Using Windows Movie Maker

You can use Windows Movie Maker to capture audio and video to your computer from a variety of video sources. You can also import existing audio, video, and still pictures to use in your movies. You can edit your movie to include titles, video transitions, or special effects, and then share your movie with friends and family on a CD, in e-mail, or on the Web.


Understanding Windows Movie Maker concepts

The terms collection, project, and movie are used throughout the Windows Movie Maker program. It is important that you are familiar with these terms, as well as the file types used in Windows Movie Maker.

Collection Audio clips, video clips, or still pictures that you have imported or captured in Windows Movie Maker. A collection acts as a container for your clips, which are smaller segments of audio and video, and helps you organize these files. Collections appear in the Collections pane.

Project The arrangement and timing information of audio and video clips, video transitions, video effects, and titles that you have added to the storyboard/timeline. Any project file you save in Windows Movie Maker has an .mswmm file name extension.

Movie When your project is final and you save it using the Save Movie Wizard, it is now called a movie.

Source Files Digital media (sound files, video files, or still pictures) that you import into your current project.

File Types The content you capture in Windows Movie Maker is saved in Windows Media Format. However, you can also import existing Windows Media-based content with the following file name extensions to use in your project.

  • Audio files: .aif, .aifc, .aiff .asf, .au, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .snd, .wav, and .wma
  • Picture files: .bmp, .dib, .emf, .gif, .jfif, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .wmf
  • Video files: .asf, .avi, .m1v, .mp2, .mp2v, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpg, .mpv2, .wm, and .wmv

Understanding the Windows Movie Maker interface

Understanding the panes

You will work in several panes when working in Windows Movie Maker: the Movie Tasks pane, Collections pane, Contents pane, and Monitor pane.

Movie Tasks pane

Use the Movie Tasks pane to perform the following common tasks.

  • Capture Video. When you begin making a movie, use this pane to perform tasks such as capturing video and importing existing video, pictures, or audio.
  • Edit Movie. While you are working on a movie, use this pane to perform tasks such as viewing existing video, pictures, audio, video effects, or adding movie titles and credits.
  • Finish Movie. Use this pane to save your final movie to your computer, to a recordable CD, to the Web, to a tape in a digital video (DV) camera, or to send as an attachment in an e-mail message.

Collections Pane

The Collections pane displays your collections of clips. Each collection that you create is listed by name in the Collections pane on the left. When you select a collection, its contents are displayed in the Contents pane.

Contents pane

The Contents pane displays the contents of a collection that is selected in the Collections pane. This includes any video, audio, pictures, video transitions, or video effects in the collection that can be added to the storyboard/timeline and included in your movie.

Monitor

Use the monitor to view individual clips or an entire project. By using the monitor, you can preview your project before saving it as a movie.

Working with storyboards and timelines

The area where you create and edit your project is displayed in two views: the storyboard view and the timeline view. You can switch between these two views when making a movie.

  • Storyboard/timeline. Use this view to work on both the storyboard and timeline.
  • Storyboard. Use this view to work on the storyboard only.
  • Timeline. Use this view to work on the timeline only.

To switch the view of a project

  • On the View menu, do one of the following:
  • To view your project on the storyboard, click Storyboard.
  • To view your project on the timeline, click Timeline.

Storyboard

When you open Windows Movie Maker, it will display the storyboard as the default view. You can use the storyboard to view the sequence or ordering of the clips in your project. Use this view when you wish to rearrange your clips, preview any video effects or video transitions that you have added, and to view all of the clips in your current project.

Timeline

Use the timeline to review or modify the timing of clips as you build your movie. The timeline buttons help you perform tasks such as changing the view of your project, zooming in or out on details of your project, recording narration, or adjusting the audio levels. The time is displayed as hours:minutes:seconds.hundredths of a second (h:mm:ss.hs).

Understanding other Windows Movie Maker components

Video

Use the Video track to preview the video portion of your movie as you create it (including all video clips, pictures, or titles you have added to the project). You can expand the Video track to show the audio that accompanies the video, as well as any video transitions you have added.

Transition

The Transition track lets you see any video transitions you have added to the timeline. Any video transitions you add from the Video Transitions folder appear on this track. When a transition is added to the timeline, the name of the transition is shown in the timeline.

