Slip in a very short image, just 1 to 3 frames long, so it flashes past and leaves only a fleeting impression.
In thrillers and psychological films, to hint at a hidden presence or a sense of unease. In sports and flow-style edits and K-pop music videos, to flash a preview of the next scene on the beat. At the start of a YouTube Short, to tease a highlight that comes later.
A single still image is enough for the inserted frame; you don't need a video clip. Write a prompt for a composition that reads at a glance ("extreme close-up, high contrast, single subject"). In the edit, insert only 1 to 3 frames at 24fps (about 0.04 to 0.12 seconds). Adding one white frame or a short sound effect makes it hit harder. In Premiere Pro or CapCut, zoom the timeline in to frame level and drop it in. In ffmpeg, make a short clip with -loop 1 -i flash.png -t 0.08 and join it with concat. Too many flashes tire the eyes, so use it only a few times per video.
Insert a two-frame flash image into a calm 24 fps clip at second 2 (2 frames is about 0.08 seconds): ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -i flash.png -filter_complex "[1:v]scale=1920:1080[f];[0:v][f]overlay=0:0:enable='between(t,2,2.08)'" -c:a copy out.mp4. Add a sharp hit sound on the first flash frame, use it sparingly, and warn viewers.
Fight Club (1999) — Tyler is spliced in, one frame at a time, into the scenes before the narrator meets him
Not verified