How to get the best out of my Nikon d5000?

I've had a d5000 since 2009 but i've never used it heavily and i think i want to start to. I want to get a VR 18-200mm lens and a macro lens as well due to only having the 18-55mm lens it came with.also, what are good photo editing softwares? I have a MacBook Pro so i need an editing software for Mac.

Most of the good editing software have both windows and mac versions - photoshop, gimp, capture nx2, and so on.

The 18-200 is a good lens - I have that one. But it is a bit soft when used wide open. This is typical with super zooms, and any other super-zoom you try will have the same issues (or even worse).

I have found with my lens, if I use it at f/8, then it is as sharp as my other lenses. So that means it is pretty much a daylight only lens. That is OK by me as I use that lens only when I go on vacation, which us usually in daylight conditions anyway.

Stick with the 18-55mm and borrow a couple of books on technique from your local library.

Learn to walk before you try to run.

Learn to use the camera light meter and shoot in the camera manual mode.

In addition, learn how to compose your shots before pressing the shutter release

http://photoinf.com/General/Robert_Berdan/Composition_and_the_Elements_of_Visual_Design.htm

When you can get nearly perfect exposures and brilliantly composed images, you will rarely need to "fix" things with a $1, 000 photo program.namely Photoshop.

Most shooter use Adobe Lightroom 3.6 or 4 to process all their RAW files, add key words, contact information and make small changes in the images (typically using custom white balances and noise reduction tools)