Bezier curves have many uses in video editing, one of which we already explored in our quick guide to drawing shapes. This time, we’ll show you how to use Bezier curves in so-called “easing curves” – the tool allowing you to control how long it takes a transition to kick in or fade out.

Please note that editing transitions along Bezier curves is only available in the Pro version of VSDC.

Step 1: Import your footage and add a transition

Making smooth transitions with the Bezier curve is a simple process. First, import your video file to the project. If you already have a blank project opened, you can just drag the video file onto the timeline. Next, add a transition. For this tutorial, we will be using the Wipe transition, but you can choose any of the ones available in the Templates window.

Step 2: Apply transition curve template

Right-click on the transition effect to open the Properties window. For our example, we’ll be working with Transition levels – the parameter setting the speed of the transition. Right-click on the tiny Parameter change icon next to Transition levels and hover over Templates. Then select “Quad Out.”

There are over a dozen options available in the menu; however, for our example, we need to use a template ending with “Out” because the transition is at the end of the video. Had we placed the transition at the beginning of the video, we would have selected a template ending with “In.”

Step 3: Configure Bezier curve

Once you apply the template, the timeline window will display a graph. The curve on the graph is based on the Transition level values, therefore, by changing this curve, you will be adjusting the pace of the transition.

To get started, find the two control points: one at the beginning of the graph and one at the end of it. These are called “keyframes.” Click on either of the keyframes, and you’ll see a vector. Grab the end of the vector and drag it around: both the length and the angle of the vector change the curve and, thus, the pace of the transition.

To adjust the transition at any specific moment, you can create additional keyframes by double-clicking on the graph. The smoother the curve is, the smoother the transition. The opposite is true: if you create a sharp curve, the pace of the transition will spike accordingly.

Create custom video effects using Bezier curves

Customizing transitions with Bezier curves is easy. You can apply them to any parameter that includes values changing along a curve and achieve outstanding video effects. Furthermore, after creating your ideal transition, you can save it as a template and use it later. Check out a quick tutorial on how to do it.

The Shattered Glass effect is a popular transition effect that has recently become available in VSDC Pro. With the proper setup, this effect will help you add depth to the video and achieve perspective. You can use it to create a smooth transition between scenes, end a video with a bang, or start your story.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create a realistic shattered glass effect. However, before moving on, make sure to download the latest version of VSDC from our official website because the new effect is unavailable in versions earlier than 6.8.

How to apply Shattered Glass effect in VSDC

To get started, launch VSDC and use the Import content option to upload your footage to the editor. Once you do that, the video will automatically land on the timeline, and you can begin your work.

To apply the Shattered Glass effect, open the Video effects menu at the top and proceed to Transitions. Then select Shattered Glass.

After you apply the effect, a pop-up window called Object position settings will indicate that the effect will be added to the end of the scene. Later, you’ll be able to change the effect position manually.

Use the preview window to see the result, and if you’re happy with the way the transition looks – go ahead and either export the video or continue working on the rest of it. If you, however, want to see how you can customize the effect, continue reading.

How to access Shattered Glass effect settings in VSDC

To open the effect settings, you first need to access the effect on the timeline. To do that, double-click on the video you’ve applied the effect to. From there, make a right-mouse click on the effect layer and select Properties. The Properties window will slide in from the right-hand side.

In the Properties window, there are three groups of settings:

• Common settings
• Adjustment settings
• Shattered Glass effect settings

Common settings

Common settings allow you to rename the effect layer on the timeline, define the duration of the effect and set the exact moment when it should appear in the video (in seconds or frames).

Adjustment settings

Adjustment settings include two controls: Transparency of the effect and the option to Extend the boundaries of the shattered pieces (shards).

The former control directly affects the opacity of shattered pieces. For example, if the transparency value equals 100%, the picture shatters while the background remains black. However, if you significantly decrease the Transparency level, the shattered pieces will become semi-opaque, and instead of the black background, the original picture will remain visible.

Notice that if you expand the Transparency menu, you’ll notice two additional properties: Initial value and Final value. Use these values if you want the Transparency level to increase or decrease over time.

Keep in mind that you’ll see the initial and final values for many other parameters in the Properties window. They all work just the same. Make the initial value smaller than the final value, and the parameter value will be increasing as the transition progresses; do the opposite, and the parameter value will be decreasing as the transition progresses.

Now, the latter control in the Adjustment settings is named Extend the boundaries. By default, it’s deactivated, and that means that the shattered pieces of glass remain within the frame of the original video, image, or any other object you’ve applied this transition to. However, if you activate this parameter, the pieces will continue moving freely outside of the object boundaries.

Now that we’ve covered the most basic effect adjustments, let’s go ahead and review customization controls available in the third group of settings.

