My old computer died and I have a new HP. What would be the best photo editing software to get. I have a Nikon D40.

Thanks for the help.

I use CS4 ... I used to be gun-shy of CS, but once I started using it, I love it ... I used several versions of Elements over the years, and it's really easy and works well ... But with CS, it really opens up different uses for color correction. I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of it's potential ...

The "best" software is relative to the user and their needs.

What were you using previously for software and how well did it meet your needs and expectations? Were you comfortable using it? How much work will you be doing with it and how many features were included that you didn't even use? How much time do you have to learn new software.

For simple editing at a bargain (free), you can't beat irfanview

Depending on your skill level.. Lightroom is a great Adobe app to organize and tweak your photos for a DSLR. CS4 has a much steeper learning curve but is probably the best app for professional quality photos. A cheaper option would be Paint Shop Pro, it has almost as many features as CS4 for editing. It's only about $50 online for PSP X2 version vs $400+ for CS4.

There are other free simple apps like Picasa 3 for sorting and organizing photos. Not that great for detailed editing, though. irfanview is a great free app for editing.