Windows Live Movie Maker for Windows 7

I am looking for an educator who is up to speed on the transition for LMM.

Having just upgraded my laptop to a Windows 7 machine to edit a research project in Movie Maker, I was quite disapionted to find that Movie Maker is no longer bundled in the OS. Movie Maker Live now needs to be downloaded, and is incompatible with all previous verisions of the product.

It is also a very basic, stripped down product that has been completely re-engineered from the ground up. They have eliminated the timeline, which makes any kind of deliberate editing impossible.

Has anyone located something to take the place of MM in the future, when the schools do the next major upgrade? I know most of us are still in older systems, but I want to look ahead and get the ball rolling to be ready to recommend a suitable option for any upgrade planning. I just ASSUMED that the product would be even better, and was really disappointed when I tried it out.

Tags: 7, Maker, Movie, Windows, software, video

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alan Stange on December 28, 2009 at 5:14pm

Oh my God, are serious? Of course you are. I just opened the Windows Live Moviemaker program. I agree it looks less convenient, but I am going to play around with it a bit. It does seem to have some sort of a time line. Too bad

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathleenn on December 29, 2009 at 5:55am

We just upgraded to Windows 7 through new laptop purchases and I am in the process of creating an image for cloning. I located a version of the original MovieMaker to install on these laptops. It is called Portable MovieMaker and is the the exact same product as before (although I believe it has a few extra effects) . It is available here: http://devrexster.googlepages.com/mmk

However, please be forewarned. Your anti-virus will most likely warn you that the program is a Trojan . The first time I downloaded it, I quarantined the file and then removed it. The program author has an explanation of why this occurs. After researching the program again, I found it was recommended by CNET, Lifehacker, and Download Squad. I decided to give it a try. I created a restore point and installed. I then put the program through its paces by creating a movie sample. Everything works perfectly.

I prefer the old version to the new because of the many extra features. Since we have new Flip camcorders, having MovieMaker was essential. Try it out---you won't be disappointed.

Here is the google search link for Portable Moviemaker
http://www.google.com/search?q=Portable+MovieMaker&ie=utf-8&...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kev on December 29, 2009 at 4:56pm

You can get the XP version as a download here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=D6BA5972-3...

I haven't yet found a way to get the Vista version (which is a really good editor) but will try to do so. I'll play around with the editor on 7 soon since I've been looking for a reason to use my 7 Laptop anyway :p

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Colin Welch on January 13, 2010 at 11:00am

If you want the Vista version of Movie Maker (Movie Maker 6.0, not 2.6) for Windows 7, then you can always use a version that has been circulating around the Internet for months. I created my own installer for the students in my online courses, and it seems to work well.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nnz0mneumiz

Download the zip file (wmm6.zip), copy the contents to your desktop, and then follow the instructions. This version of WMM6 includes the HD profiles from Vista Ultimate. It work in both W7 x32 and x64 versions. The only drawback is that it won't integrate with the Windows 7 DVD Maker.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by suehellman on January 13, 2010 at 2:06pm

I really like Adobe Premier Elements. I use an older version (4) but have seen the newest (8) and it still looks good.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Valerie Hathaway-Warner on January 13, 2010 at 2:54pm

I purchased Adobe Premiere Elements 8 and really love using it. I am a little concerned about "in school" use though. Elements 7 is licenced by the province of Ontario for use in schools, but it is a restricted licence, and only a certain number are available in each district. Likely those would go to secondary schools.
I'd like to see some documentation from Microsoft that can go to the IT department in advance, so we don't have to deal with the loss of this from the OS bundle after upgrades happen. If anyone comes across something suitable to send along, would you please send it along to me? Thanks!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Colin Welch on January 13, 2010 at 4:03pm

I have been following the debate with members of the Windows Live Movie Maker development team on the Microsoft Answers site, and I don't think the education market has even registered in their thinking. They have admitted that the feature set on WLMM is a downgrade from previous Movie Makers, and that their focus is on consumers with very little experience, and who are merely stringing together photos and short video clips. Precise video editing is now a secondary concern. One of the developers even wrote that we should consider other software if we are seeking a timeline based video editor.

It's very disheartening for the legions of consumers and educators who have relied on Movie Maker's simple and intuitive approach. I'm currently trying out Cyberlink's PowerDirector 8 program, but I still come back to WMM6 for small and quick projects.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Valerie Hathaway-Warner on January 13, 2010 at 4:16pm

Wow - that's pretty disenchanting...they admitted it is a downgrade? At first, I thought I just could not find what I needed and that it had to be there somewhere...but it wasn't.

Please let me know about CPD8 once you have finished your explorations. I have not heard about it, and would be interested in hearing more. Specifically, I am looking for easy of use, timeline based, software for use in Elementary schools. Thanks :)