The fade is a means of gradually beginning or ending a scene, and is achieved in the camera by opening or closing the aperture; in an optical printer, this is achieved when the exposure light is increased or decreased. The fade is used in a number of different ways–when one scene closes with the image disappearing (fade-out), then transitioning into the next scene, which slowly comes into view (fade-in); or, in a fade to black, when a scene or film ends with an image gradually becoming darker (or lighter, in the case of fade to white).