# Effects and Transitions in the Concat Video Editor

> Concat ships GPU-rendered video effects, audio effects and transitions in named groups that preview live, with about 100 presets across effects, filters and transitions, so the catalog is smaller than in commercial apps.

URL: https://concatvideoeditor.com/features/effects-and-transitions
Updated: 2026-10-18
Source: Concat Video Editor Guide, an independent guide. Not the official Concat website.

Concat has an Effects tab for video and audio effects and a Transitions tab for the joins between clips. Each one is sorted into named groups, rendered on the GPU and shown live in the preview. The README counts about 100 effects, filters and transitions in total, all free and none of them tied to a paid tier.

![Effects panel in the Concat video editor listing video effects such as Exposure, Curves, Gaussian Blur, Glow, Pixelate and Chroma Key](/images/feat-effects.webp)

## How do you add effects and transitions in the Concat video editor?

1. Open the **Effects** tab in the top left panel.
2. Pick a group under **Video Effects** or **Audio Effects**. You can also type a name into **Search effects**.
3. Add the effect to your edit, then select it to change its settings in the inspector. Effects on a clip are listed in that clip's **Effects** tab on the right, where each one can be hidden, reordered or removed.
4. For a transition, make sure the two clips touch on the same track. If you have one long clip, put the playhead where you want the cut and press **Ctrl+B** (Cmd+B on a Mac) to split it.
5. Click the first clip, then hold **Ctrl** and click the second clip so both are selected.
6. Open the **Transitions** tab, hover over a transition such as **Dissolve** and click the **+** button that appears on its thumbnail.
7. Play across the cut to check the timing.

Dragging a transition onto the cut did nothing in our test of 0.2.7, and clicking **+** with only one clip selected shows this message: “Select two clips that meet on the same track, then pick a transition”. With both clips selected it worked right away, and a small transition marker appeared on the cut.

![Two clips selected on the Concat video editor timeline with a Dissolve transition added on the cut between them](/images/transition-added.webp)

When a clip is selected, the inspector on the right also shows its own **Effects** tab next to **Video** and **Audio**.

## What video and audio effects does Concat have?

The Concat video editor groups its effects into 8 video groups and 4 audio groups.

| Kind | Groups |
|---|---|
| Video Effects | Color, Basic, Blur, Stylize, Distort, Cutout, Light, Retro |
| Audio Effects | Voice, Tone, Space, Clean |

The video effects we saw in 0.2.7 include Exposure, Contrast, Saturation, Sharpen, White Balance, Color Wheels, Curves, Gaussian Blur, Motion Blur, Zoom Blur, Vignette, Film Grain, Glow, Posterize, Pixelate, Fisheye, Chromatic Aberration, Chroma Key, Luma Key and Bloom Pulse. On the audio side the README mentions voice changers such as chipmunk, robot and telephone.

## Which transitions are included?

The Concat video editor sorts transitions into 8 groups: Basic, Dissolve, Zoom, Slide, Spin, Glitch, Wipe and Light. The Basic group holds a single plain Dissolve, which is the safe choice for most cuts.

![Transitions panel in Concat with the Basic group open and the Dissolve transition](/images/feat-transitions.webp)

A general editing tip: most cuts in a talking head video look better with no transition at all. Save Zoom, Spin and Glitch for a change of scene or a beat drop in a short vertical clip.

## How does this compare with CapCut effects?

Coming from CapCut, you may be used to a bigger menu with a catch attached: Pro assets there can put a watermark on your export unless you pay. Every effect in the Concat app is free, open source on GitHub and runs on your own machine. If you mostly use a dozen favorites, the Concat video editor probably covers them.

## What are the limits?

- **A smaller catalog.** About 100 presets across effects, filters and transitions is enough for most short videos but smaller than what paid apps offer.
- **Basic transitions are basic.** The Basic group has one entry, Dissolve.
- **We did not test every group.** The lists above come from the panels we opened in version 0.2.7 of the Concat video editor.
- **A GPU helps.** Our test machine used software rendering, so we can't say how a heavy stack of effects performs without one.

## Videos

### Video: Add a transition in the Concat video editor

Screen recording of Concat 0.2.7: select two clips that touch, click + on the Dissolve transition and step across the cut to check it. (24 seconds, https://concatvideoeditor.com/videos/demo-transition.mp4)

Steps shown:
1. Select both clips: click, then Ctrl+click
2. Hover a transition and click +
3. Step across the cut to check the dissolve

## Questions people ask

### How many effects does Concat have?

The README counts about 100 effects, filters and transitions together. Video effects sit in 8 groups and audio effects in 4.

### Can I animate an effect in Concat?

Yes. The README lists effect parameters among the settings you can keyframe. That means a blur or glow can build up over time instead of switching on at once.

### Does Concat have a glitch transition?

Yes. Glitch is one of the 8 transition groups, next to Basic, Dissolve, Zoom, Slide, Spin, Wipe and Light.

### Do effects in Concat need a GPU?

The README describes them as GPU rendered. Our test machine had only software rendering and Concat still ran and exported fine.