Reading through the forums, specifically the hint threads, I noticed some people commenting that they didn’t have any good software to edit or filter pictures with. Others stated that they use mspaint because they don’t have anything else. At school we began using ImageJ, which is available for free. It has some advanced features like filters and macros and is relatively easy to use.
GIMP is great. I also have acopy of Photoshop CS3 demo that just came out but I havent had time to install it.
GIMP ftw! Though on my home machine I use Photoshop 7…
Paint.NET is also a free image editing program that’s pretty decent.
Picasa is still the best free software when it comes to fixing, altering, and organizing pictures on your computer.
Or if you really want the best of free* software, you can’t beat iLife. 
*It’s included for free with all new Macs. 
Agreed, Paint.NET is awesome. The 3.0 beta just recently came out, I’m looking forward to it. Keep in mind that you need the .NET framework to run it though…
Also, I use Photoshop CS2 at home (at school we have photoshop 7)
Paint .NET can be useful, but it of course requires the .NET framework to be installed. It’s intended (as per the author and my opinion) for simple to medium complexity tasks, so it’d be good for your basic photo edits.
GIMP is what I mainly use, and has a slightly longer learning curve, but can do some amazing stuff. However, it requires the GTK framework.
So they both have their uses. It’s a matter of needs and opinion. They’re both free.
irfanview is also free and does a lot, great for batch processing
GIMP
Imagemagick
If you have Linux - Krita
There’s a non-Free program called Pixel which is supposed to be pretty good.
w00t, i agree with art… ilife ftw:cool:
although i do have to say gimp is a close second;)
Really? I have found GIMP to be so annoying compared to Photoshop or even Photoshop Elements.
But then you have to factor in money. Gimp = free. PS = not free.
Personally, I use a couple of different programs depending on what I need. For photo manipulation, I generally use iPhoto. For things where I need to manipulate things more significantly, like for my blog’s header, I’m a fan of Seashore, which is basically an OS X-native version of GIMP. (On my iBook, I try to avoid X11 whenever I can.)
Can’t beat Photoshop CS2. I have CS3 beta, but its slow and whatnot.
GIMP is definately the way to go. I use it and I highly recommend it. Although, if you like the photoshop interface you can use GIMPshop (which is GIMP, but with a photoshop look).
yea im kinda into computer graphics, i use a lot of different programs depending on my needs, most of the time i just stick with Photoshop CS2 or Illustrator for my .Gif animations, also have background in Apophysis, 3d Studio Max, Maya, Lightwave, Gimp, ImageJ and some other misc. 3D Fractal Flame Editors.
Some geeks play WoW…
I make works of art.
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 or 3 ALL THE WAY!
I Have CS2 and 3 On My Computer and CS2 @ School
Again, I don’t like the CS3 beta. Too laggy. Its cool to play around and look at, but not for really making stuff.
Photoshop CS2
Its inexpensive if you can find a fair student deal. I suppose.
Or bother your sponsors to get non-commercial licenses for those who want it.