Shattered Glass effect settings

On this level, you get to adjust the type of fracturing, the movement of shattered pieces, the impact power, and some other parameters. We’ll briefly go over each parameter below.

Presets

Presets are your own effect settings saved in the library. Say, after toggling the controls for some time, you’ve achieved an impeccable transition effect, and you want to save this combination of parameters for the next time. You’ll be able to save it as a preset and then find it in the menu whenever you need it.

Directly

If you leave this parameter deactivated, the transition effect will progress in the direct sequence which represents an object falling into pieces. If you activate this parameter, the transition will progress in the reverse sequence: shattered pieces will gradually form an object.

Effect acceleration

This parameter allows you to accelerate or decelerate the transition, depending on the values you type (you can type negative and positive numbers). Notice that under the Effect acceleration menu, there’s also an option to apply a so-called “Random delay”. If you activate it, for some random pieces of glass, the movement rotation will be delayed.

Fracturing

This parameter defines the type of fracturing and includes two options: Centered and Disbanded.

Both scenarios have additional settings that allow you to control the number of cracks, the movement direction for shards, their shape, and other characteristics. Without further ado, let’s go ahead and see how things work.

Centered fracturing

If you select the Centered type of fracturing, the cracks will form in straight lines coming from the impact point which you can move anywhere you like – as shown in the illustration below.

Radial splits is the parameter that allows you to set the number of cracks – and therefore, the number of shattered pieces.

Delta value defines the delta of the angles formed by the cracks. For example, knowing that the maximum degree value is 360⁰, you can set the Delta value at 0 and have 10 cracks, each forming a 36⁰ angle. However, if you start increasing the Delta value, the angles will vary based on the number of cracks and the Initial shift which sets the angle deviation from 0⁰.

Cross splits is the parameter that allows you to add cracks across radial splits and shatter the glass into smaller pieces. You can change the distance between cross splits using the parameter called Delta value or move them closer/further from the center using the parameter called Multiplier.

Random shape is a parameter that allows you to choose whether you want shattered pieces to be of a random, odd shape or remain in the correct shape formed by the split lines.

To increase the thickness of shattered pieces, you can use the parameters named Thickness.

Additional split chance is the parameter that creates a chance for each shattered piece to break into smaller shards. The higher its value, the more random pieces will have additional fracturing.

To control the size of the shards, use the parameter named Max fracturing. The smaller its value, the smaller the shards are.

Backside color defines the color on the flip side of the shattered pieces. By default, the flipside is black, however, you can select any other color as well as set their Opacity level.

For example, if you set the Opacity level at zero, both sides of the shattered pieces will reflect the original image. Otherwise, one side will contain a fragment of the image, and the other side will be of the color of your choice. Similarly, you can set the color for shard borders.

Disbanded fracturing

Now that we’ve reviewed the first fracturing scenario, let’s see how Disbanded fracturing works.

The key difference here is that if you apply this scenario, the fractures will be spread evenly on the image with no single visible point of impact.

To change the number of shattered pieces, use the Points on X/Y axis. These parameters set the number of corners that belong to the shattered pieces – therefore, the higher the number you use, the more pieces there will be.

Keep in mind that for each of these numbers, you can also choose a Delta value (X/Y). Delta values set the deviation of the number of points on the X and Y axis. For example, if you put 5 points on the Х axis, and the Delta value is 100%, each horizontal line will produce from 1 to 10 shattered pieces.

The following parameters – Thickness, Additional split chance, and Backside color – are similar to what we’ve already reviewed in the previous section, so we’re going to skip them and move to the next feature called Shard positioning.

Shard positioning is a group of settings to help you customize the shards. The first parameter in this menu is named Use initial shift, and it’s activated by default. It creates a sense of depth in the video by sending some of the shards straight to the foreground of the scene. If you deactivate this parameter, the pieces will be moving within the middle ground only.

Notice that if you use this feature, you can customize the movement of the shattered pieces by applying the Minimum shift and Shift delta. The former defines the shift of the shattered pieces from their original position to the foreground. The latter defines the deviation delta for the Minimum shift.

The following parameters are named X axis motion, Y axis motion, and Z axis motion. They help you set the movement direction around the axis for the shattered pieces. By default, all these parameters are set at 0% and that’s why shards remain in the same spot. However, as you start increasing the values, the pieces will start moving in the indicated direction.

Movement speed defines the speed at which shattered pieces are moving until they fully disappear from the scene. By default, this value is set at 100% which is the maximum speed. If you type 0% instead, the pieces will be rotating around themselves without moving anywhere.

Now, to make the disappearance of the pieces more dynamic, the developers have added an option named Reduce movement speed. This feature reduces the movement distance assigned to certain shards before they disappear from the scene. As a result, the shattering effect gets more volume and looks more cinematic.

There are 8 Reduction scenarios you can choose from, and they all create a slightly different effect.

