In this section:

In Windows Vista, the term "multimedia" covers a lot of ground, depending on which version of Windows Vista is installed on your computer. The multimedia tools include Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, and Media Player. If you have either the Home Premium or the Ultimate version of Windows, you also have DVD Burner and Media Center. If you like playing around with multimedia, this section of the book is for you!

You can create a slide show on a DVD, complete with a soundtrack, panning, and zooming. You can download complete videos or video clips from your camera onto your computer and burn a DVD. You can use Media Player to play music or videos from the playlists you create, and you can copy music onto your computer’s hard disk instead of inserting individual CDs. You can share your music or video collections over your network, or listen to or watch your media while you’re on the move by synchronizing them with a portable device. With Media Center, you can watch TV or movies, burn or play CDs and DVDs, listen to the radio, and create a Media Library. Last but not least, you can produce movies that can include narration, a soundtrack, transitions between clips, and various special effects. You can even add titles and credits to give your movie a really professional look, and then publish it to glowing reviews!

Creating a Multimedia Slide Show

A great way to display your photographs is to create a slide show on a DVD. You can enliven the photos with panning and zooming, and you can even add a musical soundtrack and videos to animate your show. You can also play a slide show using Windows Media Center, provided it’s set up on your computer.

Assemble a DVD Slide Show

1. Click the Start button, type photo in the Search box, and click Windows Photo Gallery to start the program.

2. Select the photos that you want for the slide show.

3. Click Burn, and choose Video DVD from the drop-down menu.

4. If you want to add photos from other locations, click Add Items. In the Add Items To DVD dialog box that appears, locate and select the photos, and click Add.

5. Click a photo, and use the Move Up or Move Down button to position the photo. Continue selecting and arranging the photos until they’re in the order you want.

6. Type a name for the slide show.

7. Click Options if you want to customize when the DVD menu appears or if you want to change the screen’s aspect ratio for wide-screen viewing.

8. Click Next.

See Also

"Adding Photos to the Gallery" for information about adding photos to the Windows Photo Gallery.

Create the Slide Show

1. Select the menu style you want.

2. Click the Menu Text or the Customize Menu button if you want to modify the menu or add background video or music to it.

3. Click Slide Show.

4. Click Add Music to add music files for the audio background.

5. Select the options you want for the slide show.

6. Click Change Slide Show.

7. Click Preview to view your slide show, and then click OK.

8. With a recordable DVD in the DVD drive, click Burn to create your DVD slide show.

Tip

To save the project if you’re not going to complete it in one session, click the File button, and choose Save.

See Also

"Viewing a Photo Slide Show" for information about creating a slide show in which you can vary the length of display, incorporate video, and use professional-looking transitions between photos.