transitions

Transitions in films are used to add clips together and make them flow into one whole film. If a film didn't include transitions the film would go from clip to clip without any flow. The editors will choose transitions to suit the part of film or type of film in general. Certain transitions can represent the passing of time or could drift off to a different part of the story or even a flashback. 

Cut

A cut is just a basic transition that is used a lot in films to join two shots together. There is no special effect of editing that is used in a cut transition it is just one clip playing directly into the next one. This is highly noticeable by the audience as it just changes without any sort of change. 

Dissolve

The dissolve transition is used to make a film dissolve from one clip into the other. This makes the change in scene a lot less visible as it changes slowly which can create a link between the two scenes. 

Wipes

A wipe transition is when the new clip slides into the frame and pushes out the other clip. The second clip will travel in from the opposite side in which it pushes out the first clip.