How to Fade to Black in Premiere Pro (The Cinematic Way)
Fading to black might sound basic, but there’s a difference between doing it quickly and doing it like a professional. If you want to polish your edits for commercial or narrative work, this guide shows you two methods, including the one that’s used in professional post houses and festivals.
Let’s dive in.
Method 1: The Quick Way with Cross Dissolve
This is the easiest way for beginners to create a fade out.
Place your footage on the timeline.
Right-click the end of the clip.
Choose Apply Default Transitions.
This automatically adds a Cross Dissolve at the end. You can stretch the duration of the dissolve by dragging the edge of the effect, creating a longer fade.
It’s quick, easy, and gets the job done. But it’s not always the smoothest on export or when working with layered content.
Method 2: The Pro Way with Opacity Keyframes
For more control and a cleaner, cinematic fade, here’s what professionals do:
Select your clip and open Effect Controls under the Window menu.
Find the Opacity property.
Click the stopwatch icon to add a keyframe where you want the fade to start.
Move the playhead to where the fade should end, then change Opacity to 0%. This adds a second keyframe.
Right-click each keyframe and apply Ease In or Ease Out to make the transition buttery smooth.
Why This Fade Looks Better
The keyframe method is favored by commercial editors because:
It exports more cleanly
It avoids overlapping layer glitches
It creates a smoother black fade with no sudden shifts
You can also visualize the motion curve by expanding the keyframes in Effect Controls. This lets you fine-tune your fade to match the tone of your video.
If you’re working on high-end projects, short films, or client work, skip the default dissolve and use opacity keyframes instead. It’s a subtle change, but it makes your final video feel tighter and more professional.
For more quick editing tutorials, head over to the full playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/@MaxwellRidgeway/videos