LibGuides: Create Audio & Video for Education (CAVE) : Software

CAVE Hours & Booking

The CAVE is available Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM.

Walk-ins are allowed if the room is available, but appointments are preferred.

To reserve a time slot, contact library staff: cave@siumed.edu or 217-545-2113.

Software Available in the CAVE

Produce video for online learning or presentations; add animation and visual effects.

Camtasia 20
Camtasia can record your computer screen; capture audio via microphone; import recorded audio, video, and images; and add interactive elements to videos like quizzes. It is designed for beginners.
Camtasia is great for:

recording screencasts.
turning a PowerPoint presentation into an interactive video.
adding simple effects like text or transitions between clips.

Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro can edit imported video and audio from any type of media and export into several formats. It is a powerful tool with many editing features designed for creating high-level videos. More complex than Camtasia but could still be used for simpler projects if needed.
Adobe Premiere Pro is great for:

cutting and rearranging footage.
adding simple effects to footage for specific time frames.
correcting the color or audio of video clips.

Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is used to create motion graphics and advanced visual effects for videos. After Effects is best used to apply effects after footage has been edited. Provides expansive options for visual effects and compositing.
Adobe After Effects is great for:

creating 2D or 3D animations.
adding stylized or simulated effects to your video such as rainfall effects or dynamic lighting.
users experienced with editing and special effects who want to polish their Premiere Pro footage.

Record, edit, and mix audio for presentations, instruction and podcasts.

Audacity
Audacity is a free, open source, digital audio workstation (DAW). In this software, you can record, import, and edit audio files. Only supports select file types: MP3, WAV, AIFF, AU, FLAC, and Ogg Vorbis. Audacity's simple interface and limited features make it ideal for beginners.
Audacity is great for:

recording and editing podcasts or presentations.
applying simpler effects to audio such as noise reduction, amplification, or tempo changes.

Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is the premium platform for digital audio editing. It can do everything Audacity can do and more, including additional file type support. The complex editing interface and expansive options for audio effects can make Audition trickier to use if you are unfamiliar with DAWs.
Adobe Audition is great for:

sound mixing your band's first album.
working with file types not supported by Audacity.
users who are comfortable with DAWs and want more options for editing professional recordings.

Create, edit and enhance images and graphics for presentations, print and digital publications, mobile apps, and the web. Convert and export to a variety of formats.

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a graphic design and illustration application primarily used for creating easy to manipulate vector images, such as logos, graphs, and icons. Users can draw in Illustrator using a variety of digital pens, brushes, and pencils, and can choose from different paper and canvas types.
Adobe Illustrator is great for:

customizing typography in logos.
designing an easy to read graph.
creating/drawing scalable images to be used across publications.

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard for image and photo editing. It is a powerful tool packed with editing tools suited for a variety of projects. Photoshop is a great program for modifying already created images or graphics since those projects will stay a fixed size.
Adobe Photoshop is great for:

editing and enhancing a photograph or image (adjusting lighting, color contrast, cropping).

Design print and digital publications: brochures, magazines, newsletters, forms, handouts, ebooks and interactive forms.

Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing and layout application for creating print and digital books, magazines, brochures, and more. Often used in tandem with Illustrator. Useful tool for anything that brings text and graphics together.
Adobe InDesign is great for:

positioning page elements and creating polished and consistent layouts for a publication.
arranging a resume.
putting together an annual report.
creating digital newsletters.

3D Issue Flipbooks
3D Issue Flipbooks lets users create digital publications for viewing on desktop, tablet, and mobile. It offers the ability to convert PDFs into visually appealing flipbooks with features that improve the online reading experience such as a notetaking tool, search function, and images and animation.
3D Issue Flipbooks is great for:

creating publications designed to be viewed and used on the web.
adding rich media to your publications like video and audio.
tracking usage data for your digital publications.

In addition to the commonly used software in the other tabs, the CAVE also has a number of other design, editing, screencasting, or file conversion software available including:

full Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, including Media Encoder
Blender
Handbrake
Screencast-o-matic