"All I can use right now is Windows Movie Maker."

Sometimes, you have to make do.

I'll confess, I am not crazy about using Windows Movie Maker. That's in part because Windows Movie Maker fanvids are notorious for having bad quality. But your vids don't have to fit that stereotype. I'm going to show you a few techniques to help boost your videos' overall quality, so they won't have that "Windows Movie Maker-tastic" (to quote BOD from YouTube) look to them.

This simple fanvid (more info on it later) was made with Windows Movie Maker, following the techniques described on this page. Do you like the overall picture quality? If you do, read on!

What you'll need to get started:

• The willingness to follow tutorials carefully. I'll be telling you some basics here, but I'll also be linking to a lot of other tutorials on my other sites (and also on Foolish Passion's fan video forum). You've got to be willing to read all these tutorials and follow what they say.
• A modest amount of disk space. (The more, the better.) You don't need terabytes and terabytes of disk space, but conservatively, you should have about 15-50+ GB free (on top of the 10% free space your computer should have at all times). You need more disk space to edit with higher quality clips. The more episodes/movies you want to edit, the more disk space you need.
• Ability to acquire good quality footage. Learn to make clips from your own DVDs or Blu-Ray disks or know how to identify good quality sources online. No, those downloaded clips you get off of YouTube aren't going to work well if quality (and avoidance of the "Windows Movie Maker-tastic" look) are desired.
• Patience. Most of the techniques I teach here are cost-free, but they might require you install a few free programs, or re-encode your video in a different piece of software. (Some of these steps would be avoidable if you were using commercial software.) If you have $20 to spend towards vidding, things are a little easier for you. If you have $50 to spend, that's enough to get Sony Vegas Movie Studio and start learning it instead, and why aren't you doing that now instead of still being here? LOL.

What you can get out of following these tutorials and tips:

• Less crashing of Windows Movie Maker. Yes, WMM is annoying and unstable. But a lot of its crashing and freezing happens because vidders are trying to edit clips with unsuitable codecs (types of video compression). You may be using AVI files already, but not all AVI files are the same. You'll learn to make a special type of AVI files that will edit smoother and look better, and most importantly, won't make WMM crash. (If you want more info on video codecs and why editing with the wrong kind can eventually cause problems, read my tutorial/rant on the subject.)
• Near DVD-quality or (if you use HD footage) near HD quality. I can't find a way to export HD straight out of WMM 2.6, but if you make clips from an HD source, there's a workaround to keep most of that HD quality in your finished video. And even if you don't have HD footage, you can learn how to make an "HD-sized" video file to upload to YouTube, so the video will be bumped up to a higher playback setting.
• No more needless black bars in your finished video. Do you wonder how come you can't seem to get your video to fill out the frame of YouTube (there are black bars on the right and left side on YouTube, and maybe on the top and bottom)? You learn how to avoid that when possible.
• No more distorted video. Another common trait of "Windows Movie Maker-tastic" vids are a distorted picture, most often with everyone's faces being too long and skinny or sometimes too fat and squashed down. If you follow the guidelines given here, that should be a thing of the past.

Getting good quality clips.

The quality of your "raw material" (what you import into Windows Movie Maker) is the key thing here. If your source clips are low-res, blurry and fuzzy, they won't look any better no matter what you do. Here are some basic tips and bits of info:

• Don't edit with ANYTHING downloaded from YouTube. With few exceptions, the quality is bad.
• When possible, rip clips from your own DVDs. (This process is free, but you have to have disk space to store the DVD rip, plus room to make good quality clips. Remember: At least 15-50+ GB or up. More is better.)
• If you're already converting your DVDs to "some kind of AVI (or MPEG, or WMV) file" you may still be risking WMM crashing and quality loss. It's important to convert your DVDs to the right kind of AVI file. The tutorials here show you how.
• Downloaded AVI files (that are about 350-500 MB per episode) are only acceptable if the DVD is not yet available for sale. But you still should convert these downloaded AVIs to a "better" kind of AVI (I'll give you tutorials on that) if you want to avoid crashing, freezing, and needless quality loss.
• It's possible to convert those nice juicy HD MKV files you see online to something "editable" for WMM, and it can be done at no cost. The quality will be stunning.

Preparing your clips to be good to great quality.

Option 1: Convert your DVD to a nice editable AVI, called DV AVI. This tutorial shows you how. You will probably need to pay $20 for a plug-in to get the converting software to work. (But the process is easy and it's worth it, in my opinion. In this tutorial, $20 is the only money I'll ever be recommending that you spend.)

