Adobe Photoshop is an industry standard found at the heart of every creative’s system. Its huge impact is reflected by the use of the term “Photoshopping,” to mean image manipulation. Photoshop has evolved from an image editor to a comprehensive tool for photographers, with image enhancing tools, professional level preparation for print/Web and Adobe Bridge. Of particular importance to photographers is the camera RAW plug in, which reads RAW image formats of many professional and midrange digital cameras. Originally introduced in Photoshop version 7, this plug-in now supports a long list of cameras, including Canon EOS 30D, Epson R-D1s, Leaf Aptus 65 and Aptus 75, Olympus EVOLT E-330 and Samsung GX-1S, among others. The program’s flexibility and openness to many file formats make it an ideal application, although many light users have found Elements, the consumer version of Photoshop, to be sufficient for their needs.

Retail price: about $240
Further information: www.adobe.com/products/photoshop