How can you turn your home videos folder into a movie everyone wants to see? The key to any good film is the editing process. Windows Movie Maker can turn your collection of video clips into a single masterpiece, complete with credits, background music, and sweet transitions between videos. Follow this guide to make great-to-watch home videos.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Getting Started
Step 1. Download Windows Essentials
This is a free software package from Microsoft that contains Windows Movie Maker as well as several other Windows utilities. You can find this installation program from the Microsoft site.
Windows Movie Maker is included with Windows Vista and XP, but needs to be downloaded for Windows 7 and 8
Step 2. Open Windows Movie Maker
You can find it in your Start Menu under all programs, or you can type "movie maker" and select the name from the search results.
Step 3. Familiarize yourself with the interface
Windows Movie Maker 2012 is organized in a similar way to Microsoft Office. You can navigate through the various options by selecting the tabs at the top of the window.
- Home – this is the main tab in Movie Maker. You can use this tab to add video, images, and audio to your project. You can also choose a pre-made theme for your movie, play your images, and upload your project to sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo.
- Animation – This tab allows you to add transitions between clips.
- Visual Effects – This tab allows you to change the color and tone of the image. You can change the image to black and white or change its color saturation.
- Project – You can make comprehensive changes to your entire project by adjusting the audio mix and changing the video aspect ratio.
- View – This tab allows you to zoom in and out of videos on the timeline, change thumbnail sizes, and to view waveforms in your movie audio.
- Edit – This menu appears after you add your first video clip. You can use this tab to trim clips, set a new start point or end point, fade in and out, and stabilize the video.
- Options – This tab appears after you add music files to your project. You can define the start and end of your music, fade in and out, and split the file.
Part 2 of 3: Making Movies
Step 1. Add your video clip
Click the Home tab then click the "Add videos and photos" button. This allows you to browse your computer for video files. You can also drag and drop files into the main window to add videos to your project.
- If you want to create a slideshow, or add some still images to your project, you can add images in the same way as videos.
- If you have a webcam connected to your computer, you can click the "Webcam Video" button and record a clip directly into your project.
Step 2. Shuffle your clips
Once you've added a few clips, you can drag and drop them to rearrange them to your liking. This can be very useful if you later need to add a clip in your project but want to place the clip in the middle of the film.
Step 3. Edit the clip you have added
Highlight one of your clips and click the Options tab. Move the cursor at the point in the clip you want to cut. You can set that point as Start or End, or you can split the video at that point by clicking the appropriate button in the Options tab.
If you're having trouble placing your cursor on a particular section, you can enter the exact time in the field
Step 4. Add transitions between your clips
Select the first clip then click the Animations tab. The Transition section will show the animation that will play at the beginning of your movie.
To add a transition between the first clip and the second clip, select the second clip in your project. You can choose from the available transitions. Use the arrow keys at the end of the Transition list to browse through more options
Step 5. Add the soundtrack
Click the Home tab. If you want to add narration to your video, click the "Record narration" button. This you can use to record your voice if you attach a microphone to your computer.
To add music files to your movie, click the "Add music" button. You can choose to download music for free from the internet or add music files from your computer
Step 6. Add a title
You can add a title at the beginning of each clip if you wish. This can be very useful for presentations. Click the Add Title button on the Home tab. This will form the title screen and open the Format tab, which you can use to change the text properties and background color of the title.
Step 7. Add credit
Clicking the "Add credits" button on the Home tab will add a credit card at the end of your project. You can add multiple cards to get multiple credit screens, and you can use the Effects section of the Format tab to create credits that roll like in real movies.
Part 3 of 3: Finishing the Movie
Step 1. Preview your creation
Once you're done stringing things together, use the “Preview full screen” button on the View tab to watch the film from start to finish. Take note of anything that isn't working right or that needs to be changed.
Step 2. Share the video directly to social networks
You can use the Share section of the Home tab to upload your videos directly to sites like YouTube and Facebook. Movie Maker will ask you what resolution to save the movie at, then ask you to sign in with your Microsoft Account. Once you do that, you can upload your video, as long as it complies with the guidelines set by the site where you uploaded the video.
You must have a verified YouTube account to upload videos longer than 15 minutes
Step 3. Save the video to your computer
Click the arrow below the "Save movie" button on the Home tab to open a list of standard formats you can use to save your video. Select the device you want to use to play the video, and Movie Maker will do the conversion automatically.
- The first option is the recommended setting for your specific project.
- You can select “Create custom settings” to determine how to properly encode your video.
