For any of you into computer based art, photo editing and design, I have played a bit with several reliable and
free programs I've found on the net. Here are some I use:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.gimp.org/
GIMP is similar to the expensive professional program Adobe Photoshop. GIMP can be used to retouch photos, make compositions, and even paint art from scratch. It is stable and has a lot of features, but also has a pretty big learning curve. My only beefs with it are the brush options don't allow you to organize brushes as well as Photoshop, and the program can sometimes be a bit slow compared to professional programs you pay for. Nevertheless, it's worth a look considering the $0 price tag!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://mypaint.intilinux.com/
Mypaint is an awesome digital painting program similar to the commercial programs ArtRage and Corel Painter. While it does not have as many features as these other programs, considering it is free, it has some amazing capabilities such as: editable brush collections, drawing layers, pressure sensitive tablet support, and extremely easy mouse and keyboard commands for rotating, zooming and moving the virtual canvas around.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://inkscape.org/
Inkscape is a vector drawing program similar to Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. The advantage of vector based drawing programs is that the artwork can be resized with no loss of quality. Inkscape uses the SVG drawing format originally designed for scalable web graphics. It runs a bit more slowly than the commercial programs out there, but still, I am impressed with the features it has considering it is a free program.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://apophysis.xyrus-worx.org/
Apophysis 7X is a fractal flame generator. This can be used to make abstract artwork (and visual elements for other digital art) based on fractal algorithms. I love this program because although you can edit the algorithms if you want to, it is easy and fun to start with randomized images the program can make for you, and manipulate visual elements using various editing windows. The only downside is, an entire afternoon can quickly melt away as you try different settings and drag sliders around to get exactly the effect you want.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All of these programs have help files, tutorials and training videos available on the internet, both on the program websites and elsewhere.