frog_princess00

Even if I already bought the song?

frog_princess00

Even if I already bought the song?

Gracie

If you bought the song off itunes, there's no way for it to be imported to windows movie maker, unless you start itunes and rip it off there (I use Blaze Media Pro, since it works fairly well, and you can get a free trial of it, just to test it out) , unfortunally the quality of the song often suffers, since it's not the original version. That's the only way I know how to get around protected files, since the ones you buy off itunes are protected and they won't let you use it for anything other than your ipod.

Lain

Ahh! At least half of the time I attempt to play my video in WMM, the video sometimes slows or freezes. Do you think it's my computer? I mean, there aren't any viruses or trojans as far as I know.

n e r b l e

make sure you've got video acceleration turned all the way up. also how fast is your pc?

Lain

Hmm...well, it varies. But not up to the point where it freezes like how it was before

UnsilentMajorty

What are your PC specs?

Go to Start---->Right Click on "My Computer"---->Properties

Tell us what it says under "Computer":

-Processor (Type)
-Speed (GHz)
-RAM size

Digital Video editing and NLE (Non-Linear Editing) requires a fast processor (1.5 GHz or more) and LOTS of RAM. One gigabyte or more is preferred due to uncompressed file sizes used in programs like WMM2.

Also, if you are using episodes of TV shows or movies you downloaded off the net... STOP AT ONCE.

This isn't a moral recommendation, but a technical recommendation because you are editing with sources which 99% of the time have been encoded in Divx or Xvid, and this is NOT ideal for NLE because Divx and Xvid are compression and distribution codecs and are not intended to be used for editing. The fact WMM2 can used Divx and Xvid encoded sources is a HUGE disservice to video authors everywhere and needs to be put to a stop in my opinion.

In fact, I am going post a LONG, detailed guide for this forum on how to properly use retail DVDs for source footage as this is the ideal source you (anyone who makes videos in general) should be using because it is not encoded/compressed in Divx or Xvid and I gurantee you will get better (visual) quality results in the end

Lain

Celeron(R) CPU 2.60GHz
2.60 GHz, 256 MB of RAM

Okay..I'm not downloading episodes from TV Shows or Movies (Limewire is too much for me because it runs too slow)

Sorry heh. No, most of my video clips are just clips from other websites (Is this a bad thing?). I try to avoid downloading anything that has the Divx or Xvid code simply because I don't have that certain codec to play those kinds of clips.

I'm not sure how you can capture footage from DVDs. I know there's this software or program that you have to hook up to your computer but I don't have it.

kaykayelle

Well, you can download the Xvid codec for free and then you can watch xvid videos.

UnsilentMajorty

Your main problem is RAM.

Is this a laptop or a desktop? PC or MAC?

If it is a desktop PC (or even a laptop) you need to upgrade to at least 512 MBs at the minimum; 1024 MB (1 Gigabyte) recommended.

The reason you are getting slow downs is because WMM2 is having to pull the footage off the hard drive instead of the RAM which will always be infinitely slower no matter what it is you are doing... But especially for data and bandwith intensive apps like video editing.

If you upgrade to at least a gig it will also make multi-tasking that much faster because if you are using Windows XP (any version), XP is a system hog and requires at least 512 MBs to function efficiently.

Yes.

The reason is the footage has been compressed at least twice before and will be a third time once you put it in your own video.

-Once when the original TV episode/movie was compressed for distribution (download)
-A second time when it was turned into a smaller clip for the website
-A third time once you export your finished music video

Each time it is compressed it looses data that makes up the picture quality. The worst are sites like Youtube.com that turn their video files into streaming Flash (mpeg) files which means the actual video file is deconstructed into a streaming file which is why most of the files on Youtube and similar sites are pretty unwatchable from a strictly quality stand-point.

As promised, I have posted a thread on How to Use DVD Footage in WMM2.

I did this because I really want to emphasize the fact people should start getting away from using downloaded episodes/movies/clips because the quality is just not and never will be good as retail DVDs. Period.

Like I said, I could kill MS for making Divx and Xvid encoded movies useable in WMM because it keeps perpetuating a severly bad habit -- like smoking -- That should not be encouraged and is not encouraged among professional editors and even serious hobbyists who are informed video enthusiasts as well.

I realize people in certain countries don't get certain TV shows as fast as they do in America, and that most people are lazy... To be blunt... And don't really care about the quality of their music videos... But like most things in life, if you want quality results you have to put in the effort and learn how to do things properly in order to achieve the quality results you may be looking for.

As a side note, this is why you only see a few really "good" music videos on the net in terms of their technical quality alone, regardless if the person can edit or not.

These are the few authors who learned the proper way to do things and it is their work which stands above everyone else becasue their source footage is crystal clear -- With no network watermark in the lower right-hand corner -- And in the correct aspect ratio (no skinny people; no black bars at the top and bottom) and it is precisely why they are often the ones who get all the compliments and accolades about their work compared to the masses of videos made with downloaded movies/TV shows regardless of whether the editor has a talent for editing, or not.

Sorry for the rant, but we just had the FF Music Video awards recently and there were only one or two videos that were done the proper way and I could immediately tell they were done using DVD footage and/or with professional editing programs like Sony Vegas, or Adobe Premiere.

I know everyone cannot afford, or doesn't even want professional editing programs...

But that doesn't mean they have to be lazy in terms of at least trying to learn the proper way to do something that WILL make their videos stand out in the end.

I've seen some very good videos made with WMM... Seriously... But what would have made the videos even better is if A) They had used DVD footage, and B) They didn't save it in wmv format and instead exported it in an uncompressed format and then cleaned it up in a third-party program while compressing it in Divx, or Xvid.

Also, to show I am just ranting, here is a video I did using Adobe Premeire that follows the very principles of quality control that I hope become a standard here among FF video makers:

Ghost

I used DVD footage, an uncompressed wave (not an MP3), cropped, cleaned up and then compressed the file using Xvid which is an open-source extention of Divx 5.0.

To view this video you will need to download Divx at DivX.com: DivX Video Player & DivX Video Codec.

Lain

I can see where you are coming from with this because I have noticed this in video clips and not only the ones on YouTube. And I'm not talking about animation (since I downloaod animation clips) clips that have been improved in quality over time. Some look rather...um...how should i put...there are at least a few shots where it looks pixelated and the quality is different.

lalatina15

So... everytime I play a song in the timeline/storyboard, it keeps changing in either speed or length, and I have no idea why. Is there any way to fix this? It makes video making especially difficult.

othravenslvr

Does anyone know of any other programs besides WMM that they could recommend? I'm starting to actually use my movie-making hobby to make some extra cash (making better quality home videos, or home movies for people for Christmas) and I'd like to invest in a better quality program that is still pretty easy to handle. Any ideas?

jBosco

Adobe Premiere is an awesome program...takes a good computer to run it and some trial and error to learn it but after that it's a HUGE step up from WMM...

Poupa

I'm having this problem with WMM, everytime i try to save the vid & choose the location & File size, it usually tells you how many minutes are left, however,lately everytime i try to save my finished vid, the mintues keeps increasing & continue increasing & the file doesn't get saved, I don't know what to do?

Anyone can help me?