The loader is a layer inside the hero now, under the shades and the text, so the title can come up over a half-grown bloom with no second image behind it. Drag the entrance group in the Beat Sheet as far left as you like. The handoff stays pinned to the end of the bloom, where it is invisible — the dissolve is only there if you ever want it soft.
Nudge it sideways with move mode (M) in Layout & chrome.
Four layers sit over the photo: the flat darken, the floor gradient, the top scrim and the vignette (plus grain). Zero any of them to remove it. Their entrance timing is in the Entrance group.
Edits are saved in this browser as you type, so a reload keeps them. Copy the text prints the whole COPY block to paste back into the build when you are happy.
Values persist in this browser. 1 2 3 jump to a branch and pause. Strip and autoplay changes re-init the slider (back to slide 1). B opens the Beat Sheet at the bottom: every beat of the intro as a bar you can drag.