Photo editing software

[AndyM]

I have figured out how to use my new digital camera fairly well so now it's time to have some fun with it! What software do you gents recommend for fun graphic stuff. I'll tell you that I have Olympus Camedia Plus, MS Picture It! Express, Photo Plus 6, and MS Photo Editor. And none really do it all.
I'm totally green at this...what is the easiest and most comprehensive and of course cheapest program I can buy? And what if cost doesn't matter. Thanks in advance for your opinions here.

[morriswindgate]

I like to use Paintshop Pro, it's inexpensive and allows you to do several things to the pictures. ULEAD alsom makes some good photo editors programs.

[Jenni]

If cost didn't matter the definite answer would be the latest version of Adobe's Photoshop.

[nksmfamjp]

What do you want to do? In my experience, I can change the number of pixels, crop, slightly adjust color/shading, but no photo editer software that I have used does much editing. Basically, IMHO, none of them will make bad pictures into good ones. Paperport is nice because it has a good semiautomatic editing wizard, where you pick the best result of several adjustments.

BTW I haven't tried Adobe for this, but I use Adobe Illustrator at work and the learning curve can be a bit steep for some people.

[cobra]

paint shop proJASC is great for someone willing to learn a little
Adobe photoshop is very intense, not recommended for the beginner, and very expensive($600)

[AndyM]

Thanks for all the responses...what I want to do is make compilation pictures in which I crop one image and place it in another... For example: Our local airport was recently visited by B-17 and B-24 WWII bombers. I took a lot of pictures of the nose, waist, tail, and ball-turret guns. I'd like to insert a picture of me acting like I'm shooting the guns, you know, cigar in mouth and stressed expression...just for the laugh . The programs I have don't seem to be capable, or maybe I just haven't figured them out well enough...but it would be nice to be able to do this with one program.
Is this a good enough example to base a recommendation on?

[Jenni]

My dad got some pics on a Kodak PictureCD once, and it had some software included that let you cut one part of a picture out and actually "paint" it into another picture. It was great for what you are talking about, except that it was had to get the scale right.

[nksmfamjp]

Paint Shop Pro should let you do that fairly easy. I use it at work to do similar things with scanned in B&W drawings.

[AndyM]

Thanks for all responses...I now have my hands full trying out downloaded trial versions. Great help to a purchase decision.