Photo Editing Software Angst...

Personally, I see no need for photoshop, gimp or similar applications if all you shoot is Jpeg. The Post processing has already been done for you in the camera. Other than cropping and resizing what else would you need that will work well on a pre-cooked digital image.
Keep in mind whenever you load and save and reload and save a Jpeg you lose quality.
Recommended reading: http://www.mediachance​.com/digicam/jpgq.htm

If you have a Canon DSLR, I recommend first installing the software on the CD that was included with the camera. The EOS Utility, Zoom Browser and Digital Photo Professional. If all you're shooting is Jpeg, and you don't like complicated software that has a steep learning curve and requires a lot of reading, then what you already have on that CD is probably all you will ever need.

DPP is plenty sufficient and easy to learn and use.

^^ +1. tkerr is spot on.

BreitlingFan wrote in post #12280556

I don't like a program where I have to "import" or "export" photos.

You might be a little too hung up on terms here. "Import" is just what Lightroom calls getting your pictures from your camera to your computer. Your pictures will have to take that trip no matter which program you use. "Export" similar to "Save as" in any other computer program. Assuming that your pictures will be edited to some degree, then emailed, posted to the web, etc, you will be going through this process also.

I would suggest the free program Picasa for organization and the most basic of editing, perhaps combined with the inexpensive Photoshop Elements for the times when you need to do a little more processing.

I downloaded Photoshop Elements. So far, so good! I'll use it for the 30 day trial, but I could foresee buying it. It seems simple enough for my non-technical minded brain to digest, and it seems to be able to do everything I need it to do.

So far...

"Export" in lightroom might seem like its more steps when ur working on just 1photo, but when your working on a whole set of photos, its much easier to have LR create a new folder and "export" them with saved presets. If you invest a bit of time in learning a program it will save you time in the long run jmho

BreitlingFan wrote in post #12281097
Haven't been able to find where to download it...

What's DPP?

http://www.acdsee.com/

or the latest version:

http://store.acdsee.co​m …AAAAT&rests=130​3683236621

FastStone Image Viewer is fast, free, and has all the tools for basic editing.

Actually, it's much more than a viewer.

http://www.faststone.o​rg/download.htm

To get an idea quick, double-click on a thumbnail to open the image in full-screen, then push the mouse pointer to the left edge of the screen and try a few of the tools that show up.

Unless you have a computer from the 1990's, I'd say there's no advantage to editing JPEG's. The extra amount of control over colour and exposure is significant.

But photoshop elements is probably your best bet... anything other than photoshop I think you'll find yourself feeling limited after a while.

You don't say which system your on, but if on OSX then Pixelmator looks to be very good at a cheapish price, but maybe not for the very non-technical minded.

Personally I'm in the DPP will do 99% of what you'll need camp.

Certainly don't fall in to the Photoshop or nothing camp, as there are many other packages available which will do all your going to need, at a fraction the price of CS5

Like others:

DPP for free Canon Raw converter and minor JPG edits.
PS Elements for affordable editing.

For more advanced editing (more cost too - academic versions are cheaper of course) you should "invest" in LR3 and CS5.

Agedbriar, I LOVE FastStone viewer and have been using it for several years. Don't do any image editing or processing with it, since I'm a Photoshop user for 12 years or so (currently CS5). But FastStone is my go-to sorter. More efficient and speedier than Bridge, I find. Good recommendation!

And Tkerr is right about the software on Canon's CD, for your needs, it sounds like, Breitling.

Blurr Cube wrote in post #12285474
Like others:

DPP for free Canon Raw converter and minor JPG edits.
PS Elements for affordable editing.

For more advanced editing (more cost too - academic versions are cheaper of course) you should "invest" in LR3 and CS5.

Although it is a great graphics art and photo manipulation application, I often hesitate to recommend Photoshop CS5 to someone who is only going to use it for the single purpose of Photo editing. It would be a waste of good software, and more importantly a waste of good hard earned money.
People who buy CS5 just for photo editing don't even use, some don't even know, it's full potential. Some don't even know what should be the basics of Photoshop. It is so much more than a photo editing application! I would recommend to anyone that they seriously think about it carefully before investing $699.00 on something you can probably do for less than $100 most often.

Photoshop Lightroom is great for organizing, cataloging, tagging, and many other things aimed toward the professional studio photographer. E.g. Printing Proofs, templates, and setting up for the web, etc. Although it is much less expensive and less powerful than CS5, even it is more than a lot of casual amateur photography hobbyists would need.

Additionally, IMHO, if the amateur photographers does decide to get CS5, then they don't really need Lightroom in addition like some people do. I've Got Lightroom 2 and rarely use it anymore, especially since I upgraded to CS5. You can do pretty much all that Lightroom can do plus much more with the CS5 package.

For most amateur photographers. Canon's DPP or Photoshop Elements is all that is necessary.

Tkerr, exactly right about CS5 and Lightroom. (And everything else you said!)

tkerr wrote in post #12285661
Although it is a great graphics art and photo manipulation application, I often hesitate to recommend Photoshop CS5 to someone who is only going to use it for the single purpose of Photo editing. It would be a waste of good software, and more importantly a waste of good hard earned money.
People who buy CS5 just for photo editing don't even use, some don't even know, it's full potential. Some don't even know what should be the basics of Photoshop. It is so much more than a photo editing application! I would recommend to anyone that they seriously think about it carefully before investing $699.00 on something you can probably do for less than $100 most often.

Photoshop Lightroom is great for organizing, cataloging, tagging, and many other things aimed toward the professional studio photographer. E.g. Printing Proofs, templates, and setting up for the web, etc. Although it is much less expensive and less powerful than CS5, even it is more than a lot of casual amateur photography hobbyists would need.

Additionally, IMHO, if the amateur photographers does decide to get CS5, then they don't really need Lightroom in addition like some people do. I've Got Lightroom 2 and rarely use it anymore, especially since I upgraded to CS5. You can do pretty much all that Lightroom can do plus much more with the CS5 package.

For most amateur photographers. Canon's DPP or Photoshop Elements is all that is necessary.

At last somebody who speaks the truth, I 100% agree with every single word .

I wouldn't necessarily agree... I'd say I do use Photoshop in depth for photo editing and It's only a hobby. Also I use LR2 for 60% of my photo editing and the rest is LR in addition to CS4.
I do use CS4 for graphic design work as well though, and I'd say the designs I create on there are no more complex than in photo editing, if anything photo editing requires more complex processing IMO.

Yes, some hobbyist photographers are happy to just tweak the levels a little bit... but depending on your style, more complex photoshop processing can be the only way to get the look you're after. It depends on the photographer.