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Welcome to the Party: Adding Third-Party Effects in Windows Movie Maker

Softonic Editorial Team

Softonic Editorial Team

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Windows Movie Maker already comes with a variety of cool special effects, but did you know that you can add even more? There are plenty of sites on the web that offer third-party special effects for Windows Movie Maker, and many of them are free. All you have to do is download them and add them.

Pro Windows Movie Maker Tips

Adding Third-Party Special Effects in Windows Movie Maker

To add new effects, find the ones you want online. Make sure you only download from trusted sources and don’t pass up effects simply because they’re free. Many free effects are just as good or even better than their paid equivalents. Once you’ve downloaded a new effect, open Windows Explorer by either manually navigating to it or by pressing the Windows button and typing “explorer” in the Run box.

Welcome to the Party: Adding Third-Party Effects in Windows Movie Maker

Once you have Windows Explorer open, find your way to C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared and open that folder. Once inside, create a new folder and give it a title that you’ll remember. Now, all you have to do is move your downloaded effects files to this folder. If you were running Windows Movie Maker while doing this, you will need to close the program and re-start it. When you do, you should see your new effects under View Video Effects. All you have to do now is simply run the added effect like you would any other.

The Benefits of Adding Third-Party Effects

While Windows Movie Maker already contains a lot of useful effects, there are many more out there that can add functionality to the program. Adding on new effects can help your movies to stand out from the crowd instead of just looking like everyone else’s creations. In addition, when you combine effects in Windows Movie Maker with third-party special effects, you can come up with new and innovative ways to tell your story or present information.

Avoid Using Too Many Effects

Although it’s easy to find and add new effects for Windows Movie Maker, you don’t want to use too many at once. Special effects can certainly spice up your movie, but too many can be a distraction and take away from your content. Try to follow the ‘less-is-more’ rule when deciding whether or not to add an effect. If the effect doesn’t truly add value to your movie, then it’s not worth adding.

For even more fun creating on your computer, check out Make Videos From Your Photos in No Time With RealTimes!

Softonic Editorial Team

Softonic Editorial Team

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