Audio

The Audio track lets you see the audio that is included in any video clips you have added to the project. Like the Transition track, you can only see the Audio track if you have expanded the Video track. If you select the audio clip on this track and delete it, the video portion is also removed from the Video track.

Audio/Music

The Audio/Music track lets you see any audio clips that you have added to the project. The name of the audio clip appears on the clip.

Title Overlay

The Title Overlay track lets you see any titles or credits that you have added to the timeline. You can add multiple titles to this track at different points in your movie. The titles overlay the video that is displayed.

Capturing and importing video

Capturing digital video

To capture the entire video from a tape in a digital video (DV) camera

  1. Connect your camera to the correct port on your computer. (See the manufacturer’s instructions for more information about the IEEE 1394 port.)
  2. Set the camera mode to play recorded video (often labeled VTR or VCR on a DV camera).
  3. In Moviemaker, on the File menu, click Capture Video.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Capture from video device.
  4. On the Video Capture Device page, in Available devices, click the DV camera.
  5. In the Enter a file name for your captured video box, type a file name for your captured video file. Then, in the Choose a place to save your captured video box, select the location where you want your video to be saved or click Browse to select a location.
  6. On the Video Setting page, choose the video setting you want to use for capturing video and audio.
  7. On the Capture Method page, click Capture the entire tape automatically. The tape in the DV camera rewinds. Capturing begins automatically and ends when the video tape ends.
  8. Select any of the following commands:

  • To separate the video into smaller clips, select the Create clips when wizard finishes check box.
  • To stop capturing before the end of the video tape, click Stop Capture, and then click Yes in the resulting dialog box to save the video that has been captured.
  1. To close the Video Capture Wizard, click Finish. The captured content is imported into a new collection with the same name as the specified video file.

To capture parts of video from a tape in a DV camera

  1. Make sure your DV camera is connected properly to your computer port, and then set the camera mode to play recorded video (often labeled VTR or VCR on a DV camera).
  2. In Moviemaker, on the File menu, click Capture Video.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Capture from video device.
  3. On the Video Capture Device page, in Available devices, click the DV camera.
  4. In the Enter a file name for your captured video box, enter a file name for your captured video file. Then, in the Choose a place to save your captured video box, select the location where you want your video to be saved or click Browse to select a location.
  5. On the Video Setting page, select the video setting you want to use for capturing video and audio.
  6. On the Capture Method page, click Capture parts of the tape manually.
  7. To separate the video into smaller clips, select the Create clips when wizard finishes check box.
  8. To prevent audio from playing over your speakers while capturing video, select the Mute speakers check box.
  9. To automatically stop capturing after a time period has elapsed, select the Capture time limit check box, and then type or select the length of time you want to capture. Time is displayed in the form of hours:minutes (h:mm).
  10. Locate the video and audio you want to capture from your tape by using either the controls on your DV camera or VCR or the DV camera controls in the wizard.
  11. To begin capturing video, click Start Capture. The tape plays automatically and capturing begins.
  12. Do one of the following:

  • When the tape reaches the point at which you want to stop capturing, click Stop Capture.
  • If you have selected the Capture time limit check box, wait for the specified amount of time for video to be captured.
  1. Repeat steps 10 through 12 for each part of the video tape you want to capture.
  2. When you have finished capturing, click Finish to close the Video Capture Wizard. The captured content is imported into a new collection with the same name as the specified video file.

Capturing analog video

To capture video from tape in an analog camera or VCR

  1. Make sure your analog camera or VCR is connected properly to your computer, and then set the camera mode to play recorded video (often labeled VTR or VCR on an analog camera).
  2. On the File menu, click Capture Video
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Capture from video device.
  3. On the Video Capture Device page, do the following:

  • In Available devices, click the analog device you want to use to capture video, and then, in the Video input source list, click the input line you want to use.
  • If you want to adjust and configure the video capture device settings, click Configure.
  • In the Audio device list, click the audio capture device you want to use, and then, in Audio input source, click the input line you want to use.
  • To adjust the volume of your captured audio, move the Input level slider to the level you want to use.
  1. In the Enter a file name for your captured video box, enter a file name for your captured video file. Then, in the Choose a place to save your captured video box, select the location where you want your video to be saved or click Browse to select a location.
  2. On the Video Setting page, select the video setting you want to use for capturing video and audio.
  3. To separate the video into smaller clips, select the Create clips when wizard finishes check box.
  4. To prevent audio from playing over your speakers while capturing video, select the Mute speakers check box.
  5. To automatically stop capturing after a time period has elapsed, select the Capture time limit check box, and then type or select the length of time you want to capture. Time is displayed in the form of hours:minutes (h:mm).
  6. Using the controls on your analog camera or VCR, locate the video and audio you want to capture from your tape.
  7. To begin capturing, click Start Capture, and then press the Play button on your analog camera or VCR.
  8. Do one of the following:

