Originally Posted by MMZ_TimeLord
Don't forget there is a full featured program that can be made to run nearly identical to Photoshop called GIMP.
www.gimp.org/
I've been using it for years. Free is worth a bit more learning.
A good point. GIMP is very powerful, especially when used with the GIMPshop interface plugin. I find that plugin, which makes the interface similar to Photoshop, maked it more useful. That's coming from a Photoshop nerd, though, so take it with a grain of salt.
If you do want to pop for the full version of Photoshop, which is now up to CS4, I highly reccomend
academicsuperstore.com if you have anyone in your family who is a student or teacher. It can save you a few hundred bucks.