In motion picture and video production, and in audio recording, any gradual increase or decrease in the intensity of an image or signal, such as from black or silence (fade-in), to black or silence (fade-out), or to another image or audio signal (cross fade or dissolve). The term fade is also used as a verb meaning to effect any of these fades.
In printing, fade means to reduce in intensity, such as of a printing ink, over time or upon exposure to light or other conditions.