Settings for Canon EOS 450, Adobe Camera RAW, PS CS 5 and printing photos

Question

I have a Canon CS EOS  450, have used PS CS5 in the past. I have now been made aware of Camera RAW and have started using it. My problem is that the images varies when I open the photos in different programs. My laptop is a HP Probook, 64 bit, Windows 7, etc.
So, my question is about settings on the different devices; Camera and programs:
1. I shoot in RAW, so I believe no change in camera settings.
2. Adobe CR- I use white balance, contrast,  clarity, and vibrance. Any programme changes on ACR programme necessary (ie colour, etc in the programme  to match with my screen?))
3. Biggest difference between moving from ACR to PS CS5- usually a big difference between these two (colour; sharpness)
4. And what would be the best proramme to watch the photos that will look as close to what I will get if I print these in photos?

Answer 1

You should read up on color management.  It's relatively complex, and is difficult to teach in a forum thread.
Your raw conversions are (if you haven't changed the defaults) being converted to the Adobe RGB 1998 color space.
I suspect you'll see some initial improvement in consistency by doing the following:
Open a raw image to get the Camera Raw dialog.
Click the little link at the bottom center.
Change the Adobe RGB default color space to sRGB.
Complete the opening of the file.
This will set the color space for further conversions to sRGB, which is likely going to seem more consistent when you open the images in your other apps.
After you learn more about color management, and you understand how the parts interact and what additional steps you'll need to consider, you may well want to change this setting back, or even go so far as to change it to ProPhoto RGB, which has the largest gamut.
-Noel