Photo management software is designed to help you do more with your digital photos.  Different types of software focus on organizing, editing, or sharing photos.  This guide looks at the different types of photo management software to help you find what you’re looking for.

Editing
If you’re looking for something with high-powered editing capability, then you’re looking for professional photo management software.  These programs provide you with the ability to change color and lighting, patch flaws, create new designs, and more.  This type of software is used by professional photographers and graphic designers to create high-quality images and designs.  Freelancers, students, and others also use this software to get the most out of their digital images.  Some popular programs include Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, and ACDSee Pro.  If this is the type of software you’re looking for, check out PC Magazine’s Reviews and Price Comparisons.

Organizing
If you want some editing capability, such as red-eye removal, cropping, and brightening, but are more concerned with organization, then there are many free photo management software packages that are up to the task.  Programs such as these make it easy to browse through your photos and allow you to create albums, galleries, and slide shows.  Many of these programs can also help you share your photos online.  To get started, check out Wondershare and Google’s Picasa.

Sharing
If you’re ready to share your photos with the world (or maybe just your friends and family) then you can do this with the help of online photo sharing applications.  These applications help you upload your photos and publish them on the web, allowing you to organize them into online albums, galleries, and slideshows that others can view.  Some websites offer to host your photos for free, while others may charge for the service.  A paid service will usually have a better guarantee that your photos stay online, may allow friends and family to download your pictures, and are usually free of advertisements.  Free services will either host advertisements or offer photo printing services or other products.  Some photo printing services that host online photo albums include Shutterfly and Snapfish.  Some free photo management applications, such as Google’s Picasa, also facilitate online photo sharing.