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Creativity
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The Learning Suite includes a powerful set of creativity tools empowering students
and educators to develop engaging resources integrating photography, video, and
audio that inspire the imagination.
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Digital
Storytelling
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Description
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Links
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Digital Storytelling
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The Digital Storytelling e-book provides educators a detailed guide to Digital Storytelling
as an engaging classroom project for students including links to resources, lesson
ideas for different ages and subjects, and links to how-to information to help you
get started
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Expression Encoder
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Description
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Links
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Expression Encoder is an advanced audio/video-encoding and live-broadcasting application
especially suited for generating content that takes full advantage of the rich graphic
and interactive capability of Microsoft Silverlight playback scenarios. You can
also generate Windows Media video and audio files that are optimized for other web
playback scenarios, or appropriate for playback on portable devices.
For more information about what else is new in this release see
What’s New in Expression Encoder 3
Note: This free version of Expression Encoder 3 does not include support for IIS
Smooth Streaming and H.264 encoding. To use these features, upgrade to Expression Encoder 3 with IIS Smooth Streaming
Help us improve Expression Encoder by reporting any technical issues
For more insight into Expression Encoder, please see the Expression team blog
System Requirements
To use Microsoft Expression Encoder 3, you need:
Microsoft Windows® XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Vista™ or Windows 7 operating
system.
Windows® Media Player 11 (Windows XP only)
PC with 1 GHz or faster processor
1 GB of RAM or more
1 GB or more of available hard-disk space
.NET Framework 3.5 with Service Pack 1
Support for Microsoft DirectX® 9.0 graphics with Windows Vista Display Driver Model
(WDDM) Driver, 128 MB of graphics RAM or more, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, 32-bits
per pixel
DVD compatible drive
1024 x 768 or higher-resolution monitor with 24-bit color
Internet access (for Internet functionality; additional fees may apply)
Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration
and operating system and assumes non-concurrent product use
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Kodu
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Description
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Links
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Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games.
It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The programming
environment runs on the Xbox, allowing rapid design iteration using only a game
controller for input.
Programming as a Creative Medium
The core of the Kodu project is the programming user interface. The language is
simple and entirely icon-based. Programs are composed of pages, which are broken
down into rules, which are further divided into conditions and actions. Conditions
are evaluated simultaneously.
The Kodu language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized
primitives derived from gaming scenarios. Programs are expressed in physical terms,
using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. While
not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Kodu can express advanced
game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner.
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/kodu/
System Requirements:
Uses Xbox 360 Game Controller for input — no keyboard required
Runs on XBox 360 and PC
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Microsoft®
AutoCollage
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Description
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Links
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Photo collages celebrate important events and themes in our lives. Pick a folder,
press a button, and in a few minutes AutoCollage presents you with a unique memento
to print or email to your family and friends.
You’ll need a Windows-based PC, running Microsoft Windows XP (with Service Pack
2 or greater), Windows Vista, or Windows 7. 1GB of RAM and a processor of at least
1GHz are also required. The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 is also required on Windows
XP (it’s built in to Windows Vista), but the Songsmith setup program will guide
you through this and any other software requirements.
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Photo Gallery
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Description
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Links
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With Photo Gallery, it's a snap to get your photos and videos from your camera to
your PC. Find your favorite photos and share them with friends and family. Make
your great photos look even better, and create impressive panoramic photos too.
Share your photos in just a few clicks—add them to an online album, send them in
e-mail, or order prints. And you're in control of who gets to see them online. Photo
Gallery automatically finds the people in your photos so you can add a name to the
face. Then later, all you need to do is type in someone’s name to see all the photos
of that person. See new photos from the people you’ve added to your Windows Live
network. Photo Gallery shows you any new shots they’ve shared with you on Windows
Live. Adjust exposure, color, or detail by hand, or use auto adjust—either way,
your photos look great. You can even create amazing panoramas—Photo Gallery stitches
several photos together in just one click.
System Requirements for Windows Live Photo Gallery
Operating system: Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (32-bit edition
only), Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions), Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit editions),
or Windows Server 2008.
strong>Note Windows Live Movie Maker and the slide show feature of Windows
Live Photo Gallery are not supported on Windows XP.
Processor: 1 GHz or higher for Windows 7 or Windows Vista; 800
MHz or higher for Windows XP.
Memory: 512 MB of RAM for Windows 7 or Windows Vista; 128 MB (256
MB or more recommended) for Windows XP.
