# Editing & Transitions — effect skill for editing & clips

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Cuts, match cuts, J/L cuts, whips and speed ramps — multi-shot prompt syntax per model, ffmpeg when needed.

- **Type:** [Effect](https://varg.ai/how-to/effects.md) · [Editing & clips](https://varg.ai/how-to/browse/skills/editing.md)
- **Slug:** `craft-editing-transitions`
- **Status:** draft
- **Publisher:** varg (varg, verified)
- **License:** MIT
- **Source:** https://github.com/vargHQ/skills
- **Works in:** Claude Code, Claude.ai, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, Any MCP client, varg Studio
- **Requires:** ffmpeg (local) or a varg API key
- **Cost:** Prompt writing is free; generations and varg ffmpeg or render steps are billed in credits — estimate first.

## What it does

60 editing and sound cards with two routes each: ask a multi-shot model for the cut inside one generation (Veo timestamps `[00:00-00:03]`, Kling `[Shot 1: Wide shot]` labels, Seedance 镜头1 / 镜头切至 and 2.5 timing such as `第3s 快速向右横移转场`), or build it in post when the model cannot (Luma and Hailuo render separate clips; ffmpeg `xfade` for dissolves and wipes, matched blur for whip transitions). Covers hard, match, jump and smash cuts, shot-reverse-shot on one side of the 180-degree line, dissolves, whip transitions, J/L cuts, speed ramps, slow motion and the one-take. Native-audio models also get the sound bridge (`SFX:` on Veo, `<…>` on Seedance). Newer cards add montage and cross-cutting, iris, wipe, split screen and morph transitions, freeze frame, time-lapse, stop motion and slit-scan, continuity rules (180° and 30°, eyeline match), and sound grammar: diegetic sound, score, Foley, walla, stingers and dramatic silence.

## Use when

- Planning a sequence of 2–15 shots
- Joining clips from different generations so the cut feels intentional
- User asks for a match cut, whip transition, J-cut or speed ramp

## Not for

- Single-shot camera moves (craft-camera-moves)
- Beat-synced music edits (use a music-video skill)

## Install

Not published as a standalone skill yet. Source: https://github.com/vargHQ/skills

**Models it drives:** veo_3_1, omni_flash_1_1, kling_v3, seedance_2_5, seedance_2, wan_3, ffmpeg

## Example output

https://s3.varg.ai/how-to/previews/061cde0f9ca7/craft-editing-transitions.mp4 — The skill's post route, built with ffmpeg xfade and no model: four Tears of Steel shots (CC BY 3.0, (CC) Blender Foundation | mango.blender.org; 01:10.3, 00:22.2, 02:56.3, 03:36.0, 2.4 s each, cropped to 16:10) joined by a 0.8 s cross-dissolve (xfade=fade, at 1.6 s), a 0.5 s wipe (xfade=wipeleft, at 3.5 s) and a 0.35 s whip (xfade=slideleft at 5.55 s with matched horizontal gblur, sigma 10 then 45, on the outgoing tail and incoming head). Labels name each transition. (credit: varg edit of Tears of Steel shots (CC BY 3.0, (CC) Blender Foundation | mango.blender.org), https://mango.blender.org/)

## How-to tutorials that use it

- [How to turn photos into a slideshow video with AI](https://varg.ai/how-to/turn-photos-into-a-slideshow-video.md): Your photos cut to music, with motion, transitions on the beat and titles.

## More editing & clips skills

- [Short-form FFmpeg cookbook: copyable commands for Reels](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/short-form-ffmpeg-cookbook.md): Footage into a 9:16 MP4 with FFmpeg: crop to vertical, burn captions, trim and join, music under the voice.
- [Splice AI clips into a video with FFmpeg](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/varg-ffmpeg-mixing.md): Splice generated clips into an original video with ffmpeg without A/V drift: absolute trims, one audio track.
- [Chengfeng Videocut](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/chengfeng-videocut.md): Chinese talking-head editing: word-level transcript, five-pass flub sweep, human review in a Studio, subtitles, export.
- [Claude Code Video Toolkit](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/claude-code-video-toolkit.md): Open-source video workspace for Claude Code: script, voice, music, visuals and Remotion render on your own GPU account.
- [Herk Edit Kit](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/herk-edit-kit.md): Nate Herk's kit to edit talking-head videos, reels and Shorts: silence and flub cuts, storytelling, motion graphics.
- [Clipify](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/clipify.md): Long videos into social clips: find funny lines or impact beats, cut, reframe to 9:16, burn word-by-word captions.