Here's what's new in Windows Live Essentials Wave 4

The next generation – also known as Wave 4 – of Windows Live Essentials isn't due out for a number of months. But Microsoft gave a preview Wednesday of some of the key features of four main components: Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Mail and Sync.

Windows Live Essentials is a free suite of downloadable media software that can connect Windows 7 to Microsoft's Windows Live services. Most of the programs were included in Windows Vista, but Microsoft stripped them out of Windows 7 and made them optional to download.

In addition to Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Mail and Sync, Windows Live Essentials includes Messenger, Writer, Family Safety and the Bing Toolbar for Internet Explorer. Microsoft has already previewed the new features of Windows Live Messenger, which you can read about here.

So, without further ado, here are some of the highlights Microsoft disclosed Wednesday:

Windows Live Photo Gallery:

• Photo Fuse allows users to combine different pieces of photos into one "perfect" photo.
• Facial recognition technology enables Photo Gallery to find photos that have certain people you've tagged before.
• Batch auto adjust automatically adjusts the exposure, color balance and sharpness of all your photos in one click.
• The incorporation of the "ribbon" user interface puts Photo Gallery's navigation in line with Office and other programs that use the ribbon.

Windows Live Movie Maker:

• AutoMovie themes enables the user to apply five preset themes to their photo slideshows and videos, including 60 transitions, 20 visual effects, 20 text effects, 5 titles and music.
• Users can export their videos in 720p and 1080p high definition, then sync them to a media player or burn a DVD using Windows DVD Maker.
• Publishing plug-ins allow users to share their movies or slideshows to YouTube, Facebook, Flickr or Windows Live SkyDrive, with extensibility to other sharing sites.

Windows Live Mail:

• The next Mail incorporates many of the features included in the next Hotmail, which Microsoft previewed in late May. These include instant messaging from within the inbox, conversation threading, better organization and the ability to send up to 10 gigs of photos, via a SkyDrive link, in one e-mail.
• Slim Cal allows people to view their calendar without leaving the inbox.

Windows Live Sync:

• Remote desktop allows users to access files and apps on one computer from any other computer via devices.live.com. On the site, which lists their designated computers, all users have to do is click "connect to this computer."
• Offline syncing adds the ability to sync folders to online storage when users' PCs are turned off.
• Each Sync folder supports 100,000 files.

Microsoft also said it added time, game and application control features to Family Safety, which allows parents to limit what their children view online. The service can also limit computer use to a set duration.

Windows Live Essentials is due for release in "the coming months," Microsoft said.