  • When the tape reaches the point at which you want to stop capturing, click Stop Capture, and then press the Stop button on your analog camera or VCR.
  • If you have selected the Capture time limit check box, wait for the specified amount of time for video to be captured, and then press the Stop button on your analog camera or VCR.
  1. Repeat steps 9 through 11 for each part of the video tape you want to capture.
  2. When you have finished capturing, click Finish to close the Video Capture Wizard. The captured content is imported into a new collection with the same name as the specified video file.

Capturing live video

To capture live video

  1. Make sure the capture device is connected properly. If you are using a DV or analog camera, set the mode on your camera to capture live video and audio (often labeled Camera).
  2. On the File menu, click Capture Video.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Capture from video device.
  3. On the Video Capture Device page, do the following:

  • In Available devices, click the analog device you want to use to capture video, and then, in the Video input source list, click the input line you want to use.
  • If you want to adjust and configure the video capture device settings, click Configure.
  • In the Audio device list, click the audio capture device you want to use, and then, in Audio input source, click the input line that you want to use.
  • To adjust the volume of your captured audio, move the Input level slider to the level you want to use.
  1. In the Enter a file name for your captured video box, enter a file name for your captured video file. Then, in the Choose a place to save your captured video box, select the location where you want your video to be saved or click Browse to select a location.
  2. On the Video Setting page, select the video setting you want to use for capturing video and audio.
  3. To separate the video into smaller clips after the wizard completes and the video is captured, select the Create clips when wizard finishes check box.
  4. To prevent audio from playing over your speakers while capturing video, select the Mute speakers check box.
  5. To automatically stop capturing after a time period has elapsed, select the Capture time limit check box, and then type or select the length of time you want to capture. Time is displayed in the form of hours:minutes (h:mm).
  6. To begin capturing, click Start Capture.
  7. Do one of the following:

  • To stop capturing, click Stop Capture.
  • If you have selected the Capture time limit check box, wait for the specified amount of time for video to be captured.
  1. Repeat steps 9 and 10 to capture another segment of live video.
  2. Click Finish to close the Video Capture Wizard. The captured content is imported into a new collection.

Note If you are using a DV camera that is connected to an IEEE 1394 port to capture live video, the audio and video input sources do not appear.

Importing existing digital media files

You can import existing digital media files that are supported by Windows Movie Maker to use for your project. The files you can import might be stored on and imported from your hard disk on your computer, a shared network location, a CD, or on removable media. When importing files in Windows Movie Maker, you can import one file or multiple files at one time.

To import existing digital media files

  1. On the File menu, click Import into Collections.
    –or–
    Do one of the following, depending on what type of digital media file you want to import:

  • In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Import video.
  • In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Import pictures.
  • In the Movie Tasks pane, under Capture Video, click Import audio or music.
  1. In File name, enter the path and file name of the file you want to import, and then click Import.
  2. If you want selected video files to be separated into smaller clips, select the Create clips for video files check box.

To import multiple digital media files at the same time

  • Do one of the following:
  • For consecutive files, click the first file in the list, press and hold down the SHIFT key, and then click the last file in the list.
  • For files that are not consecutive, press and hold down the CTRL key, and then click each file that you want to import.

To import a file from a Windows Movie Maker collection

  1. On the File menu, click Import into Collections.
  2. In the Files of type box, select Windows Movie Maker 1.x Collection Files.
  3. In File name, enter the path and file name of the collections file you want to import, and then click Import.

Capturing a picture from a video

In Windows Movie Maker, you can capture individual frames of captured or imported video, and then use the resulting picture in your movie.

To take a picture from video in the monitor

  1. In the Contents pane or on the storyboard/timeline, select the video clip you want to take a picture from.
  2. Do one of the following:

  • On the monitor, move the playback indicator on the seek bar to the frame of the video that you want to capture as a picture.
    –or–
  • On the Play menu, click Play Storyboard or Play Timeline, depending on the view you are working in, and then pause playback at the frame of video you want to capture as a picture.
  1. On the Tools menu, click Take Picture from Preview.
    –or–
    On the monitor, click the Take Picture button.
  2. In the File name box, enter a name for the picture file, and then click Save.

