How to add custom transitions and fx on windows movie maker

Posted by ADMINISTRATOR On 9 July 2009 No Commented

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Windows Movie Maker(wmm) is a wonderful easy-to-use entry-level video editing app included in all versions of Windows XP and Vista. Most people don’t know they already have it. You can be up and running in a couple hours, mixing still pictures, video clips, music and audio into amazing home movies, and topping them off with a wide assortment of titles, text overlays, and credits.

Your movie projects can go wherever your creativity and imagination take them. Additionally, in the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista, DVD Maker works hand-in-hand with Movie Maker.

The newest version of Movie Maker to come along is the beta of Windows Live Movie Maker. See the Setup Movie Maker > Windows Live Movie Maker branch of the menu.

Photo Story 3 complements Movie Maker by letting you pan and zoom using all the pixels in your high resolution still pictures… it’s not included in XP or Vista, but is a free download from Microsoft.

YOU CAN ADD CUSTOM TRANSITIONS, EFFECTS and TITLES ON WMM2 BY CREATING XML FILES AND PLACING IT IN A LOCATION IN THE WMM2 INSTALLED FOLDER

How to use XML code
1) Go to C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared. Create a new folder called AddOnTFX using right-click > New Folder
2) Copy and paste the XML code into Notepad (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad)
3) Now save the XML into C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX with a name that ends in .xml (this is an important step)
In Vista, you will likely get warnings that prevent you from saving directly in the AddOnTFX folder. If so, save in another folder (like ‘Documents’) then copy the file to the AddOnTFX folder in a separate step.
4) If there are any associated image files noted in the XML (.png, .gif, .bmp, etc.) you need to save those as well in the location specified in the XML file. If you later end up with a black image, recheck this step.
5) Restart Movie Maker (by closing the program and restarting it).

Sources of custom transitions, effects and titles:
- windowsmoviemakerfx -Copy the script,paste it in notepad and save as a .xml file

- Rehan’s Website - Pan/Zoom, Split Transitions, PIP Plus effects and transitions.
- HitTheBongo’s Movie Maker Site - Custom Titles, Effects, etc.
- Blaine’s Movie Maker Blog - Custom Titles and Effects for XP and Vista >
- view post 74030 - Alphabetical collection of custom transitions, titles and effects posted by forum members over the years.
- FX Archive - previews and download links for 891 custom effects and 1019 custom transitions for Windows Movie Maker 2.x (XP)

Sources of clips for overlays, backgrounds, loops, etc.:
- Neo’s Clip Archive

If you want details on customizing your own titles:
- Rehan’s article Creating Custom Titles and Credits for Windows Movie Maker

Technical details on creating your own custom transitions and effects:
If you are familiar with XML and/or have a programming background, here are some useful MSDN links:
- Creating Custom Effects and Transitions in Windows Movie Maker (Windows XP)
- Creating Custom Effects and Transitions in Windows Movie Maker (Windows Vista)