In music, a fade effect is often employed as a smooth transition between songs. The fade effect frequently occurs on music albums. If you've ever listened to a CD and heard a song that did not have a concrete ending, but instead became quieter and quieter until absolute silence was reached and a new track began, you have heard the fade effect. The fade effect is also applied in live music, as a transition between songs. This is especially true of dance music produced by a live DJ. When mixing songs on a set of turntables, the DJ will often gradually fade one song out as the volume of another is raised and brought to the forefront of the sound profile.
The phase "fade to black" is common in the filmmaking industry, often written into scripts to describe the cinematography of a specific scene. In these instances, the fade effect is employed as a visual technique to transition between scenes or to leave the audience to ponder a particular statement that the scene has represented. Similar to the way the fade effect is used in music, a fade effect in film occurs when a scene's sound and image is gradually dimmed until total blackness occurs. After a few seconds of total darkness, a new scene or the movie's end credits will appear on screen.
In art, a fade effect is used to blend and transition colors. In such an instance, a fade effect is definable as a coloring technique used in painting and pastel work. The effect is achieved by gradually lightening or blending a color, decreasing its vibrancy and brightness until the color is no longer detectable. Fade effects add depth and dimension to artwork. A portrait of an ocean or the evening sunset are two common color images that often incorporate a fade effect in order to achieve the look of waves, depth and swirling, colored clouds that streak across a twilight sky.
The fade effect is also commonly used to achieve an array of men's and women's hairstyles. A hairstyle that incorporates a fade effect is one in which the hair is gradually cut or shaved shorter and shorter, giving the appearance of a smooth, gradual decrease in hair length.