This week's Ask Kat question comes from Heather Sutherlin and was originally from my IndieReCon post 10 Ways to Make Your Cover Stand Out in the Crowd
How can I tell if stock images allow me to use them in book production? Also, what programs are best for photo manipulation?
Seek out the policies page on the stock site. Or on the specific stock's page. Or if in doubt, contact the creator of said stock. I use Fotolia, because they have a great range of stock and policies that protect you.
If your photo manipulation style is more filter heavy, Photoshop is your program. If your photo manipulation style is more illustrative (like mine), Corel Painter is your program.