DAY 1 - TUTORIAL

Key conceptsSeveral key concepts are introduced and referred to throughout Help. By familiarizing yourself with these key concepts and terms, you can quickly begin creating your movies by using Windows Movie Maker.
Understanding collections, projects, and movies
The terms collection, project, and movie are used throughout the user interface and Help. The following topic explains these terms and their usage.
Collection
A collection contains audio clips, video clips, or pictures that you have imported or captured in Windows Movie Maker. A collection acts as a container for your clips, which are smaller segments of audio and video, and helps you organize the imported or captured content. Collections appear in the Collections pane of Windows Movie Maker.
Project A project contains the arrangement and timing information of audio and video clips, video transitions, video effects, and titles you have added to the storyboard/timeline. A saved project file in Windows Movie Maker has an .mswmm file name extension. By saving your projects, you can open the project file later and begin editing it in Windows Movie Maker from where you last saved.
Movie A movie is the final project you save by using the Save Movie Wizard. You can save a movie to your computer or to a recordable CD, send it as an attachment in an e-mail message, or save and send it to the Web. The saved movie can be watched in a media player, such as Microsoft Windows Media® Player, or in a Web browser. If you have a DV camera connected to your computer, you can also record
Understanding source files Source files are the digital media files (for example, audio and video files) or pictures that you import into your current project.
When you import a video, audio, or picture file, the file remains in the original location from which it was imported. The resulting clip that appears in Windows Movie Maker is a representation of the original source file; it is not a copy of the source file. In other words, if you edit the source file in another program after it is already imported into Windows Movie Maker, the changes that you make to the file automatically appear in Windows Movie Maker and in any Windows Movie Maker projects that include the edited clip. And, if you delete the thumbnail or clip for the file in Windows Movie Maker, the source file still remains unchanged in the original location. To ensure that you can continue to work with a project, avoid renaming, deleting, or moving the original source files.
our movie to a tape. You and others can then watch the movie on the DV camera or on a TV.
Understanding capture devices
In Windows Movie Maker, you can use a variety of capture devices to capture audio and video on your computer. A capture device is a piece of hardware that lets you transfer video and audio to your computer, so you can use that video and audio on your computer. The two basic categories of capture devices are video capture devices and audio capture devices.
About video capture devices
A video capture device lets you transfer live or recorded video to your computer. In Windows Movie Maker, you can use the following types of capture devices to capture video (and in some cases, audio as well) to your computer:
• Analog video source such as an analog camera or video cassette recorder (VCR) connected to an analog capture card
• Web camera
• Digital video source such as a DV camera or VCR connected to an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) 1394 port (DV capture card or built-in port)
• TV tuner card
About audio capture devices
An audio capture device lets you capture audio from an external source to your computer. The most popular type of audio capture device is a microphone. The microphone can be a stand-alone microphone attached to your computer, or it can be a microphone that is part of your DV or analog camera or Web camera. You can use the following types of audio capture devices:
• Audio card (also referred to as a sound card)
• Stand-alone microphone
• Built-in microphone in an analog camera or Web camera
Connecting capture devices
The following list details the capture devices you can use and how they can be connected to your computer. For complete information about connecting your specific capture device to your computer, see the documentation associated with your hardware.
• Web camera connected to either a USB port, video capture card, or IEEE 1394 port. Depending on the type of Web camera, you can connect it to a USB port (if it’s a USB camera), to an analog capture card (if it’s a video composite camera), or to an IEEE 1394 port (if it’s an IEEEE 1394-compatible Web camera). Some Web cameras have a built-in microphone so you can use the Web camera for capturing both video and audio for your projects.
• Analog camera or VCR connected to an analog capture card. In this configuration, you connect a camera or VCR to an analog capture card. For example, you could connect the video line out on the camera to the video line in on the capture card. You could then to connect the left and right audio lines (often through RCA-style left- and right- channel connectors to a single 3.5mm stereo plug adapter) to the line in on your audio card (or analog video capture card if your card has both audio and video). If both your camera and capture card provide S-video connections, you could also choose to use the S-video connection to record the video while leaving the audio connectors attached so the audio is captured. Again, the specific configuration depends on your hardware.
• DV camera or VCR connected to an IEEE 1394 port. When a DV camera is connected to an IEEE 1394 port, you get the best quality available from your DV device. Because the data is already in a digital format, it is simply passed through the IEEE 1394 port to your computer. In this configuration, the IEEE 1394 cable is connected from the DV out port of your DV camera or VCR to the DV IEEE 1394 card or built-in IEEE 1394 port.
