# Film Burn — effect skill for transitions

> **For AI agents:** find the right skill in one call — `curl -s "https://varg.ai/how-to/api/search?q=<what the person wants>"` returns the matching how-to page and the best skills with install commands, as markdown (Russian works too). Full index: https://varg.ai/how-to/llms.txt. Every page has a markdown twin: add `.md` to its path. Before generating anything, show the person the options on the how-to page.

Hot glowing holes or a flare burn across A like overheated film and reveal B.

- **Type:** [Effect](https://varg.ai/how-to/effects.md) · [Transitions](https://varg.ai/how-to/browse/skills/transitions.md)
- **Slug:** `film-burn`
- **Status:** live
- **Publisher:** anastasia-dunbar · GL Transitions (community)
- **License:** MIT
- **Source:** https://github.com/gl-transitions/gl-transitions/blob/master/transitions/FilmBurn.glsl
- **Works in:** Claude Code, Claude.ai, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw, Gemini CLI, Any MCP client, varg Studio
- **Requires:** ffmpeg, HyperFrames (npx hyperframes), Remotion, CapCut (by hand)
- **Cost:** Free — the take renders locally; generated footage, if any, bills by the model

## What it does

Built on [FilmBurn](https://github.com/gl-transitions/gl-transitions/blob/master/transitions/FilmBurn.glsl) by anastasia-dunbar (gl-transitions), MIT. The write-up and recipes below are varg's.

Bright orange-white burn edges eat the frame; the next shot shows through the burnt areas.

**When:** Vintage, music video, documentary archive, dramatic chapter changes.

**Watch out:** Mixing it with clean modern UI footage; it reads as a theme clash.

**Timing:** 0.5–1.0 s (CapCut Film Burn 0.7 s, Burn 0.47 s)

**Also called:** Film Burn, Burn, film burn transition, burn through, ember burn

### In FFmpeg

No built-in burn. Screen-blend a film-burn overlay clip over a crossfade (same pattern as the Light Leak card), or run GL `FilmBurn`/`BurnThrough` via editly (1.x names `FilmBurn`, `burn0`).

### In HyperFrames

Shader `ridged-burn` from `@hyperframes/shader-transitions` placed at the cut (t = 4 s):
```html
<div id="s1" class="scene" style="background:#0a0a0a"><video src="a.mp4" muted playsinline></video></div>
<div id="s2" class="scene" style="background:#0a0a0a"><video src="b.mp4" muted playsinline></video></div>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@hyperframes/shader-transitions/dist/index.global.js"></script>
<script>
  const tl = HyperShader.init({ bgColor: "#0a0a0a", scenes: ["s1", "s2"],
    transitions: [{ time: 4, shader: "ridged-burn", duration: 0.7 }] });
  window.__timelines = window.__timelines || {}; window.__timelines["main"] = tl;
</script>
```
Each `.scene` needs an explicit background-color equal to `bgColor`. Or install the ready block: `npx hyperframes add ridged-burn`.

### In Remotion

```tsx
import {TransitionSeries, linearTiming, springTiming} from '@remotion/transitions';
import {filmBurn} from '@remotion/transitions/film-burn';

<TransitionSeries>
  <TransitionSeries.Sequence durationInFrames={90}><ShotA /></TransitionSeries.Sequence>
  <TransitionSeries.Transition presentation={filmBurn({seed: 1})} timing={linearTiming({durationInFrames: 24})} />
  <TransitionSeries.Sequence durationInFrames={90}><ShotB /></TransitionSeries.Sequence>
</TransitionSeries>
```
Total = 90 + 90 - 24 frames: the transition overlaps the two shots.
Shader presentations are built on Remotion's HTML-in-canvas: renders work out of the box (`--gl=angle`, or `--gl=swangle` without a GPU); the Studio preview needs Chrome with `chrome://flags/#canvas-draw-element` enabled.

