  Modern research in the life sciences is unthinkable without computational
methods for extracting, quantifying and visualizing information derived from
biological microscopy imaging data. In the past decade, we observed a dramatic
increase in available software packages for these purposes. As it is
increasingly difficult to keep track of the number of available image analysis
platforms, tool collections, components and emerging technologies, we provide a
conservative overview of software we use in daily routine and give insights
into emerging new tools. We give guidance on which aspects to consider when
choosing the right platform, including aspects such as image data type, skills
of the team, infrastructure and community at the institute and availability of
time and budget.
