Software Support

Adobe After Effects is used to create visual effects and motion graphics for video content. It works seamlessly with Adobe Premiere Pro. The program is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs. This software can be used on both Windows and Mac machines, but needs a strong processor and lots of RAM.

Adobe Animate is used to create vector graphics and animations for cartoons, advertisements, games, and other interactive content. This program is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs. This software can be used on both Windows and Mac machines.

Adobe Audition is an industry-standard audio editing software, and it works seamlessly with Adobe Premiere Pro for editing audio within a video. Adobe Audition is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs. This software can be used on both Windows and Mac machines. As with other Adobe products, the learning curve for Audition is much steeper than for the free software programs above, but it offers more features. You can record directly into Audition using a built-in or connected microphone, and you can also import audio from other sources. Audition projects (called Sessions) are saved as SESX files, which can also be exported to various file formats for external listening (including MP3 and WAV).

Adobe Character Animator combines live motion-capture with a multi-track recording system to control layered 2D puppets drawn in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. This software is not yet available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs, or can be used with a paid Adobe Creative Cloud account. This software can be used on both Windows and Mac machines.

Adobe Express is a cloud-based media creation application that makes it easy to create social media graphics, fliers/brochures, promotional videos, and single-page websites. UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff have premium access to Adobe Express via your free UW–Madison Adobe ID. This software is web-based and can be accessed from a browser.

Adobe Illustrator is a graphics editor, typically used for vector (line-based) images. Adobe Illustrator can be used for comics, logos, research posters, fliers/brochures, business cards, CVs and resumes, and many other graphic projects. This program is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs, both in the lab and for checkout. This software is available for both Windows and Mac machines.

Adobe InDesign is a document creator, typically used for creating print materials. Adobe InDesign can be used to create research posters, fliers/brochures, magazines, business cards, CVs and resumes, and other printed materials. This program is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs, both in the lab and for checkout. This software is available for both Windows and Mac machines.

Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editor, typically used for raster (pixel-based) images. Adobe Photoshop can be used for photo editing, research poster creation, fliers/brochures, and many other graphic-based projects. This program is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs, both in the lab and for checkout. This software is available for both Windows and Mac machines.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry-standard video editing software and is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs. This software can be used on both Windows and Mac machines, but needs a strong processor and lots of RAM. Premiere Pro is much more advanced than Apple’s iMovie and offers many more features.

Audacity is an industry standard for audio editing, commonly used by radio stations and video bloggers. As an open-source program, Audacity is a free download for Mac, Windows, or Linux. It is also available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs, both in the lab and for checkout. You can record directly into Audacity using a built-in or connected microphone, and can also import audio from other sources. Audacity projects are saved as an AUP file, but must be exported to another format, such as MP3, WAV, or WMA, for external listening; however, exporting to MP3 requires an additional free plug-in.

DaVinci Resolve is free editing software for Windows, Mac, and Linux. While this software is known for color grading and color correction, the latest version provides a full suite of tools for editing, color correcting, mixing, and rendering video. Resolve also includes motion graphics, visual effects, and audio post-production tools. There is a paid version that has more options, including 3D rendering, but it is usually overkill for most projects. We recommend the free version.

Final Cut Pro is another industry-standard video editing software available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via a handful of select Macs in UW–Madison computer labs. This software requires a powerful processor and ample RAM, so it is not recommended for most laptops. There is, however, an iPad version of the software. Final Cut Pro is similar in function to Adobe Premiere Pro and has many more features than Apple’s iMovie.

GarageBand is advanced audio editing software primarily designed for music, with the ability to create synthesized music and percussion in a multi-track overlay. It can also be used for voice-based projects, such as podcasts. GarageBand is available for free on all Mac and iOS devices via the App Store. GarageBand is also available on the Macs in the UW–Madison computer labs, both in the labs and for checkout.

iMovie is a good introductory and easy-to-learn video editing software. iMovie is available for free on all Apple devices via the App Store. It is also available on the Macs in the UW–Madison computer labs, both in the lab and for checkout.

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) Studio is an industry-standard video streaming software, commonly used by those who livestream on Twitch or YouTube. It is also a good program for video recording because it supports both webcam and screen capture. As an open source program, OBS is available as a free download for Mac, Windows, or Linux.

QuickTime is a free proprietary recording software program available only for Apple products. It is also installed on all the Mac computer lab machines, both in the labs and for checkout. QuickTime allows you to record from your webcam or a camera connected to your computer. You can also record all or part of your screen.

BioRender is an online tool to help scientists create and share beautiful, professional scientific figures. There is a free tier for educational use, as well as individual and lab pricing. The free account tier allows only 5 active projects at a time and does not grant permission to publish in journals.