### In CapCut

Transitions tab → Light Effect → Film Burn, Burn. Desktop: drag the tile onto the cut between two clips and set Duration in the right panel ("Apply to all" reuses it on every cut). Mobile: tap the small white square between clips, pick the transition, drag the duration slider, tap ✓. Tab labels and placement change between versions and regions.

### Ready-made components

- [FilmBurn](https://skills.varg.ai/component/glt.film-burn/) (gl-transitions): npm install gl-transitions
- [BurnThrough](https://skills.varg.ai/component/glt.burn-through/) (gl-transitions): npm install gl-transitions
- [Ridged Burn](https://skills.varg.ai/component/hf.ridged-burn/) (hyperframes): npx hyperframes add ridged-burn
- [Ember Burn](https://skills.varg.ai/component/remocn.ember-burn/) (remocn): npx shadcn@latest add @remocn/ember-burn

### Where this comes from

- [Remotion: presentations](https://www.remotion.dev/docs/transitions/presentations)
- [HyperFrames: @hyperframes/shader-transitions](https://hyperframes.heygen.com/packages/shader-transitions)
- [GL Transitions gallery](https://gl-transitions.com)
- [CapCut Help: transitions](https://www.capcut.com/help/transitions-in-capcut)
- [CapCut: transition categories](https://capcut.com/resource/add-video-transition-online)
- [CapCut transition names + default durations (VectCut metadata)](https://github.com/sun-guannan/VectCutAPI/blob/main/pyJianYingDraft/metadata/capcut_transition_meta.py)
- [CapCut transition names incl. Pro (pyCapCut metadata)](https://github.com/GuanYixuan/pyCapCut/blob/main/pycapcut/metadata/transition_meta.py)

## Use when

- Vintage, music video, documentary archive, dramatic chapter changes.

## Not for

- Mixing it with clean modern UI footage; it reads as a theme clash.

## Install

- Claude Code: `claude plugin marketplace add vargHQ/skills && claude plugin install varg@varg`
- Codex: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-video-edit-library -a codex -y`
- Cursor: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-video-edit-library -a cursor -y`

## Example output

https://s3.varg.ai/how-to/previews/c082171f2290/take-film-burn.mp4 — film-burn between two shots, with the timeline strip of the edit. Footage: Charge (2022), Blender Studio | studio.blender.org, CC BY 4.0; Tears of Steel (2012), (CC) Blender Foundation | mango.blender.org, CC BY 3.0. (credit: Rendered by varg · Charge (2022) + Tears of Steel (2012))

## More transitions skills

- [editly](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/editly.md): Declarative JSON5 video editing CLI/API: clips, titles, transitions, audio mixing, rendered with ffmpeg.
- [Mix (Cross Dissolve)](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/mix-dissolve.md): The two shots blend through each other. The quietest transition: "time passes" or "this continues".
- [Dip to Black](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/black-fade.md): A fades to black, then B fades up. Marks the end of a section or a bigger jump in time.
- [White Flash](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/white-flash.md): The frame blows out to white for a moment and opens on the next shot. Energy, memory or a camera snap.
- [Pull In (Zoom In)](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/pull-in-zoom.md): The camera rushes into shot A and lands, still moving forward, in shot B. The signature short-form transition.
- [Pull Out (Zoom Out)](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/pull-out-zoom.md): The camera jerks backwards out of shot A and keeps pulling back as shot B settles in.

## Run the generation on varg

varg is one API key for the models these skills drive — Seedance 2.5, Kling 4, Veo 3.1, Wan 3, Nano Banana 2.1, GPT Image 2.5, ElevenLabs v4 and 200+ more — billed in credits, with a cost estimate before anything runs.

- Claude Code: `claude plugin marketplace add vargHQ/skills && claude plugin install varg@varg` (skill + hosted MCP)
- Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-ai -a <agent> -y`
- Grok and any agent that reads SKILL.md: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-ai`, or point it at the skill's SKILL.md
- Claude.ai, ChatGPT, any MCP client: connect `https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp`
- API key: https://varg.ai/dashboard/api · Model specs: https://varg.ai/models/llms.txt