I have a Canon Rebel T1i and the pictures it takes are amazing, but I am looking to do some editing to some. I'm looking for a software that's relatively easy to use, does all the touch-ups, and has effects & graphics I could add to the pictures. I'd like some opinions from you guys before I spend money and maybe some samples you have created using that software. Money is not too much of a problem, I'll take any suggestions.
If you're looking to pay for software, Photoshop and Paintshop are pretty awesome. If you want free software, try Gimp, it's almost the same as Photoshop. Or you can get Photoshop or Paintshop for free using a torrent. These programs may not exactly be simple, but you can find tutorials online and you'll soon get the hang of them.
I agree with Photoshop I think it is pretty easy to learn and tutorials are easy to find. I made this picture with it off of my crappy camera phone with it
If money isn't a problem, Photoshop CS4 or CS5. I mainly recommend these two because a lot of computers nowadays are coming 64bit standard and these two versions are the only two thus far that support the 64bit interface. For regular photo editing (assuming you don't want to add anything into the pictures) Adobe Lightroom 3. It's an extremely powerful photo editing software that allows you to make more adjustments than you'll ever need. I've been using Adobe Lightroom products for roughly two years (give or take a couple months). I use it for just about all of my editing needs. I've also been using the Photoshop CS series since it was released. I currently have CS5 and it's an extremely great tool for editing as well. Since you have a DSLR, CS5 comes standard with Camera RAW (RAW editing plug-in) which acts almost exactly as Lightroom does, plus you can then insert your photos into photoshop, tweak a little more, and then export as a JPEG image. If you're not shooting RAW yet, I suggest switching your camera to that. It's allows you much more control of your editing. You can edit heavily and not experience the image degradation you'll experience when editing JPEG. So in the end, assuming money is no issue, I recommend switching your camera settings to RAW, and then buying Photoshop CS4 or CS5. You'll essentially get the best of both worlds.
If money is not a problem then buy Lightroom and Photoshop. They both don't do the same thing and both are the best at what they do. Or . . . Pirate your software and buy a nicer camera...
IDK if it's what you need, but it's super easy and gorgeous as a free online photo editor. PS CS series and Illustrator are too complex to play with, plus they goes with a handsome price.