Canva is an online graphic design platform. It is a great place to make visually stunning documents, including resumes, CVs, business reports, business cards, fliers/brochures, infographics, graphic essays, presentations, and more. While Canva has paid features, you can typically make all your documents with a free account. This platform also comes with a built-in database of free images and icons (with some available at low cost) and lets you upload your own content. Your files are saved to your online account and kept on the Canva server. You can download the files in multiple different formats depending on the project.

Create comics from images and hand-drawn artwork with this simple plug-and-play program! Comic Life has built-in templates, comic-style fonts, speech bubbles, and image filters to make your comic look authentic. Comic Life is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs.

Datawrapper is a free, web-based data visualization tool for creating interactive charts, responsive maps, and tables. It requires no coding or design skills, making it popular among journalists, researchers, and governments to embed clean graphics into web pages. It is designed with strict adherence to data visualization best practices so users avoid common design errors. The free account tier allows you to create online visualizations and download them as PNG files.

Tableau data visualization tool allows users to interact with data through dynamic, interactive dashboards, maps, and other presentation formats. The public version of Tableau is free to use. The full version of Tableau is not free, but students can get a 1-year trial. The Universities of Wisconsin has a Tableau Server with many datasets and visualizations.

Blogger is a free online blog service from Google with many customization options. Great for folks looking to blog without creating a full website. With this site, your audience will experience ads.

Google Sites is an online tool that allows users to create websites. It offers several templates and limited customization compared to professional website-building tools such as WordPress or Wix. However, it requires very little prior knowledge about website building and allows for collaboration. Google Sites is free to all UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–‍Madison Google Workspace for Education (formerly G Suite). It is also easy to transfer ownership from your UW account to a personal account if you leave UW.

This unique web-based program has a single-page website style with an outline structure with sections and subsections. With Sway, you can create interactive portfolios that combine text, images, video, and audio on a single page. Sway designers can choose how viewers navigate the project: scrolling from top to bottom, from left to right, or in a slideshow style. Microsoft Sway is available for free to all UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via UW–Madison’s Office 365.

Weebly is a website builder that is great for building personal/business websites and online stores. Using their templates and drag-and-drop editor, you can customize your website without knowing HTML or CSS. Keep in mind that the free plan constrains the amount of storage your website has, so you are limited in how much you can upload and add to your site. Additionally, you must pay for one of their more inclusive plans to remove the Weebly branding from your site.

Wix is a free website builder with a built-in blog feature. It is very similar to WordPress in its customizations and themes. However, to avoid ads, you have to upgrade to a paid account. Wix has a WYSIWYG editor (what you see is what you get), which some find easier to use than WordPress’s editor, and it can be a good alternative for professional websites or blogs.

WordPress’s answer to Wix and Weebly, WordPress.com is a drag-and-drop website builder that is great for simple websites and blogs. Unlike WordPress.org, WordPress.com hosts your website and provides everything you need to get started. WordPress.com also offers paid plans, which give you access to more features and remove ads.

WordPress.org is open-source software best suited to more complex websites and advanced web designers. For this software, you will need to provide your own website hosting (such as Amazon Web Services). While you can download and use templates and plug-ins from WordPress.org, you may have to pay a third party for more customization options. WordPress.org is great if you know HTML and CSS or are working with a professional web designer.

ArcGIS is the industry-standard program for spatial data (i.e., it is map-creation software). Many base maps are open source, but the program itself is not. ArcGIS is available to UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff via the UW–Madison computer labs. There is also an online program called StoryMaps that creates interactive maps.

Google Earth renders maps of the Earth, moon, and Mars by superimposing satellite imagery, aerial photography, and GIS data onto a 3D globe, allowing users to view cities and landscapes from various angles. With its creation tools, you can draw on the map, add your photos and videos, customize your view, and share and collaborate with others. You can also create “fly-throughs” of various locations.

My Maps allows you to make custom Google Maps that highlight places of interest with personalized icons and colors. You can also draw on the maps! My Maps are all online and designed for sharing. All maps are housed on Google Drive and are also accessible under Google Maps > “My Places.” You can easily invite colleagues to edit, suggest edits, comment, or add their own points. My Maps is available to anyone with a Google account.

NatGeo MapMaker is a free online custom map maker that lets you highlight places of interest with personalized icons/images and drawings on one of seven base maps. You can also add built-in layers to the map, such as climate data. You need to “Save As” to have your map link sent to you as an email. All maps are housed on the NatGeo server, but after 6 months of inactivity, your projects may be deleted.