I have been reading---and reading---about how important it is to have good pictures on your Etsy shop. And elsewhere, while we're at it. So, I did some studying and practicing with photo editing using Picasa, a Google product which you can get for free at Picasa.
It has been amazingly simple to use without a manual, although I did get some tips on its use from 5 Tips for Improving Your Product Photography on the Handmadeology blog.
Here is a before picture of a Mug Hug set:
