What kind of digital picture program will create "professional" looking photos?

Question

I bought an expensive SLR digital camera and I would like to find an easy to use program to make my pictures look professional.

I want a program that allows for basic editing along with features like:

Boarders around pictures (fuzzy boarders).
Black and white, antique finishes, etc.

Nothing too fancy, but something that offers a more professional look for a reasonable price.

Any ideas?

Can I download one or which one should I buy?

Answer 1

Well, to be honest, 95% of the "professional" look is off of the camera itself. I would spend a lot of time figuring out how to use the manual controls, and just practice with it a lot.

As for some photo editing software, I'll naturally recommend Photoshop CS2 first. However, CS3 is going to be releasing here in the next few months, if I'm not mistaken. Photoshop (the full version) runs about $700, but there is a lower-end version called Photoshop Elements that runs for $99, and you can do all that basic editing, it just doesn't offer as much functionality as the full version.

Some open-source alternatives are GIMP and Paint.NET. These don't cost you anything, but in my opinion, the interfaces feel a bit clunky in comparison to Photoshop.