

The timeline is also where you choose which parts of the video you would like to apply effects, filters, and other video enhancements. It is where you can navigate through the clips, split them when necessary, and arrange them to your liking.

You can also toggle the preview screen to full screen.įinally, located on the right side is your storyboard or timeline window. Here, you can use the rewind, fast-forward, and play buttons to move to the part you like to view. With this, you can see what the sequence would look like as an output. As the name suggests, this is where you can view the playback of your project. Of course, you can also access the option to save your work in this part as well.īelow the Ribbon, to the left side of the window is the Preview tool. Here is where you also add your clips, photos, and audio files to the timeline. The top is the Ribbon, where you can access various tools, such as transitions, effects, captions, audio levels, and more. The app has three regions that you can use. You won't find many advanced tools, but more ambitious types can still create interesting videos and slideshows.What makes Windows Movie Maker stand out among free video editors is its easy-to-use interface. Videos also save in HD format for your TV (standard or wide screen), and can convert to a mobile-phone-friendly format.Īll in all, Windows Live Movie Maker is decent freeware that lives up to its promise of making movies fast.

Windows Live Movie Maker can e-mail a finished video, burn it to DVD, or upload it to YouTube or Facebook (with a plug-in). The publishing and sharing options are better thought out. The intermediate photo-, audio-, and video-editing features are sparse-you can split and trim videos, fade songs in and out, and pick a start and end point for audio and video. After all, you can always tweak later with the help of the menu tabs. Automating movies is handy, especially for time-restricted users.

It'll also prompt you to add a song from the hard drive. You could finish a minute later with a click of the AutoMovie button, which populates the movie with a title, transitions, and pan and zoom effects. You'll get started dragging and dropping video clips and photos into the storyboard. Like Microsoft Office 2007 apps, Windows Live Movie Maker tucks its actions and menus into a visual ribbon. The app comes bundled into the bulky Windows Live Essentials suite of apps to separate it out, you'll need to uncheck the other boxes before installing. However, its toolset and interface lack a certain sophistication that users of all levels would appreciate. Functional freeware that's aimed squarely at the casual consumer crowd, Microsoft's Windows Live Movie Maker easily turns photos and video clips into slideshows and movies on Vista and Windows 7.
