In this tutorial, I will show you how to use the holdout shader to make five different video transitions for your project.
Camera Setup
Under the Animation workspace, I will use SHIFT + A to add a Text object
Enter top view with Numpad 7
Tab into Edit Mode
Use Backspace to erase the default text and type in your own text
Under the Object Data Properties tab, you can change the Font, Alignment, and Geometry of the text
In Object Mode, use R + X + 90 to rotate the text around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
Use Numpad 1 to go into Front View
Select the Camera and use ALT + G and ALT + R to clear the Location and Rotation
Use Numpad 3 to enter Right Side View
Use R + X + 90 to rotate the Camera around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
Open the Properties Panel using the N-key
Under the View tab, select Lock Camera to View
Close the Properties Panel using the N-key
Enter Camera View using Numpad Zero
Use G + Y to move the Camera along the Y-Axis
Use G + Z to move the Camera along the Z-Axis
Use the Z-key to enter Material Preview mode
Select the Text and open the Materials tab
Click on the New button and rename the material
Choose a color [#F09F70]
Change the Roughness and Metalness as desired
Use SHIFT + A to add a Plane for the background
Use R + X + 90 to rotate the Plane around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
Use Numpad 3 to go into Right Side view
Use G + Y to move the background along the Y-Axis so it is behind the Text
Back in Front View (Numpad 1), use the S-key to scale the Plane so it is a bit larger than the Camera area
Add a new material and rename it
Choose a color [#4C75E7]
Change the Roughness and Metalness as desired
Use the Z-key to enter Render mode
Use Shift + A to add an Area Light
Use R + X + 90 to rotate the light around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
In Right Side View (Numpad 3), use G + Y to move the light just in front of the Text
In Front View (Numpad 1), use G + Z to move the light up along the Z-Axis
Use the S-key to scale the light to the size of the Plane
In the Object Data Properties tab, increase the Power of the light
Turn off Shadows
Doorway Transition
The Holdout Modifier can be used to hide objects behind it in Blender
For the Doorway Transition, add a Plane – rotating it around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
Scale it up so it fills the Camera area from top to bottom
Move the Plane to the left so the right-side edge is in the center of the Camera area
In Right Side View, move the Plane in front of the text and background but behind the light and camera – this will hide anything behind it but we don’t want it to hide the light or camera
Use SHIFT + D to duplicate the Plane and move it to the right
Under the Render Properties tab, in the Film panel, make sure you have “Transparent” activated
Under the Shading workspace, with the Plane selected, add a new material and rename it
Use SHIFT + A and under the Shader menu, add a Holdout Shader node
Delete the Principled Shader
Connect the Holdout Shader node to the Surface input of the Material Output node
Back in the Animation workspace you should now see the plane with the proper material applied
Select the other Plane and, using the dropdown menu, apply the same Material
In Object Mode, select the left Plane and use the I-key to add a Location keyframe on Frame 1
Repeat this process for the right Plane
Since we are working with 24 FPS, change the End Frame to 48 so you have a 2-second transition
On Frame 48, move the right Plane along the X-Axis so it is outside of the Camera View
Use the I-key to add a Location keyframe
Repeat this process for the left Plane
Play the Animation
Swipe Transition
The next transition will be a Swipe Transition
Hide the two Planes and add a new Plane – rotating it around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
Scale the Plane so it is just a bit larger than the Camera View
In the Right Side View, move the Plane so it is between the Text and the Light
Under the Materials tab, use the dropdown menu to apply the Holdout Material to the plane
On Frame 1, use the I-key to add a keyframe for Location
On Frame 48, move the plane to the right along the X-Axis so it is out of view of the Camera
Use the I-key to add a keyframe for Location
Play the animation
Arc Transition
For the Arc Transition, add a Circle and rotate it around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
In Edit Mode, select the Circle and use the F-key to add a face
In Object Mode, scale the Plane so it is just a bit larger than the Camera View
In the Right Side View, move the Plane so it is between the Text and the Light
Under the Materials tab, use the dropdown menu to apply the Holdout Material to the circle
On Frame 1, move the Circle below the Camera View
Use the I-key to add a keyframe for Location
On Frame 48, move the plane up along the Z-Axis to cover the Camera View
Use the I-key to add a keyframe for Location
Angled Swipe Transition
The next transition will be an Angled Swipe Transition
Add a Plane and rotate it around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
Scale it so it is larger than the Camera View
Rotate the Plane around the Y-Axis by 45-degrees and scale it as needed
In the Right Side View, move the Plane so it is between the Text and the Light
Under the Materials tab, use the dropdown menu to apply the Holdout Material to the plane
Change the Transformation Orientation to “Normal”
*Scale the Plane to cover the Camera area
On Frame 1, use the I-key to add a keyframe for Location
On Frame 48, move the plane to the right along the Y-Axis so it is out of view of the Camera
Use the I-key to add a keyframe for Location
Play the animation
Change the Transformation Orientation back to “Global”
Circular Swipe Transition
The last transition we will work on is the Circular Swipe Transition
Add a Circle and rotate it around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
In Edit Mode, select the Circle and use the F-key to add a face
In Object Mode, scale the Plane so it is just a bit larger than the Camera View
In the Right Side View, move the Plane so it is between the Text and the Light
Under the Materials tab, use the dropdown menu to apply the Holdout Material to the circle
On Frame 1, use the I-key to add a keyframe for Scale
On Frame 48, Scale the Circle to Zero
Use the I-key to add a keyframe for Scale
Play the Animation
Rendering
If you want to render the transition with the background and Text, select the transition
Make sure that you turn off rendering for the other transition layers
Under the Output Properties tab, choose where you want to save the transition
Use the File Format of your choice (I generally use FFmpeg) and the Encoding option of your choice (I usually use QuickTime)
Under the Render Menu, choose “Render Animation”