Sound library
Whoosh sound effects
Whoosh and swoosh sound effects for transitions, swipes, zooms and text that flies in. Original, made in code, cleared for commercial use.
Updated
A whoosh is air moving fast past the listener. In video it tells the ear that something crossed the screen: a card sliding in, a title leaving, a zoom, a page turn. The pitch sweep reads as direction, so a rising whoosh (whoosh-zoom-in) feels like arriving and a falling one (whoosh-zoom-out) like pulling away.
The set covers short, medium and long whooshes in bright and dark versions, panned swipes left and right, pass-bys with a Doppler drop, a tiny whoosh-text-in for captions and list items, and character sounds such as whoosh-sword, whoosh-cloth, whoosh-rocket and whoosh-magic.
How to use them
- Whooshes peak late. Start them a little early so the loudest part lands on the cut:
whoosh-fastneeds about 0.2 s of lead time. - Match the direction: a swipe that travels right to left belongs to a card that moves right to left.
- Starting volume: about 0.3 to 0.45. A whoosh supports the motion; it should not cover a voice.
- Not every move needs one. About two sound effects per second is plenty; four is the hard ceiling.
All 40 whoosh sound effects
40 sounds in this category. 2 of them have a public preview you can play here; the rest are listed by name and length and come with the pack.
whoosh-fast0.36 sFast transitions, text flying in, quick cuts between scenes.
whoosh-zoom-in0.85 sZooming into something, punch-in transitions, build into a reveal.
whoosh-air-pass1.23 sIn the packSomething flying past the camera: cars, planes, drones, flying text.
whoosh-air-puff0.25 sIn the packDust blown off, small poofs, disappearing items, soft emphasis.
whoosh-arrow0.57 sIn the packHitting the target, goals, pointing at something, archery jokes.
whoosh-big-swing0.83 sIn the packBats, hammers, heavy fists, big objects swinging into frame.
whoosh-cloth0.52 sIn the packCapes, flags, fashion and clothing reveals, superhero entrances.
whoosh-double0.60 sIn the packBack-and-forth moves, swapping two things, double takes, flip-flop edits.
whoosh-flip0.34 sIn the packFlipping cards, turning pages, revealing the back of a card.
whoosh-flutter0.78 sIn the packBirds, butterflies, flags, pages blown away, light magical movement.
whoosh-ghost1.93 sIn the packHalloween, spooky reveals, mysteries, 'it disappeared' moments.
whoosh-glide1.98 sIn the packSlow pans, calm product spins, minimal and premium transitions.
whoosh-long-bright1.69 sIn the packSlow-motion moments, dreamy or luxury transitions, title sequences.
whoosh-long-dark1.78 sIn the packTrailer transitions, horror or thriller cuts, huge slow reveals.
whoosh-low0.92 sIn the packHeavy transitions, big objects moving, logo or title slams.
whoosh-magic1.24 sIn the packMagic moments, glow-ups, makeovers, fairy-tale and kids content.
whoosh-medium-bright0.86 sIn the packScene changes, slides and panels, bright product or tech reveals.
whoosh-medium-dark0.89 sIn the packDark transitions, moody cuts, shadows and silhouettes sweeping through.
whoosh-pass-high1.19 sIn the packDrones, insects, sci-fi ships, small fast things crossing the frame.
whoosh-pass-low1.60 sIn the packCars, trucks, trains, big objects crossing the frame.
whoosh-reverse1.39 sIn the packRewinds, time jumps, dream sequences, 'meanwhile' transitions.
whoosh-rocket1.58 sIn the packLaunches, growth charts going up, 'to the moon' moments, speed.
whoosh-sci-fi1.03 sIn the packFuturistic UI, holograms, spaceships, AI and tech transitions.
whoosh-short-bright0.45 sIn the packQuick transitions, text and icons flying in, light and fresh looks.
whoosh-short-dark0.42 sIn the packHeavier quick cuts, dark or moody edits, objects dropping into frame.
whoosh-shutter0.14 sIn the packPhoto moments, snapshots, freeze frames, screenshot effects.
whoosh-slide0.42 sIn the packCards, photos or panels sliding in, paper and desk scenes.
whoosh-slow1.23 sIn the packSlow pans, big scene changes, calm or cinematic transitions.
whoosh-spin1.18 sIn the packSpinning logos, rotating cards, fidget-spinner jokes, wheel-of-fortune moments.
whoosh-swipe-left0.36 sIn the packSwiping a card or slide to the left, carousel moves, 'next' gestures.
whoosh-swipe-right0.34 sIn the packSwiping a card or slide to the right, 'back' gestures, panel reveals.
whoosh-swirl1.46 sIn the packTwisting transitions, tornado or whirlpool effects, mixing and blending.
whoosh-swish0.24 sIn the packSmall fast moves: icons, underlines, swipes, sword-like flicks.
whoosh-sword0.54 sIn the packSlicing text, cutting prices, ninja or fantasy edits, sharp reveals.
whoosh-text-in0.22 sIn the packWords and captions flying in, list items appearing, subtitles.
whoosh-transition-tail1.94 sIn the packScene changes that need to breathe, chapter breaks, calm cuts.
whoosh-whip0.36 sIn the packSnappy cuts, 'crack the whip' jokes, punchy word reveals, speed.
whoosh-wind-gust2.17 sIn the packOutdoor scenes, cold weather, emptiness, blowing things away.
whoosh-zip0.50 sIn the packZipping things open or shut, speed lines, quick reveals, 'zip it' jokes.
whoosh-zoom-out0.93 sIn the packZooming out, pulling back from a scene, ending a section.
In the pack: WAV 48 kHz 16-bit (peak -1 dBFS) and MP3 320 kbps of every sound, with the same name. Previews on this site are lighter MP3 copies.
Questions
What is the difference between a whoosh and a swoosh?
None that matters in practice. Both name the same family of air-movement sounds. In the pack, short thin ones are called swish, directional ones swipe, and the rest whoosh.
When should a whoosh start?
Before the cut. Most whooshes build to their loudest point, so start them early by their lead time. For whoosh-fast that is about 0.2 s; longer whooshes need more.
Do the swipes really move from left to right?
Yes. whoosh-swipe-left and whoosh-swipe-right are stereo and travel across the stereo field, so they follow a card or slide that moves the same way.