Nowadays, video creation is one of the core parts of the content creation process. You can create videos using smartphones, digital cameras, and others. You should note that the video-sharing services such as YouTube are eagerly waiting for your content. Even though you can upload the video as such, it is advisable to edit the video properly by adding transitions and animations. The free video editing tools available on the web are not indeed free and will have restrictions. Moreover, the paid tools are expensive and will feature complicated steps. Hence, you should make use of software tools like the MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3, which is available for free of cost. As we said before, the majority of the free tools will have restrictions. But the MiniTool MovieMaker is completely free without any kind of crazy watermark or any other restrictions. We recently tested MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 for several days. Does it meet our expectations? In this review, we will deeply analyze the feature and working of the MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 in detail.

Installation

The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 is very easy to install. You will be able to work with the tool by double-clicking the icon. We observed that the splash screen takes few minutes to open up. The company recommends the usage of Intel Core i5 or later processor with 8GB RAM. The tool is capable of working with Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. You also need to have Intel HD Graphics 5000, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 700, or later. We would recommend you to make use of Windows 10 for maximum user experience.

Features

The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 tool is simple and easy to use. You can retain memories alive by collecting special moments within the 3D photo album. You can create an animated greeting for valentine’s day, weddings including family galleries. The advantage of the MovieMaker is that you can create your movies without limits. The simplified user interface enables you to create videos without any design experience. You just need to import your files, add titles, effects, and transitions. With the help of the MiniTool MovieMaker 2, you can create fun Hollywood style movie trailers and movies. You should choose a template and import photos and videos. You can save the movie on PC or share across your social media. The addition of Simple Timelines helps you to edit videos easily. You can add beautifully animated titles including the ability to add credits to your movies. You can also add animated subtitles to videos. You can modify the aesthetic of your video with creative filters and professional 3D LUTs. The MiniTool MovieMaker includes a free video trimmer using which you can split large video into parts. You can also fine-tune the duration of a clip in your timeline.

Working

To work with MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3, you should double click the icon named “MiniTool MovieMaker” from the Windows desktop. The tool displays a YouTube video, which highlights the core features of the MovieMaker. You can disable the video from loading by selecting the checkbox located on the bottom of the dialog. You will view a dashboard with all the required options. The timeline displays the work you have done with the MiniTool MovieMaker.

The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 ships with several templates, which you can use to spice up your pictures and photos. If you select “Template” option from the top navigation bar, you will view the list of templates separated by categories. The tool displays all the available templates by default but you can also select individual categories.

If you select Next, you will view Open dialog from where you can select images and videos for editing purposes. If you are not interested to work in this way, you can switch over to the Full-Feature Mode by selecting the Blue button located on the bottom left-hand side.

You will now view the video editing dashboard using from where you can manually import the media files by selecting the “Import Media Files” icon. We imported few images stored inside our local PC. The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 will display a progress bar and the images will be visible on the dashboard. If you have less images, then the progress bar will quickly disappear. The bar will appear for longer time if you have plenty of images.

The images will appear inside the dashboard as shown below

The next step is to add the pictures to the timeline. You have to select one picture and then use the “+” icon to add the picture to the timeline. In the same way, you can add multiple pictures to the timeline by selecting the “+” button. The button will change to tick mark to indicate that you have added the picture to the timeline. The relevant pictures will be added to the timeline and will appear on the preview window on the right-hand side. You can use the Play button to preview the animation.

You can now try to add transitions by selecting “Transition” option from the top toolbar. The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 ships with a wide range of transitions. The navigation panel located on the left side helps you to locate transitions based on various categories. You have to scroll down the Transitions window to select a relevant option. Moreover, if you hover your mouse over the Transition, you will be able to view a preview of that particular transition.

This will help you to consider whether to use that transition or not. You have to drag and drop the transition in between two pictures on the timeline. The animation will show up during the transition phase of one picture from another. You can also add effects by select “Effect” option. It is also possible to add Text content by selecting the “Text” option. The MiniTool MovieMaker also adds several motion effects and you can add them by selecting “Motion” navigation option.

Working with Videos

You can use the same steps as employed with picture for adding videos. The relevant video will appear on the dashboard and can be added to the timeline by drag and drop. You should split the video to enable you to insert transition. If you are editing a long video, then you should split the video by selecting the “Split” option located above the timeline. You should choose “Quick Split” option to split the video. You can then add transitions in between the split areas. If you select “Full split” mode, you will view the Video Edit window using which you can select the area that needs to be split.

Alternatively, you can combine multiple videos to create one video. For example, you can create several lessons related to a particular topic and then combine them into one e-learning course. With students learning from the comforts of the home due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the MiniTool MovieMaker will be an ideal tool for educators to create compelling training videos.

The latest version of MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 ships with new speed control functionality, which will be activated upon adding a video to your timeline. You can add video by selecting “Import Media Files” option and adding to the timeline by selecting the checkmark on the video. You should select “Speed” option and a menu displays three options as shown below.

You can reduce the speed of the video by selecting “Slow” option.

In the same way, you can run videos faster by selecting “Fast” option.

You can also reverse the video by selecting the “Reverse” option. The produced output file will play from the end to start. As you can see, the MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 has introduced path-breaking features to help you leverage more from your videos.

With the help of MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3, you will be able to add music to the picture and video animations. You just need to select music from the list provided by selecting the “Music” option from the left side navigation panel. You can also import your own music by selecting “Import Media Files” option.

Production

The final step in any movie making process is to create the finished production file, which you will upload to YouTube. The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 provides a handy Export module that can be located on the top navigation panel. You will view a dialog as shown below when you select Export option.

You can either export the file to your PC or produce the finished file for the relevant device. You can save the file in several formats, which you can select from the Format drop-down box.

If you select “Device” option, you will find a list of all the possible devices inside the Format drop-down box. For example, if you want to save the file for a smartphone, you should select the relevant option.

Conclusion

The MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 is an ideal companion for video creators, educators, and all those who would like to showcase their creations. The software is completely free and the company provides regular updates. The tool ships with both light and dark skins. However, we loved to work with the Dark skin mode. We would appreciate if the company increases the font size of the various options. Moreover, the company should reduce the loading time of the MovieMaker tool. If you would like to create compelling videos from your existing pictures or videos, then you should try the MiniTool MovieMaker 2.3 because it brings whole lot of features you will never find in other competing applications. We would recommend the company to integrate a module with which users will be able to directly upload the videos to YouTube.