Working with projects, collections, and clips

Saving projects

Saving your project lets you keep your current work, and then later open the file in Windows Movie Maker to make further changes. When you save a project, the arrangement of clips added to the storyboard/timeline, as well as any video transitions, video effects, titles, credits, and any other edits you made, are retained.

To save a project

  1. On the File menu, click Save Project.
  2. In the File name box, type the file name, and then click Save.

To save a project with a new name

  1. On the File menu, click Save Project As.
  2. In the File name box, type the new file name, and then click Save.

Previewing projects and clips

As you work on a project, you can preview the project periodically in the monitor to check your editing. Or, if you want to preview individual clips, you can use the Contents pane to ensure you captured the content you want to use in your movies. Use the playback buttons to move from frame to frame or from clip to clip.

To preview a project

  1. Add one or more clips to the storyboard/timeline.
  2. On the Play menu, click Rewind Storyboard or Rewind Timeline to go to the beginning of the project.
  3. On the Play menu, click Play Storyboard or Play Timeline.

To preview a clip

  1. In the Contents pane, click the clip you want to preview.
  2. On the Play menu, click Play Clip.

To pause or stop previewing a project

  • As video, audio, a video effect, or video transition is playing in the monitor, on the Play menu, click Pause Clip or Stop.

To jump to a frame

  • As video is either playing or paused in the monitor, on the Play menu, click Previous Frame or Next Frame.

To jump to a clip in a project

  1. Open a project.
  2. Click a clip in the storyboard/timeline.
  3. Do one of the following:

  • On the Play menu, click Back to view the previous clip in your project.
  • On the Play menu, click Forward to view the next clip in your project.

Creating and editing projects

As you work on a project, you can preview it in the monitor at any time to get an idea of the end result. You can save your work as a project and return to work on it again.

To create a new project

  • On the File menu, click New Project.

To open a project

  1. On the File menu, click Open Project.
  2. In the File name box, locate the saved project file, and click Open.

To switch the view of a project

  • On the View menu, do one of the following:
  • To view your project on the storyboard, click Storyboard.
  • To view your project on the timeline, click Timeline.

To add a clip to a project

  1. In the Collections pane, click the collection that contains the clip you want to add to your project. Then, in the Contents pane, click the clip you want to add.
  2. On the Clip menu, click Add to Storyboard or Add to Timeline (depending on the view you are working in).

To remove a clip from a project

  • Click the clip in the storyboard/timeline, click Edit, and then click Delete.

To clear the storyboard/timeline

  • On the Edit menu, click Clear Timeline or Clear Storyboard, depending on which view you are working in.

Editing clips

In Windows Movie Maker, you have several options for editing clips.

  • Splitting a clip. You can split a video clip into two clips. This is useful if you want to insert a picture or a video transition in the middle of a clip. You can split a clip that appears on the storyboard/timeline of a current project, or you can split the clip in the Contents pane.
  • Combining clips. You can combine two or more contiguous video clips. Contiguous means the clips were captured together so that the end time of one clip is the same as the start time of the next clip. Combining clips is useful if you have several short clips and you want to view them as one clip on the storyboard/timeline. Similar to splitting a clip, you can combine contiguous clips in the Contents pane or on the storyboard/timeline.
  • Trimming a clip. You can hide parts of a clip you do not want in your project. For example, you can trim the beginning or end of a clip. Trimming does not remove the information from the source material. You can clear the trim points to return the clip to its original length at any time. Clips can only be trimmed after they have been added to the storyboard/timeline. You cannot trim clips in the Contents pane.
  • Creating clips. You also create clips from video clips after they have been imported or captured in Windows Movie Maker. This lets you create clips at any time when working in Windows Movie Maker. By separating video clips into smaller clips, you can easily find a particular part of your captured or imported video to use in your movie.

To split a video or audio clip

  1. In the Contents pane or on the storyboard/timeline, click the clip you want to split.
  2. On the Play menu, click Play Clip, and then click Pause Clip on the Play menu to pause the video at the point you want to split the clip.
    –or–
    On the monitor, move the playback indicator on the seek bar to the point you want to split the clip.
  3. On the Clip menu, click Split.

