Movie Maker 2 - Online Tutorials and References
Online tutorials and other websites about Movie Maker 2 are one of the best sources of basic 'how-to' information.
Besides lessons, many sites provide free samples of music, sound effects, and video clips. Be sure to read the licensing info about what you may or may not do with the downloads.
PapaJohn's Products and Services
Newsletter #80 covers 10 basic computer skills that help make your story and movie making easier and more enjoyable.
Click the image to read it.
Ayumilov Video Tutorials
You might subscribe to her work on YouTube.... but here's over an hour of her video tutorials about Movie Maker and Photo Story in higher quality...
Windows Movie Maker Tutorial - 11 minutes
After a Matrix-style opening text effect (which isn't part of the basic Movie Maker app), the video shows each of the 58 built-in video transitions, 28 video effects, and 38 title animation styles.
It's about opening Movie Maker, importing source files, previewing clips in the collection, copying clips to the timeline/storyboard, adding video transitions and effects, saving the movie, and uploading a movie to YouTube.
It's also about managing clips, and editing them.... with examples of transitions and effects.
This video adds a AddOnTFX folder, goes to the forum to get some code for a custom effect, uses Notepad to save it, opens Movie Maker and builds a project using Brady Bunch effects...
If that's not enough, it continues on to make a reverse effect using the avisynth/VirtualDub method... and a blue screen effect.
It's an XML Combo Guide to spice up an opening clip using special effects applied layer by layer similar to Photoshop or Paint.net.
She follows that with music enhancing using WinAmp and DFX Audio Enhancement software, and a Flash file caputure/conversion guide using Video DownLoader, a Firefox browser add-on, followed by CinemaForge to convert it to other formats.
Picture-in-Picture using Rehan's PIP utility, and image overlays with PapaJohn's overlay starter kit. Then move on to making and using your own video overlay watermark.
A preview of clips from KathoKatho's collection made by Particle Illusion software, and used as video overlays.
Getting a bit trickier than the Brady Bunch in a couple rendering passes... doing 4 videos in one with a single saving.
The video shows how to do a cloning with a split-video technique.
The steps from looking at xml code on the forum to using it in your project.
The basics of saving a movie, not a project.
Beyond covering the basics in this short video, she uses the second half of it to show a personal slide-show.
The tutorial shows how to make a video with 3 overlaid videos of different shapes, not just standard sized ones.
How to use Movie Maker to save an audio-only file, a wma.
How to add video effects in Movie Maker.
Greg Bilik, at his his Creating Daydreams website, offers a video tutorial about how to use Photo Story 3.
StormCel Animation .... "StormCel Animation provides science fiction video footage for you to use in your movie masterpiece. Each volume contains dozens of short clips designed to be mixed together by you, the movie maker, to support the story you are telling. Each collection contains external footage, as well as internal shots that can be used for virtual sets with chroma keying (blue screen).
Video clips and images are provided at 740x480 resolution. Video is encoded in Windows WMV format with minimal compression to maintain highest quality. Images are stored in Windows bitmap format (BMP), also with minimal compression for maximum quality."
Click the image of the Bridge Door above right to see a 15 second test video made with their clip.
Neo's Movie Maker Portal includes a library of great motion clips for free use in your projects, a large matrix of conversion software to help you get all types of clips into Movie Maker, tools to help you install custom xml files for add-on transitions, effects and title animations, free website space for users of Movie Maker... and more.
When you need help with Movie Maker stop by Desilucy's Place.
MightyCoach - Timothy Root says "Movie Maker 2 is the easiest way to edit video from your digital camcorder, and MightyCoach’s online video training is the easiest way to learn how! You’ll watch an instructor walk you step-by-step through the editing process … everything from capturing video off your camcorder, to editing video clips, to exporting your video onto CD, email, and DVD. Video training is fast and easy … why blunder your way through the world of digital video when you can just sit back, watch, and learn."
Knowledge Base Article 821380 - Microsoft - An Overview of Movie Maker 2. This Support WebCast session will provide an overview of Windows Movie Maker 2 for Microsoft Windows XP®. The WebCast will also include information about upgrading, new features, and related Windows Movie Maker add-ons.
This is a Level 100 session that will be presented by William Keener. William Keener is currently a Technical Writer for Windows and Internet Explorer in the PSS Global Service Automation Group. He was previously a Technical Lead for both Internet Explorer 6 and Windows XP® in PSS.
Movie Maker 2 Review - A Paul Thurrott review on SuperSite for Windows, so thorough that you can use it as a tutorial. His concluding sentence is "...WMM 2 stands alone atop the consumer-oriented digital video editing world. If you're a Windows XP® user, you should run out and give this product a shot: It's free, it's fun, and it's best-of-breed."
Create Custom Effects and Transitions - Learn how to create your own custom special effects and transitions. Use an XML file that modifies the supplied effects or transitions, or build them from scratch using C++ and the Windows Media Transforms supplied by the Microsoft DirectX Media SDK.
As you go deeper into the amazing world of custom effects, transitions, even text clips... chat about them on the forums at Windows Movie Makers, contribute to the growing library at Pegson's, or get copies of whats been developed by others.
Burn a Movie Maker Project to DVD By Galan Bridgman - Burning a DVD from footage you shot with your own camcorder is a lot of fun. It demonstrates how off-the-shelf computer technology has bridged the gulf between PC video quality and professional video production standards. You can now make great looking DVDs at home.
Rehan's Movie Maker Corner
.... is about Windows Movie Maker 2 with a focus on custom Transitions and Effects.
Other Interesting References