Opening the Program. Movie Maker II 1

Transcription

1 1 Opening the Program To open the Movie Maker II application, use the Start Programs Movie Maker combination from the desktop. Alternatively, you can create a shortcut on the desktop. After executing this series of clicks, the application will open, appearing as follows:

2 2 Creating a Collection Presentations can be comprised of both video clips and still images. Contrary to some thought, you do not have to include motion video if you choose not to. As a matter of fact, depending upon the quality of the video, you are better off sticking with good, sharp still pictures. For the purposes of instruction, we will create a small video on snow. In this video, we will start with some still images and later include some video and audio as well. Previously created videos, pictures, or audio files (including music files) that have been saved on disk can be imported into the project by clicking on either the Import Video, Import Pictures, or Import Audio or Music options from the Capture Video portion of the project window located at the upper-left. In all three cases, a similar window will open where it will be possible to browse to find the desired resource. (See below)

3 3 Video or still images can be imported from the camera by choosing the Capture from video device option. From here, options are available to download video from a digital camcorder or still camera. o These options will depend upon the make and model of the equipment and its accompanying software. Note that it is best to use an IEEE 1394 Fire wire connection for maximum image quality. Capturing Images From Your Camera Regardless of what type of image you would like to use, still or motion, you will need to capture these images with a digital camera of some sort. For motion video, you will need a digital camcorder although some digital cameras are capable of capturing small video clips as well. With a digital camcorder, you will be able to take lengthy motion videos as well as capture still images. The zoom on these devices is also very good for both applications. Regardless of the camera you use, you will need to download the image(s) from the camera to the PC. Most cameras come complete with software that you can load onto your computer that will provide an easy, point and click method of doing this. You must read the instructions that came with your camera. Images from the Internet can be used as well. You need to be aware of the Fair Use provisions of copyright law to be sure that you are not infringing upon anyone else s rights. You should store the images in folders that make it easy for you to recognize which folder contains images for which subject. Eventually, these images will be inserted into your Movie Maker project

4 4 Importing Images Into Your Project Click the Tasks button and choose the Import Pictures option (See the section on Importing Presentation Components above.) Browse to the folder where you saved your images Choose the image(s) you would like to use in your presentation Click the Import button to import them into your project.

5 5 Inserting Title Slides Suppose we want to create a title slide at the beginning (or anywhere else in the project for that matter) of our snow project that lets the viewer know exactly what the video is all about. We can do this by following these steps: Change to the Storyboard view by clicking on the Show Storyboard icon. This icon toggles the view between storyboard and timeline view. This will result in the Storyboard view at the bottom of the project window. Then, click on the first board

6 6 Click the down arrow next to the Edit Movie heading in the tasks toolbar. The following menu options will then appear: Click on the Make titles or credits option

7 7 Depending upon where you want to insert your title slide, choose from one of the options that appear. o Since we want to place a title at the beginning of the project, we will choose the Add title at the beginning of the movie option. Note that there are several ways to insert titles such as on the selected clip (This option must be chosen in Timeline View.) Type the desired text in the text boxes that appear. The text you type will appear in the preview pane to the right along with the current background color and text color. o The preview will transition as per the default transition but this can be changed by clicking on the Change the title animation option below the text boxes.

8 8 Editing the Title Text As noted above, you can change the way the title slide transitions and moves by clicking the Change the title animation option. Upon doing so, the following window appears: Here, you can choose from any number of animations. Left click on one of them to see how it looks in the preview window to the right. clicking on the Change the text font and color option. At this point, you can also edit the text itself by choosing the Edit the title text option, which returns you to the previous screen where the text boxes appear. You can also change the font and color attributes by In this window, you can choose many font attributes including color, face, size, position within the slide, and transparency as well as the background color. add title to movie. When finished, click Done,

9 9 The title slide appears in the first board of the storyboard at the bottom of the window. Changing the Duration of a Title Board After your title is inserted into your presentation, you may want to have it remain visible for a longer period of time. Perhaps the transition to the next board coordinates better with the background audio or maybe you simply would like to have the viewer see it longer for effect. Change to the Timeline View Left Click and hold on the right edit handle of the title you desire to change Drag the edit handle to the right to lengthen the duration or to the left to shorten it

