Folks commonly forget the definition of transition. To get from one thing to another. Flips, turns, page peels, etc are great if used effectively. To "transition" from one thought to another, or one segment to another. Within a given piece, a cut is my preferred transition. Now the art is deciding where to make the cut. Whenever there is action, cut on the action. For example, you have 2 angles of a person walking through a door. Make your cut ON the action (door swinging open) not before or after the action. This one techique when adhered to will make your transitions seemless if done correctly. This rule aslo applies to talking heads. Don't cut between words, cut ON the word. Let's say you have a cut you want to make that just doesn't work no matter where you make it. Use a 3 frame dissolve to "soften" the cut. It's so fast that the eye really doesn't register it as a dissolve, but yet it looks better than a hard cut. All that being said, I do use other transitions of course when warranted. Slo-mo and dissolves are almost heaven! A dip to black and back up can be very dramatic as well. Just remember to be tasteful. Don't use transitions for the sake of reaction, ie. "wow that was a cool effect". Did the transition support the piece or make the viewer just recognize that it was a cool effect.

"A dissolve is just a cut looking for a place to happen."

JAB