• DV camera or VCR connected to an analog video capture card. Many DV devices have analog outputs. If you have an analog video capture card, you can connect the DV camera or VCR to the analog capture card to transfer video and audio to your computer.
• Microphone connected to a sound card or USB port. To capture audio from a microphone, you connect it to the microphone or line-in input on your computer. Some microphones attach to a USB port on your computer.
• TV tuner card. To capture video from TV if you have a TV tuner card connected and installed on your computer.
About the capture buffer
The capture buffer stores raw video and audio from your capture device, if necessary. This capture buffer stores video data so frames are not lost as video transfers from a capture device and is encoded into Windows Media Format. If your computer has limited system resources, the buffer helps to preserve the quality of your captured video and audio.
Windows Movie Maker displays the estimated amount of time it takes to create the file, which indicates the system’s progress in encoding data from the capture buffer into a Windows Media file. The estimated time depends on your computer system resources, the amount of video and audio stored in the buffer file, and the profile selected for capturing.
After the Windows Media file is created, the buffer file is removed from your computer.
The temporary buffer file for capturing audio and video when using the Video Capture Wizard is created in the same location specified for the captured video file. When capturing an audio narration, the temporary buffer file is stored in the location specified in the Temporary storage box in the Options dialog box. For more information about the temporary storage location, see Setting general options.
The buffer file has a .tmp file name extension.

About saving a movie
After you have completed editing your project in Windows Movie Maker, you can save it as a movie. You can share your movie with others by saving it to a recordable CD, sending it as an attachment in an e-mail message, sending it to a video hosting provider on the Web, or recording it to a tape in a DV camera.
A saved movie contains all the digital media files that have been added to the storyboard/timeline, which includes any audio, video, pictures, video transitions, video or audio effects, and any titles and credits.
About Windows Media
Microsoft Windows Media is the underlying technology that you use to create, deliver, and play digital media content in Windows Media Format. Windows Media uses codecs to compress large digital media files for network delivery, as well as for storing files for local playback. Windows Movie Maker merges components of Windows Media into one easy-to-use package, so you can create movies that you can share with others on the Web, as an attachment in an e-mail message, or on a recordable CD.
You can save the video and audio files you capture as Windows Media files with a .wmv file name extension (for video files) or a .wma file name extension (for audio files, such as a narration). When you save your final movie, it is saved in Windows Media Format by default.
Understanding video settings
You can specify the video settings you want to use when capturing source files by using the Video Capture Wizard.
A number of encoding characteristics affect the size and quality of the captured video or saved movie. As the video display size and video bit rate increase with higher video settings, so does the file size. It is generally most efficient to choose the setting that provides the smallest file size while producing the quality level you require.
When choosing the video settings in Windows Movie Maker, consider the following:
• Delivery method of your final saved movie. When capturing video and audio, consider the method of delivery for your movie. For example, will your movie be watched over the Web or saved to a recordable CD? If your movie is saved and sent to the Web through a video hosting provider, then you will want to use a lower bit rate setting, so your movie can be watched over the Web easily. If you plan to share your movie by saving it to a recordable CD to give to others, you can choose a higher bit rate setting (which increases the quality of the movie) as long as the file size does not then exceed the available space on the recordable CD.
For example, if you plan on capturing video from a DV camera that you will edit in Windows Movie Maker and then save back to tape, you should choose the Digital device format (DV-AVI) option that lets you capture video as an AVI file. This option is well-suited for recording back to tape after you make your edits on your computer.
• Capturing quality. Remember that the quality of the video and audio in your final movie depends on the source video and audio you capture in Windows Movie Maker. Therefore, you should choose a higher video setting when capturing your live or taped audio and video in Windows Movie Maker. You can always save your movie at a lower setting.
Saving the movie at a higher setting than the original video setting increases the file size, but does not increase the overall quality of the audio and video in your movie. Also, the quality of the final captured video depends on the quality of the original recording.
• Hard disk space available. If you have large amounts of video and audio to capture to your computer, you may need to consider the hard disk space you have available. Lengthy video and audio can create quite a large file even though it’s highly compressed by using Windows Media Format. Again, you should generally try to achieve the smallest file size possible for the audio and video quality required for your movie.
• Video and audio content. When capturing live or recorded video or audio in Windows Movie Maker, consider the overall content. Video that contains a high amount of motion and audio requires a higher video setting, which increases the file size. You can save video that contain little action or motion—for example, a series of still pictures with narration—at a lower video setting without compromising the quality of the video and audio in your movie.