10 10 Inserting Images Now that we have our first title slide, we are ready to insert our first image. This image can be a video clip or it can be a still picture. In our example, we will insert the microscopic picture of a snowflake next. To insert an image, simply left-click, drag, and drop the image in the next board. The image appears in the board as well as in the preview window

11 11 Viewing the Image Properties Now that the image has been inserted in the storyboard, we can check its properties. To do this, simply right click the image and choose the Properties option. All of the image s properties appear here: o Total duration of the image within the presentation. This includes the start time and the stop time when the picture appears and disappears. o Source file information including the file s location and its size. o Picture properties such as width, height, and color depth.

12 12 Changing the Image Properties The properties governing the length of time for the image to be visible is dictated by the settings at the time the image is added to the storyboard. By examining the settings as they appear on the previous page, it can be seen that the duration setting was 5 seconds. Previewing the Project We can preview our presentation by: 1. Clicking on the first board in the storyboard 2. Clicking on the play button in the preview window If we would like to change the duration of the snowflake image, for example, we need to 1. Delete it by right clicking the image and choosing the delete option. 2. Left Click the board to the left of the board in which we wish to insert the image (in this case, it would be the first board containing the title slide). 3. Change the duration settings (see the following page).

13 13 Choose the Tools Options combination from the menu. Click on the Advanced tab Change the duration of the image in the Picture duration box. Change the duration of the transition (the time it takes for the image to zoom in, or fade out, or whatever transition you chose when inserting the image) by changing the Transition duration setting. Click the OK button Then, Drag and drop the image onto the storyboard again. Its new settings will now be in effect for all future images inserted until the settings are changed again at which point all subsequent images will assume the new settings and previously inserted images will keep their old settings.

14 14 Transitions Anytime you have two adjacent boards in the storyboard, you can add a transition between the two boards to make the change smoother. For instance, you can have the previous board fade out and have the next board fade in. There are a variety of transitions available in Movie Maker. The following is an explanation of how to set them up. In the Movie Tasks toolbar section, click on the View video transitions option. The list of available transitions appears. We will choose to Fade between the title board and the first image. o Left Click and drag the transition to the transition box between the two boards.

15 15 The transition appears in the transition box.

16 16 Exercise 1 Create your own video about snow. In creating your video, you should: 1. Create your collection using the pictures as they appear below. (Your instructor will tell you where you can find them). 2. Place all five images into your video There should be at least two (2) different picture durations set in your video There should be transitions between each picture o Include at least three (3) different transitions in your video 3. Include at least the following four (4) types of titles A title slide at the beginning of your video Text that appears on one of the pictures in your video (Here, you must be sure that the image duration is sufficient to allow this to happen. Also, you must be in the Timeline view.) A slide between any two images introducing the next slide A slide at the end of the video containing your credits (Produced By, Directed By, Copyright, Date, Acknowledgements, etc.)

17 Inserting Video Movie Maker II 17 Acquiring Video From a Camera Unlike still pictures, which can be loaded via a USB connection, video should be acquired via an IEEE 1394 or Fire Wire connection. This is because the Fire Wire connection provides a higher quality result than does USB. It is possible to acquire video via USB as well but the finished product is not nearly as clear as that of a Fire Wire connection. Check your camera s documentation to see what is required in order to accomplish either a USB or IEEE 1394 connection with your PC. Remember that the video camera must be a digital camera with mode set to VCR. Set up your connection between the PC and digital camera as per your documentation. Click the Tasks button in the toolbar Choose Capture from video device The window to the left opens and allows you to name your video and also to choose a place to save your video. After these options have been entered, click on Next

18 18 If you have connected via a Fire Wire connection, you will be able to choose Digital device format (DV-AVI). This is the option that provides the best quality. This window also shows you how much space is available on the hard drive and how much space per minute is required for your video. When ready, click Next You now have the option of o Capturing the entire tape where the capture begins at the beginning of the tape and continues to the end of all recorded data. o Capturing parts of the tape where you will have the option of forwarding to a desired portion(s) of the recorded data and capturing a limited amount(s). Click Next to continue

