DaVinci Resolve AddTransition API — effect skill for transitions

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Resolve 21.1 added TimelineItem.AddTransition; earlier versions cannot add transitions by script.

What it does

Native Resolve transitions (Cross Dissolve, Fusion, OFX, audio) on a timeline built by script.

When: Pipelines that assemble timelines in Resolve via Python/Lua and want dissolves without manual work.

Watch out: Relying on it before 21.1; on older versions build the timeline as OTIO/FCP7 XML with transitions and import it.

Timing: duration in frames (auto-calculated when omitted); needs handles on both clips

Also called: Resolve scripting, TimelineItem.AddTransition, DaVinciResolveScript, Resolve API transitions

In Python

Resolve scripting (Python 3, run inside Resolve or with the scripting env):

import DaVinciResolveScript as dvr
resolve = dvr.scriptapp('Resolve')
timeline = resolve.GetProjectManager().GetCurrentProject().GetCurrentTimeline()
items = timeline.GetItemListInTrack('video', 1)
# Resolve 21.1+: attach a dissolve to the end of the first clip, centred on the cut
items[0].AddTransition({'type': 'Cross Dissolve', 'category': 'simple', 'position': 'end', 'alignment': 'center', 'duration': 15})

TransitionOptions: type (name, e.g. 'Cross Dissolve'), category ('simple' | 'fusion' | 'ofx' | 'audio'), position ('start' | 'end'), alignment ('left' | 'center' | 'right'), duration (frames). Returns the transition TimelineItem or None. Older versions: MediaPool.ImportTimelineFromFile('edit.otio' or FCP7 XML); Timeline.Export(path, resolve.EXPORT_OTIO) writes OTIO back out (FCPXML 1.3–1.7 export is unsupported since 18.1; 1.8–1.10 remain).

Where this comes from

Use when

Not for

Install

Example output

https://s3.varg.ai/how-to/previews/ed4c06dba941/take-resolve-add-transition.mp4 — Cross Dissolve between two shots, with the timeline strip of the edit. Footage: Charge (2022), Blender Studio | studio.blender.org, CC BY 4.0; Spring (2019), Andy Goralczyk / Blender Foundation (Blender Studio) | studio.blender.org, CC BY 4.0. (credit: Rendered by varg · Charge (2022) + Spring (2019))

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