To combine a split audio or video clip

  1. In the Contents pane or on the storyboard/timeline, hold down the CTRL key, and then select the contiguous clips you want to combine.
  2. On the Clip menu, click Combine. The name and property information of the first clip in the group is used for the new clip and the time is adjusted accordingly.

To trim a clip

  1. On the View menu, click Timeline.
  2. In the Collections pane, click the collection that contains the clip you want to add, and then click the clip you want to trim in the Contents pane.
  3. On the Clip menu, click Add to Timeline.
  4. On the timeline, select the clip you want to trim.
  5. On the timeline, click the playback indicator and drag it to the point where you want to trim the clip.
    –or–
    Use the playback controls on the monitor to go to the point where you want to trim the clip.
  6. Do the following:

  • When the playback indicator is at the point where you want the selected video or audio clip to start playing back, on the Clip menu, click Set Start Trim Point.
  • When the playback indicator is at the point where you want the selected video or audio clip to stop playing back, on the Clip menu, click Set End Trim Point.

To clear trim points

  1. On the timeline with a project opened, click the trimmed clip.
  2. On the Clip menu, click Clear Trim Points.

To create clips for an existing video clip

  1. In the Contents pane, select the video clip for which you want to detect clips.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Create Clips.

Organizing collections and clips

You can organize the source material you capture into collections and clips for use in future projects. A collection serves as a container for clips, which you can organize in many ways. You can change how your clips are displayed in the Contents pane to see varying amounts of detail about the individual clips within a collection.

To create a collection

  1. In the Collections pane, click the collection folder you want to add your new collection to.
  2. On the Tools menu, click New Collection Folder.
  3. Type a name for the collection.

To delete a collection

  1. In the Collections pane, click the collection you want to delete.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Delete.

To arrange clips in the Contents pane

  1. In the Collections pane, click the collection folder that contains the video clips, audio clips, or pictures you want to arrange.
  2. On the View menu, point to Arrange Icons By, and then choose the property you want to display the clips by in the Contents pane.

To change the clip view

  • Do one of the following:
  • To view the title and a bitmap image of each clip in the collection, on the View menu, click Thumbnails.
  • To view all the properties of each clip in the collection, on the View menu, click Details.

To copy a clip in a collection

  1. In the Contents pane, click the clip or clips that you want to copy.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
  3. In the Collections pane, click the collection that you want to copy the clips to, and then click in the Contents pane.
  4. On the Edit menu, click Paste.

To delete a clip from a collection

  1. In the Collections pane, click the collection that contains the clip you want to delete, and then in the Contents pane, click the clip.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Delete.

Working with audio

You can adjust the audio levels between the Audio tracks (captured as part of a video clip on the Audio track) and Audio/Music tracks (audio that was captured or imported and added to the Audio/Music track). Adjusting the audio levels determines which audio will play louder than the other in your movie.

Adjusting audio levels

To adjust audio levels

  1. On the Tools menu, click Audio Levels.
  2. Do one of the following:

  • To increase the audio level of audio on the Audio/Music track, drag the slider bar towards Audio/Music.
  • To increase the audio level of audio on the Audio track that is part of a video clip, drag the slider bar towards Audio from video.
  1. Click the Close button to close the Audio Levels dialog box.

Adding audio effects

Using Windows Movie Maker, you can add basic audio effects to your project. The basic audio effects include:

  • Mute. The audio is not played and cannot be heard during playback.
  • Fade In. The audio gradually increases until it reaches the final playback level.
  • Fade Out. The audio gradually decreases until it can no longer be heard.

To add an audio effect

  1. On the Audio or Audio/Music track of the timeline, select the audio clip.
  2. Do one of the following:

  • To fade in the audio, on the Clip menu, point to Audio, and then click Fade In.
  • To fade out the audio, on the Clip menu, point to Audio, and then click Fade Out.

To remove an audio effect

  1. On the Audio or Audio/Music track of the timeline, select the audio clip that has an added audio effect.
  2. On the Clip menu, point to Audio, and then clear the selected effect. Any audio effects, such as a fade in, fade out, or muting are removed from the audio.

To mute audio

  1. On the Audio or Audio/Music track of the timeline, select the audio clip that you want to mute.
  2. On the Clip menu, point to Audio, and then click Mute.

Adjusting the volume of an audio clip

You can change the volume of a selected video or audio clip on the timeline.

