In the transition room the various effects are listed alphabetically. If the one called "Fade" doesn't do what you want you can always create an effect manually on two video tracks and using the Power Tools.

Afterthought - I've been thinking about this and I don't see how you can possibly achieve this sort of transition without a fade of some sort except by using morphing software. If you have two clips overlapping then one of them has got to 'give way' to the other.

With film you overlap the clips by about 15 frames or more and when they make a print they do "fade" the light over the overlap but its called a dissolve. One clip dissolving into another. If you compose the scenes well the two clips morph in such a way that you can't tell where one clip ends and the other begins. You do not want anything to disrupt that effect so things exploding is out. Maybe in Power Director its called a Cross Fade????

Morphing as I know it consists of a continuous and gradual change from one frame to the next progressively between the first scene/image to the next one and does not involve any fade.

To my mind what you are describing is a fade. Have a look at the effect called "Fade" in the transition room not "Cross Fade"

Does the attachment look anything like what you are after?

Edit to correct missing embolden tag.

Quote: With film you overlap the clips by about 15 frames or more and when they make a print they do "fade" the light over the overlap but its called a dissolve. <snip> Maybe in Power Director its called a Cross Fade????

In PD it is labeled FADE, and there are two modes. For details, click the upper right-hand corner ? mark|INDEX and type "transition" - then click the "behavior" sub topic. CROSSFADE does not affect project length. OVERLAP does.

Depending upon circumstances, transitions can be placed in four distinct ways. To see those choices, click the dotted square with the downward arrow (on the menu bar to the right of "My Favorites") and mouse over "Apply Random Transition to All Videos." These choices may also be available for individual transitions when manually dragging them to the time line.

Yes thats what I am after, beautiful clip BTW, I would do the whole image not just the background but I really like just the background dissolving too. Excellent info thanks!