The following parameters in the menu are named X/Y impact motion, and they enable you to emphasize the impact point by moving the pieces further away from it after the split. The movement direction in this case will be defined by the values you assign for the X and Y axis.

For example, if X impact motion equals 0, but Y impact motion has been assigned any value above 0, you’ll see a vertical split. If you assign any value above 0 to each axis, the shattered pieces will split both vertically and horizontally.

To adjust the speed at which pieces will bounce off from the impact point, use the parameter named Impact force. Essentially, it literally means the strength of the impact. The higher its value, the bigger the split and the faster the pieces will be moving.

Under the Impact force menu, you’ll find additional parameters that will help you adjust the impact. For example, you can Add random shift to allow shards to randomly shift from the impact point.

Aspect correction is the parameter that adjusts the movement of shattered pieces according to the size of the video or the object you’ve applied the transition to. If you enable this option, shattered pieces will shift evenly, regardless of the given aspect ratio. If you disable this option, the movement shift will be based on the aspect ratio: for instance, if your video has the 16:9 aspect ratio, the pieces will move further horizontally because the width of the video exceeds its height.

Reduce impact force is the parameter that enables you to reduce impact force using pre-configured Reduction scenarios. You can type any value from -99 to 99. The lower the value, the less visible the impact point and the split. Once you set the value, you can open the Reduction menu and select the reduction scenario. We’ll skip the overview of these scenarios because they’re identical to those we reviewed earlier.

The following group of parameters named X/Y/Z axis rotation set the rotation angle for the pieces. If the angle value is above 360 degrees, they define the number of turns each piece makes around the corresponding axis.

Fade-out applies the fade-out effect to the shattered pieces as they reach a certain point of the trajectory.

Perspective projection is a mode that lets you enable and disable perspectivity. By default, it’s enabled, which means the viewer is under the impression that the pieces are moving toward them. If you disable perspective projection, shattered pieces will be moving to the borders of the scene.

Download the new version of VSDC to try the Shattered Glass effect

Hopefully, this tutorial has inspired you and started some idea brewing! If you’re ready to try the Shattered Glass effect in your videos, go ahead and download VSDC 8.2 from our official website.

Need more inspiration? Then make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified when we publish new videos.

Download Video Editor now

Bezier curve is a tool that lets you draw odd shapes with precise accuracy. In video editing, it’s one of those rare features that are easy to use and hard not to. Below, we’ll show you how to use Bezier curves in VSDC Free Video Editor for creating shapes you can later use for clipping or inverted masks. For the sake of this tutorial, we’ve selected a heart shape as an example to practice on; once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to draw any other shape quickly and effortlessly.

Bezier curves are available in VSDC starting version 6.8. Make sure to download it before getting started.

Step 1. Launch VSDC Free Video Editor and import your content

First, boot up VSDC Free Video Editor. On the main screen, there are different options for importing your content. You can create a blank project with custom parameters, or you can simply click Import content and select your video files from the computer. If you decide to do the latter, VSDC Free Video Editor will automatically change the project’s parameters to the parameters of your video.

Step 2. Draw the foundation of your shape

Once you access the project’s scene, go to the left-side menu and select the Add free shape tool:

A window called Object position settings will pop up to indicate the position of the shape you’re creating on the timeline – just click OK.

Now, as an easy demonstration of what the Bezier curve is capable of, let’s draw a heart shape. In the previous versions of VSDC, you would have to create up to 100 control points just to draw a smooth-looking heart. However, now you’ll be able to make do with only a couple of control points, even if you have little to no vector drawing experience. The Bezier curves will practically draw the shape for you!

To get started, click anywhere on the scene and while holding the mouse button, drag it to the side. Once you do that, you’ll see two vectors that will start forming the shape. Leave them as they are and repeat your steps to create another control point above the first one: now you have half of the shape! Okay, it may not look like half of a heart shape, but that’s temporary.

Now all you have to do is close the shape before we start turning it into a heart. There are two ways to do that. You can either select the first control point and press the Closed Free Shape button in the Shape Point Settings, or simply hold the Ctrl key and click on your first control point.

Step 3: Adjust the vectors to achieve the desired shape

Vectors determine the shape of your figure; therefore, you can tweak the shape just by dragging them in the desired direction. For instance, to turn the circle into a heart shape, press the Ctrl key and drag one of the vectors at a 45-degree angle. Keep in mind that if you forget to press the Ctrl key, both vectors will be moving along, staying parallel to each other. Once you’re finished with one vector, drag the second one at the same angle but in the opposite direction. Repeat the process with the vectors from the second control point, and voila – you have a heart. You always had.

