DaVinci Resolve is pretty good. Can do most things in the free version.

Photos App in Windows 10 can be used in a pinch.

You mean in Photos I can clip videos(beginning, end, and sections in the middle..), insert photos and texts( for texts, both on a page itself, or overlaid on pics and videos), add music, etc? That's basically all I need and want.

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

You may have overlooked a basic video editing program (as I did) that comes with W10, because it named "PHOTOS", but it can edit videos as well as combine photos into a packaged movie format. Trimming, adding text overlays as well as many graphic and special effects filters are within it's abilities. I don't like the basic way the editing is handled by the program, but it has pop-up tools that explain how the various functions are used. It may meet your needs.

I will try to figure this out now. Thanks..

Edit - Well, it's taken about 10 seconds to hate this program. I can't even figure out how to import a video clip. I will try right clicking a clip and opening with Photos...

Double-edit - I think I found it.. Need to mess with it, but it may be useable. Thanks!

- It's at least something, but it's no WMM....

Originally Posted by Grantham Kid

WMM older versions are here

https://www.topwin-movie-maker.com/download.aspx

Is that %10,000 safe?

I don't use WMM. I just found the links for you.

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

Is that %10,000 safe?

You will know if you downloaded it, but there is a change that you get a lot of advertisements to see before you can download and maybe this WMM is adware too.
As you know Microsoft has stopped, then are alternative downloads the only way to go.

You can for download also try this site, it looks clean to me, but no guarantees:

https://www.winmoviemaker.com/

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

You mean in Photos I can clip videos(beginning, end, and sections in the middle..), insert photos and texts( for texts, both on a page itself, or overlaid on pics and videos), add music, etc? That's basically all I need and want.

Yes, but you need to just try it to see if you like it. It's more limited in flexibility to modify some of the functions than prior versions of WMM, and the user interface is not to my liking, but I haven't used it much other than to look at what it can do. MS claims it's their replacement for WMM, but why they buried it within a program called Photos is a mystery.

<Edit> I just saw your reply that you quickly discovered what I was talking about :-/ WMM was pretty good in the W7 version, then got progressively "dumbed down" to make it easier to use (so they said), but it just made the program less flexible and forced canned functions on users. <Edit>

I didn't download that free dodgy looking WMM, after googling about it...

I've been using Photos, which basically totally sucks, but it's better than having to use some of those other programs which are just so intentionally difficult and unintuitive to use.

The idea that you need to take a course or watch a half an hour youtube tutorial to figure out how to clip 20 seconds from the beginning or end (or middle for that matter) of your video is completely, utterly, and totally retarded.

It's mind-boggling to me how there isn't anything comparable to WMM available.


With Photos yesterday the text function kept crashing. I cannot choose fonts or letter colors. I'n not sure about clipping bits out in the middle - and surely not as easily as with WMM. Music, not sure... I cannot reduce the noise of my own video, or adjust volume at all in the video. Etc etc... It's really quite lame.

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I didn't download that free dodgy looking WMM, after googling about it...
...

The real WMM installer can still be found if you do a web search for Windows Live Essentials, which is the suite of programs that included WMM (again "hidden" in the Photos folder).

It's available from this web page via the text link shown in the web page. Follow the tips given in this page and click on the "here" link which takes you to this download site. Once there click on the blue SHOW ALL FILES button to see the list of files. You want the 131 MB file named "wlsetup-all.exe" Download it to run it, or just select to run it from that site like I did. When prompted, I'd recommend you chose which files you want to installed, and only select the photos and WMM option.

The installation appeared to go smoothly for me, although I already had that version of WMM installed on my system. WMM runs perfectly on my W10 64 bit PC.

Good luck.

Is that still viable? Sounds kind of dodgy.. Been burned on that type of thing before.. (Zadig.. Makes me bristle just thinking about it....)

I can't believe it has to be so bloody hard to just do basic things like put photos in a video, or clip out certain segments. Can you do either of those in Photos? Not that I can see.... Thanks.

ps Seriously. When I make a flight vid, one very simple little basic thing I like to do is put a picture of the plane at the beginning and end of the clip. Not high level type fancy editing stuff. Maybe reduce the volume of the raw video plane noise or whatever Music would be nice.. Clipping out bits here and there quickly to shorten the video etc.. Can you do any of that in Photos? And I mean, if not, what is the bloody point of that - from what I can tell, virtually worthless program? OK, I can clip off a bit of the beginning or end... If those things are possible, they sure as hell aren't intuitive the way WMM was...

Comments in GREEN in your quoted message below...

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

Is that still viable? Sounds kind of dodgy.. Been burned on that type of thing before.. (Zadig.. Makes me bristle just thinking about it....)
The links I gave you in my prior message are still active, so I guess it's still available. That's how I got WMM for W10 use, and it runs fine with none of the issues that you might be thinking of. If you want WMM bad enough, then you'll either have to try this path or find a different one.

