Windows Movie Maker Replacement

April 25, 2017 8:26 AM

So, I get a new PC and Windows Movie Maker is no longer supported. It was the one thing made by MS that I actually used, other than Windows, of course. Is there a comparable replacement that is free or doesn't cost $200? Will it eventually come back as an app for Windows 10?
posted by zzazazz to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

Microsoft Live Essentials, which Movie Maker is a part of, reached end of support on January 10, 2017. And Microsoft no longer has it available for download. However, Already installed applications will continue to work as they do today. There is an increased security risk associated with use of unsupported products past their end of support date.

You can download a copy of the installer from an alternate source and then install movie maker.
posted by zinon at 8:51 AM on April 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

What are you editing and what functionality do you need?

A good basic editor is Avidemux. It has more bells and whistles than Movie Maker, but if you're mostly looking for an ease of use program for personal editing it's probably your best bet. If you need something more robust, try VSDC or Videopad.
posted by givennamesurname at 8:54 AM on April 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Shotcut. It's big, but simple to use.
posted by Master Gunner at 9:14 AM on April 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

I used Movie Maker to make my Lets Plays for as long as I could, then finally switched over to VideoPad which I'm enjoying. For me, it's a nice Next Step Up in terms of complexity. You can try it for free, but exporting video needs a one-time license fee (half off in April)
posted by Monster_Zero at 9:48 AM on April 25, 2017

If you're willing to spend a little money, Vegas Movie Studio is pretty cheap (about £40 for the basic version) and decent. It's a bit more complicated than Windows Movie Maker and might be a little more than you need, but there's a 30 day trial if you want to have a play before you commit.

In a similar bracket (but a little more spendy - closer to £80) is Adobe Premiere Elements. Similarly, it might be more than what you need but you might find it a bit easier to use than Vegas.
posted by parm at 11:05 AM on April 25, 2017

GoPro has a free basic movie editing program that is meant for their cameras but might work for you.

If you really want a fancy do it all program you can check out Blackmagic Design's Davinci Resolve, the basic version is free. It is a full blown professional editing program and has a very steep learning curve and has a mind boggling number of features. I can only do a few basic things in it and it so much nicer than any other editing program I've used.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 11:19 AM on April 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

I use Movie Maker right now in Windows 10. Works just fine, exports just fine. LMK if you want the executable.
posted by ApathyGirl at 11:34 AM on April 25, 2017

I really like Sony Movie Maker. Pretty basic, so the learning curve is really easy but there are also a lot of nice features that WMM didn't have.

There's a 30 day free trial you can download and the actual software is around $50.
posted by forkisbetter at 4:42 AM on April 26, 2017