Make use of your shape

Drawing shapes with the Bezier curve is this easy. You can add as many control points as you want: each will have two vectors to help you form the shape more precisely. Whether you want to create a clipping mask, hide an object behind a shape, or just practice vector drawing – now it’s much easier. We’re excited to see what uses you’ll find for this tool!

Now, if you’d like to continue exploring the power of Bezier curves, go ahead and read our guide to using them for creating smoother, custom-paced transitions.

The Paint Brush transition is a popular effect that imitates brush strokes. You can use it to gradually move from one scene to another by either covering the video with a paint brush stroke by stroke, or revealing the next image from under a coat of paint. Here is what it looks like:

From this tutorial, you’ll find out how to apply this effect in your videos and tailor it to your vision. The Paint Brush effect is available in VSDC starting version 6.8, so make sure to download it before moving one with the tutorial.

How to apply Paint Brush transition in VSDC

Once you download VSDC, launch it on your computer and import your footage. We recommend using the Import content button unless you want to apply custom parameters to the project. Next, select the video you want to apply the transition to, open the Video effects menu, proceed to Transitions and select Paint Brush.

The Object position settings window will pop up indicating that the transition will be added to the end of the scene. Click OK to proceed and preview the result. Notice that if you want to stretch the duration of the transition, you’ll be able to do it manually. We’ll talk more about it in the following section.

How to access Paint Brush transition settings

To open the effect settings, first make a double-click on the video you’ve applied the effect to. You’ll find yourself in a new tab with the effect layer named PaintEffect. Make a right click on it and select Properties. The Properties window will slide-in from the right.

The Properties window for the Paint Brush transition includes 3 groups of settings:

• Common settings
• Adjustment settings
• Chess settings - Paint Brush effect settings

Let’s go over each group of settings and see what they do.

Common settings

The settings in the first group allow you to rename the transition effect layer, type the exact moment when the transition should begin (in seconds or in frames) and set its duration (in seconds or in frames). Keep in mind that you can also manually move and stretch the effect layer right on the timeline using the handlers.

Adjustment settings

The Adjustment settings consist of a single parameter, named Transparency. Transparency enables you to adjust the opacity level for the paint strokes. For example, if you leave the default value (100%), the paint will be completely non-transparent. However, if you decrease the value, you’ll start getting the see-through effect.

If you expand the Transparency parameter, you can access the Initial and Final values. These values enable you to set the opacity level for the beginning of the Paint Brush effect and the end of it, thus creating a smoother transition between scenes.

Paint Brush effect settings

The settings in the third group allow you to tailor the effect to your needs. For instance, you can change the direction and angle of the brush strokes, choose the brush width, and more.

Directly

The first parameter in this group is named Directly, and it refers to the direction of transition. If you leave this parameter deactivated, the paint brush will gradually cover your footage, stroke by stroke. If you activate this parameter, the transition will work in the opposite way and gradually uncover video from a coat of paint.

Stroke angle

The following parameter allows you to change the brush stroke angle. By default, the brush moves under a 45-degree angle, however, you can change this value to your taste. For example, in the illustration below, you can see how the strokes will look if you use a 90-degree and a 30-degree angles.

In addition to the Stroke angle, you can activate the option called Opposite side and change the side where the brush starts moving. For example, by default, the paint brush moves from right to left. In this case, the opposite side direction will be from left to right.

Starting corner

This parameter defines the corner where the effect starts. There are 4 self-explanatory options you can choose from: left-top, right-top, left-bottom, and right-bottom.

Brush width

Brush width is rather self-explanatory as well. This parameter defines how wide and thick brush strokes are, and you can leave its value consistent or make it dynamic. For example, if you set the Initial value at 10% and the Final value at 50%, each subsequent brush stroke will be thicker.

Blur

This parameter adds blur to the paint and makes brush strokes less defined. The higher the value, the more blurred the strokes will be. As a matter of fact, if you type 100%, the effect will resemble spray paint.

Brush movement direction

Brush movement direction is the brush movement pattern defining the order in which brush strokes are applied. The are 5 options you can choose from:

• Non-continuous – each subsequent brush stroke will start on the same side of the scene.
• Continuous – each subsequent brush stroke starts on the opposite side of the scene.
• Area-based – the scene gets divided into several areas, and each area gets covered with paint
• Random (same angle) – each brush stroke appears in a random place on the scene under the same angle.
• Random (random angle) – each brush stroke appears in a random place on the scene under a random angle.

Overlap coefficient

Overlap coefficient defines the percentage of brush strokes that appear on the scene at the same time. For example, if the total number of brush strokes required to cover the scene entirely is 12, and the overlap coefficient equals 30%, at any given moment, you’ll be seeing 4 brush strokes instead of just one.

Try the Paint Brush transition for free

The new Paint Brush transition effect is available in the free version of VSDC Video Editor, so if you liked this tutorial, go ahead and download VSDC from the official website.

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