VHS to DVD with Windows Movie Maker 7
The standard video editing software found in recent Windows operating systems is known as Windows Movie Maker. With the help of this program, you can upload videos to your computer, edit them with transitions and titles, even narrations, and make your own movie to convert to DVD.
The Windows ME operating system was the first to incorporate this program, and Vista and XP also incorporated it. After Vista, Windows Movie Maker was removed in place of Windows Live Movie Maker, a different but newer program. However, you may not be able to find many of the desired features in Windows Live Movie Maker that were found in its predecessor. Windows Live Movie Maker seems to have been created for the sole purpose of making quick videos for uploading to YouTube and the like; however, the classic Movie Maker features many more editing and transition tools than desired.
However, if you have Windows 7, there is hope, as the Microsoft website will allow you to download Windows Movie Maker for your own use.
Using Windows 7 to convert VHS to DVD
You need to get some tools and programs for Windows 7 to have the ability to convert VHS to DVD, which are listed below. You need:
A. Windows Movie Maker. Since you won’t get this automatically from Windows 7 like you would with other operating systems, you have to download it from Microsoft. While the Live version is newer, it is much simpler and lacks many features that you might want to use.
B. Video capture device. To get the analog data from your VHS tape and convert it to your hard drive, you need this. You can find a host of capture devices that Windows 7 will recognize, making installation and setup a breeze, so no worries on that front.
C. Software to burn and create DVDs. In case you want to use a DVD player to play your DVDs, DVD authoring software is required to convert it to a DVD video.
Step 1 – Connect the capture device
First, you need to connect the capture device to your computer. You shouldn’t have much trouble with this, as with the correct driver and hardware, Windows should recognize the capture device. All you have to do is plug it in, update the drivers and you’re good to go.
Since Windows 7 recognizes a large number of devices, we won’t go over every possible device procedure out there. However, since this Windows operating system is designed to be extremely easy to install, you should have little to no problems.
Step 2: Install Windows Movie Maker on your computer
You must download and install Windows Movie Maker on Windows 7, as it is not automatically included with the operating system, unlike most earlier versions of Windows. Once you have installed it, all its myriad features will be provided to you.
Step 3: Start recording
Connect the VHS to the capture device you have and get ready to transfer the video to your Windows Movie Maker program. The main feature of Movie Maker, which is called the Record Dialog, is the means by which you will convert the video to your computer.
You will appreciate many of the features found in the Record Dialog. Before recording, you will have the option of telling Movie Maker that you want to record sound and video, or one of them separately. Naturally, capturing both audio and video will be your go-to if you want easy VHS to DVD editing, but if you want to play with it, you can choose one or the other for various situations.
After this, selecting the capture device is your next step. If you have multiple capture devices on your computer, you need to select the one you want. The Change Device button is there for this express purpose. Click on it and choose the capture device shown from the dropdown menu you will find there.
The “Record Time Limit” feature could also be useful. Use this option when you want to stop recording at a specific time interval. Windows Movie Maker will stop recording once it reaches that mark and save the file for later. You can use this option to avoid suffering from the unenviable task of being a slave to your computer while the capture process completes, in case you only want a particular clip from your VHS tape. In the event that you do not set a record time, you need to stop capturing manually.
After this, video capture quality should be next on your list. Keep in mind that there is a correlation between file size and audio and video quality; Don’t worry though, because Windows Movie Maker will only record if it knows you have enough disk space. In the event that you have the quality settings set too high for the disk space you have left, it will give you the highest quality it can provide while still using the disk space you have. It is also possible to choose another hard drive to save it to, if you want to take that option.
High and Medium quality settings are the options you should pay attention to. While you still get a 320×240 pixel resolution with either setting, the medium setting will only capture at 15fps, while you get 30fps with the high-quality option, ensuring better capture. Your video will be much smoother on the High setting than on the Medium setting.
You’ll also get better audio quality if you choose the High setting. If you have it set to High, the audio will be recorded at a higher bit rate, making it clearer.
Additional tips
Your computer will use the resources it has as it converts. Hitting the Turn off preview button will free up more space and processing power. Choosing this option will remove the preview window while recording and capture the video for you. With this, you will not be allocating resources to watch the video while it is being recorded, which in the end gives you a better quality video.
Do you want to know why there are times when it is better to choose Medium Quality? Basically, it leads to a smaller, more manageable video file. When you choose the High Quality setting, the video file will be twice as large, and if you have a lot of movement in these videos, that’s an ideal setting. You need to make sure you know what you want in terms of what’s in the scenes and how big you want the file to be. You can easily shoot fairly static motion video on Medium without a huge loss in quality, but if you have a lot of motion in your video, there will be motion blur. A car race, for example, will have a lot of motion, and as you move the camera, the motion is exacerbated, so a medium shot of this will look like a slideshow.
Video quality is another important consideration. If you’re converting a VHS tape, you may notice some degradation in the picture as the years go by, making it hard to see what’s going on. Using Medium to capture it could improve the image in the long run, as it softens the image.
Step 4: Burn
After everything is set up and ready to go, just hit the Record button and Windows Movie Maker will do the rest for you, capturing the video as you directed. time limit settings and file names will be assigned to the video, so you won’t be prompted to do anything else until the file is captured.
Once you have your captured file, you can play with it in Windows Movie Maker, using all the features that Windows Live Movie Maker lacks in your program. Compared to the default Windows 7 video editing program, you will have a much better experience with Windows Movie Maker.
Step 5: DVD Burning
You can’t just copy and paste the video file onto a DVD and expect it to play on a DVD player. Licensing issues prevent Windows from providing a DVD authoring program for your use. You may need to purchase a separate DVD authoring package to convert your video file to DVD, allowing you to read the DVD on your DVD player like a normal disc, allowing you to watch the movie on your TV.
You can find many DVD authoring packages that allow you to create a professional-grade DVD package for your video, complete with chapters, menus, and transitions; there are so many different options, you’ll have to wait until another article to go over what you could do.
Summary
Compared to Windows Live Movie Maker, you may have much better luck editing your videos with Windows Movie Maker. There is no reason to ignore the program as it is fully supported by Windows 7 and available for free on the Microsoft website. After it’s set up, you can use Windows Movie Maker in Windows 7 to transfer a VHS tape to your computer and create a DVD from the footage.
Leave a Reply