Editing WMV files?

[Terry Pinnell]

I make the occasional brief WMV file using 'movie' mode of my digital
camera. These play on my PC. (BTW, I used to use WMP, but
re-associated WMV with IrfanView a while ago. I'm puzzled why IV
always seems oddly reluctant to start; it normally shows a blank
window, and only after arbitrary fiddling does a moving picture
begin.) Anyway, can anyone please recommend some simple-to-use
software (preferably freeware) that will let me perform some or all of
the following basic operations on WMV files please:

1) Change the orientation, i.e. from landscape to portrait or vice
versa

2) Remove unwanted sections, at least from start or beginning.

3) Edit the soundtrack

4) Convert the WMV to some more universal format like MPG.

 

[NoNoBadDog!]

I make the occasional brief WMV file using 'movie' mode of my digital
camera. These play on my PC. (BTW, I used to use WMP, but
re-associated WMV with IrfanView a while ago. I'm puzzled why IV
always seems oddly reluctant to start; it normally shows a blank
window, and only after arbitrary fiddling does a moving picture
begin.) Anyway, can anyone please recommend some simple-to-use
software (preferably freeware) that will let me perform some or all of
the following basic operations on WMV files please:

1) Change the orientation, i.e. from landscape to portrait or vice
versa

2) Remove unwanted sections, at least from start or beginning.

3) Edit the soundtrack

4) Convert the WMV to some more universal format like MPG.

Windows Movie Maker...it's part of Windows XP.

Bobby

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Windows Movie Maker...it's part of Windows XP.

Bobby

Thanks - right under my nose! Just started playing with it now. Seems
a bit daunting to a novice who's never edited a movie before, but I'll
do some reading.

One immediate facility that I don't see but had assumed would be
included is to rotate. Must be a fairly common requirement, given all
the digicam movies that must be taken in portrait (vertical) mode?
[/QUOTE]

 

[Mike M.]

I don't think Movie Maker does rotation. You might google for a freeware
program to do that. Try www.nonoags.com.

Thanks - right under my nose! Just started playing with it now. Seems
a bit daunting to a novice who's never edited a movie before, but I'll
do some reading.

One immediate facility that I don't see but had assumed would be
included is to rotate. Must be a fairly common requirement, given all
the digicam movies that must be taken in portrait (vertical) mode?

[/QUOTE]

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Changing the orientation when you've used the camera the 'wrong way round'
can be tricky..... If it's anything like mine, the videos are in MJPEG
format and the only application I've come across that will easily change
orientation is QuickTime.

Once changed, WMM does NOT like the portrait version, it wants to display it
'squished down'.... so everyone looks like they've gained 100lbs!

What format does you camera record video files in? We'll start from the
beginning and work forwards.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

QuickTime does... but you need to complete editing before final rotation.

 

[NoNoBadDog!]

Thanks - right under my nose! Just started playing with it now. Seems
a bit daunting to a novice who's never edited a movie before, but I'll
do some reading.

One immediate facility that I don't see but had assumed would be
included is to rotate. Must be a fairly common requirement, given all
the digicam movies that must be taken in portrait (vertical) mode?

[/QUOTE]

If you purchase the Plus! Digital Media Edition, or the Plus! Superpack from
Microsoft, they will add the ability to rotate the picture in 90 degree
increments.

Bobby

 

[Terry Pinnell]

QuickTime does... but you need to complete editing before final rotation.

Thanks.

I have Quicktime but it's such an old version I doubt it would be of
value. So I've just been to
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/win.html
and clicked link for Quicktime 7 download. But I see that is going to
install iTunes too, which frankly I don't particularly want. (Recall
some problem with its installation last time I tried it. And I'm not
an iPOD user.) Is it possible to get say version 6 instead from
somewhere?

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Changing the orientation when you've used the camera the 'wrong way round'
can be tricky..... If it's anything like mine, the videos are in MJPEG
format and the only application I've come across that will easily change
orientation is QuickTime.

Thanks. As per my reply to your other post up-thread, I have yet to
try QuickTime.

It seems odd to me that this requirement isn't satisfied by all
movie-editing software. Must be a common need? Eliminating unwanted
background by using camera in vertical position is commonplace.

Once changed, WMM does NOT like the portrait version, it wants to display it
'squished down'.... so everyone looks like they've gained 100lbs!

Yes, exactly what I found.

What format does you camera record video files in? We'll start from the
beginning and work forwards.

I was mistaken about the extension being WMV. The camera records MPG
files.

