Study Curve

Adobe just released a new online photo editing platform called Photo Shop Express. I haven't played with it yet, but at a glance it looks pretty cool!

Photoshop Elements is a good program to use. Photoshop CS2 or CS3 is quite a bit more advanced and costs a lot....... but for quick fixes, you can also download Picasa from the Google website: http://picasa.google.com/

It's simplistic and keeps your pictures organized on your computer. The thing I like about it most is that if you have a gmail account, you can upload your pictures to a web album, if you have the intention of sharing them with others, that is...

I have to agree that Photoshop Elements is a great program. Most of the elements available in the full version of Photoshop and 1/4 of the price. It's available for trial at https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=pepe&promoid=BONRH

Good luck!

Photoshop is expensive and your learning curve will be fairly steep as well. The other suggestions are all good.

However, if you're just looking for some basic editing (cropping, red-eye removal, changing contrast and colour, etc.) or adding some special effects to change the warmth and feel of the image, try Google's Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/). It's free and also serves as a great tool to manage your collection of digital pictures.

If you want to get a editor that wont blow the bank, and is simple to use, check out faststone image viewer. Easy to use, and simple, but powerful.

like everyone else, Photoshop is the most resourceful as image manipulation, but I second the Gimp, or even Gimpshop, looks identical to photoshop and its open source, which is free and and maybe you can give back to the community if you know some coding.

I like Photoshop Elements. It is more affordable and easier to use than the original Photoshop, but still produces great results with a little practice.

Photoshop is definitely a great program, but for ease of use, may not be your best option. It has so many functions and features that it is not easy to pick up quickly. I like ACDSee for basic editing functions. A limited version of it comes with some digital cameras, but the full version offers more features. It does not have nearly as much functionality as Photoshop, but for the average home user is easier to learn and costs less.

If you want to spend the money, Photoshop is the way to go. If you have an Apple, I would highly suggest Aperture for managing/editing photos. If you want a good free alternative I would recommend The Gimp (http://www.gimp.org/)