As the hero rides into the sunset, the screen 'fades to black'. [=the image gradually changes until the screen is completely black]
His voice 'faded' off into a whisper. = His voice 'faded' to a whisper.
We watched the ship gradually 'fade' from view as it sailed away.
(..) That's amazing! Supposedly, you really can't tell... except by looking at the hands. They haven't perfected the hands yet. l have a quick fade on the CRT and my balance controls don't seem to help me. l'm keeping this in real time. Switch me over to an on-line status and l'll do it manually. (..)1973 Westworld