what ubuntu version should I pick?

Try the normal version of ubuntu and see how it gos.
ubuntu.com/getubuntu

Hope that helps
Shane

The best one is the 32bit Desktop Edition 8.04 (for long term support), or 8.10 (which will need to be upgraded to 9.04 in about a months time). The official download site is
http://www.ubuntulinux.org/getubuntu/download

and then usually its best to make a cd using a very cheap 'write once' cd, which are better for this than more expensive cd's for some reason. Just double-click on the iso file but if that doesn't work ...
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Then boot-up from Cd, again if there's a problem with that ...
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromCD
use the option "Try Ubuntu without making any changes" and that should get you to a working desktop which we call a LiveCd session. It will be a little slow but it should show whether you like it and if it works well with your hardware. Please post any problems as separate questions
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion

If you do like it then try installing this way so that it can rely on it's own systems
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot
this makes a very robust and yet flexible system that you can learn to use at your own pace while still being able to use Windows when you feel the need.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

If you make a cd of each of the main ones that interest you then you can try each of them out using the LiveCd method :)

Kubuntu, the glamorous one, had too much eye-candy for me and it was blue. For my machine and me it seemed a little slow at times but i did enjoy a lot of the fancy features and some great packages.

Xubuntu, the fast one, was really light and very fast. Still lots of eye-candy and still blue. It seemed to lack some programs i like, i could have installed them easily of course but ...

Ubuntu, the best one all-round, was right in the middle. Quite fast but had all the features i needed already installed. I miss some of the glamour of Kubuntu and the speed of Xubuntu but it's not blue :)) Still lots of fancy eye-candy you wont see on Vista nor even on Windows 7 (such as fire-writing and the cube)

I still think Shane's answer is the best but i enjoyed thinking aloud :)
I hope i haven't put you off! Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

I think the best for you is ubuntu studio

it's enhanced for multimedia and image use

while installing it you can select
*Image processing bundle
*audio bundle
*video bundle

or all of them (i did that;) )

Ooo, that does sound good. If you can try it as a LiveCd that's great or if you have already installed another then i can show a trick to avoid losing any data or you could add this to the multi-boot to give another Ubuntu option.

Linux is great at offering a variety of different ways of doing something. Just take your pick :)
Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

@Tom...
Why would you add another Ubuntu option to GRUB, when you can add all UbuntuStudio´s goodies to a standard Ubuntu install with the following commands:

First add the Ubuntu Studio repositories by running these two commands:

# sudo su -c 'echo deb http://archive.ubuntustudio.org/ubuntustudio feisty main >> /etc/apt/sources.list'

# wget -q http://archive.ubuntustudio.org/ubuntustudio.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add - && sudo apt-get update

And then enter this to download and install all the extra packages:

# sudo apt-get install ubuntustudio-desktop ubuntustudio-audio ubuntustudio-audio-plugins ubuntustudio-graphics ubuntustudio-video ubuntustudio-artwork ubuntustudio-gdm-theme ubuntustudio-icon-theme ubuntustudio-look ubuntustudio-session-splashes ubuntustudio-sounds ubuntustudio-screensaver ubuntustudio-theme ubuntustudio-wallpapers usplash-theme-ubuntustudio wired

Have fun!

@PsychoPump
Why potentially risk damaging something that definitely does work on a unique hardware combination when you can test it out easily first?

@Tom

As I see it, upgrading to UbuntuStudio only adds some apps, utilities and some artwork. How would that jeopardize the current install?