Introducing Windows Movie Maker

NOTE

Early versions of Windows XP shipped with Windows Movie Maker version 1.0. The latest version of WMM is 2.0, which is shipping with all new PCs and current boxes of Windows XP. If you have the older version installed on your system, you can upgrade (for free) at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/.

Windows Movie Maker really isn't a part of the operating system, in spite of what Microsoft says. It's a utility included with the OS, much the way Microsoft Calculator or Microsoft Paint have always been included with Windows. I don't think anyone could argue that video editing is a key operating system function, but because Apple started to include the iMovie video editor with all its iMacs, I'm sure Microsoft saw a competitive reason to add Windows Movie Maker to its Windows package.

In any case, if you use your camcorder a lot, you'll appreciate the fact that you have a free video-editing program sitting right on your Windows desktop. And, although it isn't the most full-featured video editor around, it has all the basic functions. For most users, it's more than good enough.

Learning the Interface

NOTE

WMM can display either the Tasks or Collections pane, but not both at the same time. Switch between them by using the Tasks and Collections buttons on the WMM toolbar.

You start Windows Movie Maker by clicking the Start button and then selecting All Programs, Accessories, Windows Movie Maker. As you can see in Figure 16.1, the Movie Maker window is divided into several main parts:

• Tasks. Lists the common tasks you'll need to perform when creating your movie project.

• Collections. Displays all the audio, video, and still images included in your current project.

• Contents. Displays the individual video clips in your project.

• Storyboard/Timeline. This area, at the bottom of the window, displays key scenes, and is used to edit your movie. The default view is the Storyboard; you also can switch to the Timeline view to edit the timing of your project's clips.

• Monitor. Previews your movie as you're editing it.

Figure 16.1. Windows Movie Maker all your video editing needs in one easy-to-use program

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Forget Microsoft's recommendations. My experience is that if you're editing digital movies, you need a lot more horsepower than they suggest. I recommend a machine with at least a 2GHz processor, at least 1GB of RAM, and a really big hard disk (100GB minimum). In fact, using a separate external hard disk for your movie files makes a lot of sense. Bottom line? If you're serious about digital movie editing, any old PC won't do; you need a state-of-the-art PC for this high-performance task.

What You Need

Windows Movie Maker has more stringent equipment requirements than Windows XP. The faster your processor, the more memory you have installed, and the larger your hard disk, the easier it will be to use Movie Maker to edit your home movies.

Here are the minimum system requirements that Microsoft specifies for WMM 2:

• 600MHz Pentium II or equivalent processor (1.5GHz recommended)

• 128MB RAM (256MB recommended)

• 2GB free hard disk space

• Audio capture device (microphone)

• Video capture device (analog-to-digital video capture board) or digital video input

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  For best results, you should strive for a completely digital chain. Start with a digital video shot on Digital8 or MiniDV, input the video to your PC via FireWire, edit the video digitally with Windows Movie Maker, and then output the completed movie to a CD or DVD in WMV format.

  
  

• Internet connection and an e-mail program (not necessary, but recommended for posting and sending movie files over the Internet)

If you have an older, non-digital camcorder, you'll need to install an analog-to-digital video capture card in your PC. You'll plug your recorder into the jacks in this card. It converts the analog signals from your recorder into the digital audio and video that your computer understands. You'll need to install this card if your recorder is one of the following formats: VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, 8mm, or Hi8.

If you have one of the latest digital video (DV) recorders, you don't need a video capture card at all. What you do need is an IEEE1394 FireWire interface. This type of connection is fast enough to handle the huge stream of digital data pouring from your DV recorder into your PC. You'll need a FireWire connection if your recorder is either Digital8 or MiniDV format.

Understanding File Types

As you start to edit your movies, you'll find that Windows Movie Maker uses three different types of files. These file types are:

• Project file. This is kind of a "container" file, with the .MSWMM file extension. The project file includes all the clips and information used in the editing of the current project. It doesn't include the movie itself that file has to be created after you've done all your editing within the project file.

• Movie file. When you're done cutting and pasting and inserting, you assemble all the pieces and parts and save them as a single, finished movie file. Your movies are created in Windows Media Video format, with a .WMV extension.

• Collections file. This is a database file that stores information about your collections and clips. It doesn't contain the clips themselves, but rather serves as a pointer to all those pieces and parts. This file has a .COL extension.