Find the cross-dissolve where two shots are joined

Cuts and editsNews archiveVerified

0:10PD · Universal Newsreels

Proof frames

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Tool calls

2 calls · agentic-video 0.3.1

detect_cutsimac · 392 ms

Arguments

{
  "source": "$CLIP"
}

Result

{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {
    "cuts": [
      {
        "timestamp_sec": 4.55,
        "score": 0.151459,
        "kind": "transition"
      }
    ],
    "total": 1
  }
}

inspect_windowimac · 386 ms

Arguments

{
  "source": "$CLIP",
  "start_sec": 3.6,
  "end_sec": 5.6,
  "fps": 2
}

Result

{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {
    "source_path": "~/hill/gallery/repo/cards/dissolve-news-archive/clip.mp4",
    "start_sec": 3.6,
    "end_sec": 5.6,
    "fps": 2,
    "frames": [
      {
        "index": 1,
        "timestamp_sec": 3.6,
        "timecode": "00:00:03.600",
        "file_path": "<cache>/b3391ce0b4b8af5e4b09/dense_de9008fb555c1911ad21/frame_0001.jpg",
        "width": 640,
        "height": 360,
        "requested_timestamp": 3.6,
        "decoded_timestamp": null,
        "timestamp_delta": null
      },
      {
        "index": 2,
        "timestamp_sec": 4.1,
        "timecode": "00:00:04.100",
        "file_path": "<cache>/b3391ce0b4b8af5e4b09/dense_de9008fb555c1911ad21/frame_0002.jpg",
        "width": 640,
        "height": 360,
        "requested_timestamp": 4.1,
        "decoded_timestamp": null,
        "timestamp_delta": null
      },
      {
        "index": 3,
        "timestamp_sec": 4.6,
        "timecode": "00:00:04.600",
        "file_path": "<cache>/b3391ce0b4b8af5e4b09/dense_de9008fb555c1911ad21/frame_0003.jpg",
        "width": 640,
        "height": 360,
        "requested_timestamp": 4.6,
        "decoded_timestamp": null,
        "timestamp_delta": null
      },
      {
        "index": 4,
        "timestamp_sec": 5.1,
        "timecode": "00:00:05.100",
        "file_path": "<cache>/b3391ce0b4b8af5e4b09/dense_de9008fb555c1911ad21/frame_0004.jpg",
        "width": 640,
        "height": 360,
        "requested_timestamp": 5.1,
        "decoded_timestamp": null,
        "timestamp_delta": null
      }
    ],
    "contact_sheet_path": "/private<cache>/b3391ce0b4b8af5e4b09/contact_sheets/sheet_4samples_4cols_1ad1b2.jpg",
    "estimated_vision_tokens": 1032,
    "tool_file": {
      "_tag": "ToolFile",
      "name": "sheet_4samples_4cols_1ad1b2.jpg",
      "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
      "encoding": "base64",
      "data": "<174280 base64 chars dropped>",
      "byteLength": 130710
    }
  }
}

Question and answer

Question: Is there a fade between shots? Where is it?
Answer: The tool reports a transition at 4.55 seconds, where the two shots meet.

Check passedanswer 4.55, expected 4.62 ±0.5

How it was checked

Truth from: constructed
Fixed at: 2026-10-30 19:40

Planted by this recipe before any tool ran: shot A is 5.12 s of universal-khrushchev-resigns-1964 from 84.52 s; shot B is 5.88 s of universal-polaris-launch-1960 from 26.56 s (another source of the same domain; neither shot has a hard cut inside). ffmpeg joined them with one 1.0 s cross-dissolve (xfade fade) from 4.12 s to 5.12 s of the clip. The truth is the fade midpoint 4.62 s, with tolerance 0.5 s (half the fade), so a cut time anywhere inside the fade passes. The window given to inspect_window is the fade plus 0.5 s either side, fixed here.

A script joined two shots, one from 'Universal Newsreel 1964: Khrushchev resigns' and one from another clip of the same kind, with a planted 1.0 s cross-dissolve and no sound, so the answer is one time inside that fade (not its start and end); the card does not show whether detect_cuts finds other cuts.

Try it yourself

Use agentic-video on my video. Run detect_cuts on the whole video, then run inspect_window over the part where the picture fades into the next shot. Tell me the time of the fade.

Get the .mcpb file and open it in Claude Desktop.
Or: pip install agentic-video

Clip and licence

Licence: PD
Author: Universal Newsreels
Source: commons.wikimedia.org

This work has been released into the public domain by its copyright holder, Universal Pictures. This applies worldwide.

Also uses (insert 1)

Licence: PD
Author: Universal International Newsreel
Source: commons.wikimedia.org

This work has been released into the public domain by its copyright holder, Universal Pictures. This applies worldwide.