Photo editing software is essential to make photo organizing software digital photography more rewarding. Software programs range in price from free to hundreds of dollars. The first thing you need to decide is exactly what you want from the software.

For many, simply organizing all of those digital image files is a nightmare. For others, editing and enhancing photos is a real need. Software that does both jobs is even better.

Manage and edit images

Our friends at Google have a handy free software program called Picasa(TM) that makes photo management a breeze. It will quickly find, organize, and label any image on your computer. Simple editing tools clean up and enhance photos. This easy-to-use editor lets you share photos , create movies and slideshows, and more.

Another popular photo editor is Preclick . It has many of the same features as Picasa with free and $20 upgrade versions. For photo file management and basic editing tools, these two software programs deserve a close look.

The best photo editing software

The standard and industry leader in editing software is Adobe PhotoShop CS. It will do just about anything you want or can think of. But for the average user, there are two problems. The first is the cost. At around $600, it’s not cheap. The second is its complexity. Learning to use PhotoShop just isn’t easy .

Many experts agree that Jasc Paint Shop Pro has almost the same functionality as PhotoShop and is easier to use. For around $130, they throw in Corel Photo Album to organize and share photos. For those who like the look and feel of Windows, Microsoft Digital Image is a close second for under $100.

Free photo editing software

GIMP is open-source software with features similar to PhotoShop . Free and shareware software programs that offer both painting and photo editing capabilities include Ultimate Paint, VicMan , and Pixia . Digital camera information from A to Z: camera types and functions, photo organizing software functionality, accessories, photo printers, comparisons and more.