Editing images is hard work if you don't have the right tools. However, software developers have started to create many programs that can complement most Photoshop results. Given the features that CS3 includes, I infer that it takes about 50 different apps to cover some of Photoshop's capabilities. Either way, for those looking for great results at a minimal cost, there are many options and Photoshop isn't one of them (it comes at a hefty price for those who don't have the knowledge and imagination to use it). But for home use, the solutions are lighter, smaller and easier.
Paint.NET is a way to edit your images with a professional touch. It's an open source free software editor with all the necessities, including tools for cropping, rotating, resizing images, adjusting colors, etc. I especially like the crop feature, which allows me to edit the photos and any other images I have, can “clean up”. This image editing software has nothing to do with Photoshop, but with a little effort, the results can be fantastic.
Image editing software is a much improved version of MS Paint and there are most of the modern tools available, such as noise reduction, photo sharpening and various other image adjustment tools. If you think the set of effects is sparse, you haven't discovered the Paint.NET community that offers more effects than it can handle. Paint.NET supports almost all popular image formats, such as JPEG, GIF, PNG and TIFF. The intuitive interface has semi-transparent windows for ease of use. I am sure you will like it as long as you download it to use it. From tool hippo you download the paint.net tool free of cost.