31 Play Your Video on the Storyboard

Before You Begin

28 About Movie Maker's Storyboard

29 Add Clips to the Storyboard

See Also

33 Watch a Clip

As you lay out your video on the storyboard, you will want to play the storyboard to see whether the end video achieves the goal you are aiming for. Movie Maker allows you to play back clips and complete videos from several locations within the program. You might find that your work with the storyboard requires somewhat more playback and review of the video than when working with the timeline because the storyboard is for sequencing clips, but the storyboard gives no indication of time lengths; a clip that is half as long as the one next to it consumes exactly the same amount of storyboard space.

To get a better idea of the timeframe that your storyboard represents, you'll want to play the storyboard's contents. All playback appears in the Monitor pane, and you can control that playback using the VCR-like buttons at the bottom of the Monitor pane.

1. Click to Select
   
   Click to select the first clip on the storyboard. The clip's thumbnail image appears in the Monitor pane. The clip you select before playing the storyboard is where the playback will begin. After you start it, the playback continues until the final clip on the storyboard plays, or until you stop the playback.
   
   
2. Click Play
   
   Click the Play button at the top of the storyboard or on the Monitor pane. The storyboard begins playing. All sound, transitions, special effects, and still photos on your storyboard play in order.
   
   

   NOTE

   

   If you were to create your final movie file now ( see 85 Start the Save Movie Wizard ), Movie Maker would create a final movie file that matches what you see playing on the storyboard.

3. Click Stop
   
   Stop the playback by clicking the Monitor pane's Stop button.
   
   
4. Click to Select
   
   Click a clip toward the middle or end of your storyboard. Its thumbnail image will appear in the Monitor pane.
   
   

   NOTE

   

   Click the scrollbar across the bottom of the storyboard if you want to begin playing at a storyboard clip that is not currently in view.

   
5. Click Play
   
   Once again, when you click Play the storyboard's video appears in the Monitor pane, only the playback begins at your selected clip instead of at the first clip on the storyboard.