Google Picasa is most definitely a free option you should consider. I have been using this myself, and it is great for displaying images. All your pictures are displayed, folder for folder, on the screen so you can see them in small before opening the file for enlargement.
Apart from this, it also comes with some handy presentation features. You can view them as a slideshow, with your own comments. Equally, you can display multiple pictures as part of picture collage, as multi-exposure, or a picture pile of some description.
Its image editing, admittedly, is probably not as comprehensive as you will find in a commercial package. But, it is still good, with all the basic fixes like crop, straighten and contrast. Plus, effects are available with soft focus, sharpen and color saturation amongst numerous available.
If you are seeking greater image editing options, then Paint.Net is an alternative worth consideration. While it has the more traditional display, it has a greater number of special effects you can use to alter the photo. Particularly novel are its artistic effects, which can change your photo to resemble more of an oil painting, ink sketch or pencil sketch. Likewise, you can make numerous adjustments to such aspects as hue saturation, contrast etc. Color levels can also be tinkered with.
Aside from the photo editing features, Paint.Net also has paint and artistic features, which can allow for more artistic editing. You can paint, draw, or add shapes.
GIMP is not a package I have tried. However, it is stated that this is a free alternative to PhotoShop - one of the best commercial products. Such is the status of the freeware, that it has its own website.
It boasts features such as a customizable interface, photo enhancement, barrel distortion and digital retouching. All sounding very impressive, in addition to good hardware support and multiple platforms supported from Linux to Mac OS X. It also has documentation available on site.
The best thing about these 3 photo editing packages is indeed the freeware factor. They are not shareware limited to 30-day trial periods. Any limitation of one package is probably overcome by the other free alternatives, and collectively they surely must equal the value of a commercial product. So, browse, download and enjoy these freeware software, the best free photo editing has to offer.
