Today, let’s talk about free. Although Savings.com has a great selection of software deals, what better way to save than to pay nothing at all, right? For smaller projects that require less expertise, there are many free graphics programs out there. I’ve compiled a select few that I’ve tested and used–none of which are of the illegal download variety. But all are perfectly legitimate scaled-down alternatives to full-featured (and full-priced!) graphics software packages that I’ve picked up on through the years.

First up is a recent favorite of mine called Pixlr. Pixlr allows you to edit, adjust and filter images right from your browser window. You don’t need to download anything or register on the site to use the program. It’s ideal for less extensive imaging projects where you don’t need to possess the degree of expertise necessary for more involved graphics programs. This is especially important when looking to do some quick and easy touch ups to existing photographs, creating simple logos, or unique pieces of art with little instruction.

While limited in scope, it’s much more user friendly right out of the gate than most full-featured software packages. The drawbacks are overshadowed by the program’s quick upload time, array of options for filter and visual effect applications and overall flexibility. The color palette is also very user friendly, smooth and fairly transparent. It is the perfect program for editing images that you plan to post to blogs, websites or forums. It is a Flash-based tool, so you will need to make sure you have the latest version of Flash downloaded to your computer. For support, Pixlr has a great blog community and support staff. There is also an extensive FAQS section available to deal with any number of possible questions you might have.

Arguably the most popular among junior and senior level artists and designers right now is Gimp. This program works on a variety of platforms including, Linux, Mac and Windows. It has a rich community and tech team dedicated to making it the #1 free option online. The official site also has a ton of helpful tutorials to choose from and guide you through the process. The developers of Gimp, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, pride themselves on offering a product that is sleek, easy to use and best of all, free. More powerful than many alternatives out there, Gimp’s feature-rich imaging content includes: layers, channels, masks, filters, effects, tabbed palettes, color levels, 32-bit color, a full free selection tool, and various dynamic brushes. Gimp is perfect for the cash-strapped amateur or professional photographer, artist, or designer looking for a full-featured graphics program. According to the Gimp team,

It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert-quality photo-retouching program, an online batch-processing system, a mass production image renderer, or an image-format converter. GIMP is modular, expandable, and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image-manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.

Really, what more could you ask for?

Picnik and Splashup are also very highly recommended free graphics options. Picnik, which is integrated with Flickr, offers a bunch of quality resizing, editing, cropping, filtering and effects tools with no registration required to get started. Splashup allows you to just jump right in and get started. There is no download as the program just opens up in your browser window. Offering multiple image editing and pixel-level control, this is one I definitely plan to mess around with in the next few weeks. The main interface is a slight clone of the familiar Photoshop one, so users familiar with that program won’t be totally lost when firing it up for the first time. If the main program seems like too much for you to handle, there is an even simpler version called “Splashup Light” offered right on the homepage.

Lastly, we have Adobe Photoshop Express. Not as feature-rich as its big brother program, this free web-based photo editor works on Macs as well as PCs. It is very basic, lacks layers and the ability to composite images, but is a good tool to start with if you just want to learn the basics. Bottom line: It’s a good holdover while you build yourself up to grabbing something more intense like CS4.

All this talk about art programs and image manipulation has me feeling inspired–I’m off to go make some art. Next week I’ll be adding my ramblings on the greatness and complexity that is Adobe Photoshop and its cousin, Illustrator. Until then, check me out on Twitter @SavingsGCapes where I tweet about all things tech and consumer electronics.