Object properties > Animated transparency / opacity

In the Properties window, you will find the Opacity tab for almost all objects, which you can use to assign a specific transparency behavior. For example, it is possible to make an image or text slowly emerge from a black background and later disappear into it again. You can also make images and text appear semi-transparent on top of a previous image.

1 Opacity settings

Opacity changes over time

To be able to create a transparency curve for your object, call the Opacity tab in the Properties window.

A diagram with a blue background appears, whose y-axis stands for the opacity in percent, while the x-axis reflects the duration in seconds. Set points on the area between the axes with a mouse click. The lower the point is, the greater the transparency of the object will be. If the point is at the level of 100% opacity, the object is not transparent but completely visible.

Under Select curve you can choose from standard curves. If you have saved your own curve templates, you will find them in the Custom Curves section. Via the selection Remove curve, all markers are removed.

Save the displayed curve under its own name to be able to apply it to other objects or later again. The saved curve can then be found for reapplication under Select curve.

If you have changed the display duration of the video, image or text, you can adjust the set transparency curve to the display duration by clicking this button.

In the selection menu (black triangle) you can also choose to influence the curve: Adjust to height, Scale width / Scale height, Move horizontally / Move vertically, Flip horizontally / Flip vertical, Fade in / Fade out, All points to smooth points / to corner points / to jump points / to Bézier points and Delete curve.

Generate curve - Generate a Sinusoidal curve, a Sawtooth curve, a Rectangular curve or a Random curve.

The deflections of the curve are displayed round, the animation runs smoothly.

The deflections of the curve are displayed sharply, the animation runs hard.

The points become diamond-shaped, the deflections of the curve angular. The changes take place abruptly.

The points become Bezier points, the curve radius can be changed in detail.

Time value of the point

Value for opacity in percent (0% = object has no opacity/full transparency, 100% = object has full opacity)

If you have clicked on a marker (appears orange), you can delete the marker by clicking on the icon.

When using Bezier points, the control points can be changed with the mouse or by entering values.

2 Set the course of a transparency curve

Transparency curve with four points

To define the transparency gradient, form a curve in the diagram. To do this, click in the blue background area. This will set a first point, and the curve will appear horizontally.

Now you can create more points by clicking with the mouse button, which can be moved as you wish. Each point represents a certain strength of opacity that the object has at a certain time.
The strength of the opacity is determined by the height of the point by moving it and can also be set in the Opacity field .
The time can also be specified more precisely in the Time field.

By double-clicking or right-clicking on a point, the point type (Hard, Smooth, Jump, Bézier) can be changed.

3 Control opacity/transparency via keyframe track

Opacity keyframe track

In Stages you can also control opacity from the keyframe track. To do this, open the keyframe track and click in the track for the opacity. Again, you have a curve whose ups and downs you can control with individual points. The values between the keyframes are automatically calculated (interpolated).

4 Make object blink with generated curve

Generate rectangular curve

To make an object blink, let the opacity change at intervals - between 0% opacity and 100% opacity.

1 Click the Generate curve icon and select Generate rectangular curve.

Parameters for rectangular curve

2 In the following dialog, select the number of desired oscillations or their frequency.

Generated transparency curve

The curve is calculated and drawn accordingly.

The object is now visible and invisible in alternating seconds, creating a blinking effect.

Further possibilities are offered by the "Transparency fluctuation" effect.