71 Copy Effects from One Place to Another

Before You Begin

65 Add a Special Effect to a Clip

See Also

79 Add Special Effects to Titles and Credits

Throughout this chapter, numerous tasks explain how to add various special effects to your clips. You can add one effect or multiple effects to clips.

If you need to apply the same video effect to more than one clip, the job gets to be tedious if you add the effects to each clip in your movie. A much more efficient way to apply multiple special effects to multiple clips is to use the Windows clipboard to copy and paste the effects where you want them. After you copy a set of special effects to the Windows clipboard, you can easily paste those effects into multiple clips on the storyboard.

NOTE

Unfortunately, you cannot select more than one timeline or storyboard clip and then drag a special effect to all those selected clips at the same time. If you attempt to do this, Movie Maker adds the effect only to the clip you are pointing to when you release your mouse button after you complete the dragging of the effect to the storyboard/timeline.

1. Click Show Storyboard
   
   Display the storyboard if it is not currently showing by clicking the Show Storyboard button atop the timeline.
   
   
2. Drag Effect to Clip
   
   Locate a special effect that you want to apply to multiple clips. Drag the effect to the first clip that is to receive the effect. Notice the special effect's icon changes to reflect the fact that clip has a video effect attached.
   
   
3. Drag Effect to Clip
   
   

   NOTE

   

   When copying effects to the Windows clipboard, be sure you click the effect's icon, and not on the clip anywhere outside the effects icon. If you click the clip, the clip and not the effect will go to the Windows clipboard.

   Drag a second video effect to the same clip. Watch once again as the effect's icon changes to show multiple effects are now applied to the clip.
   
   
4. Click Effect Icon
   
   Click the effect's icon on the clip.
   
   
5. Select Edit, Copy
   
   From the Edit menu, choose the Copy option. You can also press Ctrl+C to choose this option. All special effects applied to the underlying clip go to the Windows clipboard.
   
   
6. Right-Click Target Clip
   
   Locate the clip onto which you want to apply the effects. You might have to scroll the storyboard to locate the proper clip if it's not currently in view. Right-click the clip to display a menu.
   
   
7. Select Paste
   
   

   NOTE

   

   Even if you select multiple clips before choosing Paste , Movie Maker will only insert the special effects from the Windows clipboard onto the clip your mouse pointer is pointing to at the time you paste the effects.

   When you select Paste from the menu (or press Ctrl+V ), Movie Maker pastes the effects onto the target clip. The effects all travel in the order and duration they appeared on the original clip. If desired, continue selecting additional clips and pasting effects; the effects are still copied onto your Windows clipboard even though you've already pasted them once.