Friday, February 22, 2008

Movie Maker .MOV Conversion Solution

Here we were at the dilemma to how to get your .MOV files to work in your Windows Movie Maker on Vista...a continuation from my post Linked Here

Yes, from feedback I've received, converting files so that they can be used in Windows Movie Maker is a dilemma experienced by many. So, I decided to do some experimenting to find a solution for this frustrating situation.


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Through my experimentation, I figured out a way to convert my .MOV files and import them into Windows Movie Maker. My final product for my experiment still had some flaws to sort out. However, the solution, although more time consuming than if the codec weren't an issue in the first place, actually worked.

First, I tried to import the video directly into Movie Maker, which proved unsuccessful, again calling for codec.

Next, I used Roxio Creator DE that we already had loaded on our machine. I figured, why not give it a try...at this point, what did I have to lose?

I clicked on "video" and selected the VCD format, clicked on "add new movie" and it took me to my directory, where I had already downloaded my .MOV files. I selected the files I wanted to download and let the software take its time to process them. Next, after playing around with the project settings and menu style settings, I created a disc. Yes, I had to burn the files to a disc. They were not formatted in any smooth way at this point; however, they were converted to a format that would work in Windows Movie Maker.

Following this process, I opened Windows Movie Maker, imported the movies and placed them where I wanted them, put the transitions and effects in, added music and photos, and took out the disk. This was before I published the movie. My files I had imported could not play...they could not be found without the disk. Once I put the disk back in, the data files could be found and I could play and recheck and edit the movie. Only once I officially "published" the movie did the files become a permanent part of the movie. I was able to transfer this to YouTube without a hitch.

The only problem I had was that I was fiddling with a movie I had made from a slideshow that I had put music behind and was re-doing it, attempting to replace the music. I couldn't figure out how to remove the original music so the overlap is kind of cheesy. However, it served the purpose and I was able to utilize some of the video I had originally prepared for that particular project in the process.

One lesson learned. Here is the final product for this lesson.



Sources:
Windows Movie Maker
Windows Vista
Roxio Creator DE
YouTube

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Blog Insurance = Monetary Gain With Adsense Keywords

Here are some sources for YOUR AdSense keywords. These are only a few, as there are many methods of obtaining this information. Like anything these days, some sources are better than others and you may wish to compare multiple sources as done here for your data.

If you wish to pay for a directory of keywords, you can go to www.toppayingkeywords.com where they offer a database for purchase. However, there are many free resources at the click of a mouse.

For instance, here is a list of words and their values located at www.symbiotic.com

women ----------value=$0.70-$0.88
baby -------------value=$0.89-$1.11
teenager ---------value=$0.90-$1.13
men --------------value=$0.93-$1.16
child -------------value=$0.94-$1.19
family -----------value=$1.11-$1.39
technology -----value=$2.01-$2.52
blog -------------value=$2.31-$2.89
bank ------------value=$2.48-$3.24
Vista ------------value=$3.28-$4.10
ping -------------value=$3.47-$5.20
car ---------------value=$4.19-$5.23
network ---------value=$4.67-$6.58
bankruptcy -----value=$5.28-$6.60
Stock Market ---value=$6.76-$8.45
loan --------------value=$8.65-$10.92
credit ------------value=$8.43-$10.96
debt -------------value=$11.36-$14.25
AdSense -------value=$12.31-$16.89
insurance -------value=$12.80-$16.16
mortgage -------value=$13.37-$17.11
mesothelioma --value=$40.51-$60.76

Of course, this data provided only takes into account the dollar value and not the traffic volume value. For more information, please click on the link provided above for Symbiotic.

Another source is www.iotaweb.org. Here is a comparison of the same words.

women "men seeking women" --------------CPC Value=$1.99
baby "baby, gift"-------------------------------CPC Value=$4.42
teenager = no results
men "women seeking men"------------------CPC Value=$1.99
child "child custody"--------------------------CPC Value=$2.36
family "family insurance medical"---------CPC Value=$5.58
technology "computer technology"--------CPC Value=$2.25
blog = no results
bank "bank rate"------------------------------CPC Value=$3.76
Vista "vista print"----------------------------CPC Value=$2.36
ping "sniping"--------------------------------CPC Value=$1.16
car "Alicante car hire"-----------------------CPC Value=$42.64
network "network support"-----------------CPC Value=$3.21
bankruptcy "bankruptcy attorney"---------CPC Value=$8.03
Stock Market "stock market day trading"-CPC Value=$4.91
loan "home equity loan rates"--------------CPC Value=$57.23
credit "home equity line of credit"--------CPC Value=$52.27
debt "card consolidation credit debt"-----CPC Value=$36.56
AdSense ----------------------------------------CPC Value=$17.09
insurance "health insur. international"---CPC Value=$25.91
mortgage "home mortgage refinance"----CPC Value=$36.14
mesothelioma "mesothelioma lawsuits"--CPC Value=$40.77

As you can see by the above list, this site does not calculate their figures per word. Instead, they typically use the combination of words for their calculations. Again, the above list does not take into account the traffic driven to your site by certain words, but rather the Google AdSense dollar value based on the particular site's calculations.