---------

I've since found a solution, although it has the downside that it uses
another program. I downloaded, installed and used the Rotate facility
in VirtualDubMod, which (unlike MM) preserves the aspect ratio. The
program looks frighteningly complex to me, but has done exactly what I
wanted. However, the result is an AVI file. How do I now convert that
back to MPG so that it can be handled in MM 2.0 please? My limited aim
for this initial 'movie' is simply to merge 3 separate MPG files
together, and maybe add some text.

 

[Mike M.]

I think MM imports avi files. Give it a try.

Thanks. As per my reply to your other post up-thread, I have yet to
try QuickTime.

It seems odd to me that this requirement isn't satisfied by all
movie-editing software. Must be a common need? Eliminating unwanted
background by using camera in vertical position is commonplace.


Yes, exactly what I found.


I was mistaken about the extension being WMV. The camera records MPG
files.

---------

I've since found a solution, although it has the downside that it uses
another program. I downloaded, installed and used the Rotate facility
in VirtualDubMod, which (unlike MM) preserves the aspect ratio. The
program looks frighteningly complex to me, but has done exactly what I
wanted. However, the result is an AVI file. How do I now convert that
back to MPG so that it can be handled in MM 2.0 please? My limited aim
for this initial 'movie' is simply to merge 3 separate MPG files
together, and maybe add some text.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

WMM can happily handle most AVI files. It's MPEG files it sometimes has
problems with.

It's only really a problem when you're recording video on digital cameras
(not camcorders).... and recording videos on digital cameras is a very
recent technology... at least in a decent enough quality that you want to
actually show them to other people. QuickTime likes the MJPEG format...
well at least QuickTime Pro does.

 

[Terry Pinnell]

WMM can happily handle most AVI files. It's MPEG files it sometimes has
problems with.

It's only really a problem when you're recording video on digital cameras
(not camcorders).... and recording videos on digital cameras is a very
recent technology... at least in a decent enough quality that you want to
actually show them to other people. QuickTime likes the MJPEG format...
well at least QuickTime Pro does.

Thanks both. Yes, I'm finding I does import them, although I get some
quirky behaviour. For example (and this applies to MPG too), for some
reason it replaces the image with a red cross, and says it cannot find
the file I've just dragged across! But usually if I then d-click it in
the bottom storyboard window and say Yes to the question about
browsing for it myself, it sorts it out.

 

[Rehan]

Movie Maker 2 has built in "Rotate" effects. You just drag and drop the
effect on the clip in Timeline to rotate it.

--
Rehan
MS MVP -- Digital Media
www.rehanfx.org - get transitions and effects for Windows Movie Maker

I don't think Movie Maker does rotation. You might google for a freeware
program to do that. Try www.nonoags.com.

[/QUOTE]

 

[Rehan]

If you purchase the Plus! Digital Media Edition, or the Plus! Superpack

from Microsoft, they will add the ability to rotate the picture in 90
degree increments.

No need. Movie maker 2 has this capability. It is in the form of "Rotate 90"
and "Rotate 270" effects under the effects section.

--
Rehan
MS MVP -- Digital Media
www.rehanfx.org - get transitions and effects for Windows Movie Maker




If you purchase the Plus! Digital Media Edition, or the Plus! Superpack
from Microsoft, they will add the ability to rotate the picture in 90
degree increments.

Bobby
[/QUOTE]

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Movie Maker 2 has built in "Rotate" effects. You just drag and drop the
effect on the clip in Timeline to rotate it.

Thanks, subsequently discovered that, but it doesn't preserve the
aspect ratio. Squashes everything flatter. So, to be blunt, pretty
useless really! I don't even like seeing a landscape distorted. Doing
so to a movie of a human is gross!

You must have posted the above before you saw my thread elsewhere
about that problem, as you kindly sent me your XML file that is
supposed to fix it. So you must be aware of this flaw? Therefore I'm
puzzled by your recommendation for it in this thread? Anyway, have you
seen my reply, reporting that so far I can't get it to work? That
would be my preferred solution.

Have also installed VirtualDubMod. It does the job correctly,
preserving proportions. But its output is AVI. When I import that back
into MM 2.0 it still looks and plays squashed. Yet it plays OK outside
MM. Can you/anyone explain what's going on here please?

 

[Terry Pinnell]

If you purchase the Plus! Digital Media Edition, or the Plus! Superpack from
Microsoft, they will add the ability to rotate the picture in 90 degree
increments.

Bobby
[/QUOTE]
Thanks. But the free version of MM 2.0 I installed last night already
does the 90 degree rotation. What it doesn't do is preserve the aspect
ratio.

See also my reply to Cari.