Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a video creation application developed by Windows. The program was released on September 2000. It is part of the software suite released by Windows called Windows Essentials. The program enables users to create and edit videos, as well as export the same to the Internet.  Publication options include third party websites like Facebook, SkyDrive, and Flickr.

Windows Movie Maker features a windowed graphical user interface. The layout features a ribbon toolbar similar to the other Microsoft Office programs. The GUI is divided into three sections—the timeline view, storyboard view, and a preview pane. In timeline view, the video is divided into the different video clips and pictures comprising it. Audio attachments are shown alongside the video data, as well as video effects and transitions. In Storyboard view, each video clip and picture is shown as a separate thumbnail, one after the other, in the order they appear on the created video. Transition effects and video effects are shown on the particular thumbnail they apply to. The Preview pane enables users to see what the finished product would look like.

Movie Maker features import compatibility with several file formats including MPG, WMV, and AVI for video, and MP3, WMA, and WAV for audio. Created videos may be exported in WMV format. Customization options include video effects, animation effects, and transition effects. Users may also add captions, video title, subtitles, and credits.