How about just using Windows Movie Maker right on your computer. If you have XP or Vista you have that program. Then you can burn to a CD or DVD. You can add music, narrative or text. Just use the pictures that you have on your PC. If you have them all uploaded to Photobucket, then copy them back to your comp.

grandms thanks. I checked out the windows movie maker and it seems like it's only for video, am I right?

I only have still pictures to use for slideshows and remixes.

Is there something I missed where you *can* use still pics with this movie maker?

I'm not grandms, but you just click on Import Pictures under the first step, "1. Capture Video".

Pam

Here is a link that might be useful: Windows Movie Maker Tutorial

It works great with still pictures - in fact 98% of what I use it for is still pictures ! You can mix still and video clips in the same slide show.

Under Step 1 - choose IMPORT PICTURES and you can import your stills.

When I am working on a slide show - I do a few things before I start.

First: I set the duration of the still image. I can't remember what the default is, but I like it around 8 seconds. My transition is set to 1.75 seconds. You can lenghten or shorten each/any image if you want in the project - you don't have to do exactly as the default says for each one.

Second: Never do more than 100 image in a slide show. It doesn't say this anywere - but I have tried to make bigger ones and it just doesn't work.

Third: When you preview - the picture may look less than clear. It is just that way during preview. Your finished project will look great.

I like to have transitions between each picture. I switch to timeline view and add the transitions there.

I burn to DVD (XP does not do this in Movie Maker) I save my project to my computer, then burn it using third party software (Roxio). I can then play it on any DVD player. I have not had great sucess making vCD's (video CD's) They play fine on my computer, but not on any of my DVD players.

I have included a link to a Windows Movie Maker forum. They have a "beginners" section that is very helpful. I learned by trial and error, but this forum has many helpful hints.

Movie Maker

Here is a link that might be useful: Windows Movie Maker Forums

Thanks PKponder and Iowagirl, I appreciate your help. Going to check out the tutorials and the forums.

I had no idea that XP came with this program.....

I downloaded it. Still looking through it all and trying to figure it out.

Yep. Most people don't even know it is there - but it is THE BEST slideshow maker out there, IMO. And it is "free". It certainly is the easiest to customize with different songs, transitions, narration, frame lenght, etc.

Ok, so I've played around with this WMM and it really is pretty easy. I imported a song from my iTunes Library into a slide show and it was really nice. But the song kept going after the slide show was done.

I went to the Forums that Iowagirl posted above and found my answer to drag the right end of the song over to the point I want it to stop. Wow!

I think I'll have to decorate my pictures over at photobucket, save them to my computer, THEN import them into the WMM because there's no way to edit the pictures and put little colorful things on them, (hats, glasses, etc) with the movie maker. But that's no biggie.

Just wanted to thank you all again for introducing me to the Windows Movie Maker. Who knew?? hahaha!

You can also download a Flash Saving Plugin..save your SWF files from Photobucket and play them using a Flash Player (Adobe)

Thanks for that info abr4xii!

There is also a free MS program called Photo Story 3 that I have used for several years that I personally like. I have never used Movie Maker so I can't compare the two, but with PS3 you can even record your own commentary.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo Story 3

Thanks Arkie62!! I'll check that out as well.

PhotoStory 3 is very nice. It is basically the same as WMM - just less bells & whistles. You cannot add video clips - and you cannot do the neat click and drag of the audio to make it the right size.

With WMM - you can also record your own commentary to the slideshow.

PhotoStory is certainly easier if you just want to have the software make the slideshow for you though.

If you stick with WMM, you will discover all kinds of fun things to do with it!

I drag video clips so they overlap each other - then it does a neat fade in/out to the vids.

One of my favorite transitions is the newspaper that spins in - you can make it look like your picture is on the front page, and you type in the headline. FUN STUFF!

and you cannot do the neat click and drag of the audio to make it the right size.

You can't stretch or shrink a song so I assume "making it the right size" means cutting off part of the tune.
For Photo Story 3 you can trim and fade a song to the desired length using MPTrim before applying it.

Iowagirl! No kidding??! I didnt know that. Can't wait to try it. Do you just put that newspaper transition in the same box as the picture? Or does it just automatically put your picture in it? That's really a neat thing!

I'm glad I read this thread.

I have HP Media Center and did not know about Movie Maker! Or PS3.

I'll add those to my list of "What I'm going to do this Winter".

Thanks.

Sue

abr4xii - what I was trying to say is that you can drag the music to exactly fit the length of the slide show - you can see the pictures on the time line - the music is just below it. You can drag it to fit exactly while working on it. Add or subtract a few pictures - just slide the music to fit.

Shaun - to add the Newspaper transition follow these steps:

Under the Task 2. Edit Movie :

select Make Title or Credits
Add Title On Selected Clip ,
when you are on the Enter Text or Title page change the title animation.

Newspaper is listed under two lines

Add your text and click done add to movie.

I could make some screen shots when I have time if this doesn't make sense?

Once you start playing with the title animations - you will catch on quickly. They are loads of fun!

The Newspaper has to be ON SELECTED CLIP to work correctly though. That is the only tricky part.

One of the animations "Scroll-Perspective" (Under Titles, one line) is like the beginning of Star Wars - when the text floats up the screen. That can be really neat with the right music behind it! LOL!!

Don't forget you can change the font and background colors on most of the titles and animations.

iowagirl! You're a doll! I appreciate your help. Yes when you have time, some screen shots would be very cool.

Question now, I was playing around and made a slide show and saved it as "whatever". When I went to use the MovieMaker again, all those pictures were still there, even if I clicked on make a new project.

How do I get rid of those pictures to start off with a clean slate?

You can click on the "Collections" button on the tool bar to bring up your collections. Then right click on the collection that you don't want anymore and select DELETE.

Or you can right click on each picture/sound/video in the collections in the center box area and delete them as you want.

Also - when you have the Collections pane viewable on the left - you can right click on "collections" and select New Collection. Then you can rename that whatever you like. That helps me keep track of what I am working on. I use a new collection for each project. I do delete them afer a while to keep the clutter down.

One thing to note - Even if you have "saved" your slideshow, you need to keep the pictures in the same space if you ever want to use that show again.

If you have burnt the show to disk - it will be fine on the disk, you won't need to worry about it.

But if you have just saved the show to your hard drive, and want to go back and burn that show again to something with it - if the pictures have been moved or deleted (not from the collections, but from the actual hard drive) - you will be missing those pictures from you Slide Show.

Don't ever change the location of the pictures you are working with, while working on a show either. I moved some from my hard drive to my external hard drive once, without thinking how it would affect the slide show - that was a mess! It was fine when I moved them back to the original location until I was finished with my project.

I think there might be some WMM tutorials on YouTube. I am on dialup - so I can't really find any to link you to right now.

Ok great! I was scared to delete the pictures for fear that they'd be erased from my movie.

Thank you very much! I made a pet video, I'd show you how it turned out but I dont know how to! hahahah!

Do you know how to put it on youtube?

have a read

Here is a link that might be useful: here

YouTube upload sounds pretty easy - great link abr4xii. If I only had a faster connection!

If you have an iPod that plays video - you can covert your WMM to MPEG4 and they look awsome!

I use the Jodix coverter - it is freeware.