Resolution: Minimum 1024 x 768
Internet connection: Internet functionality requires dial-up or
broadband Internet access (provided separately). Local or long-distance charges
may apply.
Browser: Windows Live Toolbar requires Microsoft Internet Explorer
6, Internet Explorer 7, or Internet Explorer 8.
Graphics or video card: Windows Live Movie Maker requires a video
card that supports DirectX 9.0 or higher, and Shader Model 2.0 or higher.
View detailed release notes
(pdf)
View detailed release notes
(xps)
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Photosynth
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Description
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Links
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Photosynth creates an amazing new experience with nothing more than a bunch of photos.
Creating a synth allows you to share the places and things you love using the cinematic
quality of a movie, the control of a video game, and the mind-blowing detail of
the real world. Photosynth is a potent mixture of two independent breakthroughs:
the ability to reconstruct the scene or object from a bunch of flat photographs,
and the technology to bring that experience to virtually anyone over the Internet.
Using techniques from the field of computer vision, Photosynth examines images for
similarities to each other and uses that information to estimate the shape of the
subject and the vantage point each photo was taken from. With this information,
we recreate the space and use it as a canvas to display and navigate through the
photos.
For more information, FAQ, Terms of Use, go to: http://photosynth.net/about.aspx
Synther: Minimum System Requirements Internet Connection:
Photosynth requires an internet connection to create and upload your synth. A high-speed
connection is recommended.
Operating System: Only Windows XP (SP2 or SP3), Windows Vista,
and Windows 7 are supported at this time. Running Windows on a Mac? Photosynth runs
under Boot Camp and some VM configurations. Processor: 2 GHz+ recommended.
Quad-Core is ideal.
Memory: 256MB minimum; 1GB+ is recommended.
Viewer: Minimum System Requirements Operating System:
Windows XP (SP2 or SP3), Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Mac OS X 10.4.8 or above.
Processor: 2 GHz+ is recommended. Memory: 512MB;
1GB+ is recommended. Browser: IE7, IE8 and FF3 on Windows. Safari
& FF3 on Mac OS X.
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Songsmith
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Description
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Links
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Songsmith generates musical accompaniment to match a singer’s voice. Just choose
a musical style, sing into your PC’s microphone, and Songsmith will create backing
music for you. Then share your songs with your friends and family, post your songs
online, or create your own music videos.
You’ll need a Windows-based PC, running Microsoft Windows XP (with Service Pack
2 or greater), Windows Vista, or Windows 7. 1GB of RAM and a processor of at least
1GHz are also required. The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 is also required on Windows
XP (it’s built in to Windows Vista), but the Songsmith setup program will guide
you through this and any other software requirements.
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Windows Live
Movie Maker
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Description
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Links
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Create movies and slide shows from your photos and videos, and share them with your
friends and family. Automatically turn your videos, photos, and music into a great
movie. AutoMovie adds a title, credits, transitions, and effects, and fits it all
together for you. Customizing your movie is simple with easy-to-use editing tools.
Trim your video clips to show only the parts you want. Add titles, transitions,
music, and effects like panning and zooming. You don't need video to make a movie.
Make great-looking slide shows using your photos and music, and Movie Maker's editing
tools. As the music plays, watch your photos glide across and zoom in to show close-ups
of the stars in your movie. Publish your movie on YouTube right from Movie Maker.
Or share your movie with friends and family in a variety of other ways—including
DVD.
System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7; Windows Server 2008; Windows
Vista; Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows Vista Service Pack 2; Windows XP Service
Pack 2; Windows XP Service Pack 3
Operating system: Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions), Windows
7 (32-bit or 64-bit editions), or Windows Server 2008.
Note: Windows Live Movie Maker is not supported on Windows XP.
Processor: 1 GHz or higher
Memory: 512 MB of RAM
Resolution: Minimum 1024 x 768
Internet connection: Internet functionality requires dial-up or
broadband Internet access (provided separately). Local or long-distance charges
may apply.
Graphics or video card: Windows Live Movie Maker requires a video
card that supports DirectX 9.0 or higher, and Shader Model 2.0 or higher.
Additional requirements: The following components are needed for
Windows Live Movie Maker, and may be installed for you if they’re not already on
your computer.
SQL 2005 Compact Edition and Windows Imaging Codecs*
Some components of DirectX9.
Not required when installing on Windows 7 or Windows Vista.
Note:To install or uninstall Windows Live products, you must have
administrator rights on the computer.
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