19 19 If you chose to capture the entire tape, the window to the left opens and the tape will automatically be rewound to the beginning. The capture will begin automatically with the captured video displayed in the Preview window. File data is displayed By checking the Create clips when wizard finishes option, a new clip is created every time a point is reached in the video where the camera was stopped and started again. If you chose the option to pick certain portions of the tape to capture, the window to the left will open. You can play your tape from the camera using the VCR controls When you find the portion you want to capture, click the Start Capture button. When you are finished with that portion, click the Stop Capture button. Click Finish when you have captured all of the tape you would like to capture.

20 Adding Video to the Collection Movie Maker II 20 In the Tasks toolbar, click on the Import Video option The clips from the selected video (one that you have previously captured from a camera) will be displayed in a newly created collection. From here, you can: o Select all of the clips and do a Cut-Paste to place them in a previously created collection and delete the new collection. OR o Work with the clips in this collection. We will choose the first option and paste them with our pictures.

21 21 Following the Cut- Paste operation, the collection looks like that to the left. The original 4 pictures appear as well as the two clips from the captured video. o Video clips have the film reel drive borders at the top and bottom. Viewing a Video Clip As was mentioned before, if the option to Create clips when wizard finishes was chosen while capturing your video, a new clip will be created for each time the camera was stopped while filming the video. In our example, we have two clips (see the picture above). Clips are denoted with film tracking images above and below each clip as well as the date and time each clip was created. To view a clip, follow this procedure: 1. Left click on the clip you would like to view 2. Click on the Play button underneath the Preview screen 3. The video clip will play in the preview window 4. Note that the Play button will toggle to a Pause button and vice versa when clicked.

22 22 Stepping Through a Video Clip If you would like to manually step through a video clip, you can do so by either left clicking and dragging the progress indicator underneath the preview window or using the Next Frame button to view one frame at a time. Creating a Still Picture From a Video Clip Often, beautiful still images can be gotten from a video clip. You may be filming an action of some sort and may capture just one frame that will suffice to illustrate something you wish to include in your presentation. 1. Click the Pause button at the point where the image appears or stop stepping through the clip 2. Click the Take Picture button Choose the location where your images are stored Click Save

23 23 3. The image will appear in your collection window 4. From there, you can drag it into a board just as you would any other still image, to be used in your presentation. Splitting a Video Clip If your clips are rather large and you would like to split the clip into components that mirror different themes, you can do so by stepping through your clip or viewing it and pausing at the desired point in the clip. Then, click the Split Clip button. The new clip appears in your collection

24 24 Adding a Video Clip To A Presentation Video clips are added to a presentation the same way still images are added. Simply Left Click, Drag, and Drop the clip into the next available board. Inserting Video or Still Images Between Previously Added Boards You may wish to add a video clip or a still image between boards that already have contents in them. To do this, simply: 1. Left Click and hold on the clip in the collections window 2. Drag the clip to the LEFT SIDE of the board in which you wish to insert it 3. Let go of the left mouse button In our Exercise 1, we have created a presentation using our four original still images along with several title slides. Let s insert the first half of the split clip we created earlier between the TreeSnow picture and the MoonlightSnow picture 1. We Left Click and Drag the clip to the left side of the MoonlightSnow board 2. The picture of the clip is superimposed on the existing image in the board 3. We Release the Left Mouse Button 4. The clip is now inserted between these two boards (See next page)

25 25 Cropping Inserted Video Clips There are times when the entire clip is not necessary. Indeed, excessive video footage is both distracting to the viewer and creates an unnecessarily large presentation file. Inserted clips can be cropped so that only vital footage is included in the presentation. 1. Change to the Time Line View 2. Left Click on the clip in the time line that you want to crop 3. Step through the clip using the play/pause method or by using the Next Frame button until you reach the point at which you would like to start the clip 4. Choose the Clip Set Start Trim Point option to remove the beginning portion of the clip 5. Step through the clip to the point where you wish to end the clip 6. Choose the Clip Set End Trim Point option to remove the end portion of the clip Note that the time line indicator cannot be located inside the transition portion of the clip to be cropped. If it is, the options will not be enabled in the Clip menu.

