tony. Click here PDtoots for a collection of PowerDirector Tutorials and Tips

Quote Hi Tony

Well, its onwards and upwards while the old brain can still absorb a few things still, I seem to have a vertical learning curve!

So, success at last! Armed with the above snapshots, I could see what should be happening but wasn't. The manual said, but I may have missed the important part, that I should drag the transition onto the join of two clips (words to that effect) but I didn't see anything about expanding the timeline. So, all I was getting was the 'open hand', nothing else, but expanding the timeline 'enabled' the views you show above (or similar). So simple really, but if it didn't say that in the manual then maybe it should have! I'm quite happy to say that I may well have missed it so it would be nice to know if something about expanding the timeline before adding transitions was in the manual.

As I used to write technical manuals many years ago I was expecting to be told what to do in a 'noddy guide' way, because everyone learns at a different pace so the more explanation given, the easier it is for tyros like me!

Thanks again Tony, for your help. Sadly, it may not be the last time I need help though. ;(

I also did some tech writing in the past. ( I consider myself a novis in that field. ) I used to try and put myself in the shoes of the people using the machines, NOT the technical individual that knows every little thing about the design of the item in question.
Most manuals today seem to asume the person using the device, already knows most everything. BAD !!

I recently tried to learn about flying drones. Almost all online videos, or manuals showed outdated images, or were filmed so fast, and talking so fast, it was impossible to follow the person making the video.

And yes, some of us are older! So what? The challange is still worth the effort. Ageing Gracefully

I just saw one software tutorial (not for video editing) that was two hours long! Who can remember all that?

Here are some more tutorials that take the approach of learning one small thing at a time.

--Jim