Add a Video Bug or Watermark Using Only Windows Movie Maker!

Add a Video Bug or Watermark Using Only Windows Movie Maker!

Start the Windows Movie Maker Program.In Movie Maker TASK MODE,On the left side, under 1. Capture Video, Import VideoImport a Video clip or Movie, and then drag it down to the Timeline.[If you dont Import a clip first, and insert it into the timeline, you wont be able to Click Done, and actually insert your Bug onto the clip.]On the left side again, under 2. Edit Movie, Click on the Add Titles or CreditsOn the next page, Click on the third listing, Add Title on the Selected Clip in the Timeline.Your Cursor in automatically inserted into the Text Box. Hit the Space Bar to insert one space in the Text Box. [This is very important- add a space]In the More Options section below, Click on Change the Title AnimationScroll down to the Titles, Two Lines section, and look for your Bug Header [under the Newspaper], and find the Header that you named in the .xml file. [It will have a further description to its right, that you will recognize because you wrote it in the .xml file also!]As soon as you Click it, it will maigcally appear in the Windows 320 x 240 Preview Screen on the right, and you will immediately know if this is the the one you want, that its the right Bug, and its in the right place!

In this Overview Section, we will understand how to Calculate the Four Numbers that Proportionally position and size the Bug Image that you are using.You may have decided to size the Bug Image that you are using, and save it in the AddOnTFX Folder in actual size. Example 120 x 80The .xml Instructyion File we have been using will take that Image [of any size] and size it independently using the numbers you will soon input into it.First, study the Example Image below.It is a 720 x 480 Video Frame, with a 120 x 80 Bug in the Lower Right Corner.It was positioned with an X [Horizontal] number, and a Y Vertical] number.It was sized with Width number, and a Height number.These 4 numbers [X], [Y], [W], and [H] are included in string as follows:Param name=LogoRect value=0.7750 0.7500 0.1666 0.1666/These 4 numbers are all proportions of the Video Frame width [720], or Video Frame height. [480].They are not the actual pixel counts. They are all proportional values so that they will work across all video sizes that you may decide to use.

The second number in the string is the Y [Vertical] [GREEN] coordinate.We want the Bug to be 40 pixels from the Bottom edge of the Video Frame. This is so that it wont be cut off when your Video is displayed on a Flat Panel TV.Therefore well subtract 40 pixels from 480 pixels=440 pixelsOur Bug will be 80 pixels high [regardless of what size you Bug Image is as a file].Therefore well subtract 80 pixels from the remaining 440. 440-80=360 pixels.Now well find what proportional part of the 480 Video Frame is this 360, because 360 pixels is the distance from the Top edge of the Video frame to the Top edge of your Bug.360/480=0.7500Well use 0.7500 as the second number in the string.

Copy the Following Instructions below by Highlighting all of it, then Copy it.Open either Windows Notepad or Wordpad and Paste into either program.Save the file as any name you choose. Later you may want to rename it with a name that further defines it for you, such as mylogo-RedHouseInc-120×80-LR.xmlWhatever name you choose, remember to add .xml after the name, otherwise it will be saved as a .txt file, which would do you no good.Remember further, each time you change it, dont save it, but rather, SAVE AS name.xml, adding the .xml after your files name, each time.When you open the file to edit it, if you simply click on it, it opens in Windows Explorer. That does you no good. RIGHT CLICK it, and choose to open it with Notepad or Wordpad.TransitionsAndEffects Version=1.0TitlesTitleDLL guid=353359C1-39E1-491b-9951-464FD8AB071CTitle name=@My Logo 120×80 LR iconid=13Param name=InternalName value=TitleMultiTitles/Param name=Description value=Puts mylogo.gif in bottom right corner/Param name=LogoBitmapFilename value=AddOnTFX\mylogo.gif/Param name=LogoRect value=0.7750 0.7500 0.1666 0.1666/ParagraphParam name=IsOneLine value=true/Param name=BoundingRect value=0.1 0.075 0.8 0.15/Param name=MaxCharacterCount value=32//ParagraphParagraphParam name=IsOneLine value=true/Param name=BoundingRect value=0.1 0.25 0.8 0.1/Param name=MaxCharacterCount value=32//Paragraph/Title/TitleDLL/Titles/TransitionsAndEffects

For add to video watermark I usually use VidLogo.Its really good prog.Try.

We will now create a File Folder to hold your Bug [image file- jpg, GIF, etc.]This same File Folder will also hold the Instruction file that we will create in the next steps.I am assuming that you will need to create this Folder, since I had to. I am using Windows XP.The Folder is called AddOnTFXIt goes at the end of this Directory: C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\SharedYour Pathway should read: C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFXThis folder is now empty but we will put our Bug Image in it, as well as the Instructions [later].If youd like, you can put your Bug Image File in this Folder now.I have several in mine, and my AddOnTFX Folder looks like this. Ive highlighted my Bug Image File. Its a GIF called mylogo

Now Click on the Done, Add Title to MovieYour Bug will immediately be Displayed in the Preview Window on the video clip of your choice.It will immediately be added also to the Timeline in the Title Overlay Slot, at the bottom.It might be hard to see in the Timeline Title Overlay Slot, because its just a sliver.Zoom in on your Timeline, and Pull the Right Handle of your Bug to the Right as far as you need to.One Picture below shows the Bug as a Timeline Sliver, and the other Picture shows it Expanded.

After searching on Google, I found a watermarker named Bigasoft Total Video Converter and gave it a try. Its very useful and powerful.

Does this work on the Vista Movie Maker?

In this step you need to modify the name of the Image File that you are using.In the Highlighted example below, the Image is called mylogo.gif, so that has to be the listing in this .xml Instruction file.See below:

We will now calculate the Display Height of your Bug.We want our Bug to display at 80 pixels high, in our 720 x 480 Video Frame.80/480=0.1666 [480 divided by 80] (Its just a coincidence that the W and H numbers are Identical)0.1666 [Highlighted Pink] will be the 4th number in the string.This [Happily] is the last of the Calculations or Modifications you need to worry about.The bottom third of the Code can be ignored.

This Instructable will explain Step-By-Step how to add a Bug or Watermark using only Windows Movie Maker! No software to Buy! The cable channels use a bug or watermark to ID their channel, but recently abuse their power by filling 20% of the screen, at times- dont fall into this trap!You will end up with a listing in the Add Titles or Credits section of Movie Maker, that you will be able to plug in at any time to add a watermark of any size or style into your video clip or movie.See the example below, and the actual Listing of your New Video Bug Application right there in the Title Annimation Listing, within Movie Maker!:

Is there any way you can change the opacity of the bug?

Your Bug Image can be displayed at any size or position, on your frame. Once you realize this the possibilities are endless. You might even try to imitate the 1/3 Frame overlays that you might see on an Infomercial!The first number in the string is the X [Horizontal] [YELLOW] coordinate.We want the Bug to be 40 pixels from the Right edge of the Video Frame.Therefore well subtract 40 pixels from 720 pixels=680 pixelsOur Bug will be 120 pixels wide [regardless of what size you Bug Image is as a file].Therefore well subtract 120 pixels from the remaining 680 680-120=560 pixels.Now well find what proportional part of the 720 Video Frame is this 560, because 560 pixels is the distance from the left edge of the Video frame to the left edge of our Bug.560/720=0.7777 [In my example file, I rounded it to 0.7750, It was my choice.]Consult both pictures below:

The .xml file is the key to your Bug or Watermark. You will want to construct any number of these .xml files so you can easily position any particular Bug in your Video.An individual .xml file will position ONE Bug in ONE spot.Simply construct many files for many Bugs or many positions.The Instructions below illustrate what you need to change.In this example, the Highlighted section refers to the specific listing that appears in Windows Movie Maker in the Titles and Credits section. You can use any useful Heading that youd easily recognize.@My Logo 120×80 LR [it would use an Image file called mylogo that would be 120×80 in the Lower Right

You may already have a logo in mind, or you may need to construct one. After you have one, you will probably want several. The files can be GIF or JPG, and I believe PNG would work also, although I have not tried that one.If you are constructing it, you probably want to construct it 4 or 5 times bigger than actual size, then shrink it when you are done. GIF files are transparent, so you could have transparent sections that allow the video to show through.The actual Bug in this Instructable is a 120 x 80 GIF, intended to fit on a 720 x 480 video frame. This same Bug would look fine in a 320 x 240 video, as well, because the Instruction File that we will create in the following steps, will automatically proportion it to the proper size for any video size you might create.This happens to be the 120 x 80 GIF file I constructed that we will use as the Example Bug. The White letters are actually transparent, and show through here as white, on this white background:

In the previous Step 4, we learned how to Modify the Windows Movie Maker Title/Credits Heading.In this Step, well learn how to Modify the associated description of theat Header.You can change the associated description to suit you needs by modifying the Highlighted section thats in quotes. This description actually appears in the Movie Maker Titles/Credits section underneath the Spinning Newspaper Title Listing [if you are familiar with that].

Please be positive and constructive.

Hi Shadow Ops Im still on Windows XP. If you say it wont work on Vista, I guess youre right. I have Movie Maker showing two version numbers 5.1 and 2.1 Just be sure you followed the directions exactly, otherwise I guess youre out-of-luck.

Did you make this project? Share it with us!

We will now calculate the Display Width of your Bug.We want our Bug to display at 120 pixels wide, in our 720 x 480 Video Frame.120/720=0.1666 [720 divided by 120]0.1666 [Highlighted Blue] will be the 3rd number in the string.


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