Understanding connection speeds
You can specify the movie settings you want to use when the Save Movie Wizard to send a movie to the Web.
When choosing a setting for sending a movie to the Web, it’s important to consider your audience’s connection speed. The connection speed is the rate that your audience connects to the Internet to browse the Web. This rate, often expressed in kilobits per second (Kbps), determines how quickly Web pages and other Web content loads when your audience is browsing the Web or watching other Web content.
Your target audience’s connection speed should determine the movie setting you choose when sending a movie to the Web. For example, if many of your family members connect to the Internet through a dial up modem at 56 Kbps, you should choose this corresponding movie setting. This will help improve your audience’s viewing experience when watching your movie over the Web. If you choose a movie setting that is too high, such as a setting intended for audiences that connect to the Web over a broadband connection (for example DSL, cable modem, or LAN), the movie will be slow to download and playback will not be optimal.
Conversely, if your audience has a faster Internet connection, you will most likely want to choose a movie setting for DSL, cable modem, or LAN users. This lets you save your movie at a higher quality setting because your audience has the bandwidth to properly watch these movies.
Preparing to create your video
The quality of the movies you create depends upon the quality of the source material you start with. If you plan to create movies from video you record, this section provides simple tips for creating the best possible video and audio. It also contains tips for reducing the impact of flaws in video that has already been shot.
Creating and improving video
This topic provides information about how you can improve the quality of your video by using the right background, lighting, and clothing for your subject.
• Background. If possible, use a still background when recording video. If you need to record against a moving background, try reducing the depth of field to help reduce the amount of detail in the background. Reducing the depth of field or shortening the area in focus softens the background and helps reduce the amount of data that changes from frame to frame. To reduce the depth of field and make the background go out of focus, use a lower level of light and move the subject closer to the lens, or move the subject farther away from the lens and use a telephoto lens to zoom in.
• Lighting. Provide adequate lighting; use soft light, diffuse light, and consistent light levels. A certain amount of contrast is necessary for lighting a subject, but avoid direct high-contrast lighting. For example, when recording a face lit by strong sunlight from the side, the facial features in the shadow can be lost on video.
• Clothing. Have your subjects wear clothing colors that complement their skin tone and are sufficiently different from the background and other overlapping objects. Avoid bright colors, which tend to bleed or spread outside an object, and stripes, which may create moiré patterns, especially when the subject is moving slowly.
• Tripod. When possible, use a tripod when recording video. A tripod will help to keep the video camera still and improve the overall quality of the recorded video. This prevents your recorded video from being jittery and improves the source material that you plan to use in your movies.
Compensating for flaws in video
This topic describes some common flaws in video and provides tips for dealing with them.
• Over saturation. Occurs when colors in a video bleed outside the edges of objects or smear when an object moves. You can often fix over saturation before capturing video by adjusting your capture card's saturation setting to a lower level. Saturation is the amount of color in the image. Too little saturation produces images that can appear black and white. Too much saturation produces colors that appear artificially bright.
• Too bright or too dark. If a picture is extremely bright or dark, the recording may be beyond repair. You can recover a picture by adjusting:
• Brightness, to raise or lower the video level.
• Contrast, to optimize the number of shades of gray or levels of luminance, also known as the grayscale.
By raising the video brightness setting and optimizing the grayscale, you can correct a dark picture. However, in doing so, you increase video noise because noise is most noticeable in dark areas of an image. It is possible to partially hide the noise by increasing the contrast.
These different adjustments can be made when you are capturing video in Windows Movie Maker using the Video Capture Wizard. For more information about configuring video capture devices, see Understanding the Configure Video Capture Device dialog box.
Creating and improving audio
This topic provides tips for improving the quality of your audio.
Ambient noise. Sound reflects off hard surfaces, such as walls and windows. Computers, air conditioning, and street traffic can create additional ambient noise. Use the following tips to reduce the amount of ambient noise in your audio:
• Soften hard surfaces by hanging curtains or tapestries on the walls. Large rugs make excellent sound dampeners.
• Turn off computers, fans, and other machines in the room. If you can, also turn off the heating or air conditioning system.
• Use an interior room that is isolated from street noise. If the room has a persistent low rumble, you can reduce it to some extent by using equalization on an audio mixer. You can also use the roll-off switch, if your microphone has one.
