Tip # 1: Save and Save Often

Tip # 1: Save and Save Often!!!

Tip #2: I have found working with moviemaker that it is much easier if you save all of your pictures, audio, video and movie makers to the same file. Create a new folder and title it MOVIEMAKER. SAVE EVERYTHING TO THIS FOLDER B4 YOU IMPORT INTO MOVIEMAKER!!! Ie Find picture on google images, save to your moviemaker folder, then import to moviemaker.

Premoviemaker work!

1. Find all pictures. Video or audio files on the internet (I find google is the best search engine)

2. Save them all to your newly created moviemaker folder.

DO THIS FIRST!!!

Part 1: Working With the Storyboard

Create Your Photo Collection

1. Open Microsoft Movie Maker and click “Import pictures”. Navigate to your movimaker folder, hold down the control key and click on every picture that you want to import into your Movie Maker collection. Later you can import more if you change your mind. All photo editing must be done ahead of time.

2. Now click “Import video” if you have video clips. Navigate to your moviemaker folder, click on your clips and click “import”. (Important note, import only one clip at a time) You will notice that when you import clips they are now subdivided into several smaller clips. You will be able to trim them up later.

3. Now click on “Import audio or music”. Once again navigate to your folder and import your music. You can import more that one piece of music but only one selection at a time.

Tip # 2: Save and Save Often!!!

Editing Video Clips (only applicable if you have video clips)

You have now created your collection for the project that you will be working on. You may go back later and add to the collection or even delete items that you do not want to use. Now is the time to take a good look at your video clips and decide if you want to edit them.

1. When you imported your video clips you will notice that they were broken into separate smaller clips as it was imported. You can drag the clips down to your story board as is, split or trim the clips and also add transitions later. If you drag them down as is and line them up in order it will be just like 1 big clip. As you begin to think about trimming your clips pay close listen to your music. Think about how long you want your clips and pictures to play and how it fits in with the music. In other words think about the story that you want to tell.

2. To trim a clip, click on the clip and click play in the viewing screen. You can trim from the beginning or end of a clip. Play the clip several times until you decide where to trim it. As you play the clip, click pause and use the forward and back frame buttons to find the right spot to clip.

Once you are satisfied click the split clip button and split your clip. You should now have 2 clips in your collection that came from the clip that you split. If you are trimming out pieces that you will not need (Uncle Fred’s sneeze, your most embarrassing moment etc.) right mouse click on the unneeded clip and delete it from your collection.

3. If you decide to trim a clip after placing it on the storyboard, click view timeline and simply drag the beginning or ending of a clip.

Tip #3: Save and Save Often

Putting Together Your Storyboard

1. At the bottom of the screen you should be in Storyboard view, if not click show storyboard.

2. Decide how you want your pictures and clips arranged on the storyboard at the bottom of the screen. You will go back later and put in titles and effects.

3. Start at the beginning of the storyboard and begin dragging and dropping video clips and pictures onto the storyboard. If you change your mind about placement simply click on a picture or clip and drag it where you want it. To delete something, right mouse click and click delete.

Tip # 4: To periodically view your movie click the play storyboard button that is located over the storyboard on the left of the screen.

Special Effects

There are many special effects and transitions available in Movie Maker and these effects and transitions can add sparkle and emotion to your movie if you don’t go overboard

Video Effects

1. Click on “View video effects” and click on an effect to see it.

2. Pick an effect and drag in down to the storyboard and drop it onto a clip or picture. To remove an effect right mouse click on the picture or clip and click on “video effects”. Then click “remove” and OK.

3. Remember to use effects sparingly or they become distracting.

Make Titles or Credits

1. Click on a clip where you want some text to appear, before, on or after.

2. Click “Make titles or credits” and click where you want your text to show up.

3. Type you test in the boxes, (top box titles, bottom box subtitles)

4. Click “Change the title animation” for animation changes and click on an animation for titles or credits

5. You may now change the background, font color, style and text for your title or credit.

6. Click “Change the text font and color” and make your changes

7. When you finish, click “Done, add title to movie.”

Video Transitions

1. Click on “View video transitions”

2. On your storyboard you will see small boxes between all of your titles, pictures and video clips.

3. Click on a transition to view it and then drag it down to the storyboard and drop it between two clips.

Part 2: Working With the Timeline

At this point you have actually completed most of the work and are now ready to add a last few finishing touches.

1. To work in the timeline first click “Show timeline.” You have now gone from 1 line at the bottom to 5 lines. You will already have something on the video line, something on the transition line and possibly something on the audio line.

2. On the audio line if you imported video and it had sound this is where it will appear. You can right mouse click on any of the audio clips on this line and click delete to cut out any unwanted audio or just mute the audio.

3. On this audio line you also have the option of inserting narration however, you will need a microphone. For narration, click on the microphone button on the bottom next to where you switch from storyboard to timeline (you can only record narration under timeline view).

4. Drag the playback indicator (blue line) on the timeline to an empty point on the audio/music track, click “start narration” and begin your narration

5. When you have finished click done

6. You also have the option to add music to your movie. You know, set the mood!

7. To add music click on your audio titles in your collection and drag them to the “Audio/Music” line at the bottom. To shorten a clip, drag the clip in from either side of the clip. To make your music transitions smooth, right mouse click on a music clip and click fade in or fade out. Make sure that there are no gaps in your audio/music line if you are using music. Also make sure that if you are changing music it coordinates well with your video and music changes are made in appropriate places.

At this point you should be just about finished with your project and should have viewed the project in its entirety several times. You can adjust the viewing length of any picture by dragging the edge of the picture in or out. Also remember that dragging the edge of a video clip shortens the content of the clip. Make sure that someone else has viewed your project and checked for spelling, grammar etc.

Part 3: Finishing Your Movie

Once you have viewed your movie several times and have had someone else proof it you are now ready to finish it. FOLLOW THESE STEPS IMPORTANT

1. Click “Finish Movie”

2. Click “Save Project As ” and name your movie (Save in your movie-maker file)

3. AFTER YOU HAVE SAVED PROJECT (This will allow you to edit)

4. Save Movie File as (Same name) Choose best playback on your computer

5. Click next follow steps (This will save it so it will open and play automatically)