Upgrading to Windows 10 - Is there an update to Movie Maker?

The short answer is "no". Movie Maker was provided as part of Windows Essentials 2012. As you might have guessed from the version number (2012), there have been no updates to the program in a few years. And, unfortunately there are no announced plans by Microsoft to change this for Windows 10. If you want the Windows Essentials version of Movie Maker, you will continue using Movie Maker 2012. The good news is it still works the same as before and seems unaffected by the upgrade to Windows 10.

For those of you that are still enjoying the classic version of Windows Movie Maker 6.0, be aware that Microsoft will rebuild your C:\Program Files\ folder. The contents will be backed up in C:\Windows.old\Program Files\ but that means that Windows Movie Maker 6.0 will seem to disappear. One fix for this is to just reinstall WMM 6.0. This might be the best approach since it will ensure that everything gets added to the registry correctly. This would also require you to reinstall any custom transitions, effects and titles you may have installed, including ShaderTFX. Alternatively, you may just want to copy the Movie Maker folder from C:\Windows.old\Program Files\Movie Maker into C:\Program Files\Movie Maker.

Fading Logo Overlays for WMM 6.0

For years people have been asking for custom titles for putting a logo or watermark on their video.

There have been solutions for this in Windows Movie Maker 6.0 previously but it required customization of the XML. It also didn't have an ability to fade the logo in and out. I've decided to create an installer that makes it much easier, doesn't require editing of the XML and also adds a fading version.

There are two installers depending on whether you are running on a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows. The installer will put the necessary files into, C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared.

Blaine's Logo Overlay Titles (64-bit)
Blaine's Logo Overlay Titles (32-bit)

The packaged installer comes with two sample logos in C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\BlaineLogoOverlays. To use your own logo, edit the .png images to replace my logo with your own. In order to create/edit your own, you'll need a program that can create .png images with transparency. Some freeware options are GIMP and Paint.net.

To use the new title

Go to 'Tools' > 'Titles and Credits' > 'Title on the selected clip'.

Click on 'change the title animation'.

Under your list of one line titles there will 4 new title animations: Blaine's Logo Overlay (16:9), Blaine's Logo Overlay (16:9) Fading, Blaine's Logo Overlay (4:3), Blaine's Logo Overlay (4:3) Fading

Pick the one that matches the aspect ratio of your project and whether you want it solid or fading. Then click 'Done'.

Stretch the title so that it extends for the length of your clip.

This was originally discussed on the Windows Movie Maker Forums.

Custom Camera Back Overlay for WMM 6.0

Following my series of custom Movie Maker image overlays, here's an overlay where your video appears on the back of a digital camera.

There are two installers depending on whether you are running on a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows. The installer will put the necessary files into, C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared.

Blaine's Camera Back Overlay (64-bit)
Blaine's Camera Back Overlay (32-bit)

To use the new title

Go to 'Tools' > 'Titles and Credits' > 'Title on the selected clip'.

Click on 'change the title animation'.

Under your list of one line titles there will a new title animation: Camera Back Overlay (4:3)

Pick this then click 'Done'.

Stretch the title so that it extends for the length of your clip.

Installing Windows Movie Maker 6.0 on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10

If you are reading this, I'm going to assume you've upgraded or purchased at least one PC with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 and discovered Windows Movie Maker is no where to be found. In its place, Microsoft offered a set of programs called "Windows Essentials" which included Movie Maker 2011 or 2012.

Many people have tried these versions of Movie Maker 2011 or 2012 and complained about the lack of a traditional timeline, issues with crashing, long times to prepare video files and the inability to customize the transitions, effects and titles. If you have been building up a library of custom titles, transitions and effects under Windows Movie Maker 6.0, none of these can be used in the newest Movie Maker because the rendering architecture has changed and Microsoft has no API for customizing things.

The good news is you can still use the latest version of Windows Movie Maker 6.0 from Vista. You can do this manually by copying the files from a Vista machine, registering some DLLs and creating a shortcut in your start menu. Or you can just use the installers I created below:

Movie Maker 6.0 for Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64-bit)
Movie Maker 6.0 for Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (32-bit)

There are two versions (64-bit or 32-bit) depending on the version of Windows you are running. If you are unsure, go to your 'Start' menu, right-click on 'Computer' and choose 'Properties'. System type should show 64-bit or 32-bit operating system. Pick the installer that matches. After that, don't forget to start previewing all the cool add-ons that you can have with this version.

Note: I'm turning off comments on this thread since there are more than 200.

Custom iPhone Overlay Title for WMM 6.0

Following my series of custom Movie Maker image overlays, here's an overlay where your video appears on the screen of a iPhone.

There are two installers depending on whether you are running on a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. The installer will put the necessary files into, C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared.

Blaine's iPhone Overlay Title (64-bit)
Blaine's iPhone Overlay Title (32-bit)

To use the new title

Go to 'Tools' > 'Titles and Credits' > 'Title on the selected clip'.

Click on 'change the title animation'.

Under your list of one line titles there will be two new titles: iPhone Overlay FS (4:3) or iPhone Overlay WS (16:9)

Pick the one that matches your aspect ratio then click 'Done'.

Stretch the title so that it extends for the length of your clip.