Windows Movie Maker Getting Started

What is Windows Movie Maker? Windows Movie Maker allows a user to capture (import) audio, create a narration, add video effects, and distribute our movie. This movie can be played on any computer, displayed on the web, saved to CD, or transferred to a video camera. The user can easily create movie that includes a soundtrack, audio commentary, transitions, and special effects.

Editing the movie – Video Effects Video effects allow the user to add filters to media, endowing it with different properties.  For example, new images can be changed to black and white images or made to look like old film. Opens the video effects window.

Select a video effect and left click. Drag the video effect over an image in the timeline. This image will then be altered by the effect. Editing the movie – Video Effects

Notice the grey star in the box has turned blue. This indicates a video effect is active. Editing the movie – Video Effects Indicates video effect is active.

Video Effects To remove a video effect  Right click on the blue star.  Delete Effects

Including Audio in the movie Audio can be added to a Movie Maker movie in the form of background music or voice-over narration. Audio can be imported from a music CD, imported along with the video track, or recorded while watching the video play back as a voice- over. *Tip – An inexpensive microphone from an electronics store (Staples, BestBuy, Circuit City, etc.) will significantly increase the sound quality of when recording audio from either the video camera or the computer.

Audio levels Audio levels can be set to increase or decrease the volume of a sound clip. Tools  Audio Levels

Audio – Inserting a Narration Tools>Narrate timeline. Click start narration. Speak over the clips as they play. Narrate timeline Set Audio levels Change from storyboard to timeline views.

Narrate Timeline When the narration has been completed select Stop Narration Start narration Stop narration Save the file with a recognizable name. The file will automatically be imported into the timeline.

Backing up a completed digital movie Backing up work is a part of the movie making process. When the project is completed there are two options for backing up a movie file. Use either File>Save movie or the Task Pane. 1. Burn (create) a CD, or multiple CD’s of the Windows Movie Maker file. 2. Export the movie back to either video tape or a video camera. Future editing will require the user to import the completed movie and splice it to accommodate necessary edits.

Finishing the movie – Choosing a format Choose the format for saving a movie. Will the movie be saved to CD, sent in an , put on the Web, or exported to a Digital Video camera?

Exporting the movie Choosing send to will create a movie clip with a small file size. There is a trade off between file size and picture quality. The smaller the file size, the lower the picture quality. The larger the file size, the higher the picture quality.

Backing up a completed digital movie Under Finish Movie> Send to DV Camera. Follow through the Wizard. Be aware that you should put a different tape in the video camera or move the tape to a blank area so you do not inadvertently tape over the video you have recorded.

Saving the Windows Movie Maker file. A file name cannot include the following characters: \ / : * ? " |, and must be less than 64 characters in length.

Viewing the movie Depending on how the movie was saved (CD, Computer, Video camera) play the movie and watch the result of your hard work.