Friday, November 06, 2009

Windows Live Movie Maker – What changed in the new version, and why...

Windows Live Movie MakerOn the Windows Live Team Blog, Cheryl White (a Program Manager for Windows Live Movie Maker), has detailed some of the new features in WLMM along with the rationale for changing the way things are done compared to Windows Movie Maker.

Take a look at Windows Live Movie Maker – What changed in the new version, and why. For the time being the post is open for your feedback. Should it later be closed to commenting, feel free to post your constructive thoughts here.

14 comments:

  1. There were speed effects (slower and faster) in the original Movie Maker. I can only assume they will eventually add those back in; *I* hope so.

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  2. hey man awsome site, really enjoying the free effects and downloads
    keep it up!

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  3. Hi, can I just say thanks for the great stuff there is here to download. Currently with WMM (Vista) I have problems with it importing .MOV files. I have been recommended the Ffdshow codec. Does anyone know if it works, and if so, where it can be downloaded from safely? Thanks, Mark

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  4. I've used the FFDShow codec when I was having problems using some clips in WMM. It helped somewhat but still had some issues. As for finding it, I think I just did a general Google search for it.

    However, I think the best approach is to find a converter that can take .MOV files and make them into .WMV files that Movie Maker will have no problems with.

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  5. Is there a Chroma key green screen add on yet?

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  6. qztq, If you are talking about Windows Live Movie Maker, there are little to no add-ons created for it because Microsoft has yet to publish anything on how to extend WLMM.

    The answer is going to be "no" for awhile, it seems.

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  7. Yes, I have windows 7 with Windows Live Movie Maker. I copied the old WMM version 2.1 from my XP system and it runs fine except the video plays with audio only from the Timeline or Storyboard, but plays fine from the player on the top right with both audio and video.

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  8. qtzq, that symptom is usually associated with using an incompatible file type like Divx/XviD/MPG, etc. Also, there are other options if you want the "old" Windows Movie Maker. You can download WMM 2.6 from Microsoft which is compiled to run under Vista (or Win7). You can also copy the WMM 6.0 executables from a Vista machine and use that version too.

    But again, for Windows Live Movie Maker, I don't have any word on custom titles, effects or transitions. I have asked. :)

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  9. Blaine,

    First, great site!
    Just wanted to chime in with my issues with Vista and HD video and Movie Maker. I juts got a Flip UltraHD camcorder and was watching some recently recorded video with Windows Media Player the other day. The play-back was choppy or stuttery and really annoying. I then tried to edit some HD video in Movie Maker and I got the same sort of playback.

    I have Vista Home Edition (32 bit) running on my laptop if this makes a difference.

    Any reasons why I get this poor quality with HD video? And, if I upgraded to Vista Premium Home Edition would this make a difference in the viewing and editing quality? I am inclined to think that this is a hardware issue. Am I on the right track?

    Thanks for any help!

    Sam
    sambking@comcast.net

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  10. More likely it is a codec issue. One thing I would try is to convert the files from the camcorder into WMV files. That's the flavor that WMM likes the most. Others have recommended a free program called "Handbrake" for this; give it a try and tell me how it works out.

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  11. This latest version of MM is stripped down- it's easier, but way lamer. MM was never hard to begin with. What gives? Microsoft tends to keep adding on more junk to their software, and when they have a good thing going with Movie maker, instead of making it just as functional but more stable, they simply make it weaker and more appealing to idiots. How do you pitch this plan to your boss with a straight face unless you are all totally cynical about how stupid PC users are? This is a Dilbert scenario if I ever saw one.

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  12. How long is awhile for the green screen effects in WLMM ?

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    1. We've been waiting years for Microsoft to come up with features like green screen or picture-in-picture but it hasn't arrived. The latest instance from Microsoft is Movie Moments in Windows 8.1 which an even simpler version and again doesn't have any enthusiast features like that. It also seems that customization is not a priority anymore. So your best option is WMM 6.0 with ShaderTFX.

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