I would like to thank everyone for their help. Here's where I'm at: Photoshop CS2 (Amazon $559) is the industry standard, however Paint Shop Pro (Amazon $84) can perform 90 percent of Photoshop's actions. PSP is also compatible with most but not all of Photoshop's plug ins. PhotoShop Elements 3.0 plus Premiere Elements (Amazon $129) is an affordable introduction to Photoshop, but it's not as powerful as Paint Shop Pro. Some people prefer PhotoImpact, but theyre a minority. I assume people use the free programs because there free, not because their better If thats right I'll go with PSP and spend the rest on Poser 6 add-ons. Thanks again. Bonni: Coke is, without a doubt, the best. I can't even drink pepsi anymore, always tasted generic IMO.