by Jim Hiller for Daves Computer Tips
Long time member and good friend Ema has asked us for advice on how to use Windows Live Movie Maker to extract a portion of a video and save it as an independent clip. Here is what Ema posted on the forum:
I used to have XP and I was able to use window movie maker to cut a piece out of a video.
Now I have windows 7 and I am completely lost. I have lots of free programs but could always use more.
I am trying to make a copy of a movie and then take a few clips out and really need baby baby steps.
I know I have to change the movie to avi I think. But I cant do anything in windows 7
Well Ema, I don’t blame you in the least for being a little confused. Windows Live Movie Maker has fallen victim to Microsoft’s current penchant for adding ribbon style menus to their applications. To be honest, I much prefer the older style interface myself; it was straight forward and simple, nothing fancy but it wasn’t near as complex or confusing either.
Anyway, here is the guide as promised… pictures and all (click on images to view full size). I hope it helps you through the process, and anyone else who might be experiencing similar difficulties:
First thing you need to understand is that Windows Live Movie Maker will only accept video in certain formats, main ones are AVI, WMV, MPEG and MOV. You can view a full list of supported video formats HERE.
So, if the video is any other format than those supported you will first need to convert it; the most versatile and commonly used format would be AVI. There are several free and easy to use video conversion programs available, I would recommend either Any Video Converter or WinX Video Converter.
If the original video is already in a format supported by Windows Live Movie Maker you can just import as is. If not, then convert it and import the converted video into Windows Live Movie Maker and you are ready to begin:
Once the video has been imported, click on the Edit button in the top menu:
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This excerpt is shared with permission from davescomputertips.com.
