I use whatever I can, if it works, learn it it well and you can make a simple program do extrordinary things. Right now, I use Paint Shop Pro AE, GIMP - (GNU Image manipulation program) it's a freebee, IntelliCAD 2000, Real Draw, Ulead Photo Impact, and I have been playing around with some free Fractal Generators, but they are kinda overused. Some of these artist use some extremely powerful apps far out of my price range, and probably this is what you are seeing. But as soon as I begin to be accepted, I think, or hope, I'll be able to show the rest of us that "use what you got" is just as good.