ools of the Trade (in no particular order)--This list is for reference sake only--
Sanction by Verdict Systems (LexisNexis)
http://www.lexisnexis.com/litigation/products/hearings-and-trial/sanction
Litigation software that allows for the non-linear presentation of images, documents, videos, etc. in court. Used all over the world, by the U.S. Military, U.S. Attorney’s Office, the United Nations, and civil firms.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/
Adobe Professional allows you full control over your PDF files including built-in redaction tools. The control you have over all digital documents is endless with Adobe Professional. This old review describes the power of PDF sofware.
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktop-publishing/acrobat-8-1-professional/4505-3628_7-32135300.html
Nuance Power PDF
An alternative to Adobe.
http://shop.nuance.com/store/nuanceus/custom/pbpage.Power-PDF-Overview
TrialDirector 6 by Indata Corp.
www.indatacorp.com
Trial presentation (software similar to Sanction) also used by the federal government and United Nations. Retails for around $500 for a single-user license. The latest version is 6.7 There is also an IPAD version.
ExhibitView 4.2
http://www.exhibitview.net/
Trial presentation software (similar to Sanction) retails for around $500 for a single-user license (but they are always offering discounts). This software is extremely easy to use and designed for the non-techie amongst us.
PowerPoint 2016 by Microsoft
https://products.office.com/en-us/powerpoint
Allows me to create linear slide show presentations organizing images, audio, video and argument slides in a persuasive manner. The program is easy to use, but I caution that it also has a great potential for misuse and/or overuse. Be a trial attorney first. PowerPoint comes with Microsoft Office.
Irfanview by Irfan Skiljan
www.irfanview.com
This program is one of the top shareware programs in the world. I use this program daily to edit, re-size, crop, transfer, copy, and convert digital images. Using this program in conjunction with PowerPoint cuts my preparation time in half. But since it is shareware—available at no charge for a trial period—those who use it for commercial purposes should send a donation to the program’s author.
FastStone Image Viewer 3.5 and FastStone Capture 6.0 by FastStone.
www.faststone.org
Similar to Irfanview, I use this digital image viewer and screen capture program primarily to take screenshots of websites and will then use Irfanview to do anything further with the digital image. The viewer is freeware (software that is copyrighted but available free of charge) and the Capture program costs $20.00. The $20.00 version also has the ability to create video screen captures. Very handy.
Camtasia Studio 8.2 by TechSmith
http://shop.techsmith.com/store/techsm/en_US/buy/ThemeID.36513100/productID.289749700
Advanced video editing software used for capturing streaming video, converting audio and video files, redacting audio from video. Also used for making step-by-step video tutorials. The government license costs $249.00.
Snagit by TechSmith
http://shop.techsmith.com/store/techsm/en_US/buy/ThemeID.36513100/productID.289750900
A cheaper alternative to Camtasia made by TechSmith as well. This software also allows for video screen capture. Snagit lacks the video editing capabilities that Camtasia offers thus the difference in price. The government version is $42.95.
Audacity by Sourceforge
www.audacity.sourceforge.net
Open-source (users can modify and improve it) software used for recording and editing audio,
and can also open non-copyrighted audio sources and covert them to universal formats like “.wav” files.
VLC Media Player by Videolan
www.videolan.org
This is a freeware media program that can often play video files that other programs cannot. It also has a portable application.
Gyration Air Mouse by Gyration
http://www.gyration.com/?l=en#productOverview/miceKeyboards
This excellent wireless mouse is called an “air” mouse because, with practice, presenters can move it in the same manner as a desktop mouse. Depending on the model, it has a range of anywhere from 30 to 100 feet and works well with Sanction in court. Older versions are available on eBay for $50 and new versions for around $75.
Geosetter
http://www.geosetter.de/en/
Tool used to read EXIF data from digital images and display locations with mapping software.
Trial Smart
http://www.claritylegalllc.com/products/trialsmart/
Litigation software for Macs. I have never used it.
