# Heart Mask — effect skill for transitions

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B appears through a heart shape that grows to fill the frame. Social, playful and romantic.

- **Type:** [Effect](https://varg.ai/how-to/effects.md) · [Transitions](https://varg.ai/how-to/browse/skills/transitions.md)
- **Slug:** `heart-mask`
- **Status:** live
- **Publisher:** varg (varg, verified)
- **License:** MIT
- **Source:** https://github.com/vargHQ/skills/blob/main/varg-video-edit-library/references/transitions.md#heart-mask
- **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

A heart-shaped window opens from the centre and expands until B covers everything.

**When:** Couples, weddings, Valentine's, "favourite" moments, social posts.

**Watch out:** Anything serious or corporate.

**Timing:** 0.5–0.8 s, ease-out

**Also called:** heart wipe, heart transition, love transition

### In FFmpeg

xfade custom expression with an implicit heart curve (P runs 1→0, so the heart grows as P falls):
```bash
ffmpeg -i a.mp4 -i b.mp4 -filter_complex \
"[0:v]fps=30,settb=AVTB,format=yuv420p[a];[1:v]fps=30,settb=AVTB,format=yuv420p[b];\
 [a][b]xfade=transition=custom:duration=0.7:offset=4.3:\
expr='if(lte(pow(pow((X-W/2)/(W*(1-P)+1),2)+pow((H/2-Y)/(W*(1-P)+1),2)-0.09,3)-pow((X-W/2)/(W*(1-P)+1),2)*pow((H/2-Y)/(W*(1-P)+1),3),0),B,A)'[v]" -map "[v]" out.mp4
```

### In HyperFrames

Tween an SVG heart `clipPath` (or a CSS `mask-image` of a heart) on the incoming scene from scale 0 to 4, transform-origin centre.

### In Remotion

`glTransition({name: 'heart'})` with @gl-transitions/remotion 0.1.0 (1.x name; `HeartWipe` in gl-transitions 2.0).

### In CapCut

Transitions tab → Mask / Social media → heart-shaped transitions (names vary by version). 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. Hand-made: Mask → Heart on B, keyframe its size.

### Where this comes from

- [FFmpeg filters: xfade](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#xfade)
- [@gl-transitions/remotion (README)](https://github.com/gl-transitions/gl-transitions/tree/master/packages/remotion)
- [gl-transitions 2.0 changelog (renames)](https://github.com/gl-transitions/gl-transitions/blob/master/packages/gl-transitions/CHANGELOG.md)
- [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)

## Use when

- Couples, weddings, Valentine's, "favourite" moments, social posts.

## Not for

- Anything serious or corporate.

## 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`

## 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.