Windows Movie Maker: How to use? Step-by-step instruction

Many users want to create from their photos or videos a full-fledged video or film that would not be inferior in quality to professional videos. For this, it is not at all necessary to use complex programs used in the filming of movies or clips. Just turn to the Windows Movie Maker application. How to use this program, we will discuss later in the article.

Just note that this utility is included in all versions of Windows operating systems except the eighth and tenth modifications. Therefore, if you want to work with the application in these environments, the program will first have to be downloaded and installed on your computer.

What kind of Movie Maker?

As a built-in system or an 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 movies to make a small video from alternating photos and pictures of footage recorded on the camera with an overlay of the audio track and visual Effects.

Of course, it's not about professional editing right now. Yes, this, by and large, the normal user and do not need. But using Window Movie Maker is very easy. The program is designed for that.

First introduction to the interface

So, we have Windows Movie Maker. How to use this application, we will consider on the basis of 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 to study the question directly - how to use Windows Movie Maker 2.6, you should study its interface. There are several basic elements here:

• Main panel with menu sections;
• The scope of tasks and operations sections;
• Scale storyboards and time;
• Window content (elements that are inserted into the movie);
• Preview window of the 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 possibility of adding graphics, video and audio of almost all formats known today (with rare exceptions) with the possibility of synchronization.

Here the main tool is a special timeline located at the bottom of the main program window. In the task bar that is on the left, most operations are available, which will be used to import content, overlay effects, add sound, titles, etc. In principle, when deciding how to use Windows Movie Maker, the menu in the main panel at the top And not open, because all the basic commands that assume an action are always at hand and in all menus are simply duplicated (in fact, as in all other editors from Microsoft). Now go directly to the process of creating a movie.

How to use Windows Movie Maker 2.6: adding video and graphics

Initially, in order to create a full-fledged video, you need to add the elements to be used in it. The first step in the taskbar can be to import video or images.

When you click on each link, a navigation window opens, where you can add the desired items by selecting the location of the files you are looking for. They will first appear in the above-mentioned content area of Windows Movie Maker.

How to use the added files to set the order of their display?

This is done by dragging each item on the storyboard scale (all files can not be dragged at once, so you'll have to add them to the scale of the future clip one at a time). If necessary, the user-selected order can be changed directly in the scale.

In case of adding video material, again, in the scale, it can be edited and in duration. For example, to reduce the playback time, the inserted clip can be shortened using the clip splitting point. Then left click on the frame, after which two red arrows will appear on the screen. Moving them in different directions can increase or shorten the duration of each part.

Overlay audio track

The soundtrack is inserted in exactly the same import method as in the cases with images, but at the moment, audio import is selected. The selected audio files should also be placed on the timeline.

Naturally, the duration of audio and video fragments may not coincide. Audio is edited by reducing or increasing the duration of the sound. If desired, you can add a new audio file to 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 really attractive video, first of all you need to pay attention to the fact that the meaning of the image corresponds to the musical accompaniment. Agree, it is absolutely ridiculous to look like a relaxing movie with wild nature with the sound track of some "heavy" group.

Apply effects and transitions

So, preliminary actions are finished. Now, to make the video more attractive, and the pictures do not change dramatically, you need to insert transitions (overflow or conversion of one image to another when changing them).

To do this, use the line of video transitions in the clip menu (sometimes a service section) on the main panel. The selected transition should be dragged to the scale and placed between two adjacent fragments.

Next, in the question of how to use Movie Maker for Windows 7, for example, you can not ignore the addition of special effects, from the application of which the final video will only benefit.

To do this, use the appropriate line in the taskbar. Selected effects, again, you just need to drag on the desired frame in the scale. In this case, you can apply your own effect to each frame (or to the broken parts of the main imported element).

Add captions

Finally, if you want, you can add titles and title. Many users like to sign their clips or insert information, for example, with a description of the location in which the survey was performed.

For this operation, all in the same task bar the title and title bar is used, after which it will be necessary to specify the insertion point for the program (for example, the title at the beginning of the clip and the titles at the end) and edit the text.

Instead of the total

Here is briefly and everything that concerns Windows Movie Maker. How to use this application, I think, is already clear. The whole process, as can already be seen, is reduced to dragging the necessary elements to the scale. Such editing of video and audio, of course, can not be attributed to a professional one, but to quickly create an unpretentious video from some own set of graphics, video and audio (especially for novice users only getting to know the basics of working with clips), the program will go as well as possible .