first time shooting in raw - how to pp

finally going to shoot to in RAW - have PSCs3 -
shooting with 550d
I know nothing about pp
can someone recommend a straight forward demo on pp
do I do in PS or in the software that came with camera
thanks in advance for tips
just joined this forum a few days ago and already have learned alot

You could ask 10 people the best way to post-process and likely get 10 different answers. People seem to develop a routine that works for them, their style of shooting, and their subject matter.

If you're just starting out, using Canon's Digital Photo Professional might be a good start. It basically does what your camera would do when it makes jpgs, only you control the outcome. So you see what effect the different settings have and how your image is affected. A good learning tool, if nothing else.

Once the image is in jpg, then you can also tweak it in Photoshop.

What sue said. DPP is the best place to start. After you have mastered it, try the Adobe Camera RAW plugin in PSCS3. However, the ACR version in PSCS3 will not directly support the 550D, so you will have to use a bit of a workaround. Download Adobe's free DNG Converter and once you have converted your CR2 files to DNGs your old ACR will gladly accept them. Or try a month's free trial of either Lightroom 3.3 or PSCS5.