Recording Video into Windows Movie Maker (Part 3 of 3) (316420)

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Importing files

You may have material such as existing photos, audio clips, or other video files stored on your computer that you want to use in your movies. You can use these files after you import them into Movie Maker. When you import a file, a clip that refers to the file is created. Clips are the basic building blocks of your movie. The combination of clips, when added and arranged on the storyboard or timeline, forms your entire movie. Movie Maker lets you import many different file types, including the following:

• Video files with an .asf, .avi, or .wmv file extension.
• Movie files with an .mpeg, .mpg, .m1v, .mp2, .mpa, or .mpe file extension.
• Audio files with a .wav, .snd, .au, .aif, .aifc, .aiff, .wma, or .mp3 file extension.
• Windows Media-based files with an .asf, .wm, .wma, or .wmv file extension.
• Still images with a .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif, .gif, or .dib file extension.

When you import a file that is not a video, the corresponding clip is stored in the currently selected collection. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 8.17, all the clips that are not video clips would be imported into the selected collection named mountranier.


Figure 8.17 - A selected collection named mountrainier.

You may also have existing video files stored on your computer that you want to include in your movie. When you import a file that contains video, such as an .avi, .mpeg, or an existing Windows Media-based file, a new collection is created and the corresponding clip or clips are imported into a new collection. The new collection is named according to the video file name. For example, if you import a video named Forest.avi, a new collection named Forest would be created with the clips containing parts of that movie file. If you import several videos at one time, a new collection is added for each video file.

When importing video files, think about how you are going to use the video in your movie. For example, if you have a video file that you are going to edit, you would want to enable the Create clips for video files option in the Select the File to Import dialog box (and the Record dialog box described earlier in this series of articles).

Figure 8.18 shows the Select the File to Import dialog box with Create clips for video files selected.


Figure 8.18 - The Select the File to Import dialog box with the Create clips for video files option selected.

If clip creation is selected, Movie Maker breaks down the video file into clips. Clips are created when an entirely different scene or background is detected by a process called shot detection. When importing a video file, think about what it contains and how you plan to use it in your movie. If the video contains footage that you plan on using as a whole, such as a short introduction to your movie recorded using your Web camera, you might want to clear the Create clips for video files check box so the scene is imported as one entire clip. However, if you have a longer video file that you want to use only portions of, you probably want to enable clip creation. This makes it easier for you to find the specific clips you want to add to your movie.

Clips can be created by means other than shot detection. When a video file that has been recorded with a DV device is imported into Movie Maker, and Create clips for video files is selected, clips are created based on the date and time stamp placed in the file by the DV camera. When a Windows Media-based file is indexed and clip creation is enabled, clips are based on the file markers in the Windows Media-based file.

NOTE: As an alternative to using the Import command on the File menu, you can click and drag supported multimedia files from Windows Explorer directly into Movie Maker. The corresponding clips are then added to your collections.

To import files into Windows Movie Maker

1. Select the collection named My Collections. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Collection. Type Chapter 8 Import for the collection name and select this collection. This is the folder that the clips, which represent the imported source files (that are not video or movie files), are imported into.
2. On the File menu, click Import. The Select the File To Import dialog box appears. The default location specified in the Import path box on the Options dialog box appears. This is the path Movie Maker first displays when you want to import a file.
   
   NOTE: If you keep all your content files under one folder, you can specify a new default import location by clicking the View menu, selecting Options, and then typing the folder name in the Import path box. This location is then automatically opened when you import files in the future.
3. Select the files you want.
4. Clear the Create clips for video files option if you want your video files to be imported as one clip.
5. Click Open.
6. You can add these clips to the storyboard or timeline to create a new movie.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES