Windows Movie Maker -video Editing Software

I often recommend various pieces of free software which I believe my readers may

be interested in downloading, however when getting caught up in the process of downloading new and exciting software it is apparently quite easy to overlook something right under your nose. Windows Movie Maker has been bundled with Windows ever since the dreadful Windows ME (Millennium Edition), and whilst the earlier versions suffered from a woefully inadequate feature set, the later editions have actually been pretty good.

The application can be accessed from the Accessories folder from the programs section of the Start Menu and the version you will be using is dependent on your version of Windows. Those who have Windows XP with the latest service pack installed (this will have most likely been done automatically) will be using version 2.1 however if you own Windows Vista then you will be using version 6. This skip in version numbers is due to the fact that 3, 4 and 5 were skipped to bring the program version number in line with that of the Operating System (Vista is the release name for what is essentially Windows 6.0).

Windows Movie Maker is ideal for those that want a program which will allow them to edit their home movies both simply and effectively. It is geared more towards the home user than the professional so whilst features present in more advanced software applications may be missing, this will be compensated for in both speed and ease of use.

You can view your project as a storyboard and place your video clips in whatever order you like and split longer files as you see fit. However I prefer the timeline layout that lets you easily see how long any particular clip is proportionately, with different layers showing placement of background music/sounds effects as well as being able to captions and subtitles which will overlay where you wish.

When shifting between scenes, rather than just flipping from one section of film to another, you can select transitions so that sections can blend seamlessly together. You are also able to instantly apply a number of effects to individual clips including simple tools such as brightness increase and picture rotation as well as more advanced effects such as pixilation, focus shift and picture warping. You can make sections of your film appear older by adding a sepia tone or selecting individual scenes to appear as though they are being played on an old projector.

Even though many common formats are supported, a few widely used formats such as MOV, MP4 and 3GP have been left out unfortunately. So if your digital camera or phone uses one of these formats it may be worth obtaining something to convert them to something compatible like MPEG or AVI format. There are plenty of free programs to easily convert formats available from a site such as Download.com.

One impressive feature is the 'Auto Movie' function which allows you to import an entire movie file which Windows Movie Maker will then edit for you based on a predefined style - it will analyse the movie, split it down in to multiple scenes then automatically apply effects, transitions and background music along with titles. This function isn't infallible as it relies on a certain degree of calculated guesswork but nevertheless this is an impressive way to quickly and easily create an edited product.

Once finished, your movie can be saved to a file which can then be stored, distributed or uploaded to the Internet or alternatively it can be burnt to a DVD. The results you get won't be studio quality but will certainly stand apart from the long, unedited and wholly unprofessional movies that are often produced at the end of a summer holiday.

by: Chris Holgate

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