Originally posted by photolady95 FastStone a free image editor very easy to use and has a few more functions than some free image editors. I use it to just view my RAW files before importing to Photoshop Elements 11; another good editor though not free.
+1 for FastStone. I use it first to view the photos, because is very fast, and to make small adjustments. If more is needed, I use Lightroom, but not very often because the catalog system annoys me.
Another powerful and free program is RawTherapy. Much powerful than FastStone, has a lot of controls, and didn't need to create a catalog.