26 26 Exercise 2 Adding Video Clips Now, you will add video to the exercise you have already created in Exercise 1. You recall that, in exercise 1, you added four still pictures and several titles. Your instructor will tell you where to obtain the video footage you will need to accomplish this exercise. Please perform the following tasks to add to your presentation: 1. Save the necessary video file to a folder on your hard drive 2. Import the video file and paste the clips in your existing collection 3. Split at least one of the clips into two separate clips 4. View all of your clips and be sure you know how to pause and step through clips while reviewing them 5. Add at least three (3) clips to your presentation a. Crop at least one clip b. Add sufficient video to make your presentation at least one minute long but no more than 2 minutes long 6. Be sure to save your work as you go. a. Do not wait until the end to save. b. Remember that saving a presentation with video takes a bit of time. Be Patient! 7. Be sure to place appropriate transitions between boards 8. Feel free to add additional titles 9. Make the project appealing

27 Working With Sound Movie Maker II 27 Importing Audio Files The first step in adding sound to your presentation is to save a sound file somewhere on one of your drives (probably the hard drive) to be inserted later. Steps to accomplish this activity are as follows: 1. Make the audio file accessible to your computer by downloading the file, creating the file with Sound Recorder, or inserting a CD into your CD drive 2. Open Windows Explorer or My Computer 3. Browse to your file and save it in a location on your computer where you can access it easily so that it can be inserted into your presentation. Usually, this will be in the My Music folder within the My Documents folder but it does not have to be. Simply use a Copy / Paste procedure to accomplish this. Use the Import audio or music option from the Task Menu Choose the file you would like to use and click the Import button

28 28 The music file will appear in your Collections window Inserting Sound Into The Presentation Switch to the Timeline mode Left click, drag, and drop the music file on top of the Audio/Music line in the Time Line. Note that additional sound files can be added to the presentation by dragging the file to the right of the existing file in the timeline

29 29 Cropping The Sound File Perhaps your sound file is longer than the visual portion of your presentation. In this case, unless you want sound to continue after the visual portion completes, you need to change the length of your sound. Removing From the Beginning of the Sound File Left click, hold, and drag on the left edit handle of the sound file while in the Timeline View Notice the sound signature in the Audio / Music window. By previewing the sound and noting specific areas of the sound, you can tell how much to crop. The result is a sound file cropped from the beginning. Note that the cropping action can be undone by using the Undo toolbar button or by dragging the left edit handle back to the left.

30 30 Relocating the Sound File After changing the length of a sound file, it may become necessary to move the file so that it starts at a different time or ends at a different point. Be sure you are in the Timeline view Left click and drag the sound file in the direction you desire (left to start earlier and right to start later) Upon releasing the mouse button, the file moves to its new location Setting the Audio Levels When creating a movie presentation, the default audio level is set to ½ and ½. That means that the audio file you inserted is heard at an equal volume with the native sound that was embedded in the original video from the camera. Thus, you could hear background music along with any voices or ambient sound within the video itself. The audio level can be viewed by clicking its icon near the timeline The resulting controller appears and the default setting of ½ and ½ can be seen

31 31 To hear only the ambient sound from the video, slide the slider all the way to the left To hear only the embedded audio file, slide the slider all the way to the right Any combination of sound can be chosen based upon how close to either side the slider is placed. If the slider is placed close to the Audio/Music side (right side), any ambient sound will be very faint and the embedded audio file will dominate the sound track of the presentation. Note: The audio setting you choose will be in effect for your entire movie. Adding Ambient Sound To a Video With the Audio/Music Setting You cannot have one setting for part of the video and another for another part. If you want to include ambient sound at some portion of the video you can do so by following this procedure: 1. Shorten or move the embedded audio file so that there is no embedded sound at the point in the video where you want to hear ambient sound. 2. Open the sound recorder that comes with Windows 3. Play that portion of the video with the desired ambient sound while recording with the sound recorder. 4. Save the resulting sound file from the sound recorder. 5. Import this sound file into your collection. 6. Insert the sound file into your video as explained above.

