Apple's Aperture 2.1
I downloaded the 30-day free trial from the web site (
Apple - Aperture ) and I really liked the way I was able to simplify my entire workflow. I liked the way it worked so well that I only used it for about a week before I placed an order (under $200 - even less if you can use any of Apple's 'alternate' stores for one of the government or educational discounts).
It handles all of my RAW files without any problems, and I have a plug-in that exports and uploads directly to SmugMug from within the application. I have set up some specific settings for some of the work I do, and the processing that used to take me an hour or so using iPhoto and Photoshop Elements now takes about 15 minutes, so it's been a great time-saver for me, too.
The program is pretty comprehensive, and I really like the HUD displays that are used in different contexts.
It's made my normal image management and editing chores go much faster.