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Step 1
Film some video of someone with a prop sword in their hand, waving it around in a "lightsabery" fashion. The blade of the prop needs to be more narrow than the lightsaber glow you plan to add. Load this video onto your computer via the USB port, saving it to a folder named "Lightsaber 1."
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Step 2
Start Movie Maker. Select "Import File" and in the dialog box, browse for the "Lightsaber 1" folder and import the video you want to add the effect to. The video will be loaded into the "Collections" area at the top. Drag the video into the timeline at the bottom. Play the video and pause it where you want the lightsaber effect to begin. Select "Tools" and click "Take Picture from Preview." Save the captured frame as "Frame 1."
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Step 3
Hold down the "ALT" key and hit the right arrow. This moves you to the next frame. Repeat this process to capture all the frames that you want to add the lightsaber effect to.
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Step 4
Open GIMP. Select "File" and click "Open." Browse to the first frame you saved and open it. Create a new layer in the "Layers" panel. Click on the "Brush" tool in the toolbar and use it to paint on the blade in the image with the color you want the effect to be. Now select the "Glow" effect to add the fade off glow around the blade. Save the image as "Frame 1 modified."
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Step 5
Repeat Step 4 with each of the frames you saved. Then open Movie Maker again and import your "modified" frames. Cut out the original frames in your video and replace them with the new frames. Save your work for posting on the Internet.
