How to Stabilize Shaky Videos in Windows Movie Maker?

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Even the slightest physical movement can cause the camera to shake and ruin the video you're recording. Keeping a Smartphone or any other video capturing device steady during a video recording session is quite difficult unless you're using a steadicam or a tripod. Holding a camera in your hand while recording a video can make portions of the clip shaky, but in most cases, you can fix this in post-production.

Though there are many video editing software which allow you to fix shaky videos, you're looking for a quick way to stabilize a shaky video on your Windows computer for free, you've come to the right place because in this article we are going to show you how you can fix shaky videos in Windows Movie Maker, and we are also going to provide you with an alternative solution for video stabilization.

How to Stabilize Videos in Windows Movie Maker?

However, you can only fix shaky videos if have Windows Essentials 2012 installed on your computer and if you're using the Windows 8 and the later OS. It is worth noting that as Windows Movie Maker is not bundled with this version of the Windows 10, if you didn't have it on your computer before, it is no longer available for download on Microsoft because it is discontinued.

The process of fixing shaky videos with Windows Movie Maker is rather simple since you just have to import the footage, select one of the video stabilization options and let the software do the rest. Here are the steps you'll need to take in order to stabilize a video clip with this video editing software.

Step 1: Double-click on the Windows Movie Maker's desktop icon to open the software, or if you don't have the software's icon on your desktop you can locate via the search bar. Once the software launches, you should click on the Add Videos and Photos icon and select the video clips you want to stabilize.

Step 2:

Once you've imported the video clips, you should proceed to select the portion of a clip that needs to be stabilized. You can do this by clicking on the shaky video selection option on the right side of the software's window.

Step 3: After you select the clip you want to stabilize; you should click on the Edit tab in order to gain access to the Video Stabilization feature.

Step 4: Clicking on the Edit option will enable to see the Video Stabilization menu, that contains Anti-shake, Anti-shake and wobble correction – low and Anti-shake and wobble correction – high options.

Select the feature that best meets the demands of the project you're working on and Windows Movie Maker will fix the shaky video automatically. Preview the stabilized video, and repeat the process if you're not happy with the results.

How to Fix Shaky Videos with The Best Alternative to Windows Movie Maker?

The limited availability of the Windows Movie Maker makes it a poor choice for all PC users who don't have Windows 8 installed on their computers. Wondershare Filmora video editor, on the other hand, is compatible with Windows 7 and all later versions of the Windows OS, and it offers much more video editing options than Windows Movie Maker. Here's how you can fix a shaky video with the Filmora video editing software.

Step 1: Launch the software by double-clicking on its desktop icon, and once the welcome window appears on the screen you should set the aspect ratio for the project and choose to open the software in the Full Feature Mode.

After you enter the Full Feature Mode you should proceed to import the video clip you'd like to stabilize. Simply click on the Import menu located in the upper left corner of the screen and select the Import Media option if you want to import one or more files, or Import Media Folder if you want to import all files located in a folder.

Step 2: Your video clips will be placed in the software's media bin, that is located directly below the Import menu. Right-click on the shaky video you want to fix and select the Video Stabilization option to start the process of stabilizing a video.

Step 3: The Wondershare Video Stabilization window will appear on the screen, so you just have to use the slider below the preview window to designate the portion of the video you want to stabilize.

After you've selected the part of the video clip that needs to be stabilized, you should click on the Stabilize Video button, located in the upper right corner of the window. The software will then analyze the video for shakes, which can take a few minutes.

Step 4: Once the shakes analysis is complete, you can use the Adjust Smooth Level slider to further improve the results of the video stabilization process. Choose the destination folder for your stabilized video by clicking on the appropriate icon in the Save Stabilized Video to, section of the Wondershare Video Stabilization window. Click on the Save button to finish the process of fixing a shaky video.

Conclusion

Recording perfectly smooth videos while holding a camera in your hand is difficult, but if a clip contains only a moderate amount of camera shakes you can easily correct this issue with Windows Movie Maker or Wondershare Filmora video editing software. What's your favorite method of stabilizing shaky videos? Leave a comment, and let us know.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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