Paint.NET

People often ask me how I created or maniuplated a particular image. I say I did it in Photoshop. They then ask, "where do I get it?" I tell them that you have to buy it for $700. They then say "oh, nevermind."

Fortunately there are alternatives. Photoshop is great for professional graphic design, but if you don't need all the bells and whistles, there is a great free product available called Paint.NET. It has a lot of the same tools as Photoshop and even some of the same way of doing things.

You can download it here: http://www.getpaint.net/.