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Windows Movie Maker Review

Liza Brown
Liza Brown Originally published Sep 06, 22, updated Oct 09, 24

Are you considering creating impressive movies from your video clips? Then you need to install this famous Windows movie maker tool to fulfill your job. This is expert video editing Microsoft software that you may use for free. This video editing tool by Windows has received massive recognition due to its simplicity. Also, it makes every task easy and quick, like combining video clips to form digital movies, including various effects, background music, transitions, and titles.

So, Windows Movie Maker is undoubtedly the ideal software for this job. Moreover, video editors using this app experience several attributes in their organization to finally emerge with the perfect videos, like audio options, animations, transitions overlays, and timeline narration. It has user-friendly features, which you’ll enjoy experimenting with. This software also has XML code allowing its end users to modify live effects and transitions or even prepare very new ones.

This brilliant tool can even do primary track editing, including fade-out and fade-in effects in your final audio tracks. Windows movie maker even allows you to post your final project effortlessly on various video sites and social media platforms. Here's a complete guide:

In this article
  1. Download and Install Windows Movie Maker
  2. Interface
  3. Basic Editing
  4. Add Video Effects
  5. Audio Editing
  6. Share Files
  7. Pros and Cons
  8. Windows Movie Maker Alternative Software

1. Download and Install Windows Movie Maker

Windows movie maker was previously recognized in Windows 7 as Windows Live Movie Maker. So to experience the features of this software, first, you need to download and install this app which is available free of charge. The steps are as follows.

  1. Firstly, download the setup file of Windows Live Essentials.
install windows movie maker setup
  1. You've to double-click on this setup file called windows-movie-maker.exe. Then tap on 'Yes' to permit the setup package to function.
  2. You'll now be redirected to the installation window of Windows Essential. Next, you'll see two options towards the web page's top, and you’ll have to select the option ‘Install all of Windows Essentials (recommended)’ to continue with the installation process.
accept windows essentials 2012 agreement

Windows Essentials comprise Microsoft OneDrive, Outlook Connector Pack, Movie Maker, Writer, Mail, Photo Gallery, and Messenger.

  1. Locate 'View Details' towards the left end of the page and tap on it. A progress and percentage bar will pop out along with the details regarding the program you’re installing.
  2. You need to wait a while to install Windows Movie Maker Software. Pause until the program completes its installation. After you find that the program title changes to another program such as Mail, you may proceed again.
  3. Now click on the Windows icon and then the 'Start' menu on the bottom left of your computer screen.
  4. Type and Search for ‘Windows Movie Maker, and you'll find the newly downloaded app on the screen.
  5. Click on the icon with film reel, which is the Movie Maker app, and you’ll locate it above the Start menu. Next, you'll be redirected to the terms of use of Windows Essentials for this Window to begin.
  6. Find the 'Accept ' button towards the screen's right-end corner and tap on it. Windows Movie Maker will now open.
  7. Next, tap on ‘Close’ when prompted with an error message from the installation windows.

You may now Enjoy Windows Movie Maker Live and begin making movies and videos using this software.

2. Interface

The user interface of Winona Movie Maker has three essential areas: the timeline and the storyboard, the panes and the toolbar, and the menu bar. This area covers…

  • Timeline and storyboard: It offers a timeline and storyboard usage details for working with the current project clips.
  • Panes: It offers details regarding Collections pane usage for viewing all your collections. Furthermore, it offers information regarding the Movie Task pane for all general tasks during movie making or project editing.
  • Toolbar and Menubar: Here, you'll get details regarding toolbar and menu commands usage for different tasks in this software.

3. Basic Editing

Adding clips to your timeline is the most straightforward method for creating digital movies using Movie Maker. Thereby, picking any one AutoMovie Themes out of those seven choices from default, sepia, black and white, pan and zoom, fade, cinematic, and contemporary.

You can enjoy the following choices for editing all your video clips:

  • Creating clips: You may create new clips from different video clips after you’re done with capturing and importing in the Windows Movie Maker. You may create clips in the software anytime, according to your convenience.
  • Trimming any clip: You may hide any clip part you don't wish to keep in the project. For instance, you may trim the clip's end or beginning. Also, trimming doesn’t erase the details provided in their source material.
trim video windows movie maker
  • Splitting Clips: Movie Maker allows you to split any video into two parts which can be helpful when you wish to add a video transition picture between the clips.
edit clips windows movie maker
  • Combining clips: Movie Maker allows you to merge two or multiple contiguous clips. Contiguous indicates that you need to record these clips together so that the beginning and end times are the same as the following video clip.

4. Add Video Effects

Video effects’ ascertain how any title, picture, or video clip displays in the final movie or project. Video effects permit you to include various effects in the movie and are added for the total time that the title, picture, or video clip displays.

Furthermore, you may add various other effects, which you'll find in the folder of video effects in their Collections pane. You may maintain video effects when moving, copying, cutting, or splitting a picture or video clip.

