While it would be nice if all photos as beautiful as this flower started out this way, the fact is they don't. Once you've picked up the perfect digital camera, it's time to start thinking about how to manage and edit photos, and that means new software. Whether you're looking to simply organize the photos, crop and resize them, or create a digital scrapbook, we've got a list of software solutions that should get you on the right track. Read on as we break down some of our favorite image editing programs.

Crop / Resizers

The most basic task needed to be performed is cropping and resizing photos. We picked a couple of applications that'll help streamline your workflow, and will help process many photos as fast as possible.

Irfanview

On the Windows side of the coin, Irfanview stands out as an easy to use light image editor. The software won't help correct colors nor will it help a large photo library stay organized. It will, however, help the user simply view, edit, rotate and resize photos. Irfanview's big highlights are its small file size and bargain basement price (free for non-commercial use).

ImageWell

The slightly more refined, less free version of Irfanview is a piece of Mac exclusive software called ImageWell. While Irfanview's focus is on display, ImageWell's focus is on pure speed. The tiny interface, again, won't help color correct, but it will allow the user to predefine watermarks, file locations, and perform basic cropping and resizing tasks. ImageWell also adds some basic masking functions, text creation, and other extremely basic image editing features. The trial version works for seven days, after which users have to pony up $20 to keep using the software.

Photo library management

Rather than deal with keeping track of photos manually in individual folders, two big software packages were created to help users effectively organize their snapshots without having to look at a single directory. Instead, users can tag, rate, adjust, print and send photos all from one application.

Picasa

One of our favorite freeware applications is Picasa. Released by Google, this photo library software tames even the largest library and makes it manageable. The software features an extensive search engine, and organizes photos by date, collection or other criteria, which can then also be sorted and searched.

Picasa offers some basic image editing functions, like red eye reduction and basic photo "healing" features, that make it extremely useful for the casual photographer. We recommend Picasa as the starting point for any digital photographer. Often times, beginning shutterbugs will find most of the basic photo editing functions they need inside of Picasa without needing to venture out into other programs. Picasa is a free download from Google, and is for Windows only.

iPhoto

Mac users are lucky enough to not need to download any extra software to edit and manage a photo library. Instead, they've got iPhoto from Apple. iPhoto performs many of the same functions as Picasa, though in an Apple-esque manner.

Take, for instance, iPhoto's image library "stack" view. Rather than display a list of photos organized by date, the stack view is an easy way to thumb through photo events without needing to open any individual images. iPhoto organizes photos into "events," which typically are sorted by date, and as a user moves their mouse over the event from left to right, each individual photo is shown. It's an extremely slick way to get through a high volume of photos in a short amount of time.

In addition to organization, iPhoto has basic retouching elements, like image rotation, cropping, and red eye reduction, but the software also boasts some pro-level image adjustment features that allow a user to set image levels. iPhoto offers enough flexibility to appeal to virtually all but the highest of the high-end of photo enthusiasts. And, the best part is it comes with any new Mac purchase, free of charge.

Photoshop Elements

We were going to call this "basic image editing," but we don't really find many pieces of software that fit in the class with Photoshop Elements. (Have any you'd recommend? Sound off in the comments.) Photoshop Elements is a piece of software that takes the image library management features of Picasa and iPhoto, and couples them with basic desktop publishing functionality.

Photoshop Elements has a pretty easy learning curve, unlike its more expensive brother. Adobe has built a capable piece of software that fits most beginner and intermediate skill level users and allows them to perform basic desktop publishing tasks, like creating a scrapbook or greeting card from photos in a user's library. While iPhoto and Picasa are great at managing libraries and retouching photos, they don't have any sort of feature set that'll help create a flyer. For that, give Photoshop Elements a try.

Currently, Photoshop Elements 7 is available for Windows, while Elements version 6 is available for Mac. Expect to spend about $90 for the software, though it's typically available at big box retailers like Costco and Sam's Club for cheaper.

Advanced image editing

Users who need to do advanced image editing, like pixel level changes or advanced design work, need to step up to the real deal image editors. These batch of image editors are no joke, and have a bit of a learning curve that might turn off the casual user. That being said, once a user learns to master these programs, any image task that can be imagined can be created.

Gimp (and Gimpshop)

One of the champions of the free software movement, Gimp, short for the Gnu Image Manipulation Program, is a freeware image editor that takes most of the features of Photoshop and implements them in a cross-platform application that is free of cost and open source. Gimp replicates most of Photoshop's familiar interfaces, like layers, blending modes, and familiar tools like the Clone Stamp, and puts them in a package that anyone can download and use. A fork of Gimp called Gimpshop even aims at perfectly recreating Photoshop's user interface and keyboard shortcuts, so users who are light on the cash can still use a faux version of Photoshop.

Gimp runs a bit slower than Photoshop, and is a little rough around the edges, but the price is also free, so we can't complain too much. Gimp works well enough to perform advanced image editing tasks, but users who feel limited by the speed and interface will need to fork over some cash to fix those issues.

Pixelmator

If Gimp's interface is frustrating, and Photoshop is too expensive, Mac users have a good mid-range alternative that won't break the bank. Pixelmator takes the familiar Photoshop-esque interface, and wraps it around modern technologies developed for Mac OS X. Since it's using a more modern codebase, Pixelmator takes advantage of things built-in to the operating system to perform Photoshop-like image editing at a fraction of the resource use. And, since the developers didn't have to hire a team of developers to spend years creating the software, they've passed the savings along to the buying user. Interestingly enough, Pixelmator costs $59, well under that of even Photoshop Elements' list price.

Pixelmator's slick interface and OS-driven speed make it a worthy Photoshop rival. Users will notice a lack of some of Photoshop's finer features, like 3D image manipulation, context aware scaling and layer style options, but the basic tools to create and manipulate images are there and work excellently. The software feels finished, which we can't say for Gimp, and with such a low price tag, users looking to do advanced image editing on the cheap who feel limited by Gimp should definitely try Pixelmator.

Photoshop

The original big daddy of image editing still reigns supreme. While the minor features that made early versions of Photoshop the most useful photo-editing software on the planet have migrated to other applications, Photoshop still is a cut above lesser rivals in its flexibility with professional grade strength.

Home users can really ignore fully-functional Photoshop, as all of the basic features can be found in most of the other software on this list. However, the advanced features are what makes Photoshop shine. In the latest version, CS4, Photoshop adds support for basic 3D files (a boon for game developers), enhanced workflow functionality for LIghtroom (a boon for professional photographers), and a mode which will try to scale an image dependent on the content, a gee whiz feature for graphic designers everywhere.

If any of those features don't seem useful to you, you're probably in the boat that can safely ignore Photoshop. Most people find the $650 price tag too eye-popping to even consider. Photoshop is one of the most powerful programs ever developed, however most people can't even scratch the surface of its power to justify the hefty price tag. High end users and designers will appreciate little things like Layer Styles and the stability of the software, but everyone else can safely try any of the other programs on our list first, and see if they feel limited.

Conclusion

Whenever we're breaking down a complex topic like this, we always recommend users start at the basic level with free tools, try them out, see if they feel restricted, and then make the next jump up. We don't recommend anyone start off with Photoshop CS4, but instead try using Picasa or iPhoto and see if your needs aren't being covered by their functionality. If so, move up to Gimp, Photoshop Elements or Pixelmator and see if one of those applications fits your needs. With the wide variety of trial software available, the best approach is to take our first steps and from there try the software out, and see what fits your needs.

Have some software we haven't heard of yet, but need to hear of? Make sure to sound off in the comments, so we'll know what to try out next.

[Image: Tripphelix]