Invest in your weblog. Take stock of all factors involved in the keywords you utilize.

Sources:
Google AdSense
iotaweb.org
www.symbiotic.com
www.toppayingkeywords.com

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

A "Windows Movie Maker" Experience



This is a video that I created, following the funeral of President Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As you may see, it is built from a slide-show of photos with transitions and effects and not any actual video. This production process was quite a frustrating one. In fact, this is the first video that I prepared on my "Windows Movie Maker" software with Windows Vista.

If you have used this software, attempting to utilize your digital video files from your camera phone or from your digital camera, you are aware of the source of my frustration.

Attending a function, carefully documenting each detail with photos and digital video, is plenty of work on its own. Now you get the photos and the video home, download them to your computer, and attempt to utilize this exciting "Windows Movie Maker" software. Your mind is beaming with all of the possibilities of your masterpiece.

Importing photos is extremely easy. So you get excited for the next step of importing your video. You attempt to import one clip, finding the error...

.MOV cannot be imported because the codec required to play the file is not installed on your computer. If you have already tried to download and install the codec, close and restart Windows Movie Maker, and then try to import the file again.


You think this particular clip is bad or is the cause of the error, so you attempt to import another. Again, you view the identical error.

Looking online for a fix is next to impossible, as I found that I was far from the only one with this issue. Since "Windows Movie Maker" takes pretty much any format besides the .MOV, you decide to look for a converter. Of course, there are a plethora of offers for free downloads for converting tools. Though they are free for a trial period, after you convert one of your video files, you realize why they are free. THE GIGANTIC LOGO OVER THE ENTIRE SCREEN OF THE VIDEO ADVERTISING THE SOFTWARE. Can you say...cheesy!?

www.cnet.com
My Windows Movie maker keeps freezing & its driving me insane! I noticed its also happening to a lot of other people. Is there any remedy to this problem??


I would like to know why it doesn’t let you open a previous saved project if it’s not in the same format. Does any1 know if this can be changed and how would you get it to burn on to a dvd disc.


Windows Movie Maker is the worst video editing software I have ever used. Its limitations are frustrating and it is prone to freezing up, resulting in lost work and time. The solution to the freeze-ups? Invest in a better program.


So, I decided to check out my YouTube account to see if there were any options there. After all, I had a lot of videos, a lot of photos, a lot of imagination, and not much I could do with it all.

I uploaded one of my video clips to their site and found there to be an option to use to YouTube Remixer (Engine by Adobe Premiere Express). I decide that I would upload all of my video and attempt to utilize this tool. Once I uploaded all of my video, I attempted to get into the "Remixer" which then posted a message that it was waiting for the server...for the next three hours.

Next, with my frustration at its height, I decided to improvise utilizing Microsoft Publisher with WordArt and my photos, along with "Windows Movie Maker" and some simple music. Thus, this video created for YouTube.

I am frustrated that "Windows Movie Maker" has no way to accept .MOV files and that there is not a fix by Vista without purchase (that I have been able to locate...anywhere).

Lessons learned regarding color and clarity…I put in a slide of a poem called "The Master Bridge Builder". The poem looked really clear (easy to read) on "Windows Movie Maker". However, on YouTube the poem is mostly a blur. The font for that length of a poem needs to be larger and needs to be white if there is that dark background ...definitely on multiple slides (or clips). Additionally, many of the photos that were clear on "Windows Movie Maker" were a blur on YouTube. These were taken of items from the event itself with a dark background. If they were done with a lighter background they would have, most likely, been clearer.

Going back to YouTube, I am having similar issues with my videos in the "Remixer" once I have been able to go back. The "Remixer" only shows the video I made through "Windows Movie Maker"...the slide-show. The others in the .MOV format will not show up in the "Remixer". At this point, I have stopped fumbling with them out of frustration.

Sources:
YouTube
Windows Movie Maker
Windows Vista
Microsoft Publisher
www.cnet.com