Many users want to create a full-fledged video clip or movie from their photos or videos, which would not be inferior in quality to professional videos. To do this, it is not at all necessary to use complex programs used when shooting films or clips. It is enough to turn to the Windows Movie Maker application. How to use this program, we will consider later in the article.
Immediately note that this utility is included in all versions of Windows operating systems except for the eighth and tenth modifications. Therefore, if you intend to work with the application in these environments, you will first have to download and install the program on your computer yourself.
What is Movie Maker?
As a built-in or additionally installed application, Movie Maker is the simplest video editor that allows in a matter of minutes even a person who is absolutely far from creating clips and films to make a small video from interleaved photos andimages of footage captured on the camera with an overlay of an audio track and visual effects.
Of course, we are not talking about professional editing now. Yes, this, by and large, is not necessary for the average user. But using Window Movie Maker is very simple. The program is designed for this.
First acquaintance with the interface
So, we have Windows Movie Maker. How to use this application, we will consider based on its version 2.6. It is important to know that it is included in the standard set of Windows 7 or XP.
Before you start directly studying the question - how to use Windows Movie Maker 2.6, you should study its interface. There are several basic elements here:
- main panel with menu sections;
- task and operation section area;
- storyboard and timeline;
- content window (elements that are inserted into the video);
- preview window of finished video.
Main features and initial settings of the program
Among the tools offered by the application, first of all, it should be noted the ability to add graphics, video and audio in almost all known formats today (with rare exceptions) with the ability to synchronize.
Here the main tool is a special timeline located at the bottom of the main program window. On the taskbar on the left,most of the operations that will be used to import content, apply effects, add sound, titles, etc. are available. In principle, when deciding how to use Windows Movie Maker, the menu on the main panel at the top can not be opened, since all the main commands, suggesting this or that action, are always at hand and are simply duplicated in all menus (in fact, as in all other editors from Microsoft). Now we proceed directly to the process of creating a video.
How to use Windows Movie Maker 2.6: add videos and graphics
Initially, to create a full-fledged video, you need to add the elements that you intend to use to it. First of all, in the taskbar, you can use the import of videos or images.
When you click on each link, a navigation window opens, in which you can add the necessary elements by selecting the location of the files you are looking for. They will first appear in the above content area of Windows Movie Maker.
How do I use uploaded files to set the order in which they are shown?
This is done by dragging each element onto the storyboard timeline (you cannot drag all files at once, so you will have to add them to the future video timeline one by one). If necessary, the order selected by the user can be changed directly in the scale.
In the case of adding video material, again, in the scale, itcan be edited for duration. For example, to reduce playback time, an inserted clip can be shortened using the clip splitting option. This is followed by a left click on the frame, after which two red arrows will appear on the screen. By moving them in different directions, you can increase or decrease the duration of each part.
Overdub audio track
Insert audio using exactly the same import method as for images, but audio import is currently selected. The selected audio files must also be placed on the timeline.
Of course, the duration of audio and video fragments may not match. Audio is edited by reducing or increasing the duration of the sound. If desired, you can add a new audio file at the end of the previous one (the duration of the sound is also displayed on the timeline). But even this is not the main thing.
In fact, if you want to make a truly attractive video, first of all, you need to pay attention to the fact that the meaning of the image matches the musical accompaniment. Agree, a relaxing video with wildlife with the soundtrack of some "heavy" band will look absolutely ridiculous.
Apply effects and transitions
So, the preliminaries are over. Now, to make the video more attractive, and the pictures do not change abruptly, you need to insert transitions (flowing or transforming oneimages to another when changing them).
To do this, use the line of video transitions in the clip menu (sometimes this is the service section) on the main panel. The selected transition must be dragged onto the scale and placed between two adjacent fragments.
Next, on the question of how to use Movie Maker for Windows 7, for example, you can not ignore the addition of special effects, from the use of which the final video will only benefit.
For this, the corresponding line in the taskbar is used. The selected effects, again, you just need to drag to the desired frame in the timeline. In this case, each frame (or broken parts of the main imported element) can be applied its own effect.
Adding titles
Finally, you can add sub titles and a title if you wish. Many users like to caption their clips or insert information, say, describing the location where the filming took place.
For this operation, the line of titles and titles is still used in the same taskbar, after which you will need to indicate to the program the insertion point (for example, the title is at the beginning of the video, and the titles are at the end) and edit the text.
Instead of total
That's all about Windows Movie Maker in a nutshell. How to use this application, I think, is already clear. The whole process, as you can already see, comes down to dragging the necessary elements onto the scale. Such video and audio editing, of course, to a professionalcan not be attributed, but to quickly create a simple video from some of your own set of graphics, video and audio (especially for novice users who are just delving into the basics of working with clips), the program will do just fine.
