Learn the basics of Windows Movie Maker
 

Basic things you need to know about Windows Movie Maker

Dream of becoming a director? Thought about making your own music videos? Or picture slideshows for events and occasions? Then Windows Movie Maker is a good way to start in making those dreams possible.

Some users may forget about this feature but it is included in the media center of the Windows XP Operating System. Clicking the programs in your start button, windows movie maker can be found under accessories. In general this program allows a computer user to capture and edit videos, photos and even background music. The basic interface of this program is very user friendly so anyone can create something in no time.

So here are the basic steps in manipulating Windows Movie Maker:

1. Collect all media files

The foundation of your work lies on the gathered materials that you have. Before anything else you must upload all your media sources first to your hard drive. When the source is from a video camera you may connect it through your computer’s USB port to capture the video. Expect for a window to prompt. Then just follow the wizard and you will be all set. In here you have the option to adjust recording qualities (brightness, contrast etc.) and to choose whether to capture the audio only, video or both. Video formats such as .avi, .mpg and .wmv can be imported in the Windows Movie Maker.

Then you can also prepare your digital pictures and audio sources that you will need by importing them as well.

2. Drag and Drop

Now that your materials are ready you can now drag and drop them in your workspace. Your workspace can be in storyboard or timeline view. For beginners, and if your project does not need a lot of modifications then storyboard can work already. It contains big boxes where you can drag your files and the small boxes for the transitions you intent to use later on.

On the other hand, the timeline view is for more skilled users since it has a more complex interface than the storyboard but it will give you more options to tweak your imported videos, pictures and audio. Timeline gives you the option to sync audio with the clips above and also it gives you an idea on the length of your work.

3. Add transitions and effects

Once you are finished laying out your clips you can now have the option to put transitions between them. All you have to do is choose from a variety of transitions that will fit your project and drag them in between clips. For storyboard view just drag and drop them in the small boxes while a gray overlapping shade will be observed between clips for the timeline view. The video effects can be used by dragging them right on top of the clips to achieve the results you want.

To see the effects of the transitions you made you can click the play button and you will see a preview of the raw work you have done on the screen located above the timeline.

4. Enhance

Windows Movie Maker allows you also to put enhancements for your clips. You are not limited to videos, audios and pictures because you can also add credits, titles and all the necessary texts that you need for your project. Just go to Tools and click Titles and Credits to choose from the different options. Have the freedom to choose from different font style, size and color that is best suited for your project. To further enhance your work, you can also include narration if needed by just attaching a microphone and saving whatever you have recorded. It will automatically be included in your collection.


5. Save it

At last you are almost done but before anything else watch your project from start to end before saving it. You may spot minor corrections which you can simply re-edit to make your project perfect. Then when the work is done you just simply save it according to format best suited for your project. A wizard will guide whether you want to save it for the purpose of email or publish it in the web. A famous option of course is burning it on a CD or DVD (this requires software) or you can simply record it back in video camera as well.

Making a short film or music video is possible with this software. Just follow the basic steps and in no time you will become an expert. With more manipulations and practice you will learn the tricks of Windows Movie Maker.