These days, every piece of "graphics software" has a free trial. The real question is what features do you need for the software to be "the best"?

If you only ever do quick edits, there are some really great free and open source pieces of software that will do the trick.

These freebies are all online:
https://www.photoshop.com/express/
http://www.picnik.com/
http://www.splashup.com/
http://a.viary.com/
http://snipshot.com/
http://www.flauntr.com/
http://gui.picresize.com/picresize2/
http://pixenate.com/
http://fotoflexer.com/
http://www.phixr.com/

You have to install these, but they're free:
http://picasa.google.ca/
http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php
http://www.gimp.org/windows/
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/
http://www.getpaint.net/index.html
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mighty/knight/
http://www.vicman.net/vcwphoto/index.htm
http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm
http://www.ultimatepaint.com/
http://www.cursorarts.com/ca_imffw.html

If you're doing quick photo edits, Google's Picasa is tough to beat. If you need more functions, Gimp is a very advanced free image editor that rivals Adobe's Photoshop.

The Pro's use these:

Adobe Photoshop:
Free trial for 30 days.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/compare/
Photoshop is the industry standard. If you do any sort of pro work, buying a copy of photoshop will pay for itself by removing conversion and spec headaches. I tried to get away with using Gimp but when I started to work with print shops but quickly found that it was much easier to use the same software that they used.

Corel Draw:
Free trial for 30 days.
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/ca/en/Product/1191272117978#versionTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0
Some pro's prefer Corel Draw. Some schools use Corel Draw because Corel gives their software away for free to many accredited schools. So, some pro's simply stick with the familiarity of Corel Draw as they obtain pro employment.

* If you're looking for a deal on either Photoshop or Corel after the trial ends, look into the academic pricing. If you know a teacher, student or anyone else with a student number, you can score a deal. Also, some campus book stores simply don't check student ID's so while it's a bit shady, it's possible to receive a discounted price simply by purchasing there.
Source(s):
Personal Experience

http://www.lifeclever.com/10-free-web-based-alternatives-to-photoshop/

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pixelbasedwin/tp/freephotoedw.htm


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