Here are the tools I use, in descending order of frequency of use (most frequently used first):
- Adobe Lightroom. Serious work done currently in version 2.5, although I'm using the Lightroom 3 beta for some personal test photos and liking it.
- Picasa 3. I don't actually EDIT anything in Picasa, but I "launder" my photos through it for several reasons. My Lightroom library only stores raw image files (I shoot exclusively in raw). Processed photos are exported to a separate folder hierarchy for jpegs, and I use Picasa to view the jpegs. Picasa also has uploaders that I use for Picasa WEb Albums (personal stuff) and SmugMug (my work stuff, portraits, weddings, and any photos I expect to sell prints of).
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. I don't actually use Elements very often but, well, when I need it it's there.
I own licenses for Bibble Pro and LightCrafts' LightZone but I don't use either one of them any more. I tried SilkyPix Developer Studio 3 in the late summer and rather liked it, but having Adobe Lightroom, I couldn't really justify spending hundreds of dollars more on SilkyPix for the occasional use.
I don't HATE post-processing, but I have a very limited appetite for it, meaning that I can't throw myself at it for very long before I get antsy. It's been a long time since I worked in a darkroom (decades) but I remember darkroom work being a lot more fun than working on the computer.
Will