1 Opening the Program To open the Movie Maker II application, use the Start All Programs Windows Live 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: Adding Images and Videos 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 video and later include some still images and audio as well.
2 Adding Images and Videos from Disk Previously created videos and pictures that have been saved on disk can be imported into the project by clicking on either the Add videos and photos or by clicking on the Click here to browse for videos and photos portion of the Home screen. In either case, a similar window will open where it will be possible to browse to find the desired resource. (See below)
3 Importing from Cameras and Devices Video or still images can be imported from the camera by choosing the Movie Maker Button from the ribbon and then choosing the Import from Device tool. From here, options are available to download video from a digital camcorder, still camera, flash drive, etc. Note that it is best to use an IEEE 1394 Fire wire connection for maximum image quality. It is probably best to Review, organize, and group items to import, especially if there are a large number available. If there is only one new image or video to import, choose Import all new items now.
4 If you select to organize them, many of the images and videos found may be selected for import. To deselect all of them, click Select All and click it a second time. Then, scroll to the object(s) you want to import and check its/their checkbox. Then click the Import button After the video is imported into Windows Live Photo Gallery, click the Create Tab and choose the Movie tool. The video will be added to the movie. 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 or follow the same procedure as outlined for capturing video from 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.
5 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 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: Place the location line at the beginning of the project Click on the Title tool A title slide is inserted where the location line is stationed (in this case, at the beginning). Type the text you want to appear and use the toolbar to choose background color, font attributes, time length for the text to appear, text effect, etc. Note that the time for the title slide moves into the beginning of the video portion. This can be an interesting effect. To view the video at any time, click the preview full screen tool.
6 Click the Back to Movie Maker tool to return to the Movie Maker editing screen. To add text on top of an object, select the object and use the Caption tool Using the Credits tool, adds credits to the end of the movie
Editing the Title Text Movie Maker II 7 Select the title text in the editing screen and choose the Edit Text tool. Change the text or format of the text in the preview screen. 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. Select the title board Select the Edit tab in Video Tools Select the duration desired for the title board
8 Viewing Image Properties Select the image and click the Edit tab. The image s duration appears and can be adjusted from there. 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. Select the video, image, or title to set the transition to Select the Animations tab in the Video Tools Select the transition for the selected object Preview it to see what it looks like (Here, we have selected the Cross Fade transition and, as is seen in the graphic above, the photo image is beginning to fade in as the video image fades out.
9 The duration of the transition can be adjusted in the same tab view. Exercise 1 Create your own video about snow. In creating your video, you should: 1. Use the Add video and photos tool 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 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.)
Stepping Through a Video Clip Movie Maker II 10 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 or Previous Frame buttons 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. Click the Pause button at the point where the image appears or stop stepping through the clip Click the Snapshot button Choose the location where your images are stored Click Save The image appears in the editing pane and can be moved where desired using left-click, drag, and drop.
11 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 tool in the Edit tab of the Video Tools. The clip appears in your project as two separate clips Adding Additional Video Clips to a Presentation from a Device Earlier in this document, there was an explanation of how to import video from a camera and how the Movie tool in the Create tab was used to start a video project. The same procedure may be used to add another video clip EXCEPT that you DO NOT USE THE Create Movie method. Instead, after the video is imported into Windows Love Photo Gallery, use this procedure: Select the video icon Use the Copy tool Go to the Live Movie Maker project Use the Paste tool The video clip will be added to the end of the project and can be moved using the drag and drop method with the mouse.
12 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. Move to the part of the video where you want the new starting point to be Select the Edit tab in the Video Tools and click the Set Start Point button Move to the part of the video where you want to end Select the Set End Point tool The video will then be shortened to reflect the new start and end points. Removing New Start and Stop Points Select the trimmed video in the project Click the Trim tool from the Video Tools Edit tab
13 This will cause Start trim and End trim handles to appear in the preview monitor Click and drag them to new start and/or end points Click Save Trim to save the changes or Cancel to cancel the changes 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
Working with Sound Movie Maker II 14 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 Audacity, 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 Add Music tool from the Home Tab in the ribbon. From here, you can choose to add the music clip to the beginning of the project or at the current location (where the progress marker is). Choose the file you would like to use and click the Open button
15 The audio clip will appear positioned above the video and images in the project 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 Move the progress marker to the position where you would like the music to begin. It is probably best to play the preview and pause when the desired location is reached In the Music Tools Options tab, click the Set start point Note that the cropping action can be undone by using the Undo toolbar button
Removing Audio from the End Movie Maker II 16 Play the video or move the progress slider to the point where you want the music to stop In the Music Tools Options tab, click the Set end point tool to crop the audio The audio will be cropped at the point previously marked 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 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
17 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. Click the Audio mix tool in the Music Tools Project tabs The Audio mix slider appears. Slide it to the right to emphasize the audio track and slide it left to emphasize the audio in the video Note: The audio setting you choose will be in effect for your entire movie. Splitting the Audio Track Move the preview marker to the point in the video where you want to split the sound (perhaps to place a small audio clip of your own voice etc.) Select the Split too from the Music Tools Options tabs in the ribbon Adding a Different Sound Mix to the Video 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, move, or split 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. Make a recording in Audacity to place in the sound track 3. Save the resulting sound file from Audacity. 4. Insert the sound file into your video as explained above
18 Deleting an Audio File As with any object inserted in a presentation, an audio file can be deleted from the preview by right clicking on it and choosing Remove or by pressing the Delete keyboard key. 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
Audio Cropping, 15 Deleting, 18 Importing, 14 Moving, 16 Setting Levels, 17 Splitting, 17 With Audacity, 17 Images Adding, 1 Creating from Video, 10 Importing, 4 Movie Maker II 19 Properties, 8 Opening the Program, 1 Title Slides, 5 Editing, 7 Transitions, 8 Video Splitting, 11 Videos Adding, 2 Cropping, 12 Importing, 3 Removing Start/Stop Points, 12