32 32 Creating Narration There may be times when you would like to add your own narration to the video presentation. Movie Maker allows you to do this as well. After working with our video we have created the presentation as it appears in the timeline view below: Notice that, because we have lengthened some of our title boards and increased the duration of our pictures, along with inserting additional video clips, our music file is shorter than the visual portion of the video presentation. We wish to end the video with music, so we have moved the audio file to the right to correspond with the end of the visual portion. We wish to create a short narration at the beginning of the video to fit in the time slot there. 1. Be sure you are in timeline view 2. Be sure the progress indicator is placed in a position where there is no audio inserted (In this case, it will be at the beginning of the timeline. 3. Click on the Narrate Timeline button

33 4. The following window will appear Movie Maker II Choose an input level at the upper level of the yellow range without entering the red range. This will ensure a proper volume level for your narration. 6. Clicking the Show more options link opens additional controls as they appear in the next page.

34 34 7. By clicking the Limit narration to available free space, Movie Maker will not shift previously inserted audio in the timeline. Instead, it will simply cut your narration off when its length equals the Time available value. Movie Maker automatically calculates this Time available value for you. 8. The Narration captured reading shows you how much time you have accumulated in your narration to that point. This will help you pace your narration to fill the desired time allotment. 9. If you want, you can choose the Mute speakers option, which will eliminate your voice being reproduced through the speakers while speaking. 10. The Audio device text box shows you the default audio hardware that will be used (This will be determined by your computer s hardware setup). 11. The Audio input source text box shows you the default option for inputting your voice to the sound recorder. Most of the time, this will be a microphone. 12. Click the Start Narration button to start capturing your narration. 13. The Stop Narration button is used only if you did not click the Limit narration to available free space on Audio/Music Track option. Otherwise, Movie Maker will automatically stop recording at the appropriate time.

35 35 Following the completion of your narration, the Save window will open and allow you to save your narration to any location you desire. The narration is automatically added to your current collection It is also automatically placed in your timeline Note: This same procedure can be used to place narrations between audio files as well. You are not limited to the beginning or end of a presentation.

36 36 Deleting an Audio File As with any object inserted in a presentation, an audio file can be deleted from the timeline view by right clicking on it and choosing Delete. Exercise 3 Adding Audio To your existing project, please do the following: 1. Capture a music file from a CD that you would like to use as background audio 2. Add the audio file to your collection 3. Set your audio level to Audio/Music 4. Insert the audio file into your presentation a. Play around with the audio file. Shorten it. Split it up. Move it. Remember, you can always delete what you ve done and re-insert the original into your project. b. Leave some time for inserting a narration 5. Create a narration and insert it into your presentation 6. Put any finishing touches to your presentation to make it nice

37 37 Opening the Program... 1 Creating a Collection... 2 Capturing Images From Your Camera... 3 Importing Images Into Your Project... 4 Inserting Title Slides... 5 Editing the Title Text... 8 Changing the Length of a Title Board... 9 Inserting Images Viewing the Image Properties Changing the Image Properties Previewing the Project Transitions Exercise Inserting Video Acquiring Video From a Camera Adding Video to the Collection Viewing a Video Clip Stepping Through a Video Clip Creating a Still Picture From a Video Clip Splitting a Video Clip Adding a Video Clip To A Presentation Inserting Video or Still Images Between Previously Added Boards Cropping Inserted Video Clips Exercise 2 Adding Video Clips Working With Sound Importing Audio Files Inserting Sound Into The Presentation Cropping The Sound File Removing From the Beginning of the Sound File Relocating the Sound File Setting the Audio Levels Adding Ambient Sound To a Video With the Audio/Music Setting Creating Narration Deleting an Audio File Exercise 3 Adding Audio... 36