• Photo Story and Movie Maker are complimentary software tools. There are times when one is better to use than the other, but there are also projects that are best done by interactively using both. This website will help you determine when to use one versus the other, and how to better use them together.

The sample at the right was made with Photo Story 2, using the Medium quality (320x240 resolution) option.

The more tools you have and the sharper your skills become, the more fun you'll have making high quality photo stories and movies, and the better they will be. Enjoy!!

PapaJohn

In this website, I'll walk you through how to use Photo Story 2.... and point out the differences between making a video file with it versus making a comparable one with Movie Maker 2.

There are a number of things involved in making a Photo Story: obtaining pictures, music and narration, moving them into your computer, editing a project, and then saving and distributing the finished video file. Your learning curve may be easy or steep, and there may be issues to resolve. But the rewards are great, and many people are willing to help you as you go.

Much of the information on this website comes from postings on the

microsoft.public.plus

newsgroup, the broad-based place for peer support. Thanks to Microsoft for providing the newsgroup, and to all who ask questions and share their experience and comments.

Links are provided to websites, forums, software downloads, books, activities, events, and training... anything that involves the users of Photo Story 2. Suggestions for additional links or references are always welcomed.

This website is, and will remain, tightly focused on you, the users of Photo Story 2. It covers all software features, and related topics from capturing pictures to burning VCDs.

I use newsgroup posts and your personal emails for guidance about what to include in the website.

The information on each page usually flows from general to specific, with many pages drilling down to individual posts. When they go down that far, the date of the post is shown, but not usually the name of the person who posted it. The word 'Microsoft' means that it was made by someone working for Microsoft. In most such cases, Microsoft employees are responding to posts on their own time, participating in "peer support" activities.

I am not a Microsoft employee. However, I received 2003-2004 Most Valuable Professional (MVP) awards for working with the community of Windows Media users. And I'm a member of Microsoft's 'Club Windows Media'.

I am 'Papa' to my grandchildren, 'John' is my real name, and 'PapaJohn' is my online handle.

This website started on March 8, 2004, exactly one year after the Movie Maker 2 website. I roll up information from newsgroup postings, add what I learn from Microsoft, and annotate it with my personal experiences. It is constantly evolving, driven by our collective needs.

Some people wonder if I respond to emails. Yes, but I give first priority to newsgroup posts, second to forum posts, then to my personal activities, and finally to emails. Emails may get you personal help but not help others. I prefer letting all see the correspondence... and others often have better answers than I do. My email address is:

PapaJohn@CharterMI.net

Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.