Hi Borate
This still frame effect on dissolves although annoying, can be reduced (or removed) if the ends of the two clips you are using are shortened by either dragging them them in or using the IN/OUT tabs in the left preview pane. You must "fold" (so to speak) each end under by at least half of the dissolve duration. In this way there is sufficient "hidden" clip in each section for VP to create the transition without using a still from the end of each clip to make up the required duration.
If you edit by just splitting the clip/s on the timeline and removing the unwanted bit, (which is the normal "film" way of doing it) then for some reason VP has to use stills from each clip with which to create the crossfadet, (even though you can still pull out the ends of the cut clip to restore the bit you removed),
Obviously if you are not editing the clips then VP has no alternative but to do it with stills.
If you play with this a bit you will see what I mean. Try using shots of moving traffic for each clip. Obviously it's not a problem if you are creating a slideshow as the images are static, even if zooms and pans are used, VP makes a perfect crossfade.
I think it has been done this way so as to keep the joined clips the same total length, whether you have added an transition or not and irrespective of its duration.
With other editors where you create dissolves by dragging one end over the other the combined clip length shortens depending on the duration of the transition created . With VP you can set any duration for the transition (provided the clips are long enough of course) without altering the edited length. That's where the stills come in. If you have sufficient "trimmed off" footage from the ends of each clip available, stills are not required.
Nat
