Windows 7 All-in-One For Dummies
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In Windows 7, you can add sound to a movie using Windows Live Movie Maker (WLMM). You can control WLMM so that it uses the sound that is already in each clip or superimpose a music file over the top of the movie.

Most clips are recorded with sound. By default, the sound plays along with the clip, just as you would expect. So, as WLMM moves from clip to clip, the sound will switch to each clip’s sound track. You can streamline the sound track for the entire movie by adding a music track to the whole thing. You can adjust the balance and the volume of the added music file to best suit your clips.

  1. Open the project you want to use. Click the Home tab.

    You see the main WLMM screen.

  2. In the Soundtrack area, click the Add icon.

  3. Navigate to the sound file that you want to superimpose on the movie and click Open.

    You can use sound clips from any source — including those ripped by Windows Media Player from a CD.

    In the current version of WLMM, you can only add one sound file. If the song is shorter than the movie, you won’t hear any superimposed sound after the song ends. Likewise, if the song is longer than the movie, the song will stop abruptly when the movie ends.

  4. Click the Mix icon.

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    WLMM shows you a mixer.

  5. Adjust the mixer to balance the original soundtrack and the music file.

    You can slide the mixer to the left to increase the sound that was recorded with the movie or to the right to increase the volume of the superimposed sound file.

    If you don’t want to hear any of the sound that was recorded with the original clips, move the slider all the way to the right.

    The choice you make affects the entire movie: you can’t mix individual clips or parts of clips.

  6. When you’re happy with the result, save your project.

    You’re ready to make your movie available to the outside world.

About This Article

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About the book author:

Woody Leonhard describes himself as a "Windows victim." Since 1992, he's been sharing the solutions to his own tech problems with millions of readers. In addition to writing several books in the For Dummies series, Woody is a Contributing Editor for Windows Secrets newsletter. He also runs his own blog at AskWoody.com.

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