Video has taken the web by storm, spreading everywhere from YouTube to personal blogs. There are many reasons why video has become so popular—inexpensive video cameras, readily available broadband, free video hosting sites, as well as free and easy-to-use video editing software. Video editing is the most technically challenging aspect of video production and publication, but here’s a simple how-to for a popular free video-editing application: Windows Movie Maker(1).
To get started, you should have a computer with Windows XP or a newer version of Windows, some video footage, and Movie Maker. You may already have Movie Maker on your computer; to find out, just go to your start button, select “Programs”, and navigate to “Accessories”, then “Entertainment”. If you already have it, then Movie Maker will be listed here. If it isn’t, then you can download it for free from Microsoft.com.
(1)image of Movie Maker application- click to enlarge
Movie Maker only supports specific video formats, so check the Movie Maker help section(2) to determine if your video’s format is supported. If your video is in an unsupported format there are free utilities you can download that will convert your footage to a supported format.
(2)image of Movie Maker help section- click to enlarge
Once you have Movie Maker and a properly formatted video file, start the application and import your footage. The easiest way to import is to use the Toolbar: click the “Tasks” button on the Toolbar to open the “Movie Tasks” pane. From that pane, select “Import Video”(3)—this will cause a window to pop up. Browse through your video file(s), highlight the one you want then select “Import”(4). Your footage should then appear in Movie Maker’s Collection window.
(3)image of “Import video”- click to enlarge
(4)image of Import pop-up- click to enlarge
Now you’re ready to start editing. To edit your footage, you need to move it into the editing pane. The editing pane(5) can be found in the lower portion of the application window, so all you have to do is simply click and drag the footage there in the order you would like it to be played in your finished video. Clips can be rearranged at any time, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
(5)Image of video drag to Storyboard- click to enlarge
Once your footage is in the editing pane, you can start to make your changes, including splitting clips of film. While you can split clips from either the player or the editing pane, I’ll outline how it works in the player. If you click on a clip you will see it appear in a video player on the upper right of the application. There you’ll also find a button that shows a dotted line between two film frames; this is the split button. To split a clip, you can either play the clip or drag the playback indicator to where you want to split it and then click the split button. Now you will see two clips in the editing pane(6).
(6)Image of “split” button and split clips- click to enlarge
You can use the editing pane to make even more changes. In this pane, there are two views to choose from, Timeline and Storyboard. In general, the Storyboard view is best for arranging your clips and adding transitions. Transitions are effects that smooth the change from one clip to another. And now you that you have two clips, you’ll want to put a transition between them. On the Movie Tasks pane on the left side of the application window, click the arrow next to the “Edit Movie” section, then select “View video transitions”. This will bring up a list of transitions. Drag the transition you want to the small rectangle between clips in the Storyboard(7). If you want to change a transition’s length, you can modify if with the “Options” section under “Tools” on the Toolbar.
(7)Image of transition addition- click to enlarge
You’ll need the Timeline view to remove footage from the beginning or end of a clip (called “trimming a clip”). If you would like a specific section of a clip, use the trimming function. On the timeline, click one side of a clip and drag the playback indicator to the desired trim point, then release(8). The clip is now trimmed down to that time . If the section you want is in the middle of a clip, split the clip near the end of the section you would like, then trim.
(8)Image of trimming- click to enlarge
Splitting, transitions and trimming are tools every video editor employs. Before attempting a big project, try playing around with these features so you can get the hang of how to use them. For more information, use the help function in Movie Maker; it’s located on the Toolbar.
Now that your video footage has been edited, it’s time to finish your video. Go to the left pane and click the arrow next to “Finish Movie” then select “Save to my computer”(9). Movie Maker will then walk you through the saving process, but if you want to find out more about saving your video, go to the Movie Maker help section.
(9)Image of video finish- click to enlarge
To learn more about Movie Maker, go to Microsoft.com. Or, as they say, Google it.
Just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you should. The glut of amateurish, shakey, boring realtor videos is just making this profession look MORE unprofessional. It’s the moving equivalent of taking photos of your listing with a cell phone camera.
We need to present a more professional face, and these amateurish videos look like watching Uncle John’s boring home movies.
Ian,
Good read, I was hoping though that you would include a ‘Making it ready for youtube’ part. I have been recording a bunch of video lately, and can edit just fine, but getting it ready for the many video sites is a pain. I know they can convert it many of the times, but I hate uploading the huge file sizes. Thoughts? There is a quick and easy way in linux, any thoughts for windows?
Steve,
Thanks. I’m not aware of any short cuts to video uploading on hosting sites. I’ll keep a look out and post any solutions I find.
Michelle,
I think the same argument can be made for blogs, business cards, e-mails, etc. Just because there are a ton of terrible examples out there doesn’t mean a good realtor® couldn’t effectively use it as a differentiation tool. Of course, some could find it to be too time consuming anyway (as it is) and might just hire a professional.
what type of camera do you recommend?
Yes…what kind of camera do you recommend? Would also appreciate your input on the following: video cameras with hard drives vs cameras with SD memory? Also, what audio features should we look for? Will a camera in the $300 range be adequate? Thanks. Very helpful article above.
There is a company that allows you shoot your own videos and then upload the clips. They will edit the video and host it for you. They are called POVvideotours.com. They specialize in agent directed video tours.
The problem with youtube and others is the quality is crap. Go with something that is better quality. Using Movie Maker you can not produce the right kind of file type that is needed for streaming video on the web. If you take a look at POVvideotours.com they sell the camera and the tour hosting.
Here are some sample videos:
http://www.povvideotours.com/hdtours/rhondafuller/12421lawrence/
http://www.realtor.com/realestate/lansing-mi-48917-1102219030/
Tyler and Josh,
In general higher resolution is better- you can always decrease quality you can’t increase it once it’s been shot. Most amateur camcorders available today have excellent quality- higher quality than any video hosting site will support currently. This will change(YouTube optimization tips too);
ex: http://www.squidoo.com/youtuberight
Look at the optimization tips to determine the minimum your video camera will need.
Top Budget camcorders(under $400):
http://camcorders.about.com/od/digitalcamcordertoppicks/tp/TopBudgetCamcorders.htm
Here is CNET’s list of the best in each catagory:
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-camcorders/
If your plan is a quick video to give a client a better view of a property then I think a budget camera would be sufficient.
Memory and audio.
Unless you’re planning on making an independent film flash or HD memory will work fine. *8GB flash SD cards are selling for as low as $40 currently.
Audio on less expensive cameras is limited to on camera microphones. These work fairly well (always read reviews about an important function before purchasing). If you plan on commentary or interviews a camera with an audio/mic input is important. With an audio input you can use wireless lavalier mic or hand held mic. These are only available on more expensive models- from my research.
Dan,
The quality of those videos does look better than YouTube hosted videos I’ve seen (take a look at my squidoo link above). You can definitely achieve this level of quality with a budget camera.
As for MovieMaker; It can certainly edit in that fashion. If the format isn’t compatible with the requirements of a video hosting site there are video re-formating utilities available for free on the web. I’ve been happy with NHC: http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/
I like our Flipvideo camera for quick movies. The video is decent quality as well as the sound. It’s very easy to use and holds a decent amount of video.
thank for download
this program is good
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