Recommended Software

Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, these reviews represent my personal opinion.  All reviews are subjective, and no attempt is made at thoroughness.  I have no connections to any of the software publishers, and all software is purchased through retail channels.

Photo Management

ACDSee (version 4)

I've been using ACDSee since version 3 (I'm running version 4, haven't bothered to upgrade to 5) for managing my collection of images.  ACDSee has a pleasant, well designed interface.  It does all of the things I want it to do, and it does them well.  This is a fine piece of software.

IrfanView

This freeware program has also been around for a while, and it can probably do all of the things that ACDSee can do.  I don't use it because I find the user interface frustrating, but for the price, it can't be beat.  It also has a lightweight installation (you can just copy the folder and run it), so you can copy it onto your photo CDs to allow them to be viewed by anyone (well, anyone with a PC).

Photo Editing

Paint Shop Pro (version 7)

Going against the grain, I chose to use Jasc's Paint Shop Pro (PSP) because it was significantly less expensive than the industry standard Adobe Photoshop.  Both of these programs are complex suites full of many tools and options, and they are not intended for casual use.  If you're just trying to perform minor corrections (for example, adjust exposure or fix red-eye) or simple projects (for example, make a calendar or card), there are other consumer-level products that are more appropriate.

Users willing to spend the time to master Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop will find that they can do just about anything with these tools.  PSP users will not be able to find  many third-party books, but there are plenty of resources out there are on the Web (for example, http://www.campratty.com/).