Best codec for Windows Movie Maker

For help and discussion concerning the Windows Movie Maker software.
Locked
User avatar
Outofsync
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:31 pm
Location: Chicago
Org Profile

Best codec for Windows Movie Maker

Post by Outofsync » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:12 pm

Hi gang,
Just finished up 40+ hours to complete my first AMV and am looking forward to having you guys see it. Only problem is I used WMM and I am pretty upset with a couple things. First it would appear that I couldn’t save the file without getting errors unless I chop it up and save it in parts. Not a huge deal but annoying. Second I have noticed that upon saving my video my timings shift. !!!!! Big deal...I spent hours fretting over 10 10ths of a second and WMM shifts my timeline by 4 to 7 tenths. I'm a noob but I am trying to do it right. Anyway the other problem is WMM has very limited options when it comes time to save the file. I saved it as a WMV (large size) and the quality is ok but it seems choppy especially on slower machines, particularly when first opening the movie. The Video is only 35 MB so I don't know why that should be the case. What is the best compression method (pref something that doesn't move my line!)? Also, is the chop something I can account for in editing? I am still reading up on all the technique so sorry if it's covered elsewhere.
peep

User avatar
Arigatomina
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2003 3:04 am
Contact:
Org Profile

Post by Arigatomina » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:26 pm

First, skim this stickie thread and see if it answers some of your questions.

Then give some more details.

When you chopped the video into parts to export it and the sync got messed up, what were you exporting the pieces to? [wmv large/small/dv-avi/etc] How did you recombine those pieces? [wmm/vdub/etc] Is the sync messed up in the individual pieces, or just when you recombine them into a single video?

How did you cut the video into pieces? If you copy and pasted the clips, make sure you began and ended each section on a solid clip (one that doesn't fade into another). If you cut it some other way, describe it.

As a general rule, wmm 2.0's "high quality large" gives okay results. For the best results you use DV-AVI - but then you have to deal with possible sync issues (there are ways to deal with these issues, but you can avoid them if you sacrifice quality and stick with the wmv option).

User avatar
Outofsync
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:31 pm
Location: Chicago
Org Profile

Post by Outofsync » Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:03 am

Thanks I did read through it when I joined but some of it didn't catch till I had some hours. I did use DIVX footage because the guide "using DVD footage" recommended it and it is an easier seek. I did splice it cleanly but it still was a little out of sync with the lesser WMV codecs. I tried DV-AVI, which strangely works without me having to chop the file, BUT my audio is ringing badly on the high end so now I am looking to buy the CD. Which bites because I bought the MP3 thinking it would work. I also get sync errors using DV-AVI, which I realize now, may be because I use speed up slow down effects to sync the action. I saw a link to exporting audio and video from WMM to V-Dub and will try that. I hope it works inside WMM it looks great and I really worked hard on it. Thanks for your help.
peep

Locked

Return to “Windows Movie Maker”