Add music
Published: August 8, 2006
There's no better way to create a mood or crank up the energy in your home movies than by adding music. If you haven't yet copied your CDs to your computer, read Quickly Rip CDs to Your Computer to learn how. With Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Movie Maker, you can add any music from your CD collection to your home movies.
To add music to your movie:
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1.
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Download video from your camera to your computer, and add clips from your collection to your storyboard.
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2.
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In the Movie Tasks pane in Movie Maker, under Capture Video, click Import audio or music.
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3.
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In the Import File dialog box, click the name of the song you want to use in the background. Then click Import. This adds your song to your collection but does not add it to your video.
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4.
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Drag the song from the collection to the video clip where you want the music to start playing.
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5.
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If prompted, click OK.
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6.
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Movie Maker shows your song on the timeline. If the song extends beyond the end of the movie, drag the right edge of the song so that it ends at the same time as your movie. Otherwise, the song will keep playing after your movie is done. It's a nice touch to have the music stop during a quiet spot so that it doesn't just stop abruptly.
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7.
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Click Play in the Preview Monitor to watch your movie and listen to the background music.
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8.
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If the background music is too loud or too soft in comparison to the movie, right-click the music on your timeline, and then click Volume. If the audio and music sound good, you can skip the next step.
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9.
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In the Audio Clip Volume dialog box, move the slider to the left to make the music quieter, or to the right to make it louder. Then click OK. Return to step 7 to listen to the audio again and make another adjustment if necessary.
Next time you're filming video, think about the background music. For example, if you're filming a football game, see if you can get a copy of the team's fight song. If you're on vacation, buy a CD of local music so you can add it to your movie.
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