Transitions

Transitions are what you use to let your film move from one scene to the next in the way you want, letting you choose which effect you would like to use between each scene.

The straight cut is the most commonly used transition between 2 clips used, the straight cut doesn't need  any transition effects added to your film, a straight cut is simply 2 clips moving straight from one to the other with no effect to blend them together.

The most common transition effect is the cross dissolve, in fact its such a common effect used that it has a keyboard shortcut (CTRL D) to apply the effect to your timeline.

To add a transition effect you must first place your film clips in the places that you want on the timeline,
once you have your clips in place you can then add an effect of your choosing.

To the left of your timeline is your project box, in that box at the top will be the word "Effects" click that and a few effect options should come up, click video transitions, you can then choose what transition you would like between two of your film clips. Click and drag your chosen transition effect over to your timeline. Now you can chose where you want the transition to start and end, it could take more of the first clip or the second, its your choice as to where you want it, you can also change the length of the transition by moving your cursor over the lines to the left or right of where the transition name is, then drag them outward or inward to change the length of the transition.

Another way to edit the transition effect is to go to transition controls which should be above the video, click this and then it should show 3 boxes in the panel, the top box is the first clip, the middle is the transition and the last box is the second clip, here you can change the length of the transition to what you'd like it to be like.