How to Use Opacity, Fade, and Blending Modes in PowerDirector
Make a clip see-through, ease it in and out, or mix it with the one above it.
Updated Aug. 21, 2026 · 5 min read
In a hurry? Use the Opacity, Fade & Blend quick guide instead.
Three settings in PowerDirector share one panel because they all do the same kind of job: they decide how much of a clip you actually see. Opacity makes it see-through, fade eases it in and out, and a blending mode mixes it with whatever sits above it on the timeline.
- Select a clip and click Edit, or double-click it, then choose Opacity / Fade / Blend in the Tools list.
- Drag the Opacity slider, or drag the white line across the clip on the timeline. They are the same setting.
- Tick Fade-in or Fade-out, then drag the white keyframe dots on the clip to change how long the fade lasts.
- Pick a Blending Mode to mix the clip with the one on the track above it.
Steps to Set Opacity, Fade, and Blending
Prefer to watch? Here's the whole thing in a three minute video, or follow the written sections below.
Step 1: Open the Opacity / Fade / Blend Panel
Select the clip on the timeline and click Edit, or double-click the clip, which is the shortcut most people end up using. The panel opens at the top left. Under the Image or Video tab, in the Tools list, click Opacity / Fade / Blend. Everything below lives on that one screen.
Step 2: Set How See-Through the Clip Is
Drag the Opacity slider, or type a number in the box beside it. The lower the value, the more you see through to whatever is underneath. This is what you reach for when a logo or watermark is shouting louder than the footage it sits on, or when you want a background to stay readable through the clip on top of it.
There is a faster way that skips the panel entirely. Every clip on the timeline has a thin white line running across it. Hover over the line until the cursor changes, then drag up or down.
The line and the slider are the same setting. Drag the line and the number in the panel moves with it, and the other way round. There is no "panel opacity" and "timeline opacity" to keep in sync, so use whichever is closer to your hand.
Step 3: Fade a Clip In or Out
A fade is a clip appearing or disappearing gradually instead of cutting. In the same panel, tick Fade-in to ease the clip in at its start, Fade-out to ease it out at the end, or both.
Ticking the box gives you a fade of a default length. To change how long it lasts, drag the white keyframe dots that appear on the clip itself. Pull one further into the clip and the fade takes longer; pull it back towards the edge and it snaps in quickly.
PowerDirector will give you a fade three different ways, and they end up looking the same. Which one is right depends on what else you want from it:
| Where | What you do | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|
| Opacity / Fade / Blend | Tick Fade-in or Fade-out, then drag the keyframe dots | You just want a fade. This is the shortest route and the only one that lets you set the length by dragging on the clip |
| Animation tab | Open Animation, then pick Fade under In or Out | You are already choosing an entrance or exit for the clip and want the fade to sit alongside the other animations rather than in a separate place |
| Transitions library | Search Transitions for Fade and drag it onto the clip | The fade needs to sit between two clips rather than at the open end of one, which is what a transition is actually for |
Step 4: Blend a Clip With the One Above It
This is the part that trips people up, so it is worth being precise: a blending mode mixes the clip you have selected with the clip on the track above it. Nothing happens if there is only one clip stacked there. The usual reason to want it is a light leak, a grain overlay or a gradient sitting on the track above your footage, which you want mixed in rather than simply laid on top.
Open the Blending Mode dropdown and pick one. Each mode combines the two clips by a different rule, so the fastest way to choose is to click through them and watch the preview window rather than reason about the names.
Two of them show how far apart the results can be. Darken keeps the darkest pixels of the two clips, so it thins out anything bright and reads as subtle. Difference subtracts one from the other, which comes back looking like a color negative and is anything but subtle.
Haven't got PowerDirector yet? Opacity, fade and blending share one panel, so trying all three takes about as long as reading this.
Download PowerDirector Free →FAQ About Opacity, Fade, and Blending Modes
A blending mode mixes the selected clip with the clip on the track above it, so it needs something up there to mix with. If your clip is the topmost one, or the track above is empty at that point on the timeline, every mode will look identical. Put the overlay on a higher track and select the clip underneath it.
The tick boxes in Opacity / Fade / Blend, unless you have a reason not to. They are the quickest and they are the only route where you can set the fade's length by dragging on the clip. Use the Animation tab if you are already picking an entrance for the clip, and a Transition when the fade belongs between two clips rather than at the open end of one.
No. Opacity, fades and blending modes are all project settings applied while the clip plays, so the media in your library is untouched. Set the opacity back to 100% and the clip is exactly as it was.