5. Audio Editing

Windows Movie Maker permits you to operate various audios in several ways. A few specific audio-related jobs you may execute in Windows Movie Live Maker comprise the following:

  • Audio levels adjustment: You can adjust your audio level so that you can easily control the audio playback and balance after you have the audio that comes up on Music/ Audio and Audio tracks in your timeline.
  • Timeline narration: You may include a voice narration for the picture or video clips, which will appear on the timeline’s video track. There’ll be an automated synchronization of the audio narration with your video, where the narration shall elaborate on the movie event or action when you play it.
  • Audio Clips Volume adjustment: You may adjust the audio volume for the video clip’s audio portion or the clips containing only audio. This permits you to control the audio clip's volume such that you can hear it based on the sound level you’ve set for your audio clip.
  • Adding audio effects: You may add various audio effects like mute, fade out and fade in.
audio effects windows movie maker

6. Share Files

Are you done with video project editing, and now you wish to share it? Windows Movie Maker offers you various choices for sharing straight away from their app, comprising:

  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Vimeo
  • Email

So with this power, you may guarantee to share the video's correct aspect ratio and size version to any planned platform. Nevertheless, you don't require signing in to your Microsoft account for sharing to the preferred platform, which may act as a hurdle for all its users who do not have Microsoft Office accounts.

7. Pros and Cons

The software’s advantages are its automated preview, simple controls, and user-friendliness. Additionally, the following are some clear advantages and disadvantages of using Windows Movie Maker:

Pros
  • This app is perfect for all novices and is an ideal introduction as it utilizes several pro editing systems' general workflow components like assembling timelines and importing. Its interface has easy navigation and is exceptionally intuitive for most new beginners as well.
  • Windows Live MovieMaker is a video editing Microsoft application that arrives standard with all Windows computers. It is amongst the most favorite editing apps obtainable and exact, as other programs are user-friendly and fun. This software comes free with Vista, XP, and Windows Me and has effortless usage. Moreover, you may download additional video plugins, plus it won't give you any chance to complain regarding its free software.
  • This app is straightforward to learn, and you won't require any experience in film editing for using Windows Media Player. You’ll explore more than 130 effects with accessible Fantastic credits, titles, and transitions. Next to this, you may drag and then drop the clip at any place in the timeline.
  • Windows Movie Maker is an ideal app for image slide shows and was developed to create photo and home movie slide shows. It presents excellent fun transitions and themes; you may add music easily. This app provides excellent variety, being a free editing application. Furthermore, it offers transitions and striking effects to function with.
  • Windows Live Movie Maker is free of cost for all Microsoft Windows users and is basically for clients having zero to minimum experience editing audio and videos. Moreover, it has many special effects you may use while creating videos. Also, you may frag and then place any picture or video anywhere you wish to see it.
  • You can choose from several themes, enhancing your film with tools like contemporary themes, fade effects, and sepia toning choices. You have to click once, and then the users can choose and apply from the multiple effects collection.
Cons
  • Windows Movie Maker contains unlimited audio and video tracks, yet it provides just one accessible one at a time. Hence, if you wish to include some other audio or music track, you may prepare the video, thereby sending it to the ultimate file.
  • It isn’t uninstallable using any remove or add control panel. Also, it is impossible to do video overlaying.
  • This app requires much patience because it is prone to crashes. Moreover, you'll require enough time and effort to do video reversing. It often becomes frustrating for all advanced editors to cut clips into small parts and then add them back. Hence, Windows Movie maker isn't good for professional video editors.
  • Windows Live MovieMaker can crash and freeze and is known to suffer frequent crashes. Hence, ensure saving often and avoid creating complex videos. Also, you cannot perform complex editing and can now prepare single audio and video track.

8. Windows Movie Maker Alternative Software

Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is the best alternative for Windows Movie Live Maker and is a highly favored and most effective software program. You can download it for free, and it is adaptable with Windows 7 OS or above. This app is user-friendly but powerful and allows you to split, merge, crop, and trip various video clips with essential built-in video editing attributes.

Free Download
Free Download

Additionally, you may get a few advanced properties like video stabilization, color correction, and green screen in Filmora effortlessly. You may even explore several fashionable and modern video effects such as music, text, and intros for topics like games, Education, Travel, Vlogger, Beauty, etc. Here is the comparison between the two software:

Filmora and Windows Movie Maker comparison

Basis Windows Movie Maker Wondershare Filmora
Pricing Free/ inexpensive Quote based
Annual Subscription
One-time payment
Monthly Payment
Interface Pleasing interface Auto movie options
Effects Several overlays and effects Special effects choices and transition overlays
Integration YouTube
Facebook
Vimeo
Email
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Vimeo
YouTube

Conclusion

You may use Windows Movie Maker Live for capturing videos and audio to the computer using various video sources, including Web Cameras and Video Cameras, thereby using the recorded data in your new movies. You may import still pictures, video, and audio into this application to use in the movies you're making. Moreover, after you’ve finished with video and audio content editing in this app, which may involve adding effects, video transitions, and titles, you may finally save the ultimate movie and then share and watch it with your family and friends.

Liza Brown
Liza Brown Oct 09, 24
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