Gimp is a free/open source photoshop clone I think...and quite a good one too from what I've been told! Blender is free/open source rendering & animation, and again quite good...if you can get your head around it.
Cheers Dave, made me feel better about myself for a moment...but Gimp is also unofficially my new job title at work since we went through "restructuring"
I'd rather that than bum right now though...so it could be worse
