Window movie maker: saved video stays black. audio works and preview is fine too... Please help!!

Anonymous
2012-08-15T15:59:18+00:00

Hi,

I have just installed windows movie maker on a laptop that runs windows 7.

At the beginning I tried to make a movie from pictures I took and all works fine in WMM itsself. It plays nicely in the previewscreen as well.

The problem is that when I save it to .wmv or .mp4, I can save the movie, but when I try to play it in media player, I can only see a black screen.

Here is what I tried so far:

  1. pictures were .jpg... converted them to .BMP and tried again without succes
  2. just tried with an opening slide and credit slide, nothing else, so only things from widows media maker itsself and also VERY small and tried that. Same issue: black screen, although you can see the seconds counting...
  3. added music to it and when I play it after saving, I can hear the music, but the screen stays black.
  4. Checked divX (read on other forum) and have version 11
  5. Nvidia graphics card issues do not apply (other forum as well) ad I have another card

I have found a lot of issues on the forums, but the "black screen issue" that I can find on the forums is only after a while, when you play it or in the previewscreen. My problem is that it will not play ANY video I save.

PLEASE HELP!!

Thanks

Windows for home | Other | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2012-12-26T04:56:06+00:00

Guys,

Finally problem solved, and I was able to save my movies properly. Yes, it was a delight to hear the 'ding' at the end of the saving process, and see a thumbnail from your movie in the dialog box that said, movie has been saved, view it now! :-)

Ok here goes...

  --  The Microsoft support team are broadly pointing in the right direction, that the issue has got to do with video/graphics drivers.

 --  Since most of us might have branded machines like Vaio, Dell, HP etc., the display settings may be getting over-ridden by the Branded custom system management interfaces these guys provide.

So go basic, and start from the 'Control Panel', and try and reach the display settings.

 -- Here's what I did:

Control Panel >> Hardware & Sound >> Display | Adjust Screen Resolution >> Advance Settings >>  Adapter | Adapter Type

This is where it checked for the latest version, and updated it automatically.

Asked me to restart the system.

I did,

Created a 2 picture test file in Movie Maker. Saved, and voila!

Basically try whatever route you can. to reach your Display Settings, and from there try and reach a driver that'll ask to be updated. I encountered a few drivers, where i was told, they're up to date, so that was a dead-end.

All the best.

--

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Anonymous
2013-05-03T01:34:03+00:00

This worked for me. It was posted on an earlier date.

Guys,

Finally problem solved, and I was able to save my movies properly. Yes, it was a delight to hear the 'ding' at the end of the saving process, and see a thumbnail from your movie in the dialog box that said, movie has been saved, view it now! :-)

Ok here goes...

  --  The Microsoft support team are broadly pointing in the right direction, that the issue has got to do with video/graphics drivers.

 --  Since most of us might have branded machines like Vaio, Dell, HP etc., the display settings may be getting over-ridden by the Branded custom system management interfaces these guys provide.

So go basic, and start from the 'Control Panel', and try and reach the display settings.

 -- Here's what I did:

Control Panel >> Hardware & Sound >> Display | Adjust Screen Resolution >> Advance Settings >>  Adapter | Adapter Type,  open Properties, click on the driver folder and choose update.

This is where it checked for the latest version, and updated it automatically.

Asked me to restart the system.

I did,

Created a 2 picture test file in Movie Maker. Saved, and voila!

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Anonymous
2012-08-22T00:41:12+00:00

Hello Tom,

For troubleshooting purposes, please try to update your video card and codecs. To do this, follow the steps below:  

  1. Ensure you have installed the latest version of **Windows Movie Maker**
  2. Try making movies of a shorter duration - If you have a large movie project, splitting the video into smaller projects may help.
  3. Check that the files you are using are of a supported format – Some file formats are not supported by Windows Live Movie Maker. A list of supported formats can be found here: **Movie Maker file types**
  4. Ensure that you have the proper codecs to play your videos and audio files - Audio and Video require codecs to play the file and it’s important to have the right codecs installed or updated in your PC.

  - Try running the Microsoft FixIt tool for codecs: **FixIT**

-Media info will be able to identify any issue with missing of faulty codecs and whether it's already in your computer or not: **Media Info**

Note: If can't find the codec you need you may convert the video to a supported format (eg. wmv) and then add it to your Windows Live Movie Maker project.

  1. Ensure that your video card drivers are up to date - Movie Maker makes extensive use of the video card GPU (graphics processing unit). The display driver affects the reliability, performance, and compatibility of the video card with different software.

To determine the version and video card driver date, run the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag):

DirectX Diagnostic Tool

  1. Click on Start button and type “dxdiag” in the Search programs and files box and press Enter key on the keyboard.
  2. Click on the Display tab and you will see the driver details including the driver version.
  3. If your video card driver seems outdated please go to the video card driver manufacturer and see if a newer version is available.

Example:

**http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us**

**http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx**

**http://downloadcenter.intel.com/**

If the issue persists, we would like you to provide more information regarding the issue by answering the questions below:

  • What is the build and version of your Windows Movie Maker?
  • What was the option that you select when saving your movie? (for computer, for HD, etc)

Thanks!

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-10-23T16:22:31+00:00

    I provided all the system logs, etc.  And I followed the recommended troubleshooting steps, and nothing seems wrong with my video drivers or codecs.  Additionally, I will also point out that the videos I'm trying to use in my Movie Maker projects play just fine on their own in Windows Media Player.  Even more oddly, the thumbnails of the video show up in the timeline of Movie Maker, but somehow the preview is still black.  This leads me to believe the problem is with how Movie Maker processes the videos for previewing...

    I am running the latest version of Movie Maker (just installed it yesterday), Version 2012, Build 16.4.3505.0912.

    EDIT: I tried saving a movie in Movie Maker, and it comes just as black as the preview.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-10-23T21:12:45+00:00

    Hi M. Ravenesque,

    I forwarded this information to our support group for further investigation, we'll let you know about any updates from them.

    Regards,

    Gerard G.

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