What you need to make movies with Windows XP and Movie Maker
Published: August 8, 2006
If you are new to making home movies, you picked a great time to start. Making home movies is a great way to capture your memories, and video cameras have never been as powerful, easy to use, or inexpensive as they are now. If you have used video cameras before, you will be surprised at how much the technology has improved with digital video.
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Video cameras were large and heavy.
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Many video cameras are small enough to fit in your pocket.
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Handheld cameras produced shaky video.
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Image-stabilization technology steadies handheld video.
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You had to carry separate video and still cameras.
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Most digital video cameras can take still pictures, too.
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Video shot indoors was tinted orange.
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Digital video cameras automatically adjust to different lighting.
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Editing video required special training and was expensive.
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You can edit videos with your home computer and Windows Movie Maker.
Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is included with Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
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Most home movies were long and boring.
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Edited home movies are fast-paced and professional-looking.
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To show a video to a friend, you had to ship him or her a tape.
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You can e-mail videos to your friends, or burn your home movies to a CD or DVD.
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To edit home movies with your computer so that you can burn them to a CD or DVD, or e-mail them to your friends, you need the correct equipment. The following list will help you select the right equipment for the job.
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Required Equipment:
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MiniDV digital video camera
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MiniDV tapes
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Computer that supports a digital video connection
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Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2, which includes Movie Maker 2.1
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i.Link port (also known as FireWire or IEEE 1394) on your computer
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Recommended accessories for camera:
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Memory card
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Tripod
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Wide-angle lens
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Spare battery
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On-camera light
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Recommended accessories for computer:
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External USB (Universal Serial Bus) hard disk drive
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DVD burner with writeable DVD media
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Headphones
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The sections that follow give some advice about choosing the equipment and accessories that are right for you.
Digital video camera and accessories
When shopping for a digital video camera, choose a MiniDV camera. MiniDV cameras are the most popular digital video technology, and they offer the best compromise for size, quality, and cost. Choose a camera that feels comfortable in your hands and that is small enough to carry when you travel. If you have a widescreen TV, look for a digital video camera that can record in widescreen format (also known as 16:9).
MiniDV cameras record digital video onto small tapes that are readily available at grocery stores, pharmacies, and electronics stores. The availability of MiniDV tapes is important, because you may need to buy additional tapes when you’re traveling.
MiniDV tapes do not play in a VCR. Instead, you can copy the video to your computer and then burn it to a CD or DVD, or you can connect your camera directly to your TV.
When purchasing a digital video camera, consider buying the following accessories to help you make the highest quality home movies:
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Memory card. Most digital video cameras can take still pictures to a memory card. If your video camera kit does not include a memory card, you may want to purchase one.
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Tripod. A tripod holds your camera steady, eliminating the potential shakiness of handheld video cameras.
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Wide-angle lens. A must-have for indoor filming, wide-angle lenses allow you to stand closer to your subjects and capture more people in crowded rooms.
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Spare battery. Most camera batteries last for only about an hour of filming. To make sure you have power when you need it, purchase a spare battery.
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On-camera light. You can attach a light to most video cameras to improve video quality when shooting indoors.
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Computer and accessories
Most modern computers are powerful enough for video editing. The following table lists computer requirements and recommendations for using Movie Maker.
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Processor
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600 MHz or higher processor
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Any processor made in the last three years
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Memory
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128 megabytes (MB)
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500 MB to 1 gigabyte (GB)
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Hard disk
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2 GB of free disk space
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20 GB or more of free disk space
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Connection
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i.Link/FireWire/IEEE 1394
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i.Link/FireWire/IEEE 1394
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Operating system
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Windows XP with Service Pack 2
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Windows XP with Service Pack 2
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If one or more of your computer components does not meet the requirements, consider upgrading it:
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Windows XP and Movie Maker. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes Movie Maker 2.1. To download and install SP2, visit Microsoft Update.
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i.Link/FireWire/IEEE 1394. The easiest way to connect your camera to your computer is with an i.Link (also known as FireWire or IEEE 1394) cable. If you don't have a FireWire port on your computer, you (or a professional at an electronics store) can install an i.Link adapter. Your digital video camera kit will include the proper cable.
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Memory. Having 512 MB or more of memory will greatly improve how Movie Maker performs. Memory is inexpensive and relatively easy to upgrade, so adding memory should be your first consideration if you want to improve the performance of video editing on your computer.
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Processor. Any processor manufactured in the last three years will provide great performance with Movie Maker. Older processors will work too, but the video-editing process will take a bit longer.
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Monitor. Any monitor will suffice for using Movie Maker. If you do a lot of video editing, a 19-inch or larger monitor can make the editing process easier by allowing you to fit more tools and clips on the screen.
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Hard disk. Have at least 2 GB of free disk space before editing videos with Movie Maker. The more videos you save to your computer, the more space you will need. If you begin to run out of free disk space, you can easily add an external USB hard disk drive. If you are buying a new computer for video editing, buy a larger hard disk drive to provide room for your home movies.
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DVD burner with writeable DVD media. If hard disk space is limited, you can also move your digital video files to writeable DVDs.
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Headphones. Consider using headphones during video editing. With headphones, you can hear subtle sounds more clearly than you can through speakers.
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