Hard Cut

An abrupt cut from one scene to a sharply contrasting one with no lead-in, used for shock or a punchline.

This is for a motion graphics video. Join two shots in [scene] with a "Smash Cut" (also called a Gilligan cut or bicycle cut): cut abruptly from a quiet shot to a sharply contrasting one.
Give no lead-in — hold the calm shot, then land in the middle of loud, fast action with no fade or build-up; unlike a plain hard cut, the jolt is the point.
Fit both shots into [duration], and let the quiet shot run a little longer than feels comfortable before the cut.

A cut between two tonally opposite images to emphasize the difference between them.

This is for a motion graphics video. Join two shots in [scene] with a "Contrast Cut": cut straight from one image to its tonal opposite.
Make the two sides differ as much as possible — bright against dark, small against large — and hold each long enough to compare; unlike a smash cut the point is the comparison, not the shock.
Fit both shots into [duration], and put no transition effect on the cut.

A cut disguised so the viewer does not notice it, often hidden behind a dark object or camera move to fake one continuous take.

This is for a motion graphics video. Hide the join between two takes in [scene] with an "Invisible Cut": disguise the cut so the footage plays as one continuous take.
Let a dark object fill the frame while the camera keeps moving, cut in that moment, and pick up the same movement at the same speed on the other side — unlike a natural wipe, the viewer should not notice that anything changed.
Fit both takes into [duration], and keep the camera speed steady through the hidden cut.

A cut within the same framing that skips a slice of time, so the subject visibly jumps in position while the camera stays put.

This is for a motion graphics video. Edit [scene] with a "Jump Cut": cut forward in time within the same shot.
Keep the camera and framing unchanged and let the subject snap to a later position at each cut, with no transition between the pieces.
Fit the sequence into [duration], and place the cuts on beats so the jumps read as deliberate rather than as glitches.

The next shot appears through the outgoing shot's brightness, so dark (or bright) areas switch over first.

This is for a motion graphics video. Join two shots in [scene] with a "Luma Fade" (also called a luma wipe or gradient wipe): let the next shot come through the outgoing shot according to its brightness, darkest areas first and brightest last.
The change should follow the shapes in the picture — shadows and dark objects turn into the next shot while the bright areas still hold — unlike a dissolve, where the whole frame blends evenly.
Run the transition over [duration], sweeping smoothly from dark to bright with soft edges between the stages.