P
PapaJohn \(MVP\)
A good understanding of the 5 basic building blocks you use when working
with Movie Maker is needed. Here's my personal summary of what they are:
1 - Source files - the video clips, still pictures and music/audio files
that you 'import' into Movie Maker to use in your movie projects. The word
'import' confuses some, as copies of the source files are not actually
brought into Movie Maker; the source files are 'linked to' and need to stay
on your computer or you'll get a big red X in the collection indicating a
missing source file.
If you have 10,000 music files on your hard drive, they are all 'potential
source files'; those you've actually imported (linked to) are your source
files.
2 - Collections - folders (or the older name of subdirectories) of clips.
There are two basic special collections, for Video Effects and Video
Transitions. You get to create, rename, delete, or move all the rest of
them.
When you import a video source file, Movie Maker automatically creates a new
collection for the clip(s).... other source files (music and still pix) go
into the collection that is currently selected when you do the importing.
The info about all the Collections in Movie Maker, and their contents, is
stored in a single file, a database of collection info.... it's a file that
ends with .DAT.
3 - Clips - the contents of the collections are the clips (before they go
into the project timeline/storyboard)... for still pix there is one clip for
each imported source file, at least in the beginning. The same with an
imported audio/music file. A video file can be imported as a single clip, or
automatically subdivided by Movie Maker into smaller clips of individual
scenes.
Once the clips are in a collection, they can be copied or moved from one
collection to another. The audio/music and video clips can be subdivided
manually into smaller clips or sub-clips.
All the info about the clips in the collections is stored in the collection
database...
Are the clips related to the source files that were imported? Yes, delete or
move a source file after it's imported (linked), and you'll have a big red-X
the next time you start Movie Maker.
4 - Projects - the movie you are working on, represented by the
timeline/storyboard and whatever you have in it, is your project. You save
the project as an .MSWMM file and reopen it when you want to have another
editing session with it.
Unlike the collection database, which is a single file with all the
collection info in it, and stored in a particular place on your hard drive,
you are free to have as many project files as you want, and store them in
any folders. Put it on a thumb drive if you want to and work with it from
there.
Are the clips in the collections related to the clips in the projects??
No.... although a clip in a collection and a project might be linked to the
same source file, there is no relationship between the clip in the
collection and the one in a project. Once you have a project with all the
clips it needs, you could erase your collection database without effecting
the project... and also discard all your project files without effecting
your collections.
Are the clips in a project related to the source files? Yes, delete or move
one of the source files and you'll have a big red X to deal with the next
time you open the project.
5 - Saved Movies - whenever you want to, you can render a draft or final
movie from any of your projects.... Movie Makers supports only two file
types, WMV and DV-AVI.... Once you have rendered a movie, you can start
the cycle over again, using the movie as a new source file...
.... or like many, you can take your saved movie to your DVD software and
burn a disc to watch on TV.
--
PapaJohn
Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
..
with Movie Maker is needed. Here's my personal summary of what they are:
1 - Source files - the video clips, still pictures and music/audio files
that you 'import' into Movie Maker to use in your movie projects. The word
'import' confuses some, as copies of the source files are not actually
brought into Movie Maker; the source files are 'linked to' and need to stay
on your computer or you'll get a big red X in the collection indicating a
missing source file.
If you have 10,000 music files on your hard drive, they are all 'potential
source files'; those you've actually imported (linked to) are your source
files.
2 - Collections - folders (or the older name of subdirectories) of clips.
There are two basic special collections, for Video Effects and Video
Transitions. You get to create, rename, delete, or move all the rest of
them.
When you import a video source file, Movie Maker automatically creates a new
collection for the clip(s).... other source files (music and still pix) go
into the collection that is currently selected when you do the importing.
The info about all the Collections in Movie Maker, and their contents, is
stored in a single file, a database of collection info.... it's a file that
ends with .DAT.
3 - Clips - the contents of the collections are the clips (before they go
into the project timeline/storyboard)... for still pix there is one clip for
each imported source file, at least in the beginning. The same with an
imported audio/music file. A video file can be imported as a single clip, or
automatically subdivided by Movie Maker into smaller clips of individual
scenes.
Once the clips are in a collection, they can be copied or moved from one
collection to another. The audio/music and video clips can be subdivided
manually into smaller clips or sub-clips.
All the info about the clips in the collections is stored in the collection
database...
Are the clips related to the source files that were imported? Yes, delete or
move a source file after it's imported (linked), and you'll have a big red-X
the next time you start Movie Maker.
4 - Projects - the movie you are working on, represented by the
timeline/storyboard and whatever you have in it, is your project. You save
the project as an .MSWMM file and reopen it when you want to have another
editing session with it.
Unlike the collection database, which is a single file with all the
collection info in it, and stored in a particular place on your hard drive,
you are free to have as many project files as you want, and store them in
any folders. Put it on a thumb drive if you want to and work with it from
there.
Are the clips in the collections related to the clips in the projects??
No.... although a clip in a collection and a project might be linked to the
same source file, there is no relationship between the clip in the
collection and the one in a project. Once you have a project with all the
clips it needs, you could erase your collection database without effecting
the project... and also discard all your project files without effecting
your collections.
Are the clips in a project related to the source files? Yes, delete or move
one of the source files and you'll have a big red X to deal with the next
time you open the project.
5 - Saved Movies - whenever you want to, you can render a draft or final
movie from any of your projects.... Movie Makers supports only two file
types, WMV and DV-AVI.... Once you have rendered a movie, you can start
the cycle over again, using the movie as a new source file...
.... or like many, you can take your saved movie to your DVD software and
burn a disc to watch on TV.
--
PapaJohn
Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
..