Easy tools for making movies and slideshows. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. It's that time of year when seldom used cameras and camcorders are pressed into service. Bringing your computer into the picture, with the right software …can turn video and still images into slick, fun productions. Muvee autoProducer 3, for instance, automates the process of turning that usually much too long camcorder footage….into a neatly produced package set to music. Muvee Technologies CEO Pete Kellock…

"It really is tremendously simple. All that people have to do is select the video, just take the raw video from the camera, select some music…any music that they like…select a style…press a button and we create a compelling production that looks as if it's been made by a professional."

A trial version of the software is available for free at Muvee.com so you can see for yourself. AutoProducer3 can do all of the editing on its own…or…

"We do let users as well pick certain key moments. We have a feature in the latest version called Magic Moments where people can if they want to, go in and pick certain highlights and say this moment must be in my production."

If you have digital still pictures, Microsoft is making Photo Story 3 available on the Web for free. It does a great job of creating slide shows that zoom in and pan over images….letting you add narration and music. It's simple to use and the results will surprise you. Missing from both Photo Story and autoProducer is the built in ability to burn DVDs. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.