Microphone usage. If you use a microphone, the following tips may be helpful:
• Point the microphone facing out, away from the person’s clothing. Make sure clothing does not cover the front of the microphone and it isn't too close to the speaker’s mouth. High-velocity air from a person exhaling can cause loud pops in microphones that do not have pop filters built into them. Small lavaliere microphones are designed to be clipped to a tie and have little or no protection against pops and wind.
• Eliminate microphone noise. Microphone noise is an artificial sound that is introduced when an object touches the microphone. When placing a microphone, make sure that it will not be bumped. Remind speakers who will be holding a microphone not to tap pencils and rings against it or play with the cable. Leave the front of the microphone exposed. Holding the head of a microphone introduces noise and can cause feedback if the microphone is used in a public address system.
System requirements
Windows Movie Maker requires the following minimum system configuration:
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional
• A 600 megahertz (MHz) processor, such as an Intel Pentium III, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Athlon, or equivalent processor
• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM
• 2 gigabytes (GB) of free hard disk space
• An audio capture device (to capture audio from external sources)
• A DV or analog video capture device (to capture video from external sources)
• An Internet connection (to save and send a movie to the Web or to send a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message)
To optimize the performance of Windows Movie Maker, the following system requirements are recommended:
• A 1.5 gigahertz (GHz) processor, such as an Intel Pentium 4, an AMD Athlon XP 1500+, or equivalent processor
• 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM
The following software is required to play back a movie:
• Microsoft Windows 98 or later or Windows NT® 4.0 or later
• Software that can play Windows Media Video (WMV) files, such as Microsoft Windows Media Player 7.0 or later (Windows Media Player 9 Series is recommended to optimize movie playback)
Supported file types
You can add content to your Windows Movie Maker project either by capturing content directly in Windows Movie Maker or by importing existing digital media files. The content you capture in Windows Movie Maker is saved in Windows Media Format. However, you can also import existing Windows Media-based content as well as other common file formats.
You can import files with the following file name extensions into Windows Movie Maker to use in your project:
• Audio files: .aif, .aifc, .aiff .asf, .au, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .snd, .wav, and .wma
• Picture files: .bmp, .dib, .emf, .gif, .jfif, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .wmf
• Video files: .asf, .avi, .m1v, .mp2, .mp2v, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpg, .mpv2, .wm, and .wmv
Keyboard shortcuts
• Shortcut keys are available for many of the commands in Windows Movie Maker. By using shortcut keys, you can quickly accomplish common tasks.
• The following table provides an overview of the tasks you can complete by using shortcut keys.
Task Shortcut key
Create a new project CTRL+N
Open an existing project CTRL+O
Save a project CTRL+S
Save a project with a new name F12
Save a movie CTRL+P
Capture video CTRL+R
Import an existing digital media file CTRL+I
Undo the last action CTRL+Z
Redo the last undone action CTRL+Y
Cut CTRL+X
Copy CTRL+C
Paste CTRL+V
Delete DELETE
Select all clips CTRL+A
Rename a collection or clip F2
Clear the storyboard/timeline CTRL+DELETE
Show or hide the storyboard/timeline CTRL+T
Zoom in on the timeline PAGE DOWN
Zoom out on the timeline PAGE UP
Add selected clips to the storyboard/timeline CTRL+D
Play video in full screen ALT+ENTER
Set start trim point CTRL+SHIFT+I
Set end trim point CTRL+SHIFT+O
Clear trim points CTRL+SHIFT+DELETE
Split a clip CTRL+L
Combine contiguous clips CTRL+M
Nudges clip to the left CTRL+SHIFT+B
Nudges clip to the right CTRL+SHIFT+N
Play or pause clip SPACEBAR
Stop playback on the storyboard/timeline CTRL+K
Play content on the storyboard/timeline CTRL+W
Rewind content on the storyboard/timeline CTRL+Q
Back CTRL+ALT+LEFT ARROW
Forward CTRL+ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Previous frame ALT+LEFT ARROW
Next frame ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Display Help topics F1
Select previous item (on a timeline track, on the storyboard, or in the Contents pane) LEFT ARROW
Select next item (on a timeline track, on the storyboard, or in the Contents pane) RIGHT ARROW
Select item above (on a timeline track or in the Contents pane) UP ARROW
Select item below (on a timeline track or in the Contents pane) DOWN ARROW
Go to the first item (on a timeline track, on the storyboard, or in the Contents pane) HOME
Go to the last item (on a timeline track, on the storyboard, or in the Contents pane) END

You can subscribe to this tutorial by sending a mail to iyanda5@yahoo.com.