Splitting clips in Movie Maker (Vista) [WiredBox.Net

> On Wed, 9 May 2007 12:49:03 -0700, revcom
> <revcom[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
> >Hi there,
> >
> >I'm having trouble splitting a wmv file into a number of different clips in
> >Movie maker v 6.0 under Vista.
> >
> >I've managed to get it to work once but then never again.
> >
> >I have created a new collection (folder) called Clips.
> >
> >I split off a small part of the main wmv file in the timeline window into a
> >clip and Edit/copy that clip. I select the Clips folder in the collections
> >window and then attempt to Paste my clip either using Edit/Paste or by right
> >clicking in the Content window. In both cases Paste is disabled so the
> >operation is impossible.
> >
> >If I attempt to paste the copied clip into the timeline, it correctly pastes
> >another copy just after the original clip, so at least I know that the clip
> >was copied successfully.
> >
> >It worked once - I'm sure its something silly and stupid.
> >
> >Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.
>
> I hope you don't take offense at me telling you so, but the biggest
> thing you're doing wrong is trying to use Movie Maker. This is really
> for benefit of EVERYBODY suffering with Movie Maker. Sorry in my
> professional opinion, it is junk incapable of doing anything the right
> way which causes me to wonder why anybody serious about making videos,
> even if just as a hobby would ever use it for anything. It is that bad
> and will cause you to waste all kinds of time and get nothing but
> frustrated.
>
> Take splitting files. My God, that is child's play for real video
> editors! I don't expect everyone to invest in something as powerful as
> Sony's Vegas, but I'll use to for example to illustrate how simple and
> pain free editing CAN BE under Vista with the RIGHT TOOLS. Sony and
> others also offer less expensive tools, Sony's Movie Stuido based on
> Vegas, is about 10 times better than Movie Maker. It costs about $80,
> but is the best money you'll ever spend if you're serious about video
> editing. It will pay for itself the first few times you use it. No, I
> don't work for Sony, but I've used Movie Studio's big brother Vegas
> for years and I do swear by it. It is the rare piece of software that
> truly is EXCEPTIONAL in it works, exactly like it says it will and
> very rarely crashes regardless how hard you push it.
>
> Download and try either product on their free trial. Warning if you
> do, you'll never go back to Movie Maker. Its like night and day.
>
> Consider, I often work with BIG files. They can be a couple hours in
> length. Obviously these often need to be broken into segments, and
> different editing applied to each usually broken down by scenes or
> changes in cameras, lighting, etc.. So I'm talking HUNDREDS of cuts in
> a typical project. How easy is this in Vegas? Position the cursor
> anywhere on the timeline with single frame percision when you want the
> "cut" to begin and end and just hit the "s" key (for split) and that's
> it. You now have what's called an "event" that can be a short as a
> single frame, that's 1/30 of a second to any length. Each event can be
> saved seperatedly, moved anywhere on the timeline, duplicated, have
> multiple takes, with different filters on each, etc.. Child's play.
> Well almost. It is actually FUN to do video editing on a computer...if
> you have the RIGHT software! Because Vegas WORKS, you concentrate on
> doing what you're suppose to be doing, changing your video and
> improving it, not fighting with some clunky software that fights you
> every step of the way like Movie Maker often does.
>
> Now each event is actually a seperate "window" into your source file.
> Do ANYTHING you want with the event without affecting the rest of of
> movie. Grab a corner and pull while holding down the Ctrl key and the
> event becomes instant slow motion for whatever length you drag it on
> the timeline. Want it to play faster? Just drag in the opposite
> direction. Want to zoom, pan, add maybe multiple movies all playing at
> once and combined into a single filled frame, do blue screen special
> effects, yep, that's fairly easy as well. Want to play the event in
> reverse, just click and select that option. Since each event is a
> "window" into the entire source file dragging at either end of the
> event restores prior frames you may have "cut off" during editing, of
> course it never effects your source file which remains prestine
> throughout the editing process. Sound simple? It IS with GOOD video
> editing software.
>
> It is almost as simple to apply hundreds of different filters, make
> changes over time controlled by key frames, apply global envelopes to
> effect panning of audio, change it's volume, etc. and you can have as
> many tracks running as you care to all at once and you get to see the
> changes you make in real time.
>
> Once you're done playing... oops editing, you can render your video in
> nearly any video file type known to man including RM and HD flavors,
> plus the usual WMV, MPEG, AVI, even divX, at nearly at frame rate,
> frame size and bitrate and to do that is as simple as giving the file
> a name, deciding on a template then just pick render. Vegas simply
> doesn't crash.
>
> One BIG problem Movie Maker has is importing source files. Vegas and
> Movie studio simply present a Window Explorer like window pane, you
> simply select the file you want drag and drop it on a track on import
> from a camera or some other device. That's it. File is opened quickly
> and shows a video and audio track each of which can easily be
> seperated and worked on seperately or of course you can replace with
> other files. Mixed source files are no problem. You can in the span of
> a 30 seconds drag and drop a dozen different files each in a different
> file format, each with different frame sizes and frame rate each run
> under different codecs and neither Vegas or Movie Studio bats an eye.
> They just work. That's GOOD software.
>
> It accepts import via firewire from many popular cameras without
> complex setup or mindless fiddling around. Just plug in your camera,
> make a couple simple changes in Vegas or Movie Studio's options, and
> you're set. I've used it for years and made stacks and stacks of DVDs.
> All play first time, start to finish, no issues.
>
> Now isn't that more what you had in mind?
>
> You get what you pay for. Since Movie Maker is included free, you
> shouldn't expect much. When I first installed Vista of course I tried
> Movie Maker just to see how limited it was. I couldn't stop laughing.
> I wouldn't even rate Movie Maker at toy level.