How to List FFmpeg xfade Transition Types

FFmpeg's xfade filter offers dozens of built-in video transitions ranging from standard crossfades to complex geometric wipes. This guide explains how to query your local FFmpeg installation directly through the terminal to view the complete, up-to-date list of all available xfade transition types.

The most direct way to see all supported transitions is to inspect the help output for the xfade filter. Run the following command in your terminal:

ffmpeg -h filter=xfade

In the command output, locate the transition option. FFmpeg will list every available transition along with its internal index and a brief description. The output will look similar to this:

transition        <int>        ..FV....... set cross fade transition (from 0 to 74) (default fade)
   custom                       ..FV....... custom transition
   fade                         ..FV....... fade transition
   wipeleft                     ..FV....... wipeleft transition
   wiperight                    ..FV....... wiperight transition
   wipeup                       ..FV....... wipeup transition
   wipedown                     ..FV....... wipedown transition
   slideleft                    ..FV....... slideleft transition
   slideright                   ..FV....... slideright transition
   ...

If you want a clean list containing only the transition names without the surrounding option flags, you can filter the output using tools like sed or awk:

ffmpeg -h filter=xfade 2>&1 | awk '/transition <int>/,/<[a-z]+>/' | grep -E '^\s+[a-z]' | awk '{print $1}'

This returns a concise, line-by-line list of names (such as fade, wipeleft, circlecrop, dissolve, and hlslice) that you can directly pass into the transition parameter of the xfade filter:

ffmpeg -i input1.mp4 -i input2.mp4 -filter_complex "xfade=transition=circlecrop:duration=1:offset=4" output.mp4

Checking transitions directly through the command line ensures that the transitions you see match the specific version and build capabilities of your installed FFmpeg binary.