Option 2: Convert your DVD to a different nice editable AVI, called MJPEG AVI. Follow this tutorial (the part for converting a DVD is lower on the page). You may have to "re-reconvert" the clips if they don't open in WMM as-is. The learning curve is a little higher. But there is no cost.

Option 3: Convert those juicy HD MKV files you find online to an AVI file that can be edited in WMM. The quality will be gorgeous. (Again, you may have to re-reconvert the files, but the quality still holds up okay.) Follow this tutorial or join the Foolish Passion Fan video forums (free membership) and follow this tutorial, which is a bit easier.

Option 4: Convert your downloaded AVI, MOV, or MP4 files to DV AVI (or MJPEG AVI) in order to make WMM editing more stable and less crash-prone. Follow one of the tutorials above for making these types of files. (Note, if you use MPEG Streamclip to convert your XviD/DivX AVI files to DV or MJPEG, you will need to install the free 3ivX codec--get version 4.5.1.) And also, your clips might lose their audio when you convert XviD/Divx downloaded AVI files in MPEG Streamclip.

Space-saving tip: Conserve disk space by trimming to just the scenes you need for your video. No need to import the whole hour or two hours of a movie or show when you know you won't be using half the footage. Cut shorter clips of just the parts you need.

Quality tip: Do you think that those downloaded XviD or DivX AVI files are "good enough" quality? Think again. Here's a quality comparison page which shows the difference between a typical downloaded file vs. editing from a DVD rip converted to DV AVI.

No, you don't have to convert your clips to this better kind of AVI file if you absolutely don't want to. It is not the intention of this tutorial to arm-wrestle anyone away from doing things their favorite way. But because video editing is a technical thing, there are some rules which are quite rigid, and one of these rules (aka "facts") is that editing in XviD or DivX AVI, etc., is not supported well (or at all) in WMM and can cause problems (as well as quality loss, smearing of video, frames out of order, etc). Once a vidder is informed of these facts, it's up to them to decide what they want to do with the information.

Where do you find quality footage online?

I am not a big advocate of using downloaded footage, with the exception of: The DVD is not available yet, so we vidders "make do" with downloaded episodes (often in the form of AVI files, usually 350-450 MB per episode). Then when the DVD is available, we buy it immediately and make clips from it. And now that HD is becoming more mainstream, a lot of us vidders are getting HD copies of episodes (often in the .mkv format and with "x264" and "720p" in the file name) online. But we always intend to buy the DVD or Blu-Ray when it becomes available. Because we are fans of the shows we vid for, we want to show support by purchasing the DVD or Blu-Ray.

To find shows online, do a search for the name of the show plus the keywords "download." I don't want to be more specific than that, other than to tell you, if you really want to find shows online, it's not hard once you start looking.

 

Setting up Windows Movie Maker to edit (and no more black bars where they don't belong, and no distorted video!)

Okay, now you have your high quality clips. Now let's set up WMM correctly so there are no needless black bars or distorted faces.

First you need to know the aspect ratio (frame dimensions or proportions) of your video. Odds are that if it's a recent movie or TV show, it's widescreen (which is now YouTube's default frame dimension). But you need to make sure. The rule of thumb is, if the DVD (or the clips you're using) have a more rectangular shape, they are widescreen, aka 16:9 aspect ratio. If the clips are more boxy, they are fullscreen, aka 4:3. This Aspect Ratio 101 tutorial shows you some examples.

Now that you know what the aspect ratio of your video is, go to Tools >> Options in WMM.

 

Here you select the aspect ratio and format of your video (circled in screenshot above). If you know that your clips came (or were ripped) from a DVD that was purchased in the UK, Australia, or Europe, it's safe to select "PAL" for "Video format." If you're not sure what format your clips are, select "NTSC."

For aspect ratio, select "16:9" if your clips are all more rectangular (widescreen). If your clips are boxier, choose "4:3." Click OK.

You're all set up! Now when you export your finished video, there shouldn't be any black bars that were not there in the original clips.

Pet Peeve: Distorted video in WMM.

Failure to set up WMM's aspect ratio correctly will result in image distortion, like pictures #1 and #2 above. Also, using clips and downloaded episodes from various sources can sometimes give you the "Windows Movie Maker-tastic" look of squished/squashed video, since some of the clips may not have been prepared correctly and come to you already distorted. That's why I keep emphasizing ripping your own clips from the DVD. That way you have complete control over how they are made.

Some tips about black letterbox bars and aspect ratio.

Some commercial DVDs have black letterbox bars at the top and bottom (or more rarely, left or right) of the picture. If they are in the actual DVD, they need to be there. Don't try to get rid of them. Read more about frame sizes on DVDs in the Aspect Ratio tutorial.

Special caution: If you download copies of feature films (like "Twilight," "Harry Potter," "Phantom of the Opera") they often are in a very wide-widescreen aspect ratio. (This is not an issue with the DVD rips of these films, just the downloadable versions.) These videos cannot be edited as-is in WMM without getting the "Windows Movie Maker-tastic" long skinny beanpole look. Try to rip clips from a DVD whenever possible and NEVER trim any black letterbox bars off of a video unless you know what you're doing.

Note: HD MKV files are almost always 16:9 widescreen if they are from a TV show (like "24," "Gossip Girl," "Legend of the Seeker," "Robin Hood," "Prison Break" and so forth). And like mentioned in the "Special caution" above, theatrical movies ("Harry Potter," "Twilight," etc) are frequently in a special kind of "super-wide-widescreen" aspect ratio which will not edit well in WMM as-is. Scroll down the page of this tutorial to find the section about adding black bars back onto a feature film HD MKV file. Doing this will prevent your finished video from looking squished and elongated.

 

Editing tips for WMM (and all newbie vidding).

I don't usually give aesthetic tips for editing, but here are a few hints which may be helpful to a newbie vidder.

• Try to edit with some awareness to the timing of the music, or match the meaning of the lyrics.
• Avoid using l-o-n-g clips (clips longer than 10-20 seconds can start to drag unless the music is naturally slow-paced).
• The pace of the video should match the music. Is it a snappy, fast-paced song? Then your editing should not meander on at a leisurely pace. Is it a slow, contemplative piece of music? Please don't dazzle us with lots of quick cuts.
• Avoid the "talky face." When possible, try to avoid too many clips with people talking to each other, but no words are coming out because this is a music video and there is no dialog. This is considered a pet peeve among many viewers.
• Less is more with effects. No, you don't have to try out every effect in WMM. Many of them are useless and tacky. Same goes for the transitions. Some of them are just going to distract from the editing of the video.
• Not an aesthetic tip, but I'm putting it here anyway: NEVER, NEVER, EVER use clips from someone else's fan video. This is a major sin in the vidding world and you will live to regret it. Always make your own clips or download entire episodes rather than trim little bits out of someone else's video.

Edit to the time of the music in WMM.

Here's one simple tip for editing in WMM.

Use the audio waveforms in WMM to help give you clues about where to line up your clips. The "peaks" in the waveforms often indicate a strong beat in the music.

Export your finished video out of WMM as a DV AVI:

You're not going to export your finished video out as an WMV. No, you're going to make a DV AVI and then use some other software to make a higher quality file, or even an HD-sized file for Youtube!

Click on "Save to my computer."

 

Choose "More choices" if you see this window.

 

Select "Other settings" and choose "DV AVI" (either PAL or NTSC, depending on how you set up WMM). Then click on "Next" and wait for the video to convert over. The finished video may be up to 1 GB or more in size.

Note: If you open this DV AVI file up in Windows Media Player or some other media player, it may (or may not) look "squished" and distorted. There may be weird "lines" showing up on it. Do not worry. This is normal. DV AVI files often look weird in their raw state. All the problems you see in your DV AVI file can be fixed. That's what we're going to do next.

Now you're going to convert your DV AVI file to something with a smaller file size, for uploading to YouTube. (Also, you'll fix any squishing or weird lines you see in the DV AVI file.) One way is to follow this tutorial on the Foolish Passion fan video forums for making an HD-sized video. (Free membership required to view tutorial.) Scroll down to the part where it says "Now you're going to choose to save it as an MP4 file."

WARNING: If your fanvid is not the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, DO NOT make an HD-sized video. If you do anyway, your finished video look funny, where all the people's faces are too fat and normally round objects—like the sun or moon—will be squashed-down ovals. If your video is fullscreen 4:3 aspect ratio, follow the tutorial linked above, but instead of using the frame size of 1280x720, choose 640x480.

 

Anatomy of a high quality video made in Windows Movie Maker 2.6:

I edited a "faux HD" fanvid following the techniques described on this page. (Don't expect much from the editing; it's just a simple little vidlet.) Be sure to select the HD option and try to view at fullscreen! Below I have notes on how this video was made. All the software used was free.

 

The source clips used: Okay, I cheated a little, I had extremely high quality Blu-Ray-ripped clips. I converted them to a high-res MOV file on my Mac. Then (while still on the Mac) I re-converted these high-res MOV files to MJPEG AVI, for future vidding on Windows. But assuming you don't have a Mac, following the Avidemux HD clips tutorial here, or consulting the Faux HD WMM tutorial on the Foolish Passion Fan video forums (remember, free membership required) will give you similar results if you are starting out with HD MKV source files. This test video on YouTube (made to accompany the Faux HD WMM tutorial) shows the quality you can get from converting MKV files with free software in Windows.

Exporting the finished video: I exported the finished video out as a DV AVI. Then I opened it in Any Video Converter, following the MP4 guidelines listed in the Faux HD WMM tutorial. I sized the video up to 1280x720 and used a very high data rate (bit rate) of 10,000.

I could have just used the MP4 file that Any Video Converter made and uploaded that to YouTube, but I didn't put a watermark on the video when I was making it in WMM, because I just didn't like the way it looked. So I opened the MP4 file in Avidemux and, following the guidelines in this tutorial (on the Foolish Passion fan video forums, free membership required to view) I made an XviD AVI and used one of Avidemux's features to make a watermark. I also tweaked the color and contrast with Avidemux's optional filters.

Important notes about using Avidemux: I used an older version of Avidemux (4.2.2) which can be found on the older versions page of the Avidemux page. I raised the data rate (bitrate) of the XviD AVI file I made to 5,000. (The tutorial talks about a data rate of 2000 or so. This is too low for HD-sized videos.) Some trial-and-error was needed to figure out what numbers to use to make the watermark place correctly in the bottom right-hand corner.

 

Other notes about HD video and aspect ratio, etc:

This basic tutorial isn't able to give you all the details about these two important aspects of vidding.

Aspect ratio is about proportions or frame dimensions in your video. Some viewers don't seem to notice or mind distorted video, while it bothers others very much. (It's a little like listening to something sung off-key. Some listeners are not as aware of out-of-key singing, while it drives others up the wall!) For much more detailed info about aspect ratio (I call it "Aspect Ratio Overkill") read this tutorial. Don't feel too intimidated, though. Most of the errors in aspect ratio can be avoided by following two guidelines: 1) Rip your own clips whenever possible, and 2) Educate yourself on what the aspect ratio is on the clips you use. In DVDs, there are only two options: Fullscreen (4:3) and widescreen (16:9). So it's not hard to get right once you understand what's going on.

HD vs. HD. There is so much confusion about what HD is and what it looks like, so I wrote a whole page where I hope to clear things up a little. A tip: Just because you blow up a video to HD-sizes for YouTube, doesn't mean it's really HD.

Get a taste for HD right now: The Corel VideoStudio tutorial has some small downloadable (but HD quality) clips. Jump over to that page and download the clips and follow the instructions for converting them to MJPEG AVI files. Then import the special HD AVI clips into WMM and see how great they can look!

For the more technically minded: The wonderful tutorials on AnimeMusicVideos.org will show you how to make the absolute MOST out of your WMM fanvid. The learning curve is higher but worth investigating.

 

Final Thoughts:

Some of you may be reading this tutorial and thinking, "Man, she is a stuck up b*tch with all her rules and high standards and her references to 'Windows Movie Maker-tastic.'" LOL. It's true, I am mean and at times a total snob! But honestly, I want to help. There is a prejudice against WMM fanvids that is largely due to newbie vidders not knowing some of the quality guidelines that are given here. The vidders who know how to make better quality can still use WMM but shake off the "Windows Movie Maker-tastic" mantle.

Yes, some of the tutorials here are exacting, with lots of painstaking rules and strict guidelines. But you will find that as you continue making fanvids (and hopefully progress to some more sophisticated software, like VideoStudio or Sony Vegas) that many other vidders have been following similar guidelines for a long time. The extra quality you see in other fanvids came at a price—not necessarily a monetary price, but a price of time, patience, and willingness of the vidder to learn how to do things a certain way.

Vidding has a technical aspect to it and some of the rules are quire rigid. Remaining ignorant of these rules is not a sign of more creative freedom; it just makes you unaware of nuts-and-bolts info you need to make things work better and look better.

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