To adjust the volume of an audio clip

  1. On the Audio or Audio/Music track of the timeline, select the audio clip that you want to adjust the volume for.
  2. On the Clip menu, point to Audio, and then click Volume.
  3. To adjust the volume, do one of the following:

  • To reduce the volume, move the Audio volume level slider to the left.
  • To increase the volume, move the Audio volume level slider to the right.
  • To mute the clip, select the Mute clip check box.
  • To reset the volume to the original volume, click Reset.

Using transitions, effects, titles, and credits

Working with video transitions

A video transition controls how your movie plays from one video clip or picture to the next. You can add a transition between two pictures, video clips, or titles, in any combination, on the storyboard/timeline. The transition plays before the one clip ends and while the other clip starts to play. Windows Movie Maker contains various transitions you can add to your project. Transitions are stored in the Video Transitions folder in the collections pane.

To add a video transition

  1. On the storyboard/timeline, select the second of the two video clips or pictures that you want to add a transition between.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Video Transitions.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Edit Movie, click View video transitions.
  3. In the Contents pane, click the video transition you want to add.
  4. On the Clip menu, click Add to Timeline or Add to Storyboard.

To change the video transition duration

  • On the Transition track of the timeline, do one of the following:
  • To increase the transition duration, drag the beginning of the transition towards the beginning of the timeline.
  • To decrease the transition duration, drag the beginning of the transition towards the end of the timeline.

To remove a video transition

  1. Do one of the following:

  • On the storyboard, select the transition cell that contains the transition you want to remove.
  • On the timeline, click the transition that you want to remove on the Transition track.
  1. On the Edit menu, click Delete.

Adding or removing video effects

To add a video effect

  1. On the storyboard/timeline, select the video clip or picture to which you want to add the video effect.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Video Effects.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Edit Movie, click View video effects.
  3. In the Contents pane, click the video effect you want to add.
  4. On the Clip menu, click Add to Timeline or Add to Storyboard.

To remove a video effect

  1. Select the video clip or picture in the storyboard/timeline that you want to remove a video effect from.
  2. On the Clip menu, point to Video, and then click Video effects.
  3. In the Displayed effects area, click the effect you want to remove, and then click Remove.

Working with titles and credits

To add a title or credit

  1. On the Tools menu, click Titles and Credits.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Edit Movie, click Make titles or credits.
  2. On the Where do you want to add a title? page, click one of the links depending on where you want to add the title.
  3. In the Enter Text for Title page, type the text you want to appear as the title.
  4. Click Change the title animation, and then on the Choose the Title Animation page, select a title animation from the list.
  5. Click Change the text font and color, and then on the Select Title Font and Color page, choose the font, font color, formatting, background color, transparency, font size, and position of the title.
  6. Click Done, add title to movie to add the title to your movie.

To edit an existing title

  1. On the storyboard/timeline, select the title you want to edit.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Edit Title.
  3. On the Enter Text for Title page, type the text you want to appear as the title.
  4. If you want to change the title animation, click Change the title animation. Then, on the Choose the Title Animation page, select a title animation from the list.
    –or–
    If you want to change the text and font colors, click Change the text font and color. Then, on the Select Title Font and Color page, choose the font, font color, formatting, background color, transparency, font size, and position of the title text.
  5. Click Done to add the title to your movie.

To change the title duration

  1. After the title is added to the storyboard/timeline, on the View menu, click Timeline.
  2. Select the title you want to change the duration that it displays.
  3. Do one of the following:

  • To extend the playback duration of the title, drag the end trim handle toward the end of the timeline.
  • To reduce the playback duration of the title, drag the start trim handle toward the end of the timeline.

To remove a title

  1. On the storyboard/timeline, select the title you want to remove from your movie.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Delete.

Saving and sending movies

Saving a movie

To save a movie on your computer

  1. On the File menu, click Save Movie File, and then click My computer.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Finish Movie, click Save to my computer.
  2. In the Enter a file name for your saved movie box, type a name for your movie.
  3. In the Choose a place to save your movie box, do one of the following:

  • Choose the path and folder name from the list of available places in the drop-down box.
  • Click Browse to choose a new place that is not already listed in the drop-down box.
  • To create a new folder, click Make New Folder in the Browse For File dialog box, and then type a name for the new folder.
  1. On the Movie Setting page, do one of the following:

  • To use the default movie setting, click Best quality for playback on my computer (recommended). The specific setting details, such as the file type, bit rate, display size, aspect ratio, and frames per second displayed in the video, are shown in the Setting details area.
  • To use a different movie setting, click Show more choices, and then choose another movie setting from the list.
  1. If you want to watch your movie after completing the wizard, select the Play movie when I click Finish check box.
  2. After the movie is saved, click Finish.

