The Second Gate: Selection editor crib sheet
Selby Evans is Thinkerer Melville in Second Life
2. Open Windows Movie Maker.
It is standard with Win XP.
3. Look for movie tasks (Left column, top). Select "Import Video." DON'T select files yet.
Don't miss step 4.
4. Be sure "Create clips from video file" is checked.
Bottom of the dialog box.
5. Select your file and let WMM import it. (Import takes time. When you have multiple files, you can use the standard windows selection method, shift and ctrl.)
Import is misnomer here. WMM makes notes to itself about your .avi files, but will continue to need the raw .avi files as long as you are editing the vid. Don't move the .avi files till you are finished using them.
Each thumbnail represents an edit clip that WMM just identified. (A short file may produce only one edit clip.) Put the cursor on the thumbnail to see its length. Click on the thumbnail to show it in the preview player.
7. Drag or copy one thumbnail (edit clip) to the storyboard. Notice that you are working in the storyboard, not the timeline. You will use the timeline later.
Critical concept: Edit clip. A segment of your raw file identified as a single scene by WMM or by your subsequent editing. Basic unit for vid construction. You put edit clips into the storyboard to make a vid.
8. Import other .avi files as you please. Select several edit clips and put them in the storyboard. Select enough clips to make a three minute video. (The time of a clip is shown when you hover the cursor over it.)
Accept the defaults. Take note of the time your machine needs to complete the job. Play the resulting file (full screen if you want.) this file will be large, but you can move it over the web with Streamload (AKA Mediamax). See VidTech FAQ
Windows Movie Maker 2.1 Videos by Marc Liron
Screen capture videos and audio narration.
You are now a selection editor