GIMP: The free, open-source photoshop
Everyone knows that Photoshop is the go-to program for editing images, but since most of us can’t afford the $600 price tag, we are forced to look for alternative options.
Enter GIMP, the open-source alternative photoshop. It can process layers, use filters, has a magic wand, and can even open and save in standard photoshop filetypes (a disclaimer: messing with the color balance and so-on can sometimes mess up integration between the two programs, so back up your pictures occasionally ^_^)
GIMP is useful for both smaller modifications, as well as wholesale image creation and so forth. Some of it’s interface is less polished than photoshop, but that is to be expected in a free program, and the learning curve between the two systems is minimal. I used it to create small modifications to the logo image from my template, and to create the color scheme for the site, and it all worked perfectly well.
Just head on over to http://www.gimp.org/ and give it a try, you might become a convert, who knows