Best way to Blend or Merge two separate clips? Solved

Years ago I made a celebrated TV commercial for Toyota where I cut two separate 30 second commercials then blended them together in real time using the T Bar on the vision mixer. I'd like to try something similar using Fusion. I have two identically timed video clips on the Media Pool so what would be the most efficient Fusion workflow? In this case, the Blend or Merge does not need to take place in real time.

Do you have a visual reference of what you are talking about?

Besides the classic Merge node made for this, you may want to use a MatteControl node and play with its blend modes, also playing with a Dissolve, having masks or not in your clips doesn't matter

Besides the classic Merge node made for this, you may want to use a MatteControl node and play with its blend modes, also playing with a Dissolve, having masks or not in your clips doesn't matter

I see that dragging two separate reels from the Media page onto the Fusion node page sets up Media 1 and Media 2. Now, once I have two media sources pointing into a Merge node, will I be able to keyframe the Merge node so that the blend between the two reels is variable for the duration of my clip?

PS can I avoid the edit page all together? Because every time I make an adjustment in the Edit page, Fusion resets!!

Why is it so important for you to do this in the Fusion page? It sounds like you just want to do a very slow crossfade. Or am I misunderstanding your goal?

Why is it so important for you to do this in the Fusion page? It sounds like you just want to do a very slow crossfade. Or am I misunderstanding your goal?

Yes, a slow crossfade but with manipulation and some VFX. After all, it is a music video. I need to learn Fusion at some point but as others have noted, after 30 odd years working with layer based software, node based software presents challenges...

Why is it so important for you to do this in the Fusion page? It sounds like you just want to do a very slow crossfade. Or am I misunderstanding your goal?

I think you're right. I scrapped Fusion and finished it in Resolve's Edit Page. Even though that was the strangest process I've ever encountered, it was relatively intuitive. I've successfully Conformed & colour corrected my AAF imports using Resolve for 15 years but I've never had to approach the Edit Page.

Ah... Especially as my suggestion to first set your clips in Edit was specifically to get around resolution issues you may have, since even if you ultimateky want to avoid the Edit page and go straight to Fusion, putting your clips on a TL in the first hand would soften your WF.

Just as a minor side note, I happen to work on a music video as well these weeks and honestly, I don't know if you own a license but if you plan to be a lot/mainly in Fusion (as I will for keys, matte paintings, set extensions, CGI, ...), this bounds to Fusion - or will to keep Edit just ... for editing only - , you'd rather start in Fusion Studio then

....but if you plan to be a lot/mainly in Fusion (as I will for keys, matte paintings, set extensions, CGI, ...), this bounds to Fusion - or will to keep Edit just ... for editing only - , you'd rather start in Fusion Studio then

Thanks Sam!

My pleasure, it was just a basic advise

...Because every time I make an adjustment in the Edit page, Fusion resets

You've probably figured this out already, but any adjustments made in the Edit Page (Zoom, Position, Rotation etc.) are not included in a Fusion Composition.
This is because Fusion Compositions source the original media files in the the Media Pool, not the Edit page timeline.
There is only one exception to this, and that is if you apply any Lens correction to a clip in the Edit page Inspector...that will be applied to a Fusion Comp.
If you want to have Edit page adjustments applied in Fusion there are 2 ways to do it.
1: Compound Clip - create Compound Clips of each of your shots individually on the Edit page and then use those as the source media in a Fusion Composition. The compound clips will be at timeline resolution, not source resolution.
2: Fusion Clip - If you have multiple layers of shots on the timeline, select all the layers, right click and select 'New Fusion Clip'. This essentially makes a compound clip of all the layers stacked together, but at Timeline resolution with all Edit Page adjustments applied.