In reply to chris fox:
> Get it right in the camera and you'll have far less editing to do. Like a few others said, just shoot jpeg.
Yes, that's fine 'most' of the time, but not always. Raw processing is just a tool for certain situations. Learn how to use it and when to use it (and when not to use it) and you will end up with better results 'some' of the time. The definitions of 'most' and 'some' will depend on the sort of photography that floats your boat.
The only time I would positively *not* use raw is when I want long bursts of shots. My camera can only manage full-rate bursts of about 5 shots in raw but can take unlimited full-rate bursts in jpeg. Or if I'm worried about filling the memory card. Both pretty rare scenarios in practice (for me).