Overall the answer is Photoshop. Photoshop Elements is a good choice if the high price tag of Photoshop is a turn-off. As for both, you can download a 30-day free (full function) trial from Adobe to see which one works best for you. Also, if you are a student (like that 1 unit into photo class at a community college) you can get Photoshop for almost half off.
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I think I need noise reduction. No, I know I need it….
There is some basic noise reduction ability in Photoshop. if you really need something serious (like shooting ISO3200 1/2 stop underexposed then pushing) you may want to look into something like Noise Ninja.
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I’d like to be able to combine shots taken where there is extreme exposure setting differences (like a really bright sunset over a dark mountain peak). I don’t know if there is anything that will do that, but I was thinking if I could take two pictures of the same thing, with two different exposures, I could cut and paste?? I dunno, maybe I’m just dreaming, but that would be cool.
Masking and layers in Photoshop is my personal favorite, but there are also some HDR abilities. With RAW you can actually do this sort of thing from a single exposure that is just processed multiple way (ie one for the sky, one for the ground, etc.)
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I’m still using JPEG, but think after I figure this thing out, I’ll use Raw + JPEG, so it would be cool if I didn’t have to use two separate programs to convert and process.
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That six hundred dollar Photo Shop is too expensive for me.
The student discount is ~$299. Go take an intro photo class at a college (and drop it after you buy if you really want). Photoshop elements is cheaper, but doesn't have all the features... but may have everything you need. Try them out!
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I'd like to stitch panoramas too.
Not really something that I've been able to do well in Photoshop (I've not really tried). I use the Canon PhotoStitch software that came with my cameras.
-Todd...
