You've seen the promises in the advertising: Microsoft's free Movie Maker 2 will make it simple to capture, edit and share your home movies. We agree, but how do you know where to start, or where you're going? The answer is Windows Movie Maker 2 Zero to Hero, which will take you from filming your movie (with useful tips to improve the quality) through editing and adding effects, to premiering your masterpiece to your friends and family.

Zero to Hero is more than a catchy slogan and an opportunity for puns and graphical representations of tights, capes, and phone booths. It's a style of learning designed by friends of ED to reach beyond dry technical explanations and dusty old authors who don't know how it is for real users and wouldn't know good design if it slapped them round the face with a wet fish.

With a Zero to Hero book you can choose how you learn. You can choose to learn everything you need to know about Windows Movie Maker 2 by working through the first section of the book from start to finish. Alternatively, you can dive straight in to the inspirational 'Hero' chapters and refer back as and when you need. Then later, when you're a hero yourself, the book is easily used as a reference tool.

When you're done, you'll be ready to wear your underwear on the outside—metaphorically speaking, of course.

What you’ll learn

You'll learn how to produce professional-looking films, with effects and transitions like those you see on TV, and how to show them off. Send them by e-mail, post them to web sites, copy them to a CD, or even make your own DVD!