I love Photoshop and have been using it forever, but it is really for photos. For web graphics its really all about Illustrator, and maybe InDesign if you want to get into layouts - they're almost the same, but InDesign is geared more towards print so you get a lot more visual queues for object placement, etc. I would go with Illustrator though, and with growing browser support for the SVG format knowing how to create vector images will become an increasingly important skill for developers/designers.
If you just want something to touch up photos, GIMP is pretty good and free. Its like an older version of Photoshop. If I just need to fix the color balance or crop an image, I usually find myself opening up GIMP just to knock it out quickly.
With any of these programs, its good to spend time playing around (sometimes known as practice), and then you'll have a better basis for understanding the more in-depth features. There's tons of stuff on Youtube dealing with specific tasks, you just need to know what to search for in the first place.
If you just want something to touch up photos, GIMP is pretty good and free. Its like an older version of Photoshop. If I just need to fix the color balance or crop an image, I usually find myself opening up GIMP just to knock it out quickly.
With any of these programs, its good to spend time playing around (sometimes known as practice), and then you'll have a better basis for understanding the more in-depth features. There's tons of stuff on Youtube dealing with specific tasks, you just need to know what to search for in the first place.