I can't believe it has to be so bloody hard to just do basic things like put photos in a video, or clip out certain segments. Can you do either of those in Photos? Not that I can see.... Thanks.

ps Seriously. When I make a flight vid, one very simple little basic thing I like to do is put a picture of the plane at the beginning and end of the clip. Not high level type fancy editing stuff. Maybe reduce the volume of the raw video plane noise or whatever Music would be nice.. Clipping out bits here and there quickly to shorten the video etc.. Can you do any of that in Photos? And I mean, if not, what is the bloody point of that - from what I can tell, virtually worthless program? OK, I can clip off a bit of the beginning or end... If those things are possible, they sure as hell aren't intuitive the way WMM was.
Yes, you can do those things, but it's different from WMM. Without turning this into a long tutorial on Photos, the basic process once Photos is booted is:
1. Select Video Projects from menu
2. Select the video or choose to create a new project and browse/add your new video from your PC and select it
3. Drag the video to the storyboard pane.
4. Add any photos by the same method, drag them to the storyboard and position them on the story board in the sequence you want them to be displayed.
5. Click on the video and trim the front and end to your liking. Adjust the volume on your video by clicking/adjusting the speaker icon slider, and click done when finished. The only way to trim out portions in the middle of a clip and include then in sequence seems to be adding another copy of the video and doing a front and end tri around the middle portion you want. Then do again for another middle portion! Not very efficient, but doable.
6. Add your own audio file to the video via the Custom audio menu button. Adjust it's volume with the speaker icon slider. Click done when finished.
7. Set the duration you want for the photos you added by clicking on it's time icon on the story board.
8. You can add Effects and Text overlays if desired by selecting them from the menu.
8. Play the assembled new video in the embedded player, adjust as necessary, then click on the Export menu to select the desire output resolution/quality.

Once you go through this process, it will be MUCH easier to do again and again. I hadn't tried all these options before, so I went in blind, but found it somewhat logical once you get used to the storyboard method of doing things. It' probably not as efficient as doing things from a timeline editing method, but the results are nice


..

Thanks a lot! I'm doing this in German so I have to make a "Creation" or something, but it seems doable. I will mess with it more.... Thanks again.

So, I just got a Mavic Mini, and am still not happy with Photos. I actually kind of rather dislike it.. You cannot do simple cutting and splicing, and well most of the simple stuff you could do on WMM. Has anything changed in the last year and a half?

I just did my first test with the MM yesterday, and as with cell phone pics, they need to be slightly edited for color etc.. I'd like to be able to do that on my laptop. But Photos I still just find offputting.. The way the various menus are divided is especially annoying.. Maybe I will just have to use it more now that I have the MM, and get used to it I guess, but is there another (free, and easy to use) option out there? I mean I'd like to be able to just open a file, click "edit", and change color, brightness, cut and splice, add music, etc etc(all from one menu).. Not pro-level stuff. Thanks...

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

So, I just got a Mavic Mini, and am still not happy with Photos. I actually kind of rather dislike it.. You cannot do simple cutting and splicing, and well most of the simple stuff you could do on WMM. Has anything changed in the last year and a half?

I just did my first test with the MM yesterday, and as with cell phone pics, they need to be slightly edited for color etc.. I'd like to be able to do that on my laptop. But Photos I still just find offputting.. The way the various menus are divided is especially annoying.. Maybe I will just have to use it more now that I have the MM, and get used to it I guess, but is there another (free, and easy to use) option out there? I mean I'd like to be able to just open a file, click "edit", and change color, brightness, cut and splice, add music, etc etc(all from one menu).. Not pro-level stuff. Thanks...

Hi, I also have a Mavic Mini. Do you know that the DJI Fly App on your phone comes with a pretty cool video editor ? As easy as Movie Maker, even more with the touch screen. Cut/transition/music/colours, etc.
On Windows I tried free VSDC, but it's over complicated just to do basic transition. Reversed speed clips are almost impossible to play with.
I am super glad I switched to Filmora. Ok, it's about $50, but my editing time and ease was boosted. Even more, I get creative easily with cool effects and transitions. One step above Movie Maker, if you want to up your game, but remains very easy if you want to do basic stuff. There is a free trial available, with watermark limitation.

Originally Posted by ludorc

Hi, I also have a Mavic Mini. Do you know that the DJI Fly App on your phone comes with a pretty cool video editor ? As easy as Movie Maker, even more with the touch screen. Cut/transition/music/colours, etc.
On Windows I tried free VSDC, but it's over complicated just to do basic transition. Reversed speed clips are almost impossible to play with.
I am super glad I switched to Filmora. Ok, it's about $50, but my editing time and ease was boosted. Even more, I get creative easily with cool effects and transitions. One step above Movie Maker, if you want to up your game, but remains very easy if you want to do basic stuff. There is a free trial available, with watermark limitation.

The Mavic Mini + Filmora + some rocks =

Refuge de Camporells (1 min 55 sec)