ModelsPlease,
PaintShop Pro can do just about all you need, it is not as powerful as PhotoShop but at about 1/10 the cost definitly a good place to start. It will be good enough to use to learn and when you finally out grow it, the program is close enough to photoshop that the tranision will be simple. I currently use PaintShop, and finally am reaching the limits of the program and will have to move to PhotoShop, but it still severed me well for 6 months. Depending on where your skills were when you started this will depend on how long the program will work for you, as it covers quite a bit of range.
The only short coming I found with it was making the saucers hull pattern, I used a friends PhotoShop to make that background, everything else I did was in PaintShop Pro (except my really earily stuff was in MS Paint and a Scanner Edit Program).
PaintShop Pro will server you well, do a interenet search for it I found my copy for 50 bucks. If you look at as 65 or less it is the same cost as a game. You will get more use out of it then that by far, because you can use it to change things on any game you play. Add Milkshape or 3DMax (depeding on funds) and you have something that will occupy your time for years.
-GAFY?