Creating a Custom Movie

When you create a movie with Movie Maker, you have full control of the production process. You decide which clips to use and the order you want them in; you choose the transition styles and the timing used between clips; and you add any other effects, soundtrack, or narration you want.

Set Up the Movie

Start Movie Maker from the Start menu. If the Collections pane isn't displayed, click the Show Or Hide Collections button.

Select the collection that contains the video clips you want to use.

Select the first video clip to be shown in the movie.

Drag the clip onto the first frame of the Storyboard. If the Storyboard isn't displayed, choose Storyboard from the View menu.

Select and drag additional video clips onto the Storyboard to design your movie. If you want to, you can use clips from different collections. If necessary, drag the clips around on the Storyboard to rearrange the order in which you want them to be played.

Add transitions, video effects, and a soundtrack or a narration to your movie. Save the project and the movie to the location you want.

See Also

"Preparing to Produce a Movie" on pages 156157 for information about creating collections and editing video clips.

"Adding Transitions to Your Movie" on page 160 for information about adding transitions.

"Using Video Effects" on page 161 for Information about adding video effects.

"Adding Audio to Your Movie" on pages 164165 for information about adding narration or a soundtrack to your movie.