JohnTxNC

PhotoScape

Simple as the day is long
It has some unique two step methods to do some awesome skin softening too. Its got a cloning system and a paint system.. The cropping is easy. Yoi can resize, create collages (sp), ... It's a nice program with tons of features. .... And it's FREE.

It does not use a layer system and you can't edit in RAW, but I think it has a RAW converter.

There is a new version out there that appears to be a bit more complicated than the old .... Check them both out yourself first.

John

photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

Photoscape. It is free and very powerful

Griff Loc: Warwick U.K.

Yes, Faststone; excellent program.

Lloyd LeZotte Loc: Gainesville, Florida

I find that ACDSee Pro 10 is reasonably 'simple', but also complete ... it does all that I need to do and I am very pleased with it. You can download a trial version. Good Luck !

Lloyd

muggins88 Loc: Inverness, Florida

Whichever software you purchase, there is usually a good instruction book to purchase. I have found that those help a lot.

Nymphadora

I use PSE even though I'm been a pro for many years. I've used PS and Lightroom. I don't do massive compositing or ads anymore and found that 98% of my work is only spotting, contrast, a bit of saturation, and sometimes cropping if what I cropped in the camera could be better. But very rarely do I crop. All the other stuff is wasted for my work. All the other people above here are correct. But sometimes, if she is just going to shoot with her cell phone she needs to be prepared to learn and work for better photos. It's a bit like using a paper covered plastic disposable 35mm and then wanting better photos from it. She'll have to work for it...learn composition, at least. I know phones are simple, and CAN take great photos but it also may be time for a decent digital point and shoot. I have many Nikons down to toy plasticams that I like to shoot with, like the Time Magazine Official NewsCam. But my go-to camera is a Nikon P60 digital point and shoot. It does everything when I just want snapshots or ebay photos. I've even dismantled some of it to replace the screen when something in my purse smashed it. That's how much I like the little thing. Alas, I ramble... I like PSE for simple editing. Nyms

gandl333

If you can still find it, I'd recommend Picasa as a simple but effective photo editor

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right. You don't have to spend a fortune to make some adjustments to your images. Here are some alternatives.

http://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-choosing-the-right-post-production-software/
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2015/03/23/best-photo-editing-software-photoshop-cc-and-7-photoshop-alternatives-tested/1/
http://www.redmondpie.com/best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives-for-windows-and-mac-list

For free -

http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/the-best-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free-5974500
http://lightzoneproject.org/

viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

Corel Paintshop Pro is her answer with good free tuition available and it is cheap.

WoodnMetalGuy Loc: MN

Snapseed may be an option for her to do editing right on the phone...

davidl743

Now I know you said you wanted a paid program, but if you haven't yet you may be surprised by "FastStone Image Viewer". It's free, and while I have several rather costly programs, I find myself just using Faststone for my everyday processing. It's fast, easy to use, and has a short learning curve.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Here's a suggestion:
Since you desire buying her an X-Mas gift, why not have her or you download PSE 15, Faststone, Gimp , Adobe CC (LR & PS) and ON1. Each is either free or comes with a free 30 day trial. That's quite a bit of time to experiment & test drive. After she decides which she prefers, purchase it for her. The others will auto expire after 30 days. The free ones can be uninstalled or continue to be used. She should make the decision, not you.
Mark

jimscats

Winows 10 as well as earlir versions include a simple photo editing program, and it's free.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

If you have a Mac, Photos provides a quick, easy edit that does a pretty good job.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Try picmonkey........very easy.