To save a movie to a CD-R or CD-RW

  1. On the File menu, click Save Movie File, and then click Recordable CD.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Finish Movie, click Save to CD.
  2. In the Enter a file name for your saved movie box, type a name for your movie.
  3. In the Enter a name for the CD box, type a name for the CD.
  4. On the Movie Setting page, do one of the following:

  • To use the default movie setting, click Best quality for recordable CD (recommended). The specific setting details, such as the file type, bit rate, display size, aspect ratio, and frames per second displayed in the video, are shown in the Setting details area.
  • To use a different movie setting, click Show more choices, and then choose another movie setting from the list.
  1. To save the movie to another recordable CD, select the Save this movie to another recordable CD. Replace the recordable CD with another, and then repeat steps 2 through 4.

Sending a movie

To send a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message

  1. On the File menu, click Save Movie File, and then click E-mail.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Finish Movie, click Send in e-mail.
  2. After the movie is saved, do any of the following:

  • To play the movie in your default player before sending it, click Play the movie.
  • To save a local copy of the movie on your computer in addition to sending as an e-mail attachment, click Save a copy of my movie on my computer, enter a movie file name in the File name box, and then click Save.
  1. In your default e-mail program, enter the e-mail address of the person you are sending the movie to, add any additional text to the body, and then send the message.
  2. If your movie cannot be attached to an e-mail message automatically by Windows Movie Maker, you can still send your movie by saving it to your computer, and then manually attaching the movie file to an e-mail message in your e-mail program.

To send a movie to a video hosting provider on the Web

  1. On the File menu, click Save Movie File, and then click The Web.
    –or–
    In the Movie Tasks pane, under Finish Movie, click Send to the Web.
  2. In the Enter a file name for your saved movie box, type a name for your movie.
  3. On the Movie Setting page, do one of the following:

  • Choose one of the movie settings that best matches the Internet connection speed of your intended audience.
  • Click Show more choices, and select one of the additional movie settings.
  • Wait for your movie to be saved.
  1. On the Select a Video Hosting Provider and Sign In page, do one of the following:

  • If you have an account with a video hosting provider, in the Provider name list, click the video hosting provider that you have an account with, in the User name box, type your user name, and then in the Password box, type your password. If you want to save your password, select the Remember my password check box.
  • If you do not have an account with a video hosting provider, click Sign up now to see a list of video hosting providers available for your country or region, and then sign up and establish an account with a provider. Sign in with your new user name and password.
  • Wait for your movie to be uploaded to the video hosting provider’s server.
  1. Do any of the following:

  • To play the movie on the Web after you close the wizard, select the Watch my movie on the Web after I click Finish check box.
  • To save a local copy of the movie on your computer and upload a copy to the video hosting provider’s server, click Save a copy of my movie on my computer.

Configuring Windows Movie Maker

Setting general options

To automatically open the last project when Windows Movie Maker starts

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.
  2. Select the Open last project on startup check box.

To restore default general settings

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.
  2. Click Restore All Defaults if you want the options displayed on the General tab to be set to the original default settings.

Setting advanced options

To specify default durations

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
  2. To specify the default durations for digital media files and video transitions, do the following:

  • For Picture duration, enter the time (in seconds) you want pictures to play back by default when added to the storyboard/timeline.
  • For Transition duration, enter the time (in seconds) you want added video transitions to play back by default when added to the storyboard/timeline.

To set the video format

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
  2. Depending on your DV camera or VCR and the video format it uses, do one of the following:

  • Select NTSC if your DV camera or VCR uses the NTSC video format standard.
  • Select PAL if your DV camera or VCR uses the PAL video format standard.

To set the aspect ratio

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
  2. Do one of the following, based on the aspect ratio you want to use for your saved movies:

  • Choose 4:3 if you want saved movies to be displayed at an aspect ratio of 4:3.
  • Choose 16:9 if you want saved movies to be displayed at an aspect ratio of 16:9.