Logitech Spotlight Wireless Presentation Remote
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/spotlight-presentation-remote
Omnivore Video and Image Capture (Secure USB)
http://www.oceansystems.com/forensic/forensic_video_analysis/omnivore/index.php
Sanction by Verdict Systems (LexisNexis)
http://www.lexisnexis.com/litigation/products/hearings-and-trial/sanction
Litigation software that allows for the non-linear presentation of images, documents, videos, etc. in court. Used all over the world, by the U.S. Military, U.S. Attorney’s Office, the United Nations, and civil firms.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/
Adobe Professional allows you full control over your PDF files including built-in redaction tools. The control you have over all digital documents is endless with Adobe Professional. This old review describes the power of PDF sofware.
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktop-publishing/acrobat-8-1-professional/4505-3628_7-32135300.html
Nuance Power PDF
An alternative to Adobe.
http://shop.nuance.com/store/nuanceus/custom/pbpage.Power-PDF-Overview
TrialDirector 6 by Indata Corp.
www.indatacorp.com
Trial presentation (software similar to Sanction) also used by the federal government and United Nations. Retails for around $500 for a single-user license. The latest version is 6.7 There is also an IPAD version.
ExhibitView 4.2
http://www.exhibitview.net/
Trial presentation software (similar to Sanction) retails for around $500 for a single-user license (but they are always offering discounts). This software is extremely easy to use and designed for the non-techie amongst us.
PowerPoint 2016 by Microsoft
https://products.office.com/en-us/powerpoint
Allows me to create linear slide show presentations organizing images, audio, video and argument slides in a persuasive manner. The program is easy to use, but I caution that it also has a great potential for misuse and/or overuse. Be a trial attorney first. PowerPoint comes with Microsoft Office.
Irfanview by Irfan Skiljan
www.irfanview.com
This program is one of the top shareware programs in the world. I use this program daily to edit, re-size, crop, transfer, copy, and convert digital images. Using this program in conjunction with PowerPoint cuts my preparation time in half. But since it is shareware—available at no charge for a trial period—those who use it for commercial purposes should send a donation to the program’s author.
FastStone Image Viewer 3.5 and FastStone Capture 6.0 by FastStone.
www.faststone.org
Similar to Irfanview, I use this digital image viewer and screen capture program primarily to take screenshots of websites and will then use Irfanview to do anything further with the digital image. The viewer is freeware (software that is copyrighted but available free of charge) and the Capture program costs $20.00. The $20.00 version also has the ability to create video screen captures. Very handy.
Camtasia Studio 8.2 by TechSmith
http://shop.techsmith.com/store/techsm/en_US/buy/ThemeID.36513100/productID.289749700
Advanced video editing software used for capturing streaming video, converting audio and video files, redacting audio from video. Also used for making step-by-step video tutorials. The government license costs $249.00.
Snagit by TechSmith
http://shop.techsmith.com/store/techsm/en_US/buy/ThemeID.36513100/productID.289750900
A cheaper alternative to Camtasia made by TechSmith as well. This software also allows for video screen capture. Snagit lacks the video editing capabilities that Camtasia offers thus the difference in price. The government version is $42.95.
Audacity by Sourceforge
www.audacity.sourceforge.net
Open-source (users can modify and improve it) software used for recording and editing audio,
and can also open non-copyrighted audio sources and covert them to universal formats like “.wav” files.
VLC Media Player by Videolan
www.videolan.org
This is a freeware media program that can often play video files that other programs cannot. It also has a portable application.
Gyration Air Mouse by Gyration
http://www.gyration.com/?l=en#productOverview/miceKeyboards
This excellent wireless mouse is called an “air” mouse because, with practice, presenters can move it in the same manner as a desktop mouse. Depending on the model, it has a range of anywhere from 30 to 100 feet and works well with Sanction in court. Older versions are available on eBay for $50 and new versions for around $75.
Geosetter
http://www.geosetter.de/en/
Tool used to read EXIF data from digital images and display locations with mapping software.
Trial Smart
http://www.claritylegalllc.com/products/trialsmart/
Litigation software for Macs. I have never used it.
Logitech Spotlight Wireless Presentation Remote
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/spotlight-presentation-remote
Omnivore Video and Image Capture (Secure USB)
http://www.oceansystems.com/forensic/forensic_video_analysis/omnivore/index.php
