diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/ribbon/transitions.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/ribbon/transitions.rs
index 3f43ebd9..6986d828 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/ribbon/transitions.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/ribbon/transitions.rs
@@ -12,11 +12,14 @@ pub(super) fn transitions(app: &mut SlideApp, ui: &mut Ui) {
     let cur = app.session.active().and_then(|d| d.current_slide().and_then(|s| s.transition.clone()));
     let kind = cur.as_ref().map(|t| t.kind.clone()).unwrap_or_else(|| "none".into());
     group(ui, |ui| {
-        if big_button(ui, Icon::Preview, "Preview", true).clicked() {
-            let from = app.session.active().map(|d| d.selection.slide).unwrap_or(0);
-            app.start_show(from, true);
-            if let Some(s) = app.show.as_mut() {
-                s.preview_only = true;
+        let playing = app.show.as_ref().is_some_and(|s| s.preview_only);
+        let (resp, _) = widgets::big_button_ex(ui, Icon::Preview, "Preview", true, false, playing);
+        if resp.on_hover_text("Play this slide's transition").clicked() {
+            let to = app.session.active().map(|d| d.selection.slide).unwrap_or(0);
+            app.start_show(to, true);
+            let now = ui.input(|i| i.time);
+            if let (Some(s), Some(d)) = (app.show.as_mut(), app.session.active()) {
+                s.start_transition_preview(&d.doc, now);
             }
         }
     });
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/show.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/show.rs
index 1896e3be..7bd2edf7 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/show.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/show.rs
@@ -261,6 +261,27 @@ impl Show {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Play this slide's transition from the previous slide (or black for slide 0) as a preview (#1654).
+    pub fn start_transition_preview(&mut self, doc: &Presentation, now: f64) {
+        let i = self.state.slide;
+        let from = i.checked_sub(1);
+        let (kind, option, dur) = doc
+            .slides
+            .get(i)
+            .and_then(|s| s.transition.as_ref())
+            .map(|t| (t.kind.clone(), t.option.clone(), t.duration_ms as f64 / 1000.0))
+            .unwrap_or(("none".into(), String::new(), 0.0));
+        self.trans = if kind != "none" && dur > 0.0 && !doc.show.without_animation {
+            Some(Transition { old: None, from, morph: None, parts: None, start: now, kind, option, dur, reverse: false })
+        } else {
+            None
+        };
+        self.preview_only = true;
+        self.slide_start = now;
+        self.step_start = now;
+        self.step_end = now;
+    }
+
     /// Identity of the show state a queued window-point event belongs to.
     pub(crate) fn input_state(&self) -> ShowInputState {
         let bits = |v: f32| if v.is_finite() { v.to_bits() } else { 0 };
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/show/tests.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/show/tests.rs
index a1069a5b..5e39bd18 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/show/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/show/tests.rs
@@ -1238,3 +1238,37 @@ fn a_preview_of_an_edited_presentation_is_rendered_again() {
     let tex = harness.state().1.next_tex.as_ref().map(|(d, k, _)| (std::sync::Arc::ptr_eq(d, &edited), *k));
     assert_eq!(tex, Some((true, 1)), "the preview comes from the edited presentation");
 }
+
+/// #1654: Preview on the Transitions ribbon plays the current slide's transition from the
+/// previous slide into the current slide, and exits when finished.
+#[test]
+fn transition_preview_plays_from_the_previous_slide() {
+    let mut s = deckcraft_engine::Session::with_new();
+    s.execute("slide.new", &json!({})).unwrap();
+    s.execute("transition.set", &json!({"kind": "push", "index": 1, "duration": 1.0})).unwrap();
+    let doc = s.active().unwrap().doc.clone();
+    let mut show = Show::new(&doc, 1, true, false);
+    show.start_transition_preview(&doc, 10.0);
+    assert!(show.preview_only);
+    let tr = show.trans.as_ref().expect("transition preview is playing");
+    assert_eq!(tr.kind, "push");
+    assert_eq!(tr.from, Some(0), "enters from slide 0 into slide 1");
+    assert_eq!(tr.dur, 1.0);
+    assert!(!tr.reverse);
+    assert_eq!(tr.start, 10.0);
+}
+
+/// #1654: Transition preview for slide 0 plays with from = None (transitioning from black).
+#[test]
+fn transition_preview_for_first_slide_transitions_from_black() {
+    let mut s = deckcraft_engine::Session::with_new();
+    s.execute("transition.set", &json!({"kind": "fade", "index": 0, "duration": 500})).unwrap();
+    let doc = s.active().unwrap().doc.clone();
+    let mut show = Show::new(&doc, 0, true, false);
+    show.start_transition_preview(&doc, 5.0);
+    assert!(show.preview_only);
+    let tr = show.trans.as_ref().expect("fade transition preview is playing");
+    assert_eq!(tr.kind, "fade");
+    assert_eq!(tr.from, None, "slide 0 transitions from black (None)");
+    assert_eq!(tr.dur, 0.5);
+}
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/show/ui.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/show/ui.rs
index 71107f94..321f8116 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/show/ui.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/show/ui.rs
@@ -388,6 +388,16 @@ fn draw_transition(show: &mut Show, f: &Fr, sl: &Sl, painter: &egui::Painter, te
             if tr.parts.is_none() && deckcraft_anim::uses_slide_parts(&tr.kind, &tr.option) {
                 tr.parts = Some(part_textures(ctx, doc, tr.from, idx, size));
             }
+            if tr.old.is_none()
+                && let Some(prev) = tr.from
+                && !deckcraft_anim::uses_slide_parts(&tr.kind, &tr.option)
+            {
+                let threads =
+                    if cfg!(target_arch = "wasm32") { 0 } else { std::thread::available_parallelism().map(|n| n.get().min(8) as u16).unwrap_or(0) };
+                let opts = RenderOpts { scale: size.0 as f64 / doc.slide_size.width.max(1.0), size: Some(size), threads, ..Default::default() };
+                let img = deckcraft_render::render_slide(doc, prev, &opts);
+                tr.old = Some(crate::textures::upload(ctx, "trans-old", crate::textures::to_color_image(&img, false)));
+            }
             let aspect = doc.slide_size.width / doc.slide_size.height.max(1.0);
             let part = |k: usize| tr.parts.as_ref().and_then(|p| p.get(k).cloned().flatten());
             let parts = [part(0), part(1), part(2), part(3)];