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Spruce Up Your Vacation Video

You can use Windows Movie Maker, which comes with XP and Vista, to turn your home video into something truly enjoyable to watch. To access the program in either XP or Vista, click Start, All Programs, Windows Movie Maker.

Working With Clips

When you import your video file into Movie Maker, the program will split it into multiple clips. Select the ones you don't want, and press <Delete>. To split a clip in two, pause it at the desired point and click the Split icon below and to the right of the playback window. Then rename the remaining clips by selecting each and pressing <F2>.

In Video: How to Spruce Up Your Home Videos

Drag the clips down to the Storyboard at the bottom of Movie Maker's window, and arrange them in the proper order. You can always drag the clips around the storyboard to change the order.

When you are done, click the Play icon near the top of the Storyboard section to watch the rough cut of your cinematic masterpiece.

Press <Ctrl>-T (or click on the Show Timeline button located just above the Storyboard) to change the storyboard into a timeline--a better tool for adding sound, trimming your clips, and generally making your edit presentable.

Fine-Tuning

To add dissolves and transitions between the video clips, click View video transitions in the left pane under Edit Movie and drag the transition of your choice to the appropriate spot on the timeline or storyboard.

You can import additional audio content, such as narration or background music, the same way you import video; afterward, drag the audio files into the timeline to run parallel with the video. If you elect to have both narration and music, you'll want to control the volume of each so the appropriate track is clearer. Right-click either audio line, select Volume, and adjust as you see fit.

When you're done, you can export your video to a .wmv file or place it online, among other things. If you have XP Media Center, Vista Home Premium, or Vista Ultimate, you can burn it to DVD.

Lincoln Spector