A question I get asked every now and then.

On my other blog (I really should just consolidate at this point... everyone who reads this reads the other) I often post videos. People ask how I get those short perfect clips... well, I cut down the long ones silly.

If you have a Windows computer this will work. If you have a Mac... your on your own, but you've got much better and easier tools to do it.

On a PC:

1. Go to the Start menu.
2. Find Windows Movie Maker and open it. On Vista it's listed right in the programs list. On XP I think it was in the accessories folder.
3. Click Import Media and find your movie file. You can also drag and drop it into the big open space in the middle.
4. Click the play button on the right side of the screen. When you find the point where you want to cut the video click the Split button (just under the video screen, by the play button).


5. You will have two clips in the center section now. If you click on the second clip (the second half of the clip you just cut into two) you can click play again and split it again if needed.
6. When you have a section split into the shorter clip you want to make, then drag it from the big window down to the first movie spot at the bottom.


7. Choose File (at top of screen) and then Publish Movie.
8. Choose This Computer and click Next.
9. Give the file a Name and tell it where to save. Click Next.
10. On the next screen I usually choose More Settings and then Windows Media DVD Quality. This makes the file so that's its not great quality, but an ok size to upload to my blog. You can play with it. At the bottom it shows the estimated file size. Keep it in mind when making your choice.
11. Choose Publish.

Here is the file I just shortened:



And the original:



Not very long to begin with, but now you wouldn't be able to tell that Ash fell on his bum afterward!