A fade is a map, not a blur
Every point between the handles receives a different share of the upper frame. Before the first handle the base is untouched; after the second the upper frame is complete. Between them the share rises smoothly from zero to one. Neither photograph is softened, so detail remains sharp on both sides of the join.
Build the transition in this order
- Choose the frameKeep the dimensions of the base unless the larger canvas is intentional. Cover usually gives the cleanest pair because neither side leaves empty bars.
- Place the seamMove the line onto a quiet part of the picture: open sky, water, an out-of-focus wall or another area without faces and lettering.
- Set the featherPull the handles apart until the boundary disappears, then stop. An unnecessarily wide feather makes both photographs look low-contrast through the middle.
Where the method reaches its limit
A fade does not understand objects and will happily make a person or a line of type half transparent. It is strongest when the composition already gives the transition somewhere quiet to live.
Questions people ask
What do the two mask handles mean?
The first handle is where the upper photograph is absent and the second is where it becomes fully present. The distance between them is the feather. Put them close together for a visible seam; pull them apart for a slow dissolve.
Can the fade run from top to bottom?
Yes. Rotate the line by dragging the handles into a vertical arrangement. A diagonal line is useful when the natural boundary in the photographs is a roof, ridge or shoreline rather than an upright edge.
Is the fade linear or radial?
Either. Linear runs the transition along a straight line between the two handles, at any angle you drag them to. Radial puts the first handle at the centre and the second at the outer edge: the upper photo is at full strength inside the inner radius you set and gone at the edge — or the reverse, with Invert. The Ramp control chooses how the strength runs between the two: even, smooth (an S-curve) or easing in.
Why do fades in some editors go grey or dark through the middle, and why not here?
Because they mix colours that have already been multiplied by their own transparency (premultiplied alpha). Halfway along a soft edge the colour has been darkened once by the alpha and is darkened again by the mix, so a pale join turns grey. This blender mixes un-premultiplied channels, so the transition keeps the brightness of the two photographs it runs between.
Are the photos uploaded to make the fade?
No. Both photos are decoded and mixed in this browser tab, and the export is written there too.
Why do the frames need similar exposure?
A gradient can hide an edge, but it cannot hide a large jump in brightness or colour temperature. Match the two photographs first when one is much warmer, darker or more saturated than the other.