Rule #4: Never Assume you can fix it in Photoshop --Photograph, photograph, photograph!

Recommended Software

Adobe has a 30-day Free Trial Period For ALL of their software. It is the Full version without any encumbrances...

Photoshop CS5.5 (Mac and PC) 
    I Absolutely recommend the upgrade to Photoshop CS5 
    Purchase $699
    The upgrade is $199.00 plus Tax if you have Photoshop CS through CS4
   

    The Free Adobe plug-in Camera Raw is a must have and needs to be kept up to date:
The lastest version for CS5 Mac is Camera Raw 6.7 For Macintosh
    The lastest version for  CS5 Windows is Camera Raw 6.7 For Windows

    The last version for  CS4 Mac is Camera Raw 5.7 For Macintosh
    The last version for  CS4 Windows is Camera Raw 5.7 For Windows
  
    The last version for  CS3 Mac is Camera Raw 4.6 For Macintosh
    The last version for  CS3 Windows is Camera Raw 4.6 For Windows
         
    For CS2 Mac the latest version is Camera Raw 3.7
    For CS2 PC the latest version is Camera Raw 3.7
    For CS (Mac & PC) the latest version is Camera Raw 2.4
    For CS PC the latest version is Camera Raw 2.4

Digital Negative (DNG) Converter

Free stand alone program that converts propriety Camera Manufacturers Raw files to Adobe's DNG format.

DNG Download Mac
DNG Download PC

This program is most useful if you have a NEW camera AND an OLDER version of Photoshop/Camera Raw that does NOT understand your "new" camera's raw's file format. Up to date versions of DNG Converter can convert the file to Adobe's Raw DNG format, letting you edit the file in an older version of Camera Raw.

DNG Converter 6.4 last to support PowerPC Mac

from Adobe's website...

The Camera Raw team recently provided a release candidate of the Camera Raw 6.4 plug-in and the DNG Converter 6.4 application. For those not familiar with the DNG Converter it's a free, standalone application that is able to convert over 300 proprietary raw formats to the openly documented DNG file format. When a new proprietary raw file format is released, essentially every new camera model with raw capability, we need to update the DNG Converter so that it's able to convert that proprietary format to the DNG format.

Photoshop Elements 10.0 (Mac and PC)

The upgrade is $79 for owners of previous versions and $119.99 new with Plus membership

PSE Version Comparison Chart

The Free Adobe plug-in Camera Raw + DNG Converter is a must have

Books

Recommended Photoshop Books

classroom
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book

By Adobe Creative Team.
Published by Adobe Press.
Series: Classroom in a Book.

missing
Photoshop CS5: The Missing Manual

By Lesa Snider
Publisher:O'Reilly Media / Pogue Press


Recommended Photoshop Photography Books

CS5-evening
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers (Focal Press)

By Martin Evening
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers guidance and tips on using Photoshop and Bridge CS5.

kelbybook
The-adobe-photoshop-cs5-book-for-digital-photographers-3/
By Scott Kelby


On-line Media Resources

Russell Brown's Videos

Adobe Photoshop TV