Also for Windows Vista

Aug 20, 2009 07:32 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft scrapped the Beta label and released the gold version of Windows Live Movie Maker to web on August 19, 2009. Tailored to Windows 7 and Windows Vista, the application is the first component of Windows Live Essentials that has been optimized for Windows 7 RTM, the Redmond company emphasized. One example in which using Windows Live Movie Maker RTW with Windows 7 will offer a superior experience compared to Vista is high-definition content. In this regard, the client allows users to save movies in HD 480p and 720p in Vista, but can go as high as 1080p with high-definition materials, provided that Windows Live Movie Maker is used in concert with Windows 7.

“With Windows 7 and Windows Live Movie Maker it’s easy to get your photos and videos off your camera and onto your PC. You’ll also get increased capabilities for creating HD movies and enjoy support for additional file formats – including QuickTime formats, AVCHD and .MPEG4. And most importantly, if you use Office or Windows already, you’ll find Movie Maker easy to navigate because it uses a similar design,” revealed Brian Hall, general manager for the Windows Live Business Group.

In addition to being able to save their creations in high definition, Windows Live Movie Maker in Windows 7 also allows users to import content and edit video materials from Flip Video and iPhone. But at the same time, there are features also valid for Windows Vista. In this regard, Microsoft has streamlined video publishing to YouTube, and the promise is that simple and easy online publishing and file sharing capabilities will be added for Facebook and additional websites in the future.

Still, when it comes down to sharing, Windows Live Movie Maker RTW truly shines, allowing users to easily spread their creations across the three screens the company is targeting with its entertainment vision, the TV, PC and mobile devices.

“Videos are for sharing, so Movie Maker makes it easy to share online with a few clicks. Post your video to YouTube right from the main menu, or add a quick plug-in and easily publish to Facebook. We will be adding more plug-ins to popular sharing sites in the future. You can also burn your creation to a DVD or save it in high definition to play on your TV. Save it down to a smaller format and transfer it to a mobile device or send it via e-mail,” Hall added.

With Windows Live Movie Maker, Microsoft has made sure that users will be able to enjoy seamless import capabilities of both digital images and video directly from devices connected to the machine. This is yet another scenario in which using Windows 7 will deliver a superior experience. Once the content is in Windows Live Movie Maker, a wide range of editing options will allow users to put together videos or slideshows. Such features as Live Preview, fitting content to music length, content transitions, audio and video editing, visual effects, as well as titles, captions and credits will help users create unique experiences with their raw materials.

“You told us after the beta came out that you’d like more transitions, effects, and video editing features,” Hall explained. “The new Movie Maker has more than 60 transitions, 18 pan and zoom options, and 20 visual effects that you can apply to photos or videos, plus video trim, split, and fade capabilities. As a movie maker myself, I love the range of rich editing capabilities in this version and particularly like being able to auto-preview transitions like cross-fade, dissolve, pixelate, and shatter by hovering over the effect and watching it in real time.”

Don’t really have the time to put a video together? Then Windows Live Movie Maker offers Auto Movie, a feature that will put together the content, adding such details as transitions, title, captions and a music soundtrack.

“Movie Maker can create great looking movies in under a minute. Just add your photos and videos to Movie Maker, and select your music, then click the Auto Movie button. Auto Movie will knit those photos and videos together with striking effects and transitions, and even fit them to a soundtrack of your choosing. Basic movie – done. If you want to spend more time editing your video clips, adding animations, or visual effects you can, but the heavy lifting is done for you in less than a minute,” Hall revealed.

Users are free to make DVDs with their creations, undo and redo in order to perfect their videos or slideshows, ensure that the output is in standard or widescreen format. And I was telling you about the sharing capabilities of the app. Well, in addition to publishing videos on YouTube, Facebook, and other sharing sites, users can email content, send it to a mobile phone, display it on the PC, or on a TV (Media Center Edition, Blu-ray) in high definition, access it via a streaming media player, or on Xbox, Zune, iPod and even share it through Windows Live SkyDrive.

Microsoft indicated that the following file formats are supported: Windows Media Video (WMV); Windows Media, DV-AVI; Microsoft Recorded TV Show; 3GP; 3GPP; MPEG-2; MPEG-1; Motion JPEG; JPEG; TIFF; GIF; Bitmap; PNG; and just for Windows 7 QuickTime .mov and .qt; AVCHD; MPEG-4 files.

Windows Live Movie Maker RTW is available for download here.