| In addition to photos, you can create and edit digital movies using a digital camera and Windows XP. Moviemaking is beyond the scope of this book, but this section gives you a quick overview of how the process works. You start by recording the movie using your digital video recorder. (Depending on the type of digital recorder you have, the steps will vary.) You can then connect your video recorder to your computer, which is much like hooking up a digital camera. The most difficult step is likely getting the hardware (the video recorder) set up to work with Windows XP. You can use the Add Hardware Wizard (covered in Chapter 20, "Upgrading Windows"). You can then transfer the digital movie file to your computer. Once it is transferred as a file to your computer, you can open the movie file and make changes. You can rearrange the order, add transitions or narration, and make other changes. To do so, use a movie-editing program, such as Windows Movie Maker, the program that is included with Windows XP (see Figure 12.11). To start this program, click Start, All Programs, and then Windows Movie Maker. Figure 12.11. You can open and edit digital movies using Windows Movie Maker. 
Once the program is started, you can do any of the following: Use the File, Open Project command to open the movie you want to view or edit. To import a movie clip, click File, Import and select the media file you want to import. Click Open. Use this method if you have media files already on your computer. To copy material from a video recorder to Windows Movie Maker, use the File, Record command. You can then use the Record dialog box to record the video from the player to Windows. Basically, Windows Movie Maker converts and then saves the video file into a format Movie Maker can work with. note  | Note that this list includes just a sampling of the many things you can do with Windows Movie Maker. |
The video source is divided into clips, and these are displayed in the pane along the bottom of the window. You also see the clips listed in the Collections bar along the left of the window. You can rearrange these clips into the order you prefer. You can also delete or trim clips if they are too long or are not appropriate. Finally, you can select transitions between clips. In addition to ordering the visual elements, you can record narration to go along with the clips. As you edit the clips, you need to save your work. Windows Movie Maker stores a group of clips as a project. You can use the File, Save Project command to save the project. As you work on your project, you can preview clips or play them back. You can also use the timeline along the bottom to play back certain segments of the project.
For more information on the varied features of this program, consult online help. Otherwise, if you use a different digital movie-editing program, consult the directions for that particular program. The Absolute Minimum This chapter covers some of the fun and exciting things you can do with a digital camera. If you are thinking about buying a digital camera or already have one, keep these key points in mind: You can purchase a digital camera and use it with your computer. A digital camera offers many advantages. You can preview your images after you shoot them and delete or reshoot as needed. Also, you don't need to purchase film. You can edit the pictures before printing them, and you can print, email, or order prints online. When you attach your camera, Windows XP should query it and set it up automatically. If not, you can run the Scanner and Camera Installation Wizard to set up the camera manually. Cameras have different features and work in various ways, but the basics of taking a picture are the same: point and shoot. However, you need to look at your camera's documentation to find out how to change settings such as image quality, as well as how to preview and handle images. You can copy the images from your camera's memory to your computer, and you can then work with your pictures. You can make editing changes using a photo-editing program. You should also rename the files and folders because the default names are not very descriptive. You can print your pictures on a regular printer or a printer that supports photo printing. Usually, you get the best quality when you use a photo printer and special photo paper. You can also order prints online or take your camera's media card to a regular print service bureau and have copies made. In addition to cameras, another common imaging device is a scanner. You can use this hardware component to scan in photos, illustrations, documents, and other types of visual or textual information. If you have a digital video recorder, you can shoot movies and transfer them from the recorder to your computer. You can then edit the movie using movie programs such as Windows Movie Maker.
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