    
|
|
SpiceFX 6 SpiceMaster Wizard is the ULTIMATE Transitions Tool!
 Our long-popular SpiceMaster™ transitions tool for Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, etc. is now for Movie Maker! Easily add custom transitions to your Movie Maker project by choosing the shape, softness, border, texture, timing, and other qualities visually. Drag to position the transition wherever your subject or action is located within the scene, for a professional, seamless look. ALL of these capabilities were previously impossible in Movie Maker. From soft, subtle directional dissolves to cutting-edge organic looks, SpiceMaster gives you fresh, useful alternatives to the over-used standard transitions in Movie Maker. THOUSANDS of compelling combinations are available in just a few clicks! New in Version 6: More transition shapes, reference image choosing directly from your source video, set duration exactly, improved help, and more new features.
Tutorial: 6 Easy Steps to Using SpiceMaster
Double-click the Wizards for Movie Maker icon on your desktop (installed by our demo or purchased version). Or choose it in your Start > Program Files > Pixelan menu. Then the Wizards window will appear. If necessary, choose SpiceMaster transitions from the top submenu to see the below.
 1. Optionally, click the two Reference Clip buttons to load still-images of the two clips you will use in the transition, for reference to position and customize the transition for your scene. Clip 1 is the first clip; Clip 2 in the second. Formats that can be shown in the Wizard are .wmv, .avi, .mpg, .bmp, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tga, and .pct.
TIP: Reference images are ONLY for reference in a Wizard. They are NOT part of your custom transition. The Movie Maker TIMELINE is where you will apply your exported SpiceMaster transition between any clip.
2. In the preview, drag the center 'handle' to move the transition where desired, such as over your main subject. Or right-click to enter position precisely.
3. Click the Shape, Softness, Texture, Border, Shadow/Glow and Timing buttons to change the transition’s visual qualities interactively. Note you can click the triangle in the Border and Shadow/Glow buttons to change their color.
4. Click the blue Play button under the preview to play the transition. You can adjust the preview's duration by clicking the blue duration indicator under the preview. But the ACTUAL duration is always set in the Movie Maker timeline.
5. To create more than one custom SpiceMaster transition, click the Bin button to select another transition bin, then repeat steps 1-4 above. Forty bins are available.
6. When you are done creating transitions, click the Click here to export button to send your custom SpiceMaster transitions into Movie Maker. Re-start Movie Maker, then they will appear at the TOP of Movie Maker’s Transitions list as "SpiceMaster 01" "SpiceMaster 02" etc., ready to be dragged onto overlapped clips in the Movie Maker timeline.
SpiceMaster -- Tips and Tricks
 Note: All of these tips are also in the built-in Help panel that appears with SpiceMaster.
• To reverse the transition’s direction/flow in SpiceMaster, click the downward sloping preset in the top right of the Timing button’s palette, as shown at right. To accelerate and decelerate transition motion, chose a curved preset in the same palette. To hold a transition's progress during its entire duration, click one of the horizontal line presets at the bottom of the palette.
• To load a custom Shape into SpiceMaster, click the triangle in the Shape button, then choose a still-image that includes the desired shape. (In the folder that initially opens, we've included a few cool examples.) The image file can be in any of the following formats: bitmap (.bmp), JPEG (.jpg), TIFF (.tif), PNG (.png), PICT (.pct), or TGA (.tga). The grayscale "luminance" gradient values of each pixel in that secondary image file will determine the flow of the transition, starting with the darkest pixels, then all grayscale pixels, and ending at the lightest pixels. Click here for a tutorial on creating gradient files for SpiceMaster video transitions. To choose from several examples we have provided as extras, click the Shape button, then click the Pixelan Examples button at the right side of the Open dialog box.
• To revise a previously exported SpiceMaster transition in Movie Maker: 1. Revise the transition in this Wizard. 2. Click the Click here to export button. 3. Re-start Movie Maker. 4. Drag the SAME transition onto the old transition to replace the prior version. Important Tip: Revisions will NOT affect any other project. Each Movie Maker project file retains the Wizards information that was active at the time of applying it, no matter what Wizards changes occur later.
• To move the transition’s position only horizontally or vertically, Shift-drag the 'handle' in the preview.
• To load a Reference Clip image that has a different format than the Wizard can show (thus a clip that is not in .wmv, .avi, .mpg, .bmp, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tga, or .pct. format), place the video clip or still-image in your Movie Maker timeline, display a desired frame in the Movie Maker preview window, then choose Tools > Take Picture from Preview. This will save a separate image file on your drive. Then load that image into a Wizard by clicking its Reference Clip button.
• To copy/paste a Bin's effect to another Bin in the same Wizard, right-click the Bin. This is handy to organize your effects and to create several variations of a complex effect.
 • To undo/redo, click the small buttons at the window's top right corner (if active). Up to 100 undo/redo levels are possible -- great for experimenting with different looks.
 • To optionally append up to 16 characters to a transition’s name to help you remember its intent when viewing Movie Maker’s list of transitions, use the Add to Name text box.
 • To change the Wizard’s preferences, such as preview duration, video format (NTSC or PAL), aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9), and more, click the white Preferences button at the bottom of the window. For best preview accuracy in the Wizard, match the video format and aspect ratio to your Movie Maker project. These values will not alter your exported effect; they are only for the Wizard’s preview.
 • To save a favorite SpiceMaster transition (or a set of transition), click the Save Favorites (disk) button. To load it later, click the adjacent Load Favorites (folder) button. Note there is no need to save a favorite unless you intend to use the same transition in a future project, because each Movie Maker project file holds all Wizards info applied in that project. That remains true even if you later use the same Bin to make a new custom item for a different project.
 • To clear only the currently displayed transition, or all SpiceMaster transitions in this Wizard, or all exported items in Movie Maker from this Wizard, click the yellow Clear (-) button at the window’s bottom. Clearing all exported items is how you can create a fresh set of custom SpiceMaster transitions for each new project. Note that existing projects will still retain their earlier SpiceMaster transitions unchanged.
 • To exit the Wizards, click the green Save and Exit (check mark) button in the lower corner of the window. Although you must re-start Movie Maker each time you export items from a Wizard, you can keep the Wizards window open for reference or further changes. Fine-tuning the transition is then much easier!
SUPERB Creative Control -- Just a Few Easy Clicks!
Below is an overview of SOME of what is creatively possible with the SpiceMaster Wizard for Windows Movie Maker. Keep in mind that all of these options/choices SYNERGIZE to give you virtually an infinite amount of organic transition looks -- all possible with just a few clicks! To see first-hand SpiceMaster 's creative power, download our demo, which is a very easy download and automatically installs into Movie Maker -- no technical know-how required!
 |
|
• Infinite Shapes. 200+ transition geometries are provided, as shown at left. Each one can be positioned ANYWHERE in your clips, as shown below. Larger image |
• Positioning. Drag the center cross-hairs 'handle' in the preview to move the transition EXACTLY where desired for your subject or action! A HUGE advantage compared to standard Movie Maker transitions! |
|
 |
|
|
Move the soft elliptic transition from center frame to over the water drop action -- much better! |
• Cool Extra Looks. 24 ANIMATED edge Texture presets and 16 realistic Shadows/Glow presets are included. Great additions when you need a more dynamic/unique look! Click here for an example movie. (The best way to see ALL of their